Africa's refugees: patterns, problems and policy challenges

This article examines the changing scope, scale and dynamics of the refugee problem in Africa, drawing extensively on the statistical data available. It further analyzes three specific policy challenges related to the rights and welfare of the continent’s displaced people: the need to preserve the principle and practice of asylum; the need to reinforce security and the rule of law in refugee-populated areas; and the need to facilitate the safe return and sustainable reintegration of people who have been forced to flee from their own country or community.