Refugee aid and protection in rural Africa: working in parallel or cross-purposes?

This paper focuses on certain aspects of protection, ‘ensure admission and at least temporary asylum; prevent forcible return (“refoulement”); and ensure that refugees are treated in according to basic human rights standards. The author draws from personal experience, particularly from research work in Zambia and experience as a practitioner working as a consultant and as NGO staff member. The purpose here is to raise questions about current practice and to illustrate how universal assumptions about refugees can lead to undesirable results in particular circumstances.