Issues in Intra-African Migration: Juxtaposing Natural Law Theory with Xenophobia in Africa

Abstract

Central to the discourses on xenophobia in Africa is inter-state migration of both skilled and unskilled citizens. Within the African continent, this scenario of movements translates to intra- African migration. This has been an age long experience in Africa and is inevitable because no nation is absolutely self-sufficient. Furthermore, it has been a general rule of international law that states reserve the right to admit or not to admit aliens into their territory. This presupposes that international law does not impose any limit on the right to admit or not to admit aliens, subject to obligations expressly undertaken by states. All the same, in contemporary Africa, intra-continental migrants have become very vulnerable to human rights’ violations in the trajectories of xenophobic attacks. The omens of such confrontations in intra-African relations are frightening and highlight issues that seem to contradict natural law. Therefore, this article aims at placing the natural law theory side by side with xenophobia on the African soil in order to squarely interrogate the embedded issues and proffer germane solutions.