The Refugee Situation in the Horn of Africa and Sudan

Abstract

– “One of the most pressing problems of the world today–the plight of over 5 million refugees in Africa” – “Every other refugee in the world is an African” – “The refugee tragedy in Africa is a human tragedy” – “The largest refugee problem on the continent is in the Horn of Africa” The quotations above succinctly describe the refugee situation in Africa, in general, and especially in the Horn of Africa. In recent years, the Horn of Africa has been experiencing a rapidly worsening refugee situation. In 1979, the Organization of African United indicated that Africa, apart from “becoming the continent with the largest number of least developed countries and harbouring the largest number of the most economically backward regions in the world–constituting the periphery of the periphery in the international economic system, Africa is ... becoming the continent with largest number of refugees who constitute more than 40 per cent of the world refugee population.” The situation has since worsened as the number of refugees has reached, perhaps passed, the 5 million mark.