The document discusses displaced persons and refugees in Africa. It defines displaced persons as individuals who have fled their homes due to armed conflict, violence, human rights violations, or natural disasters, and remain within their country as internally displaced persons (IDPs) or cross an international border as refugees. It provides examples of large IDP and refugee populations in countries like Congo, South Sudan, and across Sub-Saharan Africa. The causes of displacement mentioned include conflicts over land and resources, violence, political instability, ethnic or religious strife, state failure, human rights abuses, environmental factors, underdevelopment, and unemployment.

1. DISPLACED PERSONS AND REFUGEES
 Displaced persons are persons or groups of persons who
have been forced or obligated to flee or to have cause to
leave their homes or place of habitual residence in
particular, as a result of or in order to avoid the effect
of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence,
violations of human rights or natural or human-made
disasters, and they must have either remain within their
own national borders (as internally displaced persons) or
they must have crossed an internationally recognized
state border (as refugees), (Ladan, 2006).

2. Categories of displaced persons
Displaced persons are of two categories: Refugees and
Internally Displaced Persons. (IDPs)
Internally displaced persons, are “Persons or groups of
persons who have been forced to flee their homes or
places of habitual residence suddenly or unexpectedly as
a result of armed conflict, internal strife, systematic
violations of human rights or natural or man-made
disasters, who have not crossed an internationally recognized
state border”. (OCHA, 2003; UN, 2004).

3. Under the Cartagena Declaration, the term “refugee”
is defined as including “Persons who have fled their
countries because their lives, safety or freedom
have been threatened by generalized violence,
foreign aggression, internal conflicts, massive
violations of human rights or other circumstances
which have seriously disturbed public order”.
(UNHCR, 1995).

4. SOME EXAMPLES ON THE SITUATION OF IDPS AND REFUGEES IN
AFRICA
There are some 2.7 million internally displaced people
(IDPs) within the country(Congo) in 2014 due to ongoing
armed conflict in the east.
Due mainly to the conflict in the eastern part of the country,
approximately 430,000 refugees from the DRC remain in
neighboring countries, particularly Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda
and the United Republic of Tanzania.
Nine months into the South Sudan crisis, there were
approximately 1.3 million internally displaced people (IDPs).

5. There were more than 450,000 new South Sudanese
refugees, who fled to Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.
Generally Sub Saharan Africa has approximately 12.3
million displaced persons and about 6 million refugees
seeking for human assistance to neighboring countries.
NOTE: READ OTHER RESOURCES FOR MORE
INFORMATION ON THE SITUATION OF IDPS AND
REFUGEES IN SUB SAHARAN AFRICA.

6. CAUSES OF IDPS AND REFUGEES IN AFRICA
Conflicts over land(eg in Nigeria) and other natural resources (eg
gold in DRC)
Violence and human rights abuse
Political power struggles eg in south sudan
Strife between different ethnic or religious groups(ethnic groups
like Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) and religious groups like nomadic cattle
herders who are Muslim and resident farmers who are Christians.
Absent statecraft: ie weak or absent state power have given leeway
for armed groups eg Somalia,DRC and the Central African
Republic.As a result of or absent state power have generated displaced
persons and civilians who have no protection against abuse.

7. Violence and human rights abuse eg Central Africa Republic
“The 79-page report, “‘I Can Still Smell the Dead’: The Forgotten
Human Rights Crisis in the Central African Republic,” details the
deliberate killing of civilians – including women, children, and the
elderly – between March and June 2013 and confirms the deliberate
destruction of more than 1,000 homes, both in the capital, Bangui, and
in the provinces. Many villagers have fled their homes and are living in
the bush in fear of new attacks. Human Rights Watch documented the
deaths of scores of people from injuries, hunger or sickness”.

8. Environmental degradation and natural disaster:
sometimes contribute to conflicts and
displacement,difforestation,drought and floods have fuelled the fights
for scarce natural resources and have displaced people from their
homes eg in Nigeria, Somalia and DRC.
Underdevelopment and poverty eg in Sudan,Congo,Ethiopia etc
Unemployment eg Somalia, Ethiopia etc
Establishment of large infrastructural systems eg
roads,railways,dams and companies .

9. REFUGEES

10. The IDPs in Congo