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Press Statement on International Women’s Day 8 March #IWD2023

Published: 9 Mar 2023

#DigitALL Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality Digitalisation is a necessary tool for progressive development as it can streamline processes, increase data, access to information and services, and spur innovation, thereby increasing efficiency, access and social progress. Access to and ownership of digital devices as well as access to the internet, can offer additional employment,…

Press Statement on International Women’s Day 8 March 2022

Published: 8 Mar 2022

#BreakTheBias by giving equal value and recognition to women’s voice and spaces. The International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI) is committed to equality and treating people fairly. We believe in non-discrimination and to levelling the playing field. We at IRRI, are cognisant of our duty to respond to intersectionalities within the communities we serve, ensuring cultural,…

Evacuation from Libya: some questions answered by UNHCR

Published: 27 May 2021

Refugees living in Libya are at risk of many human rights violations, including detention, abduction, physical abuse and forced labour. It is also very difficult for them to meet basic needs such as food, shelter and healthcare. As a result, many have tried to escape from the country by boat, a journey which often ends…

Celebrate Women Everyday

Published: 8 Mar 2021

We at the International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI) #ChoosetoChallenge a world where displaced women continue to bear the brunt of conflict, mal-governance and exclusion. Displaced women and girls are most at risk for sexual and gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, and are disproportionately affected by the corollaries of poverty and scarcity, even in the…

Policy Brief on the Impact of Refugee Returns on Peace and Security in Africa

Published: 15 Dec 2020

Introduction After decades of conflict and violence, the Great Lakes region of Africa remains one of the areas of the world most affected by forced displacement. Currently, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), Burundi and South Sudan are among the global top ten countries of origin of refugees, but every…

The Return Dynamics of Refugees and IDPs in the Provinces of Bujumbura, Cibitoke and Muyinga

Published: 30 Sep 2020

Summary of the research on the dynamics of refugee and IDP returns and reintegration in Burundi The research took place in the provinces of Bujumbura, Cibitoke and Muyinga between 14 January and 20 April 2020, the start date of campaigns for presidential, legislative and municipal elections in Burundi. Research Topic: The Return Dynamics of Refugees…

Summary of the research on the dynamics of refugee and IDP returns and reintegration in Burundi

Published: 30 Sep 2020

(30 September 2020) The research took place in the provinces of Bujumbura, Cibitoke and Muyinga between 14 January and 20 April 2020, the start date of campaigns for presidential, legislative and municipal elections in Burundi. Research Topic:  The Return Dynamics of Refugees and IDPs in the Provinces of Bujumbura, Cibitoke and Muyinga. The research focused…

Self-reliance as a contemporary ‘durable solution’ to forced displacement

Published: 20 Jun 2020

IRRI Press Statement on World Refugee Day 2020 20 June 2020 is World Refugee Day. This year’s theme is Everyone can make a difference. Every action counts. Refugees can and do make a difference in the host communities where they seek refuge, and their actions count. This is most evident globally, where we have seen…

IRRI Rights in Exile Newsletter – May 2020

Published: 18 May 2020

Issue 112, May 2020 ISSN 2049-2650 Editorial Team: Nejla Sammakia, Christian Jorgensen, Cristina de Nicolás Izquierdo, Nicolas Parent, Taylor Brooks, Sirak Akalu Iyassu, Lucia Slot, Adam Severson, Nastassja White, Lena Ellen Becker, Muchengeti Hwacha, Saskia Llewellyn and Rosa da Costa. Chief Editor: Fiona McKinnon Web links are in blue. In this issue: Articles & Short…

Taking stock of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy one year on

Published: 13 Feb 2020

  12 February 2020 marks the first anniversary of the official adoption of the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP). This anniversary presents an excellent opportunity to reflect on the impacts of the AUTJP on the transitional justice landscape in Africa. Uganda has been particularly appluaded for taking the lead as the first AU Member…

Still no justice for massacres in western DRC

Published: 17 Dec 2019

  Exactly one year ago, hundreds of people were slaughtered in Yumbi, in western Democratic Republic of Congo. On 15 and 16 December 2018, assailants targeted members of the Nunu ethnic group in a deliberate and organised manner. The attack lasted less than 48 hours but left the area in total disarray. As attention is…

Justice n’est toujours pas rendue pour les massacres de l’ouest de la RDC

Published: 17 Dec 2019

  Il y a exactement un an, des centaines de personnes étaient massacrées à Yumbi, dans la partie occidentale de la République démocratique du Congo. Les 16 et 17 décembre 2018, des assaillants ont ciblé des membres de l’ethnie Nunu de façon délibérée et organisée. L’attaque a duré moins que 48 heures mais a laissé…

Video Release: the realities of statelessness in East Africa

Published: 31 Oct 2019

  “A stateless life is a worrisome life,” says Mohammed Suleiman Ali from Tanzania’s Comorian community. Mohammed is not alone. Tens of thousands are affected by, or at risk of, statelessness in East Africa. Discriminatory laws, legal gaps and problematic administrative practices have left a number of communities unable to access citizenship or prove their…

Open Letter: the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights urged to address serious and systematic human rights violations in Cameroon

Published: 29 Oct 2019

  H.E Solomon Dersso, Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights   CC: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Chairman of the African Union  Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission Smail Chergui, Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union Commission Banjul, The Gambia, 25 October 2019 Your Excellency, We, a coalition…

Opportunities! Volunteer editors for Rights in Exile newsletter

Published: 29 Oct 2019

  Be a part of our editorial team! The Rights in Exile Newsletter (formerly the Fahamu Refugee Legal Aid Newsletter) is a free public resource for legal assistance providers, refugees, and others interested in refugee legal assistance. The newsletter is a monthly digital publication updating aspects of refugee legal aid so that legal aid providers can stay…

Why Tanzania shouldn’t force Burundian refugees to return

Published: 18 Oct 2019

  Forcing Burundian refugees in Tanzania to leave the country is not only problematic legally, it could also sow the seeds for renewed conflict and displacement in Burundi. At the end of August, the Burundian and Tanzanian governments jointly announced that the 183,000 Burundian refugees would be repatriated. While such a large-scale operation has yet…

Nouveau rapport : « Revenir vers la stabilité ? Retours de réfugiés dans la région des Grands Lacs »

Published: 16 Oct 2019

  Après des décennies de conflit et de violence, la région africaine des Grands Lacs demeure une des zones du monde les plus touchées par le déplacement forcé. La plupart des pays de cette région accueillent des réfugiés, mais voient aussi leurs propres ressortissants chercher refuge dans les pays voisins. Le rapatriement volontaire est généralement…