Two People Can't Wear the Same Pair of Shoes: Exploring the Challenges of Access to Land and Reintegration in Burundi

(Bujumbura, 10 November 2009) The International Refugee Rights Initiative, in partnership with Rema Ministries and the Social Science Research Council, today released a new paper, "Two People Can't Share the Same Pair of Shoes: Citizenship, Land and the Return of Refugees to Burundi."

The paper, the second in the series Citizenship and Displacement in the Great Lakes Region, tracks the experience of refugees returning to southern Burundi after decades in exile. Based on 245 interviews conducted primarily in southern Burundi, the paper highlights the importance of access to land in the reintegration process.

Read the paper here.
In French.

Refugee Rights News
November 2009

Congolese in Danger of Being Deported from Botswana

Continued Consideration of RtoP Proves a Success at UNGA Debate

The United Nations Extends UN-AU Force Mandate in Darfur

Lubna Hussein’s Trial Highlights Repressive Public Order Law in Sudan

Publications

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An Expert Consultation in Advance of the Preparatory Meeting of African State Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court for the Rome Statute Review Conference

On 31 October and 1 November 2009, a group of 23 experts in international and transitional justice and
human rights met in Nairobi, Kenya to review the agenda of the Preparatory Meeting of African State
Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Rome Statute) Review Conference and
prepare submissions which might assist with those deliberations.

The meeting, organized by the International Refugee Rights Initiative and the East Africa Law Society, built on a previous consultation also held in Nairobi in June 2009 which prepared contributions to the previous meeting of African state parties on the Rome Statute of July 2009. The participants were invited and conducted the deliberations in their individual capacities. At the end of their reflections, the participating experts adopted the following conclusions, positions and recommendations for the consideration of the African states parties to the ICC and the African Union.

Read the conclusions and recommendation, endorsed by the participants in their individual capacity,
here.
En Francais.

Recommendations of the Civil Society Meeting on African Union mechanisms and the Protection of Refugee, IDP and Citizenship Rights

African civil society organizations and experts met in Kampala, Uganda, from 19-20 October 2009 on the margins of the AU Special Summit on Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced persons. Issues discussed included statelessness and nationality rights, which have been both a cause and consequence of forced displacement and discrimination in Africa.

The session recognised that effective citizenship is a doorway to accessing other rights, including for refugees and the displaced. In this context, it was noted that the right to nationality needed to be promoted as a mechanism both to prevent and to respond to displacement on the continent.

Read the communique here.
En francais .

PRESS RELEASE - 17 September, 2009

Burundian Refugees Face a Deadline to Leave Tanzania

Less than two weeks from the date of the announced closure of Tanzania's last refugee camp for Burundians, the Centre for the Study of Forced Migration and the International Refugee Rights Initiative launched a report, "'I Don't Know Where to Go': Burundian Refugees in Tanzania Under Pressure to Leave".

The paper, based on a two-week mission conducted in Tanzania in August 2009 outlines serious concerns regarding the protection of refugees in the country.

Read the press release here.
Read the report here.