IRRI’s 2017 Annual Report highlights our work in a year of significant achievement for us, as we continued to work on our three main programmatic areas of: -identifying the violations that cause displacement and exile; -protecting the rights of those who are displaced, and -ensuring resolutions to their displacement are durable, rights respecting, safe and timely. The…
Heightened tension between Francophones and Anglophones has led to multiple clashes that have transgressed into atrocities in Cameroon. Initiatives by the Cameroonian government to resolve the Anglophone crisis appear to be futile[1]. With this blog, we intend to raise more awareness about the atrocities occurring in Cameroon. As such, we appeal to the international community…
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…
Heightened tension between Francophones and Anglophones has led to multiple clashes that have transgressed into atrocities in Cameroon. Initiatives by the Cameroonian government to resolve the Anglophone crisis appear to be futile. With this blog, we intend to raise more awareness about the atrocities occurring in Cameroon. As such, we appeal to the international community…
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…
(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…
A Study of Eritreans forced from Saudi Arabia to East Africa IRRI Policy Paper Series Forced Migration Gulf to Africa Sept 2020 Millions of the foreign nationals who live and work in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states hail from repressive or conflict-affected countries, and yet their situation rarely features in discussions about forced migration…
People seeking safety are trapped at borders across Eastern Africa due to COVID-19 measures A coalition of international, national, and refugee-led organizations in the Horn, East and Central Africa (HECA) have today called on governments in the region to reopen borders for asylum seekers. The organisations are calling on governments to put in place measures…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Joint civil society statement Ahead of the African Union (AU) High-Level Dialogue on displacement taking place from 4-6 December in Uganda, 15 African and international NGOs call on African leaders and regional organisations to urge the government of Tanzania to stop pressuring 163,000 refugees and asylum seekers into returning to Burundi, where there are…
“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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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. Most of the countries in this region host refugees but have also seen their own citizens seek refuge in neighbouring countries. Voluntary repatriation is generally seen by regional and…
In February 2019, Ethiopia issued a National Refugee Proclamation, joining several of its neighbours in the Greater Horn of Africa region[1] in expanding the rights granted to refugees living in the country. Amongst other provisions, the new law allows refugees access to national health services on the same basis as Ethiopian nationals and contains…
