brief 39
Migration and Displacement in Sub-Saharan Africa
The Security-Migration Nexus II
Clara Fischer and Ruth Vollmer (eds.)
Contrary to the still prevailing belief caused by sometimes one-sided media coverage that a large share of African migrants relocate to Europe or the developed states in the North, research has shown that this is not the case. Only 1.5 percent of all Sub-Saharan Africans, living outside their country, live within the European Union. More than two-thirds of all migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, however, migrate to other countries within Sub-Saharan Africa (approximately 16.3 million).
Sub-Saharan Africa is also a region characterized by high numbers of forced migrants. It has the world’s highest concentration of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and hosts approximately 20 percent of the world’s refugee population. In the region, we find both sending and receiving states. We also find states that are both, or that are transit countries. Tanzania, Chad and Uganda are amongst the top ten refugee-hosting countries worldwide. Cameroon, Sudan and Kenya are amongst the countries in Africa that hosted the highest amount of new refugees in 2007. 17 African states have refugee populations of more than 50,000 persons each.
Flight and expulsion, particularly as a consequence of armed conflicts, influenc e th e development , stability and security of the states concerned and give rise to great challenges for action by policymakers at all levels and international humanitarian assistance.
Nearly to the day one year ago, in February 2008, experts from research, politics and civil society gathered in Bonn to discuss the “Security-Migration Nexus”, challenges and opportunities of migration from Africa to Europe. Following these discussions on the nexus between security and migration, BICC, the Bonn International Center for Conversion organized this second international conference, entitled “Migration and Displacement in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Security-Migration Nexus II” which was dedicated to forced migration within the Global South. The event was held in Bonn from 13–14 February 2009 and was supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Just under 200 national and international experts from academia, political and civil society institutions gathered and discussed the issue of forced migration in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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