Forced Population Displacements in Africa - Protecting the Internally Displaced Persons

Forced population displacements have become part of Africa's social dynamic. Civil wars and ethnic conflicts, political unrest, failed economies, and natural disasters have generated millions of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the continent. In 2005, there were an estimated 13 million recognized refugees globally. Over twenty percent of the world's refugee population is in Africa. While the number of refugees has decreased globally, African is witnessing an increase in refugees' population in the Great Lakes Regions and Central Africa, East Africa and the Horn of Africa. In 2004, an estimated twenty million Persons were internally displaced by conflicts and natural disasters globally. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Center estimates that half of the world's displaced people live in Africa, and almost all live in states besieged by ongoing conflicts. The problems of worsening and protracted refugees and IDPs situations in Africa are not going away and there are no solutions in sight. This paper seeks to analyze the root causes of forced population displacements and specifically, the internally displaced persons in the continent and recommends salient strategies to combat the crisis. This paper generally addresses forced population displacement and focuses on the Internally Displaced Persons. However, almost all the issues addressed in this essay also apply to the refugees' problem.