Refugees and Internally Displaced People

1. Refugees and Internally Displaced People The Sudan

2. Who is a Refugee? • The most widely used definition of a refugee is that employed in the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. According to this convention a refugee is someone who • “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social or political opinion, is outside the country of his/her nationality” • Countries that have signed this convention are required to provide asylum to people deemed to be refugees. • What are some potential problems with this definition?

3. Problems with the convention • Leads to a subjective judgment of what qualifies as “well-founded belief”. Refugees may be denied asylum in a country because government officials do not deem their fears to be well-founded. • Does not account for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). • The definition does not cover people who have been persecuted on the basis of their sex or sexuality.

4. Refugees and IDP • In the world today there are approximately 11,900,000 refugees and 20,000,000 Internally displaced people. • The primary sources of refugees in the world today are Palestine, Afghanistan and The Sudan. • Of the millions of refugees and IPD in the world only about 1% have been permanently resettled in new countries. Most continue to live in refugee camps or are homeless. • In the US, the ceiling for refugees is 70,000 per year. Since 1975 the US has resettled approximately 2.5 million refugees.

5. The Sudan • Fuelled by oil revenue, Sudan has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and the world. With GDP growth for 2006 at around 9.6%. By comparison China has a growth rate of 10.7% and the US 3.2%. • Control over this oil revenue is at the heart of the refugee crisis emerging from the Sudan.

6. The Civil Wars • Beginning with British decolonization of the Sudan in 1955, the Sudan has been plagued by almost perpetual civil war. • The conflict which displaced the Lost Boys began in 1983. • Why were they mostly Boys? • This civil war is fought between the North Sudan (Northern Government of Sudan and associated militias) and the South Sudan (Sudanese People’s Liberation Army)

7. An ethnic/racial conflict? • The government in Khartoum (The capitol) is controlled by Arab Muslims. • The South Sudan is comprised predominantly of Black Christians and Animists. • The racial and ethnic differences apparent in this conflict can lead one to assume that this is just one of many ethnic conflicts that appear to continuously plague Africa. • However….

8. Sudan’s oil • The Sudan currently produces about 350,000 barrels of oil per day. • Most of the massive oil reserves in the Sudan are located in the South of the country. • Thus, while political, economic, and military power are located in the north and under Arab-Muslim control, the majority of the resources fuelling this power and wealth are located in the south.

9. Control of Oil • The Sudanese government spends approximately 60% of its oil revenue to purchase weapons. These weapons are used to arm the military and militias that have historically maintain a brutal control over the Animist/Christian Black populations in the South. • China is the main purchaser of Sudanese oil.

10. Results of the Crisis • Between 500,000 and 1,000,000 Sudanese refugees fled the violence in the South Sudan. • Most ended up in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Chad • Refugees face violence in camps, are prevented from integrating into local communities, poor living conditions and declining international aid. • Between 4,000,000 and 6,000,000 IDPs live in Sudan. 10% of the world’s displaced person’s population. • IDPs rarely receive foreign aid, it is difficult to locate and assist these people. Aid is often manipulated by local combatants.

11. End of the Crisis? • In 2006 a Peace Accord was signed between the Sudanese government and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army. • This accord allows for the possibility for secession after 6 years, however not all rebel groups or militias have signed it. • Darfur: The recent peace accord does not include provisions to cope with the current genocide in Darfur because it is a completely separate conflict.