16.
REFUGEES IN AFRICA*
(In the decade of the seventies the number of African refugees rose from an estimated 750,000 to about 5, 000,000, more than the population of many African countries. Now approximately half of the world's refugees are i.n Africa. The notes which follow were disseminated in April 1987 by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs as an effort to keep the magnitude of the problem before the public. It is hoped that this information will be used by teachers, not to reinforce the attitude of North Americans who see Africa only as a place of human and geographical disaster, but to encourage further interest and inquiry about the continent.)
Background: Armed conflict, civil strife, and systematic oppression *have generated millions of homeless persons in Africa. The UN High Commissioner
for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates thatinore than 3.1 million refugees--those who have crossed international borders--are living in over two dozen African countries. The refugees place immense economic, social, and political burdens on the countries of asylum. In keeping with longstanding African tradition, these countries, which together host the largest number of refugees in the world, have been remarkably hospitable to the refugees. The African nations often use their own meager resources to provide for the refugees, but largescale international assistance is still required. Among the most serious African refugee problems are the following:
Somalia: Since October 1979, refugees from the fighting in Ethiopia have been arriving in Somalia at an average of more than 1,000 a day. As of February, 1981, the Somali Government estimated the refugee population in more than 35 camps at over 1.3 million, the overwhelming majority of them women and children. Another 500,000 refugees are believed to reside outside the camps. However, since an exact count has been difficult to obtain, a thorough refugee census will be undertaken soon. Until the autumn of 1979, the Somali Government attempted to care for the refugees from its own resources. Then, in October, 1979, Somalia issued an appeal for $71 million in assistance, of which $25 million was received. This appeal was superseded in March 1980, when the UNI{CP called for $40.7 million in nonfood assistance and 158,495 metric tons of food for Somalia in 1980. Both UNHCR appeals were fully subscribed, with the US-the largest donor--providing $18 million worth of nonfood relief and about 114,000 metric tons of food valued at $35 million. To meet the needs of the refugees in 1981, the UNHCR and the World Food Program (WFP) have called for $85 million in nonfood assistance and 283,000 metric tons of food. The U.S.
*The United Nations held an International Conference on Assistance to Refugees in Africa April 9-10, 1981 in Geneva. A small booklet grew out of that conference entitled Refugees in Africa, a country-by-country survey. For a copy contact: UNHCR, Palais des Nations, CH-1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland.