Africans on the Continent
Refugees and IDPs
Flows of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) during 2005 were primarily the result of conflicts; more than 13.5 million Africans were classified as either refugees or IDPs at year’s end.
There were 2.24 million Africans living as refugees at the end of 2005 according to UNHCR. The largest countries of origin for these refugees were Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire, Togo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Twenty-three countries hosted refugees in 2005; some of these countries, such as Uganda and Tanzania, have hosted refugees for longer than 20 years. Countries of asylum for Africa’s refugees are detailed in the table below.
Country of asylum[1] |
Origin |
Total |
Algeria |
Western Sahara |
169,056 |
Angola |
Congo – DRC |
13,504 |
Benin |
Congo - Brazzaville , Congo – DRC, Rwanda, Togo |
4,818 |
Cameroon |
Central African Republic , Chad , Congo – DRC, Nigeria, Rwanda |
58,893 |
Central African Republic |
Chad , Congo – DRC, Sudan |
25,641 |
Chad |
Central African Rep., Sudan |
253,668 |
Congo - Brazzaville |
Angola , Congo – DRC, Rwanda |
67,480 |
Congo - DRC |
Angola , Burundi, Congo – Brazzaville, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda |
177,558 |
Djibouti |
Ethiopia , Somalia |
15,765 |
Egypt |
Ethiopia , Somalia, Sudan |
19,455 |
Eritrea |
Somalia , Sudan |
4,246 |
Ethiopia |
Eritrea , Somalia, Sudan |
113,619 |
Gambia |
Liberia , Senegal, Sierra Leone |
7,343 |
Cote d’Ivoire |
Congo – Brazzaville, Liberia |
71,645 |
Mozambique |
Congo - DRC |
1,274 |
Namibia |
Angola |
11,361 |
Nigeria |
Chad , Liberia, Sierra Leone |
10,985 |
Senegal |
Mauritania |
20,855 |
Sierra Leone |
Liberia |
64,751 |
Tanzania |
Burundi , Congo – DRC, Somalia |
600,619 |
Togo |
Ghana , Rwanda |
11,283 |
Uganda |
Burundi , Congo – DRC, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan |
274,489 |
Yemen |
Ethiopia , Somalia |
67,607 |
Zambia |
Angola , Burundi, Congo – DRC, Rwanda, Somalia |
176,621 |
[1] UNHCR Refugee Trends 1 January – 31 March 2005
Compared with other continents, Africa is home to the largest number of IDPs. At the end of 2005, there were 11.34 million IDPs living on the Continent. Sudan eclipses all African states in the production of IDPs, while other large populations of IDPs exist in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The table below lists the IDP populations of certain African countries.
Major IDP Populations in 2005* |
|
Country |
Population |
Angola |
91,240 |
Burundi |
117,000 |
Côte d'Ivoire |
500,000 |
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
1,664,000 |
Eritrea |
50,509 |
Ethiopia |
150,000-265,000 |
Kenya |
381,924 |
Liberia |
48,000 |
Nigeria |
200,000 |
Republic of Congo |
100,000-147,000 |
Somalia |
370,000-400,000 |
Sudan |
5,355,000 |
Togo |
3,000 |
Uganda |
1,740,498 |
Zimbabwe |
569,685 |
*Figures compiled from The Global IDP Project Database and represent a period from 2004-2006. Sources are various and include the UN, EU, and individual government statistics.
Root Causes and Current Conflicts
Positive Developments
Statistics and References
1The Global IDP Project Database.
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