Since the 1990s African conflicts have witnessed massive brutality against the civilian population. Armed combatants in Somalia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Northern Uganda, Darfur and Eastern DRC – to mention just some – have violated the Geneva Conventions’ protocol on civilian…
The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement set forth the rights of IDPs and the obligations of national authorities toward them. Less clear, however, has been what governments concretely can do to ensure that these rights are respected and responsibilities fulfilled.…
Such a statement has to be understood in the broader frame of ICRC's endeavours to act in favour of all war victims and its wariness towards approaches by sectors or categories of victims. It should be noted that the ICRC’s…
Since the mid-1990s millions of Congolese have fled their homes to escape fighting between rebel groups and the national government in a complex conflict which has, at times, involved as many as nine neighbouring states. Close to four million people…
While the number of refugees crossing international borders has steadily declined, the number of people displaced by conflict has remained around 25 million for several years. Some 50 countries are affected by conflict-induced internal displacement. Most IDPs receive neither adequate…
If you were designing a thought-provoking case study for a workshop on humanitarian dilemmas Darfur has it all: IDPs living in both camp and host community settings; returnees and refugees; a complex emergency already being considered ‘post-conflict’; tension between the…
Voluntary return in safety and with dignity as a durable solution to displacement has long been a core tenet of the international refugee regime. In the 23 articles on Return in this issue of FMR, authors explore various obstacles to…
In Colombia, internal displacement caused by armed conflict or generalised violence is often followed by further displacement towards cities where families seek assistance, protection and economic opportunities. An estimated 87% of these internally displaced people (IDPs) come from rural areas,…
The ‘root causes’ of Palestinian displacement – the largest and longest-standing protracted refugee situation in the world[1] – are complex and their impact has grown over time as they continue unaddressed. They date back to the early 20th century, when…
