The Refugee Crisis in Southern and Central Africa
Nineteen ninety-nine marks the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Organisation of African Unity's (OAU) 1969 Convention Governing Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa. This Convention was an explicit recognition by African states of the nature and scope of modern refugee movements in Africa. The Convention marked a departure from the then internationally accepted standards for the extension of state protection to persons forcibly displaced across international boundaries. At the time the 1951 UN Convention (and its 1967 Protocol) recognised persons as refugees [who had suffered what was primarily individualised persecution for reasons of political opinion, religion, race or analogous reasons].
The OAU, by expanding this definition to persons forced to cross national boundaries because of 'external aggression, occupation, foreign domination and events seriously disturbing public order in either part or the whole of their countries of origin or nationality', was signaling a recognition of the nature and scope of modern refugee movements on the continent. It was also indicating willingness on the part of post- independent states to take responsibility for the protection of persons forcibly displaced under these circumstances.
Many have described the period in which the Convention was passed as that of the 'open door policy' of African states. This lasted from the early 1960s to the late 1980s and early 1990s.
This article first appeared in 'Global Dialogue', an international affairs review of the Foundation for Global Dialogue, in Volume 4 (1 April 1999).