TOWARD PROMOTING PROTECTION: REFUGEE PROTECTION AND LOCAL INTEGRATION IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

The ongoing refugee crises across the globe, especially in the case of large influxes and movements in Europe and Africa, remain an unsolved problem. This is particularly evident in Africa. It has been observed that in 2015 the African continent alone had more than 6 million refugees. Therefore this article examines the increasing obstacles in protecting refugees in Sub-Saharan Africa. The key question is how can the protection of refugees be guaranteed, especially during a mass influx in Sub-Saharan Africa? The paper discusses local integration with analytical reference to the Sub-Saharan African context. It argues that the 1969 Organisation of African Unity Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa endorses the minimum normative standards of protection provided in the 1951 Refugee Convention. It further observes that facilitating the development of refugees and their host communities through effective local integration remains a durable solution. It concludes that local integration is possibly the only option for most refugees in Sub-Saharan Africa as possibilities for voluntary repatriation and third country resettlement become eroded in situations of protracted conflicts.