IN AFRICA I. Introduction MIGRATION FOR DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA and is both intra-regional (mainly within West, East and southern African regions) and inter-regional (from West Africa to Southern Africa, from East/Horn of Africa to Southern Africa and from Central Africa to Southern Africa and West Africa) 9. Migration routes in Africa are constantly evolving and changing. In recent years the eastern route (Gulf of Aden migration route) has witnessed increased numbers of migrants, particularly from the Horn of Africa, moving to the Gulf countries and beyond. Similarly, there has been an increase in movement on the northern route, which is traversed by migrants from mainly West and the Horn of Africa en route to Europe, via the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea. It is noteworthy, that although migration on the northern route is small in comparison to migration on the continent, especially on the southern route from East/Horn of Africa to southern Africa, a lot of resources are being channelled towards migration management on the northern route. This may be due to the political attention that migration has received in Europe in recent years. There is less data on irregular migration on the southern route, an issue that needs to be addressed if countries in the southern Africa region and the continent are to manage migration effectively. Furthermore, the lack of data properly disaggregated by sex, age and other factors continue to hinder comprehensive responses to the plight of migrants. girls are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence, and other risks. Moreover, States often view irregular migration through the prism of national security, which may lead to a generalisation that all refugees and migrants are a potential security threat. This has contributed to the securitisation of migration, including the reinforcement of border control, without due respect for migrants’ human rights. Furthermore, corruption and harassment at borders in Africa remain a challenge, even in regions that are implementing free movement of persons regimes, and this too undermines the human rights of migrants. Migration management policies and practices should uphold the human rights of all migrants, while awareness raising on the rights and obligations of migrants should be provided, as well as migrant-friendly reporting and accountability mechanisms that address abuse and the exploitation of migrants by security and law-enforcement officials. Over the last decade, a salient trend in African migration has been the rise in irregular migration. Migrants use increasingly precarious routes, which render them vulnerable to abuse by smugglers and traffickers. Women and Another major challenge in Africa is displaced populations, inter alia triggered by conflict, terrorism, and climatic pressure. Africa hosts the majority of the world’s refugees. African countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda) which are in the top 10 refugee hosting countries in the world, account for 21 per cent of the world’s refugees 10, while numerous other African countries, such as Djibouti, also host, or experience, flows of refugees Africa’s displaced population stands at approximately 18.5 million, of which over 27 per cent are refugees, and 67 per cent are IDPs. These displaced populations require substantial resources to manage, provide for, and integrate into host communities. Situations of protracted 9 10 AU, 2016, Evaluation Report of the AU Migration Policy Framework, p.9. www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/ten-countries-hostworld-refugees-report-161004042014076.html 21