d) Sudan/South Sudan: Contested nationality after partition risked statelessness. Darfur's
conflict (from 2003) generated 2.5 million IDPs;41 many Darfurians felt their marginalization by
Khartoum's Arab-dominated regime was a continuation of chronic statelessness and discrimination,
fueling rebellion. Ethnic conflicts in Southern Sudan (before and after independence) were likewise
entangled with citizenship issues among cross-border tribes.
e) Mozambique: The current insurgency in Cabo Delgado (N. Mozambique) has displaced
over 800,000 people. While this conflict’s drivers are complex (economic and Islamist), displaced
Muslim communities (often marginalized by Christian-majority state) face both statelessness risks
and recruitment by insurgents.
These cases suggest that displacement and statelessness are more than byproducts of
conflict: they can become structural drivers when grievances of the uprooted are unaddressed.
Conversely, research also shows that well-managed refugee situations can spur local development:
one study found that, over time, refugee camps boosted the built-up areas of host communities,
indicating potential "win-win" outcomes.42 The key is how policies channel migration and citizenship
issues – toward peace or conflict.
5. Legal and Policy Interventions
Given the above, robust legal and policy measures are needed at multiple levels:
a) Prevention of Displacement: Address root causes (conflict resolution, human rights, climate
adaptation). Strengthening inclusive governance (citizenship equality, rule of law) prevents
crises that displace people. For statelessness, reforms to nationality laws (e.g., granting jus soli
or removing discriminatory clauses) prevent new statelessness.43
b) Protection of Refugees and IDPs: Ensure legal safeguards and assistance. At borders,
uphold non-refoulement. Once admitted, states should provide rights (education, health) as per
Kampala/Refugee laws. Uganda's practice (refugees free to work and own land) is a model.44
Protection includes basic humanitarian aid (shelter, food, healthcare) coordinated via UN
clusters. For urban refugees and IDPs, municipalities need capacity-building to integrate
newcomers (e.g., land for housing, social programs) to reduce informal settlements.
c) Durable Solutions: Promote return, local integration, or resettlement. The Kampala
Convention urges post-conflict governments to help IDPs return or locally integrate, with
41
United Nations, "Darfur Crisis" (UN Department of Safety and Security, 2023),
https://www.un.org/en/africa/darfur; Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), Global Internal
Displacement
Database
—
Sudan
Profile
(IDMC,
2023),
https://www.internaldisplacement.org/countries/sudan.
42 Coniglio, Peragine and Vurchio (n 4) (documenting growth in built-up areas of host communities attributable
to refugee-camp economic activity over time).
43 UNHCR,
Global Action Plan to End Statelessness 2014–2024 (Geneva: UNHCR, 2014),
https://www.unhcr.org/54621bf49.pdf (Action 4 on preventing statelessness through law reform, including jus
soli safeguards).
44 World Bank, "An Assessment of Uganda's Progressive Approach to Refugee Management", Working Essay
No
107235
(World
Bank,
2016),
https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/259711469593058429/pdf/107235-WP-PUBLIC.pdf (citing the
2006 Refugees Act and 2010 Refugees Regulations as exemplary models).
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