Refugees International
Refugees International, a U.S-based aid agency, generates lifesaving humanitarian assistance and protection for displaced people around the world, and works to end the conditions that create displacement. The organisation was founded in 1979.
Chad: The Politics of Instability
Author: Refugees International
I am writing from Bahai, a village in eastern Chad right on the border with Darfur. Camilla Olson and I have trekked all the way out here, to what may be the most remote place I have ever visited, to understand the dynamics that make humanitarian assistance so hard to deliver. On the face of it Chad is not a humanitarian emergency. A crisis, yes, but the emergency phase has long passed and international humanitarian actors have the situation under some kind of control. Still, the challenges of delivering protection and assistance in this desolate place are enormous. ...
Author: Refugees International
I am writing from Bahai, a village in eastern Chad right on the border with Darfur. Camilla Olson and I have trekked all the way out here, to what may be the most remote place I have ever visited, to understand the dynamics that make humanitarian assistance so hard to deliver. On the face of it Chad is not a humanitarian emergency. A crisis, yes, but the emergency phase has long passed and international humanitarian actors have the situation under some kind of control. Still, the challenges of delivering protection and assistance in this desolate place are enormous. ...
Rwanda: Returning Refugees Need More Than Comforting Words
Author: Refugees International
During the 1994 mass migration of Rwandan refugees into the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, what many people didnt realize was that there was also an influx of Rwandan refugees into Uganda. This week, fifteen years after the earth shattering Rwandan genocide, 20,000 refugees are finally returning home. Even though this is an important step towards the full restoration of a severely fractured society, one cannot help but wonder why has it taken so long? The return and reintegration of refugees is an issue often overlooked during displacement crises. After aid groups rush in to provide humanitarian assistance and stabilize life threatening situations, refugee groups are often forgotten. Over a decade after the establishment of peace in Rwanda, refugee groups in Uganda are still reluctant to repatriate back to their home country. This is largely due to lack of sensitization programs that will convince the predominantly Hutu population that they will not be stigmatized upon their return to Rwanda. However, now that the Government of Rwanda has convinced groups that they will be safe and protected from harm if they return, it is important that this promise be fulfilled. ...
Author: Refugees International
During the 1994 mass migration of Rwandan refugees into the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, what many people didnt realize was that there was also an influx of Rwandan refugees into Uganda. This week, fifteen years after the earth shattering Rwandan genocide, 20,000 refugees are finally returning home. Even though this is an important step towards the full restoration of a severely fractured society, one cannot help but wonder why has it taken so long? The return and reintegration of refugees is an issue often overlooked during displacement crises. After aid groups rush in to provide humanitarian assistance and stabilize life threatening situations, refugee groups are often forgotten. Over a decade after the establishment of peace in Rwanda, refugee groups in Uganda are still reluctant to repatriate back to their home country. This is largely due to lack of sensitization programs that will convince the predominantly Hutu population that they will not be stigmatized upon their return to Rwanda. However, now that the Government of Rwanda has convinced groups that they will be safe and protected from harm if they return, it is important that this promise be fulfilled. ...
Colombia: Violence Risks Destabilizing the Entire Region
Author: Refugees International
It is always amazing to encounter reactions of surprise from my colleagues when I talk about the enormous number of Colombians that fled their homes and land so that they could save their lives. The overwhelming stereotype that confines Colombia to being the biggest producer and exporter of cocaine in the world often obscures the daily reality that the average Colombian has to face. Almost one in ten Colombians has fled because of general insecurity and violence, as a consequence of direct threats or from being caught in the crossfire between different armed groups, including the Colombian National Army. The impact of so many forcibly displaced people on the countrys well-being is devastating. ...
Author: Refugees International
It is always amazing to encounter reactions of surprise from my colleagues when I talk about the enormous number of Colombians that fled their homes and land so that they could save their lives. The overwhelming stereotype that confines Colombia to being the biggest producer and exporter of cocaine in the world often obscures the daily reality that the average Colombian has to face. Almost one in ten Colombians has fled because of general insecurity and violence, as a consequence of direct threats or from being caught in the crossfire between different armed groups, including the Colombian National Army. The impact of so many forcibly displaced people on the countrys well-being is devastating. ...
Burma: One Year After Cyclone Nargis
Author: Refugees International
Anniversaries provide us with many opportunities to commemorate, to remember, to admonish, to celebrate, to reassess. Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Cyclone Nargis, which destroyed 700,000 homes in the Irrawaddy Delta of Burma and killed an estimated 138,000 people. In the press releases that Ive read in the past few days, a number of organizations are using this anniversary to chastise the Burmese regime for their callousness towards their own population. This is undeniable, but I want to argue that this anniversary should be used for a different purpose to see what we can do to continue to help the people who suffered from the storm. Despite the Burmese regimes abhorrent response to the cyclone in the opening weeks, humanitarian aid workers eventually gained unprecedented access to the disaster zone. Millions of people have been helped, but many still need more assistance to build permanent housing, access clean water, and purchase equipment for fishing and agriculture. Shortly after Cyclone Nargis stopped becoming front page news, funding for activities like these began to slow down. On a recent mission to Burma in February this year, I found that agencies were concerned that they may have to scale back or even shut down their operations in the delta because funding was so limited. ...
Author: Refugees International
Anniversaries provide us with many opportunities to commemorate, to remember, to admonish, to celebrate, to reassess. Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Cyclone Nargis, which destroyed 700,000 homes in the Irrawaddy Delta of Burma and killed an estimated 138,000 people. In the press releases that Ive read in the past few days, a number of organizations are using this anniversary to chastise the Burmese regime for their callousness towards their own population. This is undeniable, but I want to argue that this anniversary should be used for a different purpose to see what we can do to continue to help the people who suffered from the storm. Despite the Burmese regimes abhorrent response to the cyclone in the opening weeks, humanitarian aid workers eventually gained unprecedented access to the disaster zone. Millions of people have been helped, but many still need more assistance to build permanent housing, access clean water, and purchase equipment for fishing and agriculture. Shortly after Cyclone Nargis stopped becoming front page news, funding for activities like these began to slow down. On a recent mission to Burma in February this year, I found that agencies were concerned that they may have to scale back or even shut down their operations in the delta because funding was so limited. ...
Somalia: Pirates Just a Piece of the Puzzle
Author: Refugees International
More than 3 million Somalis are dependent on external assistance; over 1 million are internally displaced; and another 500,000 and counting have sought refuge in neighboring countries. Yet, as the humanitarian situation in Somalia continues to deteriorate, the world is focused on a lone pirate in New York. I cant help but question where our humanity and moral resolve lies. What was even more disturbing was how the attention on the alleged pirate was justified in a recent CNN article. He's just a little skinny guy, you know, from Somalia where they're all starving and stuffIf he goes to jail here, it will be a whole lot better than living in Somalia. ...
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Author: Refugees International
More than 3 million Somalis are dependent on external assistance; over 1 million are internally displaced; and another 500,000 and counting have sought refuge in neighboring countries. Yet, as the humanitarian situation in Somalia continues to deteriorate, the world is focused on a lone pirate in New York. I cant help but question where our humanity and moral resolve lies. What was even more disturbing was how the attention on the alleged pirate was justified in a recent CNN article. He's just a little skinny guy, you know, from Somalia where they're all starving and stuffIf he goes to jail here, it will be a whole lot better than living in Somalia. ...
