Summary

There is at present a crisis of migration on the African continent, which hosts over 45% of the world's refugees and 35% of the world's displaced peoples. In Africa and further afield, migration is a deeply contentious political topic; and it is one of international concern. Given the multifarious causes and consequences of migration, present conflicts and inequities, and the impacts of globalisation, it is generally recognised that present structures to manage migration are inadequate. The impetus for this book was a series of seminars convened by the University of Witwatersrand on forced migration. The essays are intended to feed into policy implementation in Southern Africa and serve as a contribution from a developing county to a debate normally dominated by the developed world. Some examples of areas addressed in details are: international law, the African state and the refugee problem; the establishment of refugee law in South Africa; and human rights and the international protection of refugees. The contributors include Chaloka Beyani, London School of Economics; South African Government Minister Lindiwe Sisulu; George Okoth-Obbo, UNHCR; Bonaventure Rutinwa, Universities of Dar es Salaam, and Oxford; and Professor Hussein Solomon, University of Pretoria.