Developing New Approaches to Citizenship and Belonging in Africa
Disputes over national and local belonging and differing conceptions of citizenship are at the heart of many of the most intractable conflicts in Africa. IRRI is currently working to find ways to address this complex issue through research and advocacy.
Citizenship and forced migration in the Great Lakes region
The research pillar of IRRI's citizenship work is focused on illuminating the links between exclusion from some or all of their citizenship rights and forced displacement in the Great Lakes region. In collaboration with the Social Science Research Council, IRRI is combining social science, legal and activist perspectives to generate high quality research examining the linkages between citizenship and forced migration in ten case studies across the Great Lakes region. This research will pave the way for policy advocacy to reduce displacement and contribute to finding solutions to conflict, while building local capacities for policy-oriented research.
The first case study focuses on the role of identity in the decision making processes of Burundian refugees who fled to Tanzania in the 1970s and who are now being asked to choose between naturalisation and repatriation.
The paper is entitled "Going Home or Staying Home? Ending Displacement for Burundian Refugees in Tanzania." The case study was carried out in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Forced Migration at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
The second paper entitled "Two People Can't Wear the Same Pair of Shoes: Exploring the Challenges of Access to Land and Reintegration in Burundi" tracks the experience of refugees returning to southern Burundi after decades in exile. Based on 245 interviews conducted primarily in southern Burundi, the paper highlights the importance of access to land in the reintegration process.
The case study was carried out in collaboration with Rema Ministries and the Social Science Research Council.
A blog post entitled "Citizenship and Land: A Potent Relationship" on the African Arguments site by Dr. Lucy Hovil may be found here.
Subsequent case studies will focus on the role of identity and citizenship issues as a source of conflict and displacement, and as a determining factor in the ability of the displaced to integrate into host communities and in facilitating or impeding the reintegration of returning populations.
Citizenship Rights in Africa Initiative
The findings of the research initiative described above will feed into a major advocacy initiative, which has already been launched in collaboration with the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) and the Pan-African Movement — Citizenship Rights in Africa Initiative (CRAI).
CRAI is a campaign designed to raise awareness of unequal access to, and arbitrary deprivation of, citizenship as a major human rights problem and one of the principle causes of displacement and unrest in Africa. This initiative seeks both to mobilise civil society and calls on governments to adopt more progressive policies. A centrepiece of this advocacy will be the introduction of a draft protocol on the protection of citizenship rights, which will be presented to the African Union.
Publications of the International Refugee Rights Initiative related to Citizenship:
"Two People Can't Wear the Same Pair of Shoes: Exploring the Challenges of Access to Land and Reintegration in Burundi," November 2009.
"'I don’t know where to go': Burundian Refugees in Tanzania under Pressure to Leave," September 2009.
"South Africa Attempts to Help Zimbabwe Migrants through New Permit System,""Refugee Rights News, Volume 5, Issue 2, May 2009.
"Negotiating the Way Home: A Difficult Path for Returning Burundians ," Refugee Rights News, Volume 5, Issue 1, February 2009.
"Going Home or Staying Home? Ending Displacement for Burundian Refugees in Tanzania," November 2008.
"It's Like You Don't Exist': Foreigners still searching for solutions two months after the xenophobic violence in South Africa," Refugee Rights News, Volume 4, Issue 5, July 2008.
"South Africans, Foreigners and the Dynamics of Identity in South Africa," Refugee Rights News, Volume 4, Issue 4, June 2008.
"Seeking Durable Solutions for Burundian Refugees in Tanzania," Refugee Rights News, Volume 4, Issue 3, May 2008.
IRRI and the SSRC, "Citizenship and Forced Migration in the Great Lakes Region: Exploring the linkages through multi-disciplinary research"