“The return of refugees and IDPs is a major part of any post conflict scenario. In deed it is often a critical factor in sustaining a peace process and in revitalizing economic activity.” ~ Kofi Annan.
The prolonged presence of refugee populations in neighboring countries is a significant cross-border issue that should be more systematically considered by Peace building planners. The importance of engaging refugee populations prior to their repatriation is heightened by three factors. First, the need to find a solution to the plight of refugees has long been recognized by the international community and is a central element of UNCHR’s statute; incorporating refugees into Peace building activities will further this objective. Second, as refugees spend longer periods in exile, refugee hosting States come to see the prolonged presence of refugees as a burden and security concern; incorporating refugees into Peace building activities would provide support to these refugee hosting States. Third, there is a growing recognition that unresolved refugee situations may undermine peace building in neighboring countries; incorporating refugees into Peace building activities could therefore further both humanitarian objectives and broader peace building objectives. The following core of elements of peace building interlink with the presence of refugees in neighboring countries.
Support to basic safety and security.
Ensuring basic safety and security in the immediate aftermath of conflict is a paramount yet broad peace building objective. Activities in this area range from DDR, SSR, reinforcing the rule of law, mine clearing programs and possibly the deployment of international or regional peacekeepers. While those activities are concentrated in the country in question, there are important cross-border elements of this priority area. One of the most significant challenges relates to the presence of “spoilers” in refugee camps or in refugee populated border parts which are closely associated to the problem of refugee warriors. They actively seek to hinder, delay, or undermine conflict settlement. In recent years, the presence of spoilers in the refugee populated areas of neighboring States have frustrated peace building efforts in conflicts as diverse as Burundi, Liberia, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Sudan.
Support to political processes.
A strong link also exists between engagement between refugees in neighboring countries and support to the political process in the country of origin, which includes the planning and holding of elections, developing conflict management mechanisms, the promotion of inclusive dialogue, and the broader process of national reconciliation. Refugees in exile often remain engaged in the political process in the country of origin. Where opportunities for political participation are not ensured, refugees can frequently become politicized or radicalized while in exile, especially during prolonged exile, when refugee populations are under the control of “States in exile,” and where alternative forms of participation in the country of origin are not provided. Examples of such dynamics may be found in the rise of PALIPEHUTU and other groups within the Burundian refugee population in Tanzania in the 1970s and 1980s, in addition to similar dynamics within Rwandan and Afghan refugee populations.
NYAPELA JAVAN 