News agencies and humanitarian news portals
Himal Southasian, December 2010
A Bru homecoming?
Efforts to end the displacement of the Reang of Mizoram offer lessons for enabling the return of IDPs across India.
The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre estimates conservatively that at least 650,000 people in India are currently considered internally displaced persons (IDPs), as a result of armed conflict, ethnic or communal violence or human-rights violations. One situation in the Northeast, which has been particularly poorly reported upon, provides a useful demonstration of the challenges in returning India’s IDPs to their homes. In May 2010, about 1115 displaced Reang indigenous people (also known as the Bru) returned home to Mizoram from camps in Tripura; on 3 November, an additional 53 families went home. These first two groups of returnees, it is hoped will be followed by the remaining of the 37,000 Reang, displaced in 1997 following attacks by the ethnic-majority Mizo in Mizoram. (...)
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Alertnet, 15 December 2010
Suspicion, controls slow aid work after Sri Lanka war
NEW DELHI (AlertNet) - Sri Lanka’s 25-year war is over but aid groups on the Indian Ocean island say strict government controls are hampering their ability to help hundreds of thousands of survivors rebuild their lives.
According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, more than 70,000 people were killed and over 1 million forced to flee their homes during the civil war between the army and separatist Tamil Tigers rebels. (...)
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IRIN, 9 December 2010
PAKISTAN: IDPs from South Waziristan begin hesitant return
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, 9 December 2010 (IRIN) - For more than a year, houses in the town of Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtoonkh’wa province have been rented by internally displaced persons (IDPs) from South Waziristan, most of them displaced since October 2009 when the Pakistan military launched an operation against Taliban militants in the area.
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Only a fraction of the 60,000-80,000 people displaced from areas of South Waziristan where returns have been agreed between security forces and tribesmen, have gone back, according to the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Center. (...)
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Christian Science Monitor, 3 December 2010
Renewed violence prompts concern in Central African Republic
The Central African Republic has, like its neighbor Chad, experienced serious rebellions and political instability in recent years. Via ReliefWeb, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre summarizes the last five years in CAR:
Armed conflict pitting government forces against various armed groups in northern areas of the Central African Republic (CAR) caused the internal displacement of more than 200,000 people between 2005 and 2008. Following the signing of peace and reconciliation agreements, their number fell to around 108,000, but since 2009 clashes between the army and a splinter rebel group, and attacks on civilians by the Lord’s Resistance Army have caused a new wave of displacement. As of November 2010, the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) was estimated at over 192,000.
Resurgent instability, this report continues, threatens two upcoming transitions: the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from Chad and CAR and CAR’s elections, scheduled for Jan. 23. (...)
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Christian Science Monitor, 3 December 2010
Renewed violence prompts concern in Central African Republic
The Central African Republic has, like its neighbor Chad, experienced serious rebellions and political instability in recent years. Via ReliefWeb, the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre summarizes the last five years in CAR:
Armed conflict pitting government forces against various armed groups in northern areas of the Central African Republic (CAR) caused the internal displacement of more than 200,000 people between 2005 and 2008. Following the signing of peace and reconciliation agreements, their number fell to around 108,000, but since 2009 clashes between the army and a splinter rebel group, and attacks on civilians by the Lord’s Resistance Army have caused a new wave of displacement. As of November 2010, the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) was estimated at over 192,000.
Resurgent instability, this report continues, threatens two upcoming transitions: the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers from Chad and CAR and CAR’s elections, scheduled for Jan. 23. (...)
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Media Global, 6 August 2010
Mass migration as a result of environmental changes
Climate change is provoking mass human migration. According to scientists, 50 million people worldwide will be displaced this year because of rising sea levels, desertification, dried up aquifers, weather-induced flooding, and other severe environmental changes.
A joint study by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre shows that in 2008 climate-related natural disasters forced 20 million people out of their homes. Research conducted by the Red Cross shows that more people today migrate due to environmental disaster than because of violent conflict. (...)
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Agence France Presse, 18 May 2010
Some 6.8 million displaced in 2009: report
Some 6.8 million people were forced to flee their homes in 2009, bringing the total number of displaced people around the world to 27.1 million by yearend, according to a report published Monday.
"This staggering total was the highest since the mid-1990s," said the report by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Center.
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"New displacement in 2009 was predominantly caused by conflicts which had already run for years or decades. Many people had been repeatedly displaced in successive cycles of conflict," the report said. (...)
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IRIN, 18 May 2010
IDP numbers peak at 27 million, says new report
At least 6.8 million people were displaced last year, mainly by long-running conflicts, pushing the number of those forced to live away from home to 27 million - the highest since the mid-1990s, a new report states.
“The massive population movements and shocking violence are a sad reminder of the price that civilians pay in armed conflict,” Elisabeth Rasmusson, secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), said while launching the 2009 annual report on displacement at London’s Royal Institute of International Affairs. “Millions of people were newly displaced by conflicts in which combatants did not meet their obligations to protect civilians.”
The report, published by the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (part of the NRC), said that while the number of refugees in the world remained fairly static, that of IDPs was rising steadily. (...)
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People's Daily Online, 18 May 2010
World's internal displaced hits record high since mid 1990s hits
Those who have been forcibly uprooted by violence within countries, known in the jargon as "internally displaced people" (or IDPs), are often just as vulnerable as refugees, those who flee persecution by crossing an international border. A new report from the Norwegian Refugee Council notes a steady increase in the global population of IDPs, to 27.1m in 2009. Almost 5m people are displaced in Sudan, more than any other country, although the number of IDPs in Colombia is estimated to be nearly as high. Over 1m are also displaced in Congo, Iraq, Somalia and Pakistan, where recent anti-Taliban assaults by the Pakistani army near the border with Afghanistan have uprooted many civilians. Cyprus, which was split after a Turkish invasion in 1974, has the largest share of its population living elsewhere. (...)
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The Economist, 18 May 2010
Uprooted: the number of internally displaced people grows
Those who have been forcibly uprooted by violence within countries, known in the jargon as "internally displaced people" (or IDPs), are often just as vulnerable as refugees, those who flee persecution by crossing an international border. A new report from the Norwegian Refugee Council notes a steady increase in the global population of IDPs, to 27.1m in 2009. Almost 5m people are displaced in Sudan, more than any other country, although the number of IDPs in Colombia is estimated to be nearly as high. Over 1m are also displaced in Congo, Iraq, Somalia and Pakistan, where recent anti-Taliban assaults by the Pakistani army near the border with Afghanistan have uprooted many civilians. Cyprus, which was split after a Turkish invasion in 1974, has the largest share of its population living elsewhere. (...)
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BBC News, 18 May 2010
Far from home: the millions trapped by conflict (Video)
More people are displaced within their own countries by conflict than at any time in the past 15 years.
The Norwegian Refugee Council says the number worldwide was 27 million people in 2009.
In Pakistan 3 million people were newly displaced in 2009, whilst in Sri Lanka 280,000 people were forced from their homes when the civil war ended.
Nik Gowing spoke to Sir John Holmes, Emergency Relief Coordinator with the United Nations.
View the video
Yemen Post, 17 May 2010
Yemen last among world first nine countries on IDPs - UN study
Yemen has been ranked the last among the world's nine first countries in terms of the number of internal displaced persons IDPs, a recent U.N. study said.
Pakistan topped the nine countries with 3 million IDPs, Congo Republic in second with about one million IDPs, Sudan in third with 530000, Philippines in fourth with 390000, Somalia in fifth with 400000, Colombia in sixth with 290000, Sri Lanka in seventh with 280000 and Ethiopia in eighth with 200000.
The study voiced concern about the increased number of internal displaced persons in the world, saying the real number of them reached last year 27 million. (...)
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Reuters UK, 17 May 2010
Pakistanis suffer most displacement in 2009 - report
Pakistan suffered the highest number of internally displaced people in 2009 due to the Taliban insurgency and Pakistan's military response, a United Nations study showed on Monday.
The number of internally displaced people worldwide reached 27.1 million individuals in 2009, the highest number since records began in the mid 1990s, said the report.
Out of a total population of 170 million, some 3 million Pakistanis were newly displaced in 2009, the most in the world and three times more than second-placed Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
"The military operations of governments and armed non-state actors caused most displacement, and many people were displaced more than once," said the report, published by Norwegian Refugee Council, a non-governmental organisation. (...)
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Reuters Alertnet, 17 May 2010
Internal displacement worsening, outlook bleak - UN
The worst predictions about internal displacement are coming true, the United Nations' top humanitarian official said on Monday, anticipating that 2010 would be as bad as last year, which saw the number of internally displaced people hit a record high.
A total of 27.1 million people were displaced by conflict or violence within their own countries in 2009, the highest number since records began in the mid-1990s, according to a report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. (...)
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UN News Centre, 17 May 2010
Internal displacement at highest level since mid-1990s, finds UN-backed report
More than 27 million people were uprooted by violence within their countries in 2009, the highest number since the mid-1990s, according to a new United Nations-backed study.
The report attributed the rising numbers of internally displaced persons, or IDPs, to long-running internal conflicts.
It also found that the number of IDPs has soared from 17 million in 1997 to more than 27 million last year, while the number of refugees has remained fairly stable, fluctuating between 13 million and 16 million in the same period.
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The publication was produced by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), which was set up by the Norwegian Refugee Council, a non-governmental organization, at the request of the UN.
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The Age, 18 April 2010
Reports throw doubt on tough refugee stance
Federal government claims of improved security and human rights in Afghanistan, used to justify its decision to suspend processing asylum claims, are undermined by latest reports from international agencies.
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In a 200-page report issued last Thursday, the IDMC said the number of people displaced by fighting had reached at least 240,000, amid rising violence across the country. US-led offensives in Helmand province in February had already forced people from their homes, with more likely to be displaced by a planned offensive in Kandahar.
While the government's announcement spoke of improved security in unnamed parts of Afghanistan, the IDMC report said conflict had spread to areas previously less affected, including the capital.
It cited research showing the number of internally displaced people could be much higher than 240,000, with one source suggesting the figure could be 200,000 in Kandahar alone. The situation could be similar in Helmand and Oruzgan, where Australian troops are based, it said.
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The Australian, 17 April 2010
Afghan outlook worsens
While the Rudd government says it has stopped processing Afghans' asylum claims for six months because the situation in their homeland is improving, a new report paints a far more damning picture.
The report prepared by the Norwegian Refugee Council says the number of internally displaced refugees in Afghanistan has risen to 240,000 and is rising steadily as more flee violence and insecurity.
The council says internal displacement of Afghans is again on the rise as fighting intensifies in many regions. It describes the humanitarian situation as "critical". (...)
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IRIN, 19 March 2010
KENYA: Draft policy offers new hope for IDPsIRIN, 19 March 2010
Internally displaced people (IDPs) in Kenya are set to enjoy greater protection under a national policy that also aims to prevent future displacement and to fulfil the country's obligations under international IDP law, say analysts.
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“The policy’s success will depend on its harmonization with other relevant legislation,” said Nuur Mohamud Sheekh, an analyst with the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
“It cannot be used as a stand-alone document; it has to be harmonized with other legislation, such as government ratification of the AU [African Union] policy, to be effective. There is a need for the government to also put in place a new constitution without delay,” Sheekh said. (….)
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IRIN, 18 March 2010
IRAQ: Controversy over Diyala Province housing project
A housing project in Diyala Province, sandwiched between Baghdad and the Iranian border, could raise tension between Arabs and Kurds, observers say.
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The Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) said in a 4 March report that after 2003 thousands of displaced Kurds, Turkomans and others began returning to the north, and Arabs were forcibly displaced.
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Meanwhile, observers have warned that rising tensions over disputed territory in northern Iraq could trigger further displacement, the IDMC report said. (…)
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IRIN, 4 March 2010
NEPAL: Stalled government policy leaves IDPs in limbo
Efforts to help thousands of families displaced during Nepal’s decade-long armed conflict (1996-2006) to return to their homes or resettle have stalled over government inaction, leaving many unassisted, aid agencies say.
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“The failed implementation of the IDP policy is clearly at the heart of the problem,” said Frederik Kok, senior country analyst with the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
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“The failure to adopt the directives is undermining return efforts and preventing IDPs from enjoying their full rights,” he told IRIN. (...)
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IRIN, 1 March 2010
DRC-RWANDA: Hard homecoming for Kivu returnees
For the many thousands of people displaced by conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's Kivu regions who have returned to their villages, home has its many hardships.
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“Return has not always been durable, as the reduction of food rations in camps [for displaced people - IDPs] and the arrival of the new planting season rather than any improvement in security have led people to go back,” the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) stated in a 24 February report. (...)
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Herald Scotland, 21 February 2010
Another year older ... but none the wiser
The 86 candles on Robert Mugabe’s giant cake would take some blowing out even for a man half his age when the Zimbabwe head of state’s lavish birthday celebrations begin this evening.
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In the 10 years of “farm reform”, some one million black workers have been evicted from the farms by the new owners, according to a new report by the United Nations-backed Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, the leading international body monitoring conflict-induced internal refugee movements. (...)
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Reuters Alertnet, 18 February 2010
Q&A with the director of "Climate Refugees"
The potential impact of climate change on ecosystems has been reported in the most apocalyptic of terms. But the true costs of climate change for local communities remain less clear.
In 2008, 20 million people were displaced at least temporarily by climate-related disasters, four times as many as by conflict, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. (...)
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Presbyterian News Service, 10 February 2010
‘Holding on with our fingernails’
At a displacement camp surrounded by drying scrub grass, a group of people is gathered around bowls filled with water, soil and seeds.
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According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, there are between 2,600,000 and 4,400,00 displaced people in Colombia — 6 to 10 percent of the population. (...)
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Nairobi Star, 26 January 2010
Raila Hits Back With Harambee for IDPs
In an apparent game of tit for tat, Prime Minister Raila Odinga will soon preside over a harambee to raise funds for the resettlement of Internally Displaced People.
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The majority of IDPs are Kikuyu who would be expected to support the PNU in 2012. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre in Geneva estimates that there are 180,000 IDPs remaining in transit camps and host communities. (...)
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Inter Press Service, 25 January 2010
ZIMBABWE: One Million Casualties of Land Reform
The seizure of large commercial farms - almost all white-owned - has continued despite the formation of a unity government in Zimbabwe. The country's farm workers say they are the biggest losers.
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About one million farm workers have been evicted from farms across Zimbabwe since the year 2000, according to the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. (...)
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The African Executive, 20 - 27 January 2010
Gay Rights in Africa: What is the Donor Community Up To?
The dictatorial manner in which the donor community is handling gay issues in Malawi and Uganda clearly shows that they are not driven by Africa’s best interests but rather, pushing their own agenda. This is a wake up call for African nations to rethink donor intervention in African affairs.
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Africa is a home to 17 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who according to Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), often have very limited or no access to food, employment, education and healthcare. The IDMC further states: "large number of IDPs are caught in desperate situations amidst fighting or in remote and inaccessible areas cut-off from international assistance. Others have been forced to live away from their homes for many years, or even decades, because the conflicts that caused their displacement remained unresolved." (…)
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Change.org: War and Peace, 21 January 2010
Clarifying Details on Somalia's Splintering Insurgency
Right now fighting in south and central Somalia is displacing tens of thousands of people, the insurgency has split again, and the country is long from securing peace and rebuilding. However, there are some important clarifications and reassurances to be made about Somalia.
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Nuur Mohamud Sheekh, a country analyst for the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) in Geneva, helped me to clarify some detail. His agency reports that "fresh fighting in central Somalia is having serious consequences for the civilian populations ... The agency is appealing to the warring groups to respect international human rights and humanitarian laws by halting the fighting in civilian areas and also allowing aid agencies access to displaced and other vulnerable communities."
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Reuters AlertNet, 8 January 2010
Fighting stops aid reaching vulnerable people in northern Yemen
Escalating fighting in northern Yemen is preventing vital supplies reaching thousands of people fleeing a war between government forces and rebels, aid groups say.
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Also complicating aid delivery is the fact that most of the displaced are not living in camps but are scattered among host communities, said Karim Khalil, an analyst at the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre in Geneva. Only about 17 percent of the displaced were staying in camps, he added.
"There is a large percentage outside the camps, and greater attention is needed to respond to their needs where such access is possible," he said. (…)
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Blogs
UN Dispatch, 18 May 2010
Displacement on the rise
The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, created by the Norwegian Refugee Council at the request of the UN, has published a disturbing report (pdf full report, pdf fact sheet) noting a severe rise in IDPs. In 2009, 27.1 million people were displaced, the highest number since 1994. Since 1997, the number of IDPs has steadily increased from 17 million, while the number of refugees has roughly stayed the same.
Not surprisingly, five nations -- Sudan, Colombia, Iraq, DRC, and Somalia -- accounted for over half of all IDPs, but the largest amount of relative growth occurred in South and Southeast Asia, particularly Pakistan, where there are now over 1.2 million internally displaced.
The report is fascinating and well-put-together, breaking down the numbers by region and individual nation with charts like the one below. Considering both the stark vulnerability of this population and the massive destabilizing effects, it's worth at least a morning of your time.
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Institute for International Journalism, 18 February 2010
Somalia: A Population on the Run
Pirates who hijack and capture ships along the shore of the Horn of Africa is what usually comes to mind when thinking of Somalia. Although international media has delved into this issue, the story behind piracy somehow got lost.
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For 19 years, Somalia has suffered from an ongoing civil war and yet there is no end in sight. Since 1991, there has been no stable government. Instead, daily fights and killings shake the country. “There is a whole generation of Somali children who haven't experienced a single day of peace in their whole life,” said Roberta Russo, spokeswoman for Somalia of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, Nairobi). Particularly affected by the conflict are south and central Somalia. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center (IDMC), 1.55 million people have been internally displaced in 2009 because of the ongoing fighting; more than half of the Somali population is in need of humanitarian aid. As for the new year, 63,000 people have been uprooted in just the first three weeks.
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