African states asked to review laws on refugees

African countries have been asked, at a continental meeting on refugees, to ensure that domestic legislation complies with international conventions on the status of refugees.

Resolutions adopted after a three-day meeting that ended on Wednesday in Conakry, Guinea, also called on governments to take appropriate measures to implement these laws.

Conference sources told IRIN on Thursday that although 45 countries had ratified the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) 1969 convention on refugees, many have not brought their national laws in line with this document.

“Guinea, for example, does not have laws on the status of refugees,” one source said.

Among the numerous recommendations made at the meeting, the 150 experts present, some of them lawyers, called on the international community to give timely humanitarian help to Africa’s refugees and support countries affected by internal displacements.

Civil strife, human rights violations, lack of good government and democratic institutions have been identified as some of the reasons for Africa’s six million refugees today. In 1969, the continent had less than one million refugees - most of whom had fled colonial oppression and apartheid.

Internally displaced persons (IDP’s) is often the flip side of the refugee problem. The meeting suggested that the OAU and the UNHCR review situations of IDP’s in Africa when linked to refugee problems and then present recommendations at the “appropriate fora”.

The resolution on statelessness, a condition often overlooked in Africa, proposes that the OAU and the UNHCR study the causes and extent of the problem and present its findings for further action.

The meeting, attended by some 150 specialists in refugee and humanitarian law, was organised by the OAU and the UNHCR. Financial contributions to the meeting were made by the governments of Finland, Norway, and Sweden.