Eye on Development
How to solve the refugee crisis in Africa By He Wenping
Migrants are put on a bus in Algiers, capital of Algeria, to be sent back home on June 28, 2018
The author is a senior researcher with the Charhar Institute and a researcher at the Institute of West-Asian and African Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
The refugee problem has caught the attention of the international community as the number of refugees worldwide has reached a record high, leading to the most serious refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, with the Middle East and Africa two of the major sources. Focusing on this issue, the 32nd Ordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) was held in late January and early February under the theme of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Toward Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa.
全部病例来源于2015年7月—2017年7月在我院康复科门诊的患者，共80例。采用随机数字表法分为试验组和对照组，每组各40例。其中，试验组中，男16例，女24例，年龄41～75岁，平均（56.10±9.67）岁，对照组中，男18例，女22例，年龄30～76岁，平均（53.08±11.27）岁；试验组病程12～156个月，平均（37.58±29.36）个月，对照组病程16～120个月，平均（41.05±25.45）个月。
According to Global Trends: Forced Displacement in 2017, released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in June 2018, the global population of forcibly displaced people increased to 68.5 million by the end of 2017, which means one out of every 110 people in the world is displaced.
Wars and conflicts are the root causes leading to the refugee problem in Africa, the continent most vulnerable to regional chaos and military conflicts, although as a whole, it has remained peaceful and stable since the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s. However, there are still nearly 10 African countries facing wars,military coups or internal military conflicts to various degrees. Frequent unrest has hindered economic development in Africa and weakened efforts to strengthen African unity and national reconciliation, leading to a series of political and social problems such as a refugee crisis, weapons smuggling and drug trafficking.
South Sudan, for example, is the world's third largest refugee source. After a civil war in 2013, neighboring countries such as Ethiopia, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional organization,and countries such as China and the United States actively participated in mediation and negotiations for reconciliation.
Since December 2017, IGAD has held three High-Level Revitalization Forums, while related parties finally signed the Agreement on Cessation of Hostilities, Protection of Civilians and Humanitarian Access.
Peace and development needed
In the short term, the international community needs to help refugees and internally displaced persons when famines or conflicts take place by providing accommodations, food and medical services. The host countries also need to finance the establishment of settlements, rescue stations and shelters for refugees.
In the long term, the sustainable solution to the refugee problem is addressing the root causes through maintaining stability and promoting economic development. Although Africa, as a whole, remains stable in terms of politics and security, some regions face arduous security situations, which may become new sources of increased numbers of refugees. Security problems should be addressed through joint efforts of related countries,regional organizations, the AU and the international community.
In this context, maintaining hard-earned peace and stability in Africa and improving the AU's capacity to independently solve African problems are the key political and security requirements to addressing the refugee problem and promoting African unity and rejuvenation.Economic development is equally important.Since the 1990s, African economies have trended toward steady growth with an annual economic growth rate of nearly 6 percent.According to statistics from the International Monetary Fund, the African economy saw strong growth in 2018, reaching 3.4 percent.The GDP per capita in African countries reached$1,990, only slightly lower than India, which was$2,020.
从图9和图10可以看出，实部和虚部的振荡幅值均随着圆频率的增加而逐渐降低；拟合的结果在ω>1.0×106 rad·s-1的高频衰减部分与实验曲线符合程度较好，在ω<1.0×106 rad·s-1的低频部分与实验曲线符合较差。
Poverty and underdeveloped economies are another root cause of the refugee problem.Africa is the world's second largest continent in terms of size and population, but also accounts for the largest number of least developed countries. Though the continent has seen restorative economic growth in the past two decades, it is still the most impoverished due to its poor infrastructure and late development.
In addition, high rates of HIV/AIDS infection, along with other diseases, low literacy levels, heavy dependence on single-product economies and frequent famines and natural disasters are also reasons leading to refugees and displaced persons.
Due to terrorist organizations like Boko Haram, the humanitarian crisis in northeast Nigeria and around Lake Chad has entered its 10th year. The new round of Boko Haram violence has resulted in tens of thousands of displaced people. The UN estimates that there are about 2.5 million displaced persons around the Lake Chad region, including 1.8 million in Nigeria. On January 29, it launched the 2019-21 Humanitarian Response Strategy and the Regional Refugee Response Plan, seeking $848 million and $135 million,respectively, to continue providing food,water, shelter and protection to the most vulnerable people in Nigeria and neighboring Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
Behind the encouraging figures, however,poverty, inequality, weak economies, singleproduct economies and regional chaos are still apparent. In reality, people feel the gap between rich and poor growing, making the impressive economic data count for very little. For instance,in Nigeria, which ranks first in Africa in terms of economic aggregation, population and oil production, economic growth exceeded 8 percent in 2018; however, its absolute poverty rate also increased to 69 percent during the same period and the unemployment rate among young people between 15-24 years old rose to 60 percent.
三项检查，花去上千块钱。检查结果，不是红斑狼疮。不是红斑狼疮，是一件幸运的事。就是这一刻，妻子头脑清醒开来。妻子说，这是一个骗局。大姐问，怎么是骗局？妻子说，医生怀疑我得红斑狼疮，就是想多开化验单，就是想多拿回扣。医生开出来的药，妻子一样不拿。妻子说，不是想拿回扣吗？我一粒药都不拿。大姐说，你不拿药，皮肤病怎么好？妻子说，不是红斑狼疮，我就不会死！妻子气哼哼地丢下大姐，想直接坐车回家。大姐说，就算你回去，也要去我家吃过晌午饭吧。
两组患者的术后ACD较术前加深，术后ACA较术前增加，术后CCT较术前减少（P＜0.05，表5）。A、B两组间的术前CCT、ACD、ACV及ACA差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05，表5）。A、B两组间的术后CCT、ACD、ACV及ACA差异均无统计学意义（P＞0.05，表5）。
The AU's role in addressing the refugee problem on the continent should also be further strengthened. Although the continental organization has made unremitting efforts in building Africa's security structure to deal with crises and challenges, the AU's efforts in solving African problems with African solutions are often frustrated by the heavy intervention from Western powers and lack of resources and capacity. Trends show that, to some extent, the AU is currently marginalized.
Chinese experience
China's 40-year rapid development since reform and opening up in late 1978 has seen it grow from a closed and impoverished country into the world's second largest economy with its GDP per capita growing from less than $200 to more than $8,600. Throughout this period,the Chinese Government has prioritized development as the key to promoting reforms in various fields, following the concept of “using development to solve the problems in the process of development.”
While visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo in early 2015, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the media that peace and development are two major themes in today's world, which are interconnected and the two major issues facing Africa. Without peace, there can be no development and without development, peace is unsustainable. For developing countries such as China and those in Africa,development is fundamental and the basis to solving all problems.
㉔［日］大村敦志、河上正二、漥田充见、水野纪子编:《比较家族法研究》，商事法务株式会社2012年版，第166页。
China not only offers generous support in helping African refugees by providing funds and materials for settlement, but also actively provides Chinese solutions in helping African countries alleviate poverty and promote development. For example, when Somalia and other Horn of Africa countries suffered a drought and large-scale famine in the summer of 2011, the Chinese Government provided immediate emergency assistance consisting of grain and cash worth 443.2 million yuan ($68.2 million). In March 2014,when the Ebola epidemic broke out in West African countries such as Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, China provided assistance through materials and funds totaling 750 million yuan ($122 million).
To promote sustainable economic development in Africa, the Chinese Government has been rolling out packages of development, assistance and cooperation plans to strengthen China-Africa economic cooperation and promote infrastructure construction and industrialization in Africa every three years since 2000, when the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) was established.This has made a great contribution to economic recovery in Africa over the past two decades. For instance, in December 2015 and September 2018, the FOCAC summits were held in Johannesburg, South Africa,and Beijing, China, respectively. Against the backdrop of the rise of trade protectionism worldwide, the Chinese Government pledged 10 China-Africa cooperation plans and eight major initiatives during these summits, both supported by $60-billion financial packages,helping Africa fight poverty and address the refugee problem with concrete action.
Copyedited by Rebeca Toledo
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