ABSTRACT
How can we understand the politics of refugee protection in Africa? Some countries open their borders to refugees, others expel them. Some insist on encampment, while others allow refugees freedom of movement and the right to work. Drawing upon a range of historical and contemporary examples, with a primary focus on East Africa, this chapter examines the factors that shape variation in refugee protection outcomes. What power relations, interests, and ideas shape the conditions under which forcibly displaced people receive – or are denied – access to protection and assistance across the continent? It examines politics and evaluations competing explanations for variation in policy and practice at three levels of analysis: international relations, comparative politics, and refugees’ own political activities.
