ABSTRACT
According to the UNHCR's data, the number of forced migrants from Africa quadrupled from 9.01 million in 2007 to 40.12 million in 2020 increasing by 31.1 million over the period. The leading causes of forced migration in Africa are conflicts, disasters (natural and non-natural), environment, and climate change. These causes lead to complex humanitarian crises with high levels of internal displacement, large numbers of refugee populations and asylum seekers, hunger, and disease outbreaks. As a result, contemporary forced migration in Africa leads to internal displacement as the main form of forced migration on the continent following conflicts, disasters, floods, storms, and drought. The increasing numbers of forced migrants and displaced populations suggest that preventive and mitigating responses are inadequate and ineffective. Africa is also facing increasing threat from jihadist militant groups which are now present in all sub-regions. Although many lives are saved and millions of affected populations are reached and assisted through international humanitarian response efforts, there is much more that needs to be done in the areas of improving data and research capacity, adoption of more proactive posture to counter causes and emerging threats such as militant extremism, and strengthening national and regional humanitarian response capabilities.
