ABSTRACT
Many factors determine the structure of settlements in a host country. These
include international factors, such as availability of funds for refugee settlements,
where the international community, mainly through the UNHCR but also through
other non-governmental humanitarian agencies, plays a central role. National
factors also play important roles in determining the structure of settlements. These
include local absorption capacity, including availability of jobs, water, food, and
other social services, and ethnic and cultural compatibility between the host and
refugee populations. Environmental concerns also affect the structure of settlements
(Jacobsen 1996). Since most host communities in Africa do not have enough
resources to share with new comers, environmental degradation arising out of the
presence of large concentrations of refugees may prompt communities to restrict
refugee access to scarce resources. Therefore, the host communities, among which
refugees settle, influence the nature of settlements. But more importantly, security
threats associated with refugee presence appear to have an indelible impact on the
structure of settlements. These include threats originating from the refugee origin
country, especially if the refugees are viewed as ‘warrior communities’ in exile
(Adelman, 1998). There may even be threats to domestic order if the refuges belong
to rival political groups. The present tension along the border between Sudan and
Chad is an apt example.
