On the run

According to the UNHCR, an estimated 103 million people were on the run in 2022. The number has thus more than doubled within 10 years. n the wake of growing global inequality, wars and climate disasters, this number is expected to rise even further in the coming years.

Despite the media focus on the Mediterranean refugee routes, there are actually comparatively few displaced Africans living in Europe. By far the majority of African refugees are within the continent, e.g. as internally displaced persons in their own country or in neighbouring states. Examples are the camps Daadaab, Kalobeyei and Kakuma in Kenya, which are among the largest tent cities for refugees worldwide with more than 600,000 inhabitants.

African host countries are supported by international aid organisations. But bilateral agreements can also come into play. Since Brexit, refugees in the UK can no longer be deported to EU countries of arrival under the Dublin Agreement. However, a recently concluded and highly controversial deal with Rwanda will allow the UK to fly asylum seekers out to the East African country in the future.