Impact of Refugees on Hosting Communities in Ethiopia

Abstract

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Social Cohesion and Refugee-Host Interactions: Evidence from East Africa

“…Brown et al (2018) on urban refugee economies in Addis Ababa highlights that refugees' economic activities in the informal sector are largely tolerated by the host communities, who view refugees as contributors to the local economy and as a source of labour for Ethiopian businesses. Similarly, Vemuru et al (2020) show that in Addis Ababa, refugees and hosts interact in the course of trade. A complex set of relationships have emerged around these economic interactions, including both cooperation and competition.…”

“…Despite its rich endowment in human, social, and natural capital, the region -including some neighbouring states in Horn of Africa -is plagued by a complex history of political instability, ethnic tension, and weak governance, making displacement a longstanding regional challenge (UNHCR and the World Bank 2015). War and insecurity have triggered major displacements of people in the region, and most of the displacement cases have become protracted (UNHCR and the World Bank 2015; Vemuru et al 2020). Exploring the determinants of social cohesion is especially important in this region because in many instances, social cohesion between refugees and host communities has broken down, sometimes resulting in violence or xenophobia.…”

“…Similarly to Kenya, the Ethiopian government has operated an encampment policy to- Ethiopia has historically had a restrictive approach to hosting refugees, limiting their rights to work and move freely. However, in 2019, its Government adopted a new Refugee Proclamation expanding refugee rights, including the right to work and to move freely, albeit one which is yet to be fully implemented in practice (Vemuru et al 2020). In some regions of the country -such as Gambella -there have been notable examples of communal violence between refugees and host communities, but these have rarely been reported in Dollo Ado or Addis Ababa.…”

What Makes Me Want You Here? Refugee Integration in a Zambian Settlement Setting

“…The results indicate that hosts do not have a particularly positive or negative attitude (e.g., threat perception) or considerable real-life experience (e.g., conflict situations at a natural resource spot). This contrasts the scientific evidence that highlights heightened environmental impacts caused by a settlement [11,41] and increased competition for scarce natural resource between hosts and refugees [9,58]. The researchers particularly emphasize forest loss, i.e., deforestation, due to the development of a settlement [2,91], which is already a severe problem at the study site [69].…”

“…Further arenas for exposure are marketplaces in African camps [12,57]. Vemuru et al [58] highlighted trade and meetings in markets as one of the most important forms of social interaction for hosts and refugees. A further possible conflict area is the natural resource base in settlement surroundings, i.e., the competition for scarce natural resources between local communities and refugees [41].…”