Non-Refoulement under Strain: South Africa’s Asylum System and Regional Displacement
The southern African political and social landscape is highly influenced by features of migration and forced displacement. Cross-border migration has continuously been driven by conflicts, economic instability, and environmental stress from within and neighbouring African countries. Yet, at the heart of all this tension is the principle of non-refoulement, which is a cornerstone of international human rights law that prohibits returning refugees/migrants to situations of harm (UNHCR, 2025). Understanding non-Refoulement
Migration and Its Economic Implications in Nigeria
Nigeria is Africa’s largest country with the biggest number of populations reaching a high number of 236 747 130 people and about 91,551 refugees and asylum seekers as of 2024 (SIHMA, 2025). With Nigeria experiencing a notable rise in emigration, driven by a combination of economic hardship, high unemployment, insecurity and weak institutions, alongside opportunities abroad. Economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and geopolitical risk (GPR)...
SIHMA Press Review for November 2025
Africa Egypt ramps up Sudanese refugee deportations with little UNHCR pushback The New Humanitarian 4 December 2025 Egypt has intensified deportations of Sudanese refugees, with thousands detained and expelled despite holding UNHCR documents, which authorities often confiscate to strip legal protections. Rights groups say over 20,000 were deported in 2024, and local organisations report record numbers in 2025. Critics accuse UNHCR of avoiding confrontation due to...
The unheard voices of professional Black migrant women in South Africa: the hidden layers of exclusion and marginalisation
“I was surprised at your topic because I feel like we are sort of the forgotten people in this work…people overlook us…I was quite surprised and interested that someone is actually wanting to listen to us and our experiences.” (Esther) When we talk about migration and human mobility in Africa, the stories we often hear are shaped through precarity: forcibly displaced, illegal migrants, informal labour, undocumented women, and a constant...
Enhancing Protection and Asylum: A South-South Dialogue for Rights and Solutions (Research Phase)
Project Funded by EU - Contracted by ICMPD Across the African continent, asylum systems are evolving under immense pressure from shifting migration patterns to tightening global attitudes toward mobility. In this context, the latest comparative research on general asylum processes and the protection of children on the move in Uganda and South Africa arrives at a pivotal moment. Drawing on rich qualitative engagement with frontline practitioners, legal experts, community organisations, and refugee-led groups,...
Migration in Focus: The DRC and Rwanda Through the SIHMA Atlas Lens
Human migration in Africa is shaped by a mix of historical, economic, and political factors, and the Atlas of African Migration by SIHMA provides detailed insights into these dynamics. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, as neighbouring countries in the Great Lakes region, offer contrasting but interconnected migration stories, highlighting how displacement, urbanization, and policy interact across borders. The Democratic Republic of the Congo: Migration at the Crossroads...
