Preface

Abstract

The problem of Internally-displaced Persons (IDPs) (people who have been forced to flee their homes but remain within their countries’ borders) has received worldwide attention, and justifiably so, with the continuing spate of political upheavals particularly in Africa and Asia. The so-called ‘Arab Spring’ is a case in point. Countries with the largest numbers of IDPs include Sudan (5-6 million), Iraq (2.5 million), Columbia (2-3 million, DR Congo (1.5 million). The Norwegian Refugee Council has aptly described the IDP problem as “one of the greatest humanitarian challenges of our time”, with conservative estimates putting the number of IDPs as 25 million worldwide, of which over 75 % are found in Africa alone. These chilling statistics call for even more sustained worldwide attention to stem the tide.