New report on the increased mobility of the Darfurian diaspora
Darfur’s fade-out from international headlines and Western interests over the past several years has fostered a false narrative that the conflict there is over, despite stark evidence to the contrary. Linked to this narrative, the paralysis of internal and international engagement on Darfur has compelled Darfurians—civilians and combatants alike—to increase their outward mobility in search of safety and livelihood opportunities in neighbouring African countries or further afield into Europe.
Diaspora in Despair: Darfurian Mobility at a Time of International Disengagement, a new joint report from the Small Arms Survey’s Human Security Baseline Assessment for Sudan and South Sudan (HSBA) and Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) projects analyzes several components and consequences of this increased mobility. The report finds that highly mobile Darfurian rebel groups have found fertile ground for lucrative activities such as cross-border smuggling in neighbouring countries—particularly Libya. The study also notes that the harsh conditions encountered in Libya by non-Arab Darfurian civilians have compelled many to seek asylum across the Mediterranean in Europe.
- Read Diaspora in Despair: Darfurian Mobility at a Time of International Disengagement
- More information on the Small Arms Survey’s HSBA and SANA projects
For more on Sudan, read our other recent HSBA publications:
- Sudan Uprising: Popular Struggles, Elite Compromises, and Revolution Betrayed
- Conflict and Cooperation: Transitions in Modern Ethiopian–Sudanese Relations
- Spilling Over: Conflict Dynamics in and around Sudan’s Blue Nile State, 2015–19
For more on Libya and North Africa, read our other SANA publications:
- Who's Fighting Whom in Tripoli: How the 2019 Civil War is Transforming Libya's Military Landscape
- Lost in Trans-nation: Tubu and Other Armed Groups and Smugglers along Libya's Southern Border
- Too Close for Comfort: How Algeria Faces the Libyan Conflict
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