CHAPTER
ONEINTRODUCTION1.1 Background of the study
Human security, in its extensive sense, covers far more
than the absence of violent conflict. It comprises human rights, good
governance, access to education and health care and making each individual has
opportunities and choices to fulfill his or her potential. Human security,
human right, etc reduces poverty and alsohelps in achieving economic growth and
prevents conflict. Freedom from want, freedom from fear, and the freedom of
future generations to inherit a healthy natural environment these are the
interrelated building blocks of human security and therefore national security.
Threats to human security could bepolitical and military,
social, economic or environmental. A broad array of factors contribute to
making people feel insecure,from the laying of landmines and the proliferation
of small arms, to transnational threatssuch as drugs trafficking, to the spread
of HIV. One of the main factorsof human insecurity is precisely the lack of
effective political and security mechanisms toaddress conflicts. Human security
can be said to have two main aspects. It means, first, safety from such
dangerous threats as hunger, disease and repression. And second, it means
protection fromsudden and hurtful disruptions in the patterns of daily life
whether in homes, in jobs or in communities. These threats can exist at all
levels of national income anddevelopment. Economic security, food security,
health security, environmental security, personal security, community security,
political securities are lists of some threats to human security.
The issue of human displacement in Africa is broad and
possibly growing rapidly. A great deal of qualitative evidence suggests that
the situation of Africa’s displaced people is becoming increasingly problematic
and that those who succeed in escaping from their country are unable to find a
safe refugee in other states. With the increase in armed conflicts in Africa
and the West Africa Sub-Region there exist various dimensions of environmental,
social and security challenges posed by refugee influx into most countries of
Africa. Refugees tend to impact on the safety of various nation states. Recent
work confirms the instinct that political violence and persecution are
significant determinants of flight. Yet, refugees are not simply the
unfortunate by-products of war, but may serve as catalysts for conflicts,
including conflict between states. Scholars have suggested that refugee
migration can provoke international hostilities between states, including
military action although this claim has not been rigorously tested. For
instance, it is argued that Rwanda invasion of Zaire in 1996 was largely
motivated by the desire to clear refugee camps that harbored militant factions.
Refugee crises do not only bring about humanitarian disasters but also create
serious implications for Border States and host communities. According to
Bobbin, and Garrett (2006), the terms internal or domestic and civil conflict
imply violent interactions between states and dissidents, and the negative
consequences of war and human rights violations, contained within the states.
1.2 Statement of the
problem
Refugee crises do not only bring about humanitarian
disasters but also create serious implications for Border States and host
communities and West Africa.Refugees most times pose a security threat to the
host country. According to Bobbin, and Garrett (2006), the terms internal or
domestic and civil conflict imply violent interactions between states and
dissidents, and the negative consequences of war and human rights violations,
contained within the states. Rather than treating states as independent units,
it may be more appropriate to view them interconnected in dense networks of
social interactions where process within one state have significant
repercussions for other states in the region and elsewhere. The human costs of
civil war and state persecution may not be entirely borne by the warring
country only, but may create significant externalities, or spillover effects,
for other countries/communities. The problems associated with refugees may not
be restricted to a particular border area but may have spillover effects on the
internal security situation of a region. As posited by Ogundele (2005), refugee
migration can inflict a significant economic burden on host countries or
communities. This may be so not minding the availability of international aid,
which at time may be from the world’s poorest nation who may often bear much of
the cost of maintaining them. Refugees are also less likely to contribute to
productive economic activity in their hosts
1.3 Objectives of the study
This study seeks toexamine the impact of refugee crisis on
human security in West Africa.
2. To examine the dynamics of the socio-Political and
economic implications that is associated with refugees‟ security phenomenon,
within the African continent.
3. To find out the problems associated with refugees in
West Africa.
4. To unravel the implication of refugee on Africa’s
social, political, security and economic development.
5. To enable lessons learned from national, regional and
international humansecurity experiences to be shared
1.3 Research
questions
What are the problems associated with refugees in West
Africa? What is the implication of refugee on Africa’s social, political,
security and economic development?
1.5 Research hypotheses
Ho: there is no
impact of refugee crisis on human securityin West Africa
Hi: there isimpact
of refugee crisis on human securityin West Africa
Ho:
Hi:
1.6 Significance of the study
This study would at the end serve as an early warning
indicator to government in its drive at maintaining peace and security of the
country’s internal and border securities.
1.7 Scope/Limitations of the study
This study centers on the impact of refugee crisis on human
security in West Africa.
Limitations of study
1.
Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends
to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant
materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection
(internet, questionnaire and interview). 2.
Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this
study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time
devoted for the research work.
1.8 Definition of terms
Refugee:a person
who has been forced to leave there country or home because there is a war or
for political, religious or social reasons.
Crisis:a time of
danger, difficulty or confusion when problems must be solved or important
decision must be made.
Human security:is an emerging paradigm for understanding
global vulnerabilities whose proponents challenge the traditional notion of
national security by arguing that the proper referent for security should be
the individual rather than the state.
Security:the
activities involved in protecting a country, building or person against attack,
danger, etc.
Human right:one of
the basic rights that everyone has to be created fairly and not in a cruel way,
especially by their government.
Get the Complete Project Material Now!!!
