10.3 million people live in protracted refugee situations in 30 countries, comprising two-thirds of the global refugee population. A protracted refugee situation exists when 25,000 or more refugees originating from the same country have sought refuge in another country for at least five consecutive years.
Liberians in West Africa1
Liberia’s civil war produced several waves of refugees who, at one point, numbered over 700,000.
The United States has resettled over 30,000 Liberian refugees. The invocation of the cessation clause2 for refugees may motivate the remaining refugees to take advantage of local integration or assisted repatriation.
Liberian refugees in West Africa live primarily in Cote D’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Ghana.
When signicant positive changes in refugees’ countries of origin make it possible for them to return home, states that are parties to the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1969 Convention Governing the Specic Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa may invoke the “cessation clause” to declare an end to the refugee status originally granted refuge seekers.
Somalis in Kenya
Somali refugees have ed to Kenya in signicant waves since the early 1990s. Refugee camps do not meet or maintain many of the minimum standards for humanitartian assistance. The United States is working with UNHCR to resettle refugees and to strengthen protection and assistance programs for those who remain in the camps
Croatians and Bosnians in Serbia
Displaced between 1991 and 2001, refugees from Croatia and Bosnia still remain in Serbia 15 years after the signing of the Dayton Accords. Inadequate housing, unemployment, and lack of documentation, as well as unresolved claims to tenancy, property, and pensions, challenge refugees’ ability to either integrate locally or repatriate.
Afghans in Pakistan
The majority of Afghan refugees have resided in Pakistan for over three decades. The U.S. Govern- ment works with UNHCR and the Government of Pakistan to strengthen assistance eorts for both Afghan refugees and the Pakistani communities that host them. Over ve million Afghan refugees have repatriated from Pakistan and Iran since 2002.
Bhutanese in Nepal
Ethnic Nepalese refugees from Bhutan have been living in camps in southeastern Nepal since the early 1990s. Since 2007, more than 30,000 of these refugees have been resettled to the United States, and over 5,000 more to Australia, Canada, Denmark, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom.
Burmese in Thailand
More than half of Burmese refugees have lived in Thailand for over 25 years in nine ocial camps on the Thai-Burma border. Since 2005, third-country resettlement has provided durable solutions for more than 60,000 Burmese refugees, with 48,000 of these refugees resettled to the United States.