Human Trafficking in Africa: Patterns, Drivers, and Responses
This year’s World Day Against Trafficking in Persons draws attention to the persistence of sex trafficking across Africa, where organized crime, systemic inequality, and weak institutional capacity converge to create conditions of exploitation. Evidence indicates that women and girls are disproportionately affected, with risks amplified by poverty, entrenched gender norms, limited legal protections, and climate-induced displacement. Trafficking networks exploit porous borders and increasingly operate through digital platforms, while state responses often remain under-resourced and fragmented. ...
SIHMA Press Review for September 2025
Africa 27 August 2025 The New Humanitarian Niger arrests six Sudanese refugees in raid on Agadez camp On 21 August 2025, Nigerien authorities arrested six Sudanese refugees from the Agadez Humanitarian Centre—key organisers of year-long protests over deteriorating conditions and lack of resettlement options. Witnesses reported the use of force during the raid, which involved officials from Niger’s National Eligibility Commission for Refugee Status...
Migrants, Refugees and Displaced Persons
Recent weeks have seen a troubling surge in xenophobic activity in South Africa, particularly targeting foreign nationals’ access to public healthcare a phenomenon now termed “medical xenophobia.” Despite constitutional guarantees and legal precedents affirming healthcare rights for all, activists have illegally blocked clinics, harassed staff, and removed patients, claiming foreigners are overburdening the system. These actions, fuelled by political rhetoric and misinformation, have spread from Gauteng to other provinces and are increasingly normalized in public discourse....
African Migration Trends, Q2 2025: Regional Dynamics and Global Implications
Migration across Africa in 2025 reflects one of the most dynamic and consequential population movements worldwide. While public discourse often canters on irregular journeys to Europe, the empirical evidence demonstrates a more complex reality, the vast majority of African migration remains intra-continental, shaped by overlapping drivers such as conflict, climate change, economic disparities, and evolving policy frameworks. Recent regional updates from North, West, and East Africa to Southern Africa, Egypt, and Yemen reveal how mobility patterns are being...
Kakuma Refugee Camp: A Case Study in Integration Amid Global Humanitarian Retrenchment
Kakuma Refugee Camp, located in Turkana County, Kenya, has undergone a notable transformation since its establishment over two decades ago. Originally conceived as a temporary shelter, the camp now hosts more than 150,000 refugees, primarily from South Sudan and Somalia (Theresa Beltramo and Utz Pape, 2021). Over time, Kakuma has evolved into a semi-urban settlement characterised by a robust informal economy. According...
Xenophobic Vigilantism and the Struggle for Migrant Rights in South Africa
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has urged South Africa’s high courts to uphold international law in protecting migrants and refugees from discrimination and xenophobic violence, as vigilante groups like Operation Dudula continue to escalate tensions (ICJ, 2025). The group, whose name translates to "force out" in Zulu, claims to combat crime, unemployment, and strained public services allegedly caused by undocumented migrants. However, its actions ranging from...
