Repatriation and Self-Settled Refugees in Zambia: Bringing Solutions to the Wrong Problems

Abstract

In the literature there is a wide gulf between refugee studies and migration studies which can give rise to very different understandings of the needs and interests of the people who are moving. A case study of Angolans in Zambia examines how the movement of rural people across the border into Angola is perceived by villagers and the government and international community. It finds that most of those perceived as repatriating refugees by the government and UN bodies actually see themselves as villagers moving in search of better livelihoods in resource rich Angola. The wide gap in understanding is a reflection of very different interests in the processes of integrating newcomers and controlling nationality and refugees. It results in interventions which are inappropriate as they aim to solve refugee problems seen by outsiders rather than responding to the priorities of local people.

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