When I think of the broken state of the world’s refugee
system, I readily recall the resigned words of Aisha, a refugee from
Sudan’s troubled South Kordofan state. I met Aisha, along with her two
young children, during an Amnesty International research mission in May
2015. All three of them had languished in exceptionally difficult
conditions in a refugee camp in an isolated corner of war-torn South
Sudan for nearly three years at the time.
Aisha’s
journey out of South Kordofan had been perilous and dangerous. The
situation she faced in the burgeoning Yida Refugee Camp was tense, with
occasional security concerns and constant pressure from UN agencies to
move to a different camp location. Armed conflict in South Sudan, which
had erupted in late 2013, had become particularly intense in Unity State
(where the camp was located) and drew closer with every passing month.
We
spoke of her options. Returning to South Kordofan was impossible, with
indiscriminate aerial bombardment continuing unabated, and Sudanese
forces having cut off opposition-controlled areas from UN and
humanitarian assistance. Yet the situation in South Sudan, whether she
stayed at Yida or agreed to move, was also volatile and distressing.
Inevitably
our discussion turned to the possibility of seeking safety further
afield. That would have been a daunting prospect for a woman travelling
alone with two young children in any circumstances. But our conversation
did not even go that far—it was clear to Aisha that there were no
further options that would bring her greater safety. “There is nowhere
to go,” she said to me. “I know that other governments would prefer that
we stay in this dangerous situation rather than try to find somewhere
safer.” And no doubt about it,
Aisha was right.
Aisha’s
feeling of pointlessness is also reflected in the staggering Syrian
refugee crisis. It resonates with the harrowing tales of Rohingya
refugees from Myanmar desperately seeking safety in Southeast Asia.
Essentially, Aisha’s despondence speaks to the impossible choices
refugees face the world over.
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