A colleague of mine stumbled upon a fascinating book by Stephan Stedman and Fred Tanner on (and titled) Refugee Manipulation. The book explores the manipulation of the international refugee regime (i.e. UNHCR, NGOs, States hosting refugees, etc…) by warring parties. That is, the strategic creation and/or use of refugee camps in armed conflict:
Hence some refugee camps become a breeding ground for refugee warriors: disaffected individuals, who-with the assistance of overseas diasporas, host governments, and interested states–equip themselves for battle to retrieve an idealized, mythical lost community. Facing military defeat at home, the warring party uses the suffering of refugees for its own political purpose: to siphon off aid, establish the international legitimacy of their cause, and, by manipulating access to them, ensure that they will not repatriate. As long as armies control refugee populations, they can demand a seat in negotiations.
As the authors point out, the answer to refugee manipulation is in changing the incentives. That is, incentivizing and empowering 1) states hosting refugee camps to maintain control and security, 2) refugee leaders to reject armed groups militarizing camps, and 3) NGOs to prevent the maldistribution of their aid.
Source:
Stedman, Stephen John, and Fred Tanner. 2003. Refugee manipulation: war, politics, and the abuse of human suffering. Brookings Institution Press.
Christopher R. Albon is a political science Ph.D. specializing in armed conflict, public health, human security, and health diplomacy.
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