Forced Migration

INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS AND REFUGEE CONTROL IN AN INSURGENCY: EFFECTS ON THE NATIONAL INTEGRATION OF NIGERIA

INTRODUCTION
1. The moment humans started living together in communities, was the same moment these communities began having disputes. Some of these disputes would deteriorate, possibly into violence, triggering the migration of some community members from the affected towns or villages. These individuals or groups would often times seek refuge or sanctuary in religious dwellings or with citizens sympathetic to their plight . The practice of helping such people was one of the earliest hallmarks of civilisation with texts written almost 3500 years ago making reference to such acts . Movement of people or groups in search of refuge

Forced migration has been a common consequence of violence since the beginning of human history particularly when security is threatened by strife, military coups, insurrection, religious persecution, and human rights abuses. This, in addition to political despotism or “ethnic cleansing” force people to flee their homes in search of safety. Although the reasons for displacement differ from place to place, the effects of forced migration has remained the same with desperate and homeless people who are in danger of persecution, starvation, or disease . The results of intrastate conflict leave a complex lasting legacy that is difficult to erase amid destabilised national economies and destroyed infrastructure and institutions. However, the greatest challenge in the removal of the legacy of violent conflict and the reconstruction of the country is probably the reintegration of citizenry and re-establishment of society. As the nature of conflict has changed from interstate to intrastate, so too has its toll on human life reflected by the increasing proportions of civilian deaths in conflicts. At the beginning of the twentieth century approximately, 90 percent of war victims were soldiers, while by the 1990s however 90 percent of conflict casualties were civilians . Furthermore, attacks and atrocities against non-combatants have become widely employed as deliberate strategies of warfare including such tactics as systematic rape, mass executions, ethnic cleansing, and even genocide. This then leads to mass forced migration within and between countries inadvertently reducing human security through environmental degradation, inadequate sanitation and increased health problems. There is also a lack of access to food and physical insecurity, thus giving rise to further humanitarian emergencies. The physical costs of war contribute to adverse human and social effects through damage to hospitals, schools, roads and bridges, vital in the provision of necessary services,