Recommendation on Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons

We, the participants to the Forum on the Participation of NGOs in the 44th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights held in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria from 7th to 9th November, 2008,

Urge the African Union to:

• Continue efforts to bring peace to the Darfur region of Sudan, including calling for full deployment of the hybrid forces to protect civilians and calling for all parties to participate seriously in the peace talks to be held in Doha;
• Call on The government of South Sudan to improve conditions for returning IDPs and refugees;
• Give special consideration to the situation of the Mbororo people in Cameroun, Chad, the Central African Republic and the DRC;
• Give special consideration to protection of women, who are at increased risk of sexual violence while living in refugee, IDP camps;
• Adopt the IDPs Convention;
• Review and propose solutions to the challenges faced by Mauritanian deportees.

Request the:

• Special Rapportuer on Refugees and Internally displaced persons to endeavour to
  visit current and past conflict areas to assess the situation of IDPs, refugees and
  asylum seekers.

Call on the African Commission to:

• Call on the South Africa government to grant asylum to all Zimbabweans seeking
  asylum in South Africa, whether it be for economic or political reasons;
• Call on the South African government to declare a moratorium on the deportation of Zimbabwean asylum seekers, whether un/documented until a transitional authority is in place in Zimbabwe.

Done in Abuja, November 9th, 2008