United Nations Security Council resolution 1208, adopted unanimously on 19 November 1998, after recalling Resolution 1170 (1998) on Africa, the Council discussed the treatment and status of

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

s on the continent. It was important that refugees were protected and that the humanitarian character of refugee camps preserved. The Security Council recognised the experience African countries had in dealing with refugees and refugee camps. There was insecurity in some camps due to the presence of armed groups which did not qualify for international protection, differences within the refugee population, crime,

banditry Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, and murder, either as an ...

, and the flow of

weapon A weapon, arm or armament is any implement or device that can be used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime, law enforcement, s ...

s. It emphasised the need to assist African countries to provide security for refugees, maintain the humanitarian character of refugee camps and protect vulnerable groups such as women, children and the elderly. The Security Council stressed the importance of the

Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, also known as the 1951 Refugee Convention or the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951, is a United Nations multilateral treaty that defines who a refugee is, and sets out the rights of individual ...

of 1951 and of particular relevance was the

Organisation of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...

(OAU)

Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa, also called the OAU Refugee Convention, or the 1969 Refugee Convention, is regional legal instrument governing refugee protection in Afr ...

. The host of a refugee camp was responsible for its security and humanitarian nature. In this regard, the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...

, OAU, the

international community The international community is an imprecise phrase used in geopolitics and international relations to refer to a broad group of people and governments of the world. As a rhetorical term Aside from its use as a general descriptor, the term is ...

and regional and subregional organisations were urged to assist African countries hosting refugee populations while the Secretary-General

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder ...

had to respond to requests concerning the implementation of human rights and

international humanitarian law International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict, is the law that regulates the conduct of war (''jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit the effects of armed conflict by prot ...

. Finally, he was also asked to consider the establishment of a new category within the United Nations Trust Fund for Improving Preparedness for Conflict Prevention and Peacekeeping in Africa.

References

External links

*
Text of the Resolution at undocs.org
{{UNSCR 1998 1208 1998 in Africa Politics of Africa November 1998 events

See also

References

External links