19/08/2026
RLI Director David Cantor has published a new explainer with The Conversation Africa on internally displaced persons (IDPs) - people forced from their homes who, unlike refugees, never cross an international border.
Commissioned as part of The Conversation's explainer series, the piece unpacks a term that's used constantly but rarely explained: who counts as an IDP, why nearly 32 million people across Africa are currently displaced within their own countries, and why they're so often left more exposed to conflict, disease outbreaks and poverty than refugees - despite receiving a fraction of the funding and attention.
The article draws on the new Handbook of Internal Displacement, co-edited by David. Read the piece and share your thoughts in the comments on The Conversation's site - that kind of exchange is exactly what the platform is for.
Read the article: https://theconversation.com/millions-of-africans-are-displaced-without-crossing-a-border-and-their-needs-are-often-overlooked-289499
Explore the Handbook: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-oxford-handbook-of-internal-displacement-9780198928775?cc=gb&lang=en& #
An online version of the Handbook is available here: https://academic.oup.com/edited-volume/62537?login=true
The issue of internal displacement remains poorly understood despite the very large number of people involved.
