Refugee Realities: Refugee Rights versus State Security in Kenya and Tanzania

Abstract

Refugees, who were traditionally conceived and presented as humanitarian issues, are now increasingly viewed as security threats. The language of threat now dominates refugee discourses and policymaking as well as scholarly analysis. Focusing on Kenya and Tanzania, this paper explores how refugees have been reconstruction as security threats and the impact this reconstruction has had on refugee rights and protection. The paper argues that whereas the perception of refugees as a threat is not without merit and there is therefore need for measures to address this threat, it is possible for this to be done without violating refugee rights. In other words, the protection of state security and refugee security are not and should not be mutually exclusive.