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A Home Away from Home? an Exploration of the Humanitarian Ideas Inherent in Uganda’S Refugee Policy

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A Home Away from Home? an Exploration of the Humanitarian Ideas Inherent in Uganda’S Refugee Policy A home away from home? An exploration of the humanitarian ideas inherent in Uganda’s Refugee Policy. Master Thesis, International Development Studies Roskilde University Lasse Juhl Morthorst, 56546 & Julie Marit Hinze Nielsen, 46283 Supervisor: Jacob Rasmussen Submission date: 02/01 - 2018 Characters: 239.996 Abstract This thesis explores the contested concept of humanitarianism, along with the manifestation of the humanitarian ideas, in the context of contemporary global refugee responses. As a result of the insufficient solutions to the prevailing European refugee crisis, characterised by protracted encampment, policy makers have, turned their inspirational glance towards the exceptional Ugandan policy framework - The Refugees Act 2006. Based on three empirical pillars; the Refugees Act 2006, the praising narrative created by Western media, and fieldwork conducted in Uganda in October 2017, this thesis investigates what humanitarian ideas the Act exemplifies, and how these are manifested in the midst of contemporary refugee crisis. By moving between the conceptual framework and the three empirical pillars, a nuanced analysis is unfolded, emphasising how the empowering ideas of the Refugees Act 2006, are paradoxically balancing on the conceptual lines between limitations and possibilities. The study reveals how the exceptionality of the policy framework is questionable, but is closer to obliging the acclaimed universality of the 1951 Geneva Convention, than Western humanitarian responses. The proximity of the complex humanitarian manifestations, are echoing global tendencies, which is affecting humanitarianism, into a fragmented plural phenomenon, influencing and influenced by, local responses to present crises. Resúme Specialet udforsker humanitarismebegrebet som polemisk koncept, sideløbende med manifestationerne af de humanitære idéer, inden for præsent global flygtningepolitik. Som følge af utilstrækkelige europæiske løsningsmodeller, på den aktuelle langvarige flygtningekrise, har politikere og meningsdannere vendt blikket mod globale alternativer, hvor Ugandas politiske idégrundlag er kommet i søgelyset – the Refugees Act 2006. Med udgangspunkt i tre empiriske søjler; the Refugees Act 2006, det roste narrativ, skabt af den vestlige presse og feltarbejde udført i Uganda i oktober 2017, vil specialet undersøge hvilke humanitære idéer Akten eksemplificere, og hvordan disse er manifesteret, set i lyset af den igangværende globale flygtningekrise. Ved at bevæge sig imellem de konceptuelle rammer, og de tre nævnt empiriske søjler, vil specialet udfolde en nuanceret analyse, der understreger hvordan selvhjælpsidéerne fra Akten, paradoksalt balancerer på de konceptuelle linjer imellem begrænsninger og muligheder. Studiet viser, hvordan validiteten af den exceptionelle ugandiske flygtningepolitik, hviler på et tvivlsomt grundlag, men er tættere på at overholde det universalistiske konventionelle retsgrundlag fra Genevekonventionen, end andre vestlige humanitære aktioner. Proksimiteten af de komplekse humanitære manifestationer afspejler globale tendenser, hvilke påvirker og omdanner humanitarisme til et fragmenteret og flertydigt fænomen, der i sidste ende influerer og er influeret af, lokale tilgange til krisesituationer. Key words: Humanitarianism, humanitarian action, policy, refugee crisis, refugee responses, camp, settlement, Uganda, Refugees Act 2006, Self-Reliance Strategy, New York Declaration, World We Want 2030, state of exception, social agents, suffering victims Acknowledgements A deep gratitude to our supervisor, Jacob Rasmussen for supporting our work, our field trip to Uganda, and going along with our ideas without hesitation. We have been appreciating your suggestions for our thesis, and your enthusiasm has increased our engagement and work ethic, throughout the process. We have enjoyed working with you during our studies at Roskilde University. A tremendous thank you to the informants and people we met along the way for the help, kindness, and openness, helping us gaining valuable insights into Ugandan culture. In addition hereto, a big thank to the NGOs, experts, and researchers who engaged in conversations, which helped us keeping direction of the study. A special thanks to Anders Wind and Margarita Vladimirovna Bolotskikh for the support - we could not have been without it. Our brothers are coming home. (Appendix 8, 82) Table of Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 Contextualising the crisis .............................................................................................. 3 1.1.1 The phenomenon of Humanitarianism ...................................................................... 5 1.1.2 Humanitarianism – a paradigm crisis? ...................................................................... 6 1.1.3 The New York Declaration - A new global approach? ............................................ 6 1.1.4 The policy framework and the Ugandan way. .......................................................... 7 1.2 Problem statement ......................................................................................................... 9 1.2.1 Aim of research ....................................................................................................... 10 1.3 Delimitation and critical reflections ........................................................................... 11 1.4 Research design ............................................................................................................ 12 2. Considerations of methodology ........................................................................................ 13 2.1 Locating the articles used as empirical data .............................................................. 15 2.2 Studying the humanitarian ideas of the Refugees Act 2006 ..................................... 16 2.3 Field studies in Uganda ............................................................................................... 16 2.3.1 Rwamwanja settlement ........................................................................................... 17 2.3.2 Conducting field studies ......................................................................................... 18 2.3.3 Observations ........................................................................................................... 20 2.3.4 Semi-structured interviews ..................................................................................... 20 2.3.5 Informal conversations ............................................................................................ 21 2.3.6 Informants ............................................................................................................... 21 2.4 Ethical considerations, limitations and other remarks ............................................ 22 3. Historical overview ............................................................................................................ 24 3.1 Refugee history ............................................................................................................. 25 3.1.1 War-torn Europe in Uganda .................................................................................... 25 3.1.2 Uganda’s regional refugee involvement – an overview ......................................... 25 3.2 Understanding Uganda’s Refugee Policy, is understanding the context ................ 27 3.2.1 The development of a new policy framework ........................................................ 29 3.2.2 Self-Reliance Strategy – An UNHCR definition .................................................... 30 3.2.3 SRS in Uganda ........................................................................................................ 32 3.2.4 The Refugees Act 2006 ........................................................................................... 33 4. Conceptual understandings ............................................................................................... 36 4.1 From exploring universal humanitarianism, to the characteristics of refugee camps. .................................................................................................................................. 36 4.1.1 Humanitarianism - World we want? ....................................................................... 37 4.1.2 Historicist and conceptual clarifications ................................................................. 39 4.1.3 Profit of the suffering .............................................................................................. 41 4.1.4 The controversial politics of humanitarianism, and humanitarian (non)intervention .......................................................................................................................................... 43 4.1.5 Humanitarianism and its aspirations – from principles and agendas, to manifestations .................................................................................................................. 45 4.2 Conceptual ideas of the Refugee ................................................................................. 47 4.3 The Camp ..................................................................................................................... 50 4.3.1 A short historical account ....................................................................................... 51 4.3.2 Bare life and refugee camps ...................................................................................
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