International Humanitarian Response and Militarization of Refugee and IDP Camps in Kenya and Sudan

Abstract

This comparative case study examines to what extent governments attitudes toward forced

migrants and the levels of international humanitarian field operations and protection services have

affected the likelihood that the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya and the internally displaced persons

(IDP) camps in Darfur, Sudan, are militarized. The main findings of this study are as follows. First, the

level of militarization is affected by the response of the host government, as each government in Kenya

and Sudan tries to securitize refugees and IDPs. Second, protracted refugee situations have not been

factored into the militarization in the Dadaab area, although it made government and armed groups

target the camps in Darfur to decrease the influence of armed groups or increase the negotiation

leverage of armed groups. Third, humanitarian assistance and protection contribute to maintaining the

humanitarian character of the Dadaab refugee camps while in Darfur, the international presence has

been effective in the government-controlled area and it has been limited in the rebel-controlled area

due to the restrictions imposed by the government and armed groups.