Paper short abstract:

This paper assesses the impact of COVID-19 on human mobility in the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) region and identifies strategies through which the regional body can develop a sustainable and resilient migration governance framework in future..

Paper long abstract:

Since its outbreak in late 2019, the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has complicated human mobility and migration governance across the globe. The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which hosts 4.2 million refugees and approximately 8.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) has been among hard hit regions in Africa. IGAD countries, namely Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda have all implemented different forms of national lockdowns measures in response to COVID-19 outbreak which have restricted human mobility and cross-border movement. This has resulted in people being trapped in dangerous situations in attempting to cross borders as migrants, refugees, IDPs, cross-border traders, nomadic pastoralists, et cetera, thereby risking their health in light of COVID-19. As a result, it has exposed them to loss of livelihoods, food insecurity, human rights abuses and exposed mostly women and girls to gender-based violence and sexual violence. This, therefore, maybe the time to critically re-imagine human mobility and migration governance in IGAD in the post-COVID era. This paper therefore seeks to assess the impact of COVID-19 on human mobility in IGAD and identify strategies through which the regional body can develop a sustainable and resilient migration governance framework that can protect IGAD citizens during future pandemics and natural disasters which are a common occurrence in IGAD. The International Organization for Migration (IOM)’s Migration Governance Framework is used as a conceptual framework of analysis whilst secondary data sources are used for analysis.