Together with the African Law Association (ALA) and in cooperation with Stiftung Entwicklungszusammenarbeit Baden-Württemberg (SEZ), the Arnold-Bergstraesser-Institut (ABI) organized the 44th Annual Conference of the African Law Association which focused on the topic of „Armed Conflict in Africa: Legal and Political Measures for Protecting Displaced People and Preventing Forced Migration.“ The conference took place in Freiburg between the 10 – 11th November.
The two-day programme presented views from practitioners and scholars on a variety of topics, including conceptual discussions, legal frameworks for refugee protection and the problems of access to justice for citizens and displaced persons in Africa. Pitfalls regarding implementation of often quite sophisticated protection frameworks were also discussed. Participants and speakers noted the challenges for host communities, the difference of legislation on paper and rights in practice, as well as the continuing relevance of informal and alternative justice mechanisms. The Annual Conference was enriched by the presence of a delegation of five legal practitioners from East African countries, who introduced their own domestic contexts. The exchange between scholars and practitioners, as well as legal and social sciences perspectives, enabled lively and fruitful discussions and contributed to a successful event. For a full programme please see here.