Introduction
Although there is no strict legal definition as there is for a refugee, but the United Nations Report - Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement defines an Internally displaced people/persons (also referred to as DPRE in many civil and military parlance) as people or groups of people who have been forced or obliged to escape or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border. Please note that an internally displaced person (IDP) should not to be confused with the term "displaced person," which may encompass both internally displaced persons and refugees. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) asserts that internally displaced persons or IDPs as they are sometimes referred to are among the world’s most vulnerable or defenseless people. According to the UNHCR, by the end of 2014, a record-breaking 38 million people were forcibly displaced within their own country by violence.
- DON OKEREKE, SECURITY ANALYST/CONSULTANT
- Nigeria Watch International
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