While refugees who cross a country's external border gain rights under international law, internally displaced people (IDPs) who have been forced to move due to conflict or hunger have no such rights in many countries.
The number of IDPs in Africa fell by 4 percent to 11.1 million, while all other regions showed an increase, according to the annual report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
By comparison, there are about 15 million refugees worldwide, the report said.
"This positive (African) trend gives us hope," said the report. "Indeed, the African continent remains at the forefront of policy development in support of IDP rights."
The African Union (AU) in 2009 adopted the Kampala Convention -- the first instrument for the protection and assistance of IDPs across the entire continent -- but it still needed to be ratified by 15 AU states to
Displaced People Global High
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