It is well-known that legal borders on the African continent are colonial legacies and possess a high level of uncertainty with, for example, only a third of legal borders in sub- Saharan Africa being clearly demarcated. But not all borders manifest themselves the same way. Depending, on the category of border, location and actor we focus on, they are either targets of contestation or of solidification. And their meanings have changed over time.
The African Union has identified ill-defined borders and potential sources of conflict (for instance, linked to natural resources) as a key challenge. A perception of the porousness of African borders and of the scope for large-scale migration from Africa to Europe has underpinned major interventions by the European Union and its member states that have led them to ‘externalise’ their migration policies to African countries that aim to reinforce borders and border security. But the EU is not the only actor that is trying to shape politics on the African continent as the United States of America, Russia and China are also intervening on the bilateral and regional levels.
This conference will explore the implications for migration and mobility as well as for human rights and the protection of people displaced by conflict and persecution. These top-down interventions may neglect or even confound the long-established networks based on trade or pastoral activities that operate across borders and can be engines of economic growth and creativity. Borders thus play a central role in the production of two key and interlinked issues in African and global politics: (in)security and human migration. The nexus between (in)security and migration is connected to the presence of borders that delineate and demarcate between territories and peoples while also playing a powerful role in structuring social and political relations in ways that can play out across various levels from the international to the more micro-processes associated with everyday practices at border regions.
This conference is jointly convened by the EUI's Migration Policy Centre and Global Governance Programme and the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (University of Ghana). Please note that attendance is by invitation only.