An analysis of forced migration from Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is rarely considered an important source country of forced migrants. Using data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), this paper shows that Zimbabwe has emerged as one of the leading sources of forced migrants in the post-2000 era. On the other hand, declining economic conditions have led to a large number of people leaving the country thereby generating mixed migration flows. Some economic migrants from Zimbabwe have resorted to applying for asylum in the destination country as a strategy to prolong their stay and avoid deportation to Zimbabwe. As a result, it has become extremely difficult for the asylum and refugee boards to distinguish between forced and economic migrants. The paper raises questions on the effect of geography on the determination of claims of asylum filed by Zimbabweans globally. Closer to home, individuals who file asylum claims have had a lower rate of success compared with those who submit their asylum claims overseas. The paper concludes there is a need to untangle the effect of geography on refugee status determination. There is also a need to ensure that similar measures are applied in the refugee determination process so that geography does not play a significant role in the outcome of asylum applications.