Case Studies: Forced Migration (SL IB Geography)

• The Syrian civil war has created the biggest displacement and refugee crisis in recent times
• It has affected millions of people and surrounding countries
• More than half of Syria's population has been displaced from their homes by the war
• Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in Western Asia, bordering:
  • Lebanon to the southwest
  • The Mediterranean Sea to the west
  • Turkey to the north
  • Iraq to the east
  • Jordan to the south
  • Israel to the southwest

Position of Syria

Cause of the migration

• The Syrian crisis is an ongoing armed conflict (now in its 12th year -2023) between forces of the government and those opposing them 
• In March 2011, peaceful protests started. They were in response to widespread corruption, lack of political freedom, and high levels of unemployment
• President Bashar al-Assad’s government used deadly force to crush the protests. The unrest quickly escalated nationwide into a civil war
• People were forced to leave their homes and migrate to other parts of Syria (displaced) or move to another country as a refugee
• The Syrian conflict has led to more than 500,000 deaths and displaced an estimated 13.3 million—over half of Syria's pre-war population
• 6.7 million people are internally displaced with 5.5 million Syrian refugees living in the five countries that neighbour Türkiye, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt
• Neighbouring Türkiye hosts over 3.6 million refugees - this is the largest refugee population hosted by a single country worldwide
• Germany is the largest non-neighbouring host country with more than 522,500 Syrian refugees

Number of Syrian refugees in closest neighbouring countries 

Impacts on Syria

• Social impact:
  • Loss of life - the conflict has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people
  • Many have lost their home, possessions, jobs and are separated from family members
  • Children have been exposed to violence, loss of families, homes, possessions and everything they once knew
  • In Syria, more than 2 million children are out of school and 1.6 million children are at risk of dropping out
  • Girls are often made to marry young
  • Displacement - millions of Syrians have been forced from their communities, leading to a humanitarian crisis, with many people struggling to access life-saving essentials like food, water, and healthcare
• Economic impact: 
  • Businesses and industries have been damaged or disrupted and this has increased an already high unemployment rate adding to widespread poverty
  • Destroyed infrastructure - conflict has destroyed and damaged the country's roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, and homes, preventing people from accessing essential services
• Environmental impact:
  
  • Land is flattened by bombing making it difficult to cultivate crops
  • Wildlife and ecosystems are destroyed
  • Water is limited, unavailable or polluted

Impacts on Jordan

• The Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan is 10 km from the Syrian border and is home to 80,000 people
• It remains the largest refugee camp in the Middle East and one of the largest in the world
• Over 20,000 births have been recorded in Zaatari refugee camp
• Jordan is the second most water-scarce country in the world
  • Water is a precious resource in the camp and does not meet daily needs, particularly in the summer when temperatures soar to over 30°C 
• Many people live in tents and sanitation is limited, with overflowing toilets and raw sewage seeping into the surrounding areas
• Many Syrian refugees have fled the camp into urban areas 
• They cannot receive aid from the United Nations or other donors, putting a huge strain on public resources in Jordan
• Food is expensive, rents have tripled in some cases and competition for jobs has driven wages down
• This has created tensions within the native communities

Impacts on Lebanon

• There is an overwhelming burden on infrastructure, society and the economy
• Most refugees live in poverty and child labour is common
• Lebanon has the highest number of refugees per capita in the world

Impacts on Türkiye

• Syrian refugees mostly initially settled in refugee camps in South-eastern Türkiye
• In 2016, Syrian refugees were allowed work permits and they became more dispersed geographically
• Since then a total of 1599 new companies have been started by Syrian refugees

Political insecurity

• The district of Borno in northern Nigeria was a significant agricultural trading hub with abundant natural resources in demand by industry and commercial purposes such as iron ore, clay, silica sand and uranium
• However, in 2014, the Boko Haram group kidnapped 276 Christian school girls from Chibok, Borno 
• The group is known for its extreme violence, indoctrination, forced marriage and views
  • Its main aim is to establish an Islamic State under Shariah law
  • Boko Haram is against westernisation and its influence on Nigeria's culture of corruption, which has created a gap between the 'few rich and the many poor'
• 3 years later (2017), 82 schoolgirls were released in exchange for 5 Boko Haram leaders, leaving over 100 girls still captive
• Some of the girls had been made to carry suicide bombs and explode them in busy areas
• As a result, over 2.2 million have been forced to flee the area
• What was initially seen as a ‘Nigerian problem’ has moved across borders into northern Cameroon, western Chad, south-eastern Niger 
• This has impacted the ability of people in the region to feed themselves as less land is being farmed
• 33% of healthcare facilities have been closed, with health workers being abducted and killed
• People in the region have suffered losses such as homes, family and lack access to fresh water and services
• Infrastructure has been damaged and major power lines have been destroyed resulting in lack of power particularly in the villages 
• International recognition of the kidnapping had the unintentional consequence of making the girls more valuable to Boko Haram

Map showing Borno district, Nigeria

Environmental impacts

• Many people have taken refuge in formal and informal camps and the government and aid agencies struggle to provide basic health and education services
• This has caused chronic poverty, water stress and food insecurity
• In August 2022, Borno State authorities closed eight camps, forcing many displaced people into further poverty and struggling to eat, meet basic needs, obtain shelter or suitable security 
• Support that was provided was too little to rebuild lives or homes elsewhere, forcing many to return home and into continued danger
• Fuel is costly and charcoal has become the alternative energy used in Borno, resulting in mass deforestation and increased costs of buying charcoal for remaining residents
• There has been a rise of civilian vigilante self-defence groups to protect land and homes
• Outside of the region, a further 540,000 people have been internally displaced due to severe floods which washed away crops and livestock, forcing more people to leave the area
• Overall, the impact of the Boko Haram has been economic and political by creating a state of insecurity in northern Nigeria