These are Africa’s fastest-growing refugee camps that may soon turn into major cities

For thousands of years, multiple conflicts around the world have compelled people to take shelter in various refugee camps, often in inhumane living conditions.

According to the United Nations, the world is witnessing the highest levels of displacement on record. At the end of 2016, an unprecedented 65.6 million people around the world have been forced from home by conflict and persecution.

Among them are nearly 22.5 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18. There are also 10 million stateless people, who have been denied a nationality and access to basic rights such as education, healthcare, employment and freedom of movement, the UN report said.

Refugee camps are usually unplanned settlements established to accommodate people fleeing their countries due to unrest and civil strife in search of a place to find refuge. They are provided with food, clothing, shelter, education and healthcare, however, most refugees find themselves in harsh conditions, sometimes with no toilets or potable water.

Recipient countries are often not always prepared for the huge numbers of people that arrive, compounding the woes of the refugees, although there are organisations that cater to some of their needs.

Besides, refugee camps are established as temporary shelters, however, many of them have been around for so many years, as intense conflicts continue across the world. Observers say that even some of the refugees in such camps have never lived anywhere else.

As the world continues to raise concerns over the rising figures of refugees scattered all over, here are Africa’s largest refugee camps that may soon turn into cities: