Dynamics of Economic Interaction between Refugees and the Host Community in Šärqolle Refugee Camp, Benišangul-Gumuz Region

Abstract

This paper shows the economic interaction between refugees and host communities in the Šärqolle Refuge Camp of Benišangul-Gumuz Regional State. As such, it aims to investigate how refugees in Šärqolle Refuge Camp explore their surroundings, assess the attitudes of their hosts, and find a niche for themselves in which they can feel consistent with their background, with the host community, and with their gradually changing expectations. The paper also unpacks the changing interaction between the host community and refugees because of the host state and humanitarian interventions. The paper argues that the nature of host-refugee interaction is not inherently conflictual, as many prior studies have focused on. Conflicts between refugees and their hosts do not exist because refugees are "outsiders" and host communities are "insiders." To substanciate this argument, the study employed a qualitative research approach. The data were collected from 2016 to 2021 using systematic observations, in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The findings show that in Šärqolle Refugee Camp, a peaceful co-existence between refugees and hosts developed into animosity following the anticipated implementation of the new Ethiopian refugee policy, which attempts to institutionalize the economic interaction between them through the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework. Therefore, as refugees and hosts are rational actors who exploit their surroundings for mutual benefit, the dominant image of host-refugee conflict in current scholarship needs to be balanced with studies that focus on amicable relations between the two groups.