The article argues that the Arab Spring has not radically transformed migration patterns in the Mediterranean, and that the label ‘migration crisis’ does not do justice to the composite and stratified reality.
The so-called Arab Spring continues to reverberate locally, regionally and geopolitically. It started in early 2011 and spread across North Africa, with well-documented consequences far further afield in Africa and Europe. The conflict in Libya in particular confronted aid and protection actors with complex situations where people were moving for diverse reasons and facing distinct needs.
The 20 articles in this issue of Forced Migration Review reflect on some of the experiences, challenges and lessons of the Arab Spring in North Africa, the implications of which resonate far wider than the region itself. This issue includes introductions by High Commissioner António Guterres and IOM Director General William Lacy Swing.
This entire issue of Forced Migration Review will be published in English, Arabic and French.