Fifteen African countries have drawn up a convention to protect the rights of people who have been forced from their homes by conflict and natural disasters.

The convention on internally displaced persons is a legally binding document and has to be ratified by the countries in question before it can come into force. It contains agreements guaranteeing special aid for the homeless and safeguarding against forced displacement.

Those behind the convention say they are standing up for a forgotten group, since in times of war and disaster, humanitarian aid tends to focus on refugees rather than the internally displaced. Estimates put the number of internally displaced persons in Africa at between 12 and 14 million, many times the number of refugees.

Photo: internally displaced people in Congo (EPA)