REFUGEE CONVENTION
8. Convinced that all the problems of our continent must be solved in the spirit of the
Charter of the Organization of African Unity and in the African context,
9. Recognizing that the United Nations Convention of 28 July 1951, as modified by the
Protocol of 31 January 1967, constitutes the basic and universal instrument relating to the
status of refugees and reflects the deep concern of States for refugees and their desire to
establish common standards for their treatment,
10. Recalling Resolutions 26 and 104 of the OAU Assemblies of Heads of State and
Government, calling upon Member States of the Organization who had not already done so
to accede to the United Nations Convention of 1951 and to the Protocol of 1967 relating to
the Status of Refugees, and meanwhile to apply their provisions to refugees in Africa,
11. Convinced that the efficiency of the measures recommended by the present Convention
to solve the problem of refugees in Africa necessitates close and continuous collaboration
between the Organization of African Unity and the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees,
Have agreed as follows:
Article 1
Definition of the term "Refugee"
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "refugee" shall mean every person who,
owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality,
membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his
nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the
protection of that country, or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country
of his former habitual residence as a result of such events is unable or, owing to such fear,
is unwilling to return to it.
2. The term "refugee" shall also apply to every person who, owing to external aggression,
occupation, foreign domination or events seriously disturbing public order in either part or
the whole of his country of origin or nationality, is compelled to leave his place of habitual
residence in order to seek refuge in another place outside his country of origin or
nationality.
3. In the case of a person who has several nationalities, the term "a country of which he is a
national" shall mean each of the countries of which he is a national, and a person shall not
be deemed to be lacking the protection of the country of which he is a national if, without
any valid reason based on well-founded fear, he has not availed himself of the protection of
one of the countries of which he is a national.
2