In his book 'Unmasking Forced Displacement' Fikre Mariam explores the multiple intersections between the older colonialist legacies and the current wrong approaches and policies that make a significant breakthrough almost impossible in regard to the issues of displacement around the world. Taking the Horn of Africa's displacement situation as a case in point, the book discusses that a change in beliefs and values is needed to effectively address the displacement challenge. The responsibility for welcoming refugees lies primarily with states in so far as control over borders and territories are exclusive sovereign rights of states. However, in order to tackle forced displacement, empathy and solidarity are needed so that everyone has a moral duty to reach out when fellow human beings are in distress. Unmasking Forced Displacement also debunks false narratives about forced displacement. It is partly a personal story and partly a bold analysis of the real causes of why people are forced to flee their homes.
