The seemingly unending series of refugee crises in the Great Lakes Region have given rise to new proposals for prevention and solution of the refugee problem in the area, which go beyond the traditional solutions of integration in local communities, resettlement in third countries, and repatriation. The new proposals include: confining refugees in safe zones within the countries of origin; settlement and absorption of the present wave of refugees in host states in return for development assistance from the international community; placing Rwanda and Burundi under the administration of an external agency or federating them with more stable neighbours such as Tanzania and Uganda; and the formation of a regional economic zone to address the economic reasons said to underlie the political problems. These proposals are unlikely to work, because they are acceptable neither to Rwanda and Burundi themselves nor to the neighbouring and other interested states, and do not reflect the current political and economic climate prevailing in the region. The more realistic measure is to strengthen the existing mechanisms of conflict prevention, and to institute a fair system of sharing the refugee burden once forced migration has occurred.

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