African countries are becoming increasingly repressive and causing more people to leave their homes, British charity Oxfam said this week, as Germany warned of the destabilising effect migration is having on the continent. Political freedom and the problem of Africa’s brain-drain were among the leading issues on the agenda at the World Economic Forum on Africa held in Durban which wrapped up on Friday. Oxfam’s executive director Winnie Byanyima said that "repressive laws on freedom of association and speech" were "a driver of migration." German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble warned at the gathering that "if we fail to stabilise the African continent in the years and decades to come, we will face increasing geopolitical risks" — including more migrant arrivals in Europe. President Jacob Zuma, who hosted the forum of African movers and shakers, described the handling of migration as among the "critical challenges facing the world". The total number of migrants worldwide reached 2...
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