African governments have, for the first time, adopted a new convention to protect and help Internally Displaced People, the first such convention in the world. A third of the world’s displaced people are in Africa, often living in extreme hardship. Until now, unlike refugees, these people have had no protection from international law. Most are women and children who have been forced to flee their homes but have stayed within their country’s borders. They often end up suffering the same abuse as forced them to flee in the first place.

Life In Limbo looks at what the new convention could mean for them.