Since the ideological differences which existed between states in the 1960s and 1970s have largely evaporated, hosting states today are much more sensitive to the damage to relations with neighbouring countries caused by the hosting of refugees. There are a number of domestic concerns for countries that host refugees. The first of these is internal security. Many refugees come from situations of civil war and bring their weapons with them. These are then used by some for crimes, which include armed robbery and poaching.
Large influxes can also place serious strains on the environment and social infrastructure.
For example, it was the lack of sustained cooperation from the international community that contributed in large part to Tanzania s drastic decision to close its borders at a point during the Great Lakes crisis. Much of southern Africa has not experienced the volatile and destabilising mass influx of refugees which has characterised central Africa for several years. The early 1990s in fact saw significant reductions in the number of refugees hosted in the region, especially with the organised return of Mozambicans at the end of the civil war in that country. At the same time many South Africans returned from even further abroad. Angola remained the exception to increasing regional stability.