Governing Refugees in Saudi Arabia (1948–2022)

Abstract

Saudi Arabia is a non-signatory state to the Refugee Convention, with no domestic refugee law. Its refugee population is generally not categorised as such. Based on these facts, Saudi Arabia is largely missing from the refugee studies literature in general, and the increasing scholarship on refugee protection in states not signatory to the Refugee Convention in particular. What characterises refugee governance in wealthy, non-signatory states with a largely invisible refugee population? And, how does the “Saudi approach” to refugee protection relate to those of other non-signatory states? Based on hitherto unresearched archival material, interviews, and openly available sources it argues that while there are no legal framework for governing refugees in Saudi Arabia, the state has adopted ad-hocratic policies, which nevertheless followed a certain pattern when refugee situations emerge. This ad-hocratic approach is similar to that found in other non-signatory states in the Middle East and North Africa; the state responds to particular situations based on nationality or ethno-religious affiliations, keeping refugees strictly temporary and often on opaque terms. Where the situation in Saudi Arabia differs, is in the role undertaken by UNHCR who instead of acting as a “surrogate state” takes on a lobbying and monitoring role.