News Highlights: People and goods cross the Ethiopian-Eritrean border, Chikungunya outbreak in East Sudan

In this week’s news highlights: goods and people cross the Ethiopian-Eritrean border; thousands arrested in Ethiopia after violence; Saudi influence growing in the Horn of Africa; Chikungunya fever breaks out in East Sudan; Italy to narrow asylum rights; Italian Prime Minister to visit Ethiopia and Eritrea; European leaders seek migration deals with Northern African countries.

Reactions to the European Commission’s proposal to upgrade Frontex

The European Commission’s plan to upgrade Frontex from a European agency with 1 500 employees into a complimentary European border and coast guard with 10 000 armed guards by 2020 has caused mixed reactions in the European Union. Under the proposal, €12.6 bn would be allocated to Frontex between 2019 and 2027, with the agency supporting national border patrols as well as coast guards and operating at the command of national authorities.