Pan African Parliament tackles the topic of human trafficking in special session day

At its second ordinary session in South Africa, the Pan African Parliament (PAP) dedicated a session day to the Theme of the Year 2019: “The Year of Refugees, Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons: Towards Durable Solutions to Forced Displacement in Africa”. The theme day included presentations and debate on the situations of displacement in Africa and the 1969 Organisation of African Unity (OAU) Refugee Convention, the Kampala Convention and the Global Compact on Refugees. In addition, speakers presented and debated on Regional Perspectives (Regional Econonomic Communities) and Programmes on Refugees, Returnees, Internally Displaced Persons and Statelessness. Human trafficking and its facilitation by technology was discussed.

News Highlights: Crimes in Darfur continue, Brussels Demonstration demands protection in Libya, IOM’s return scheme puts refugees at risk

In this week’s news highlights: Hundreds of refugees demonstrate against entrapment and abuse in Libya; Mare Jonio and Sea Watch 3 boats to resume work at the end of May; Conference on democracy in Eritrea hits a nerve; Appointments for asylum in Greece set in 2023 – system is overloaded; Refugees in Europe live longer but are more traumatised, states report; EU planning a conference on Horn of Africa economic development; Religious freedom in Eritrea and Sudan; RSF still perpetrates crimes and violence in Darfur; Corruption in South Sudan; Refugees at risk over ‘voluntary’ return from Libya; Sudanese people refouled to Libya die in Meditteranean sea; One in three died along the central Mediterranean route in 2019.

Interview with Zerai Kiros Abraham, co-organiser of the Ride4Justice campaign

Zerai Kiros, Eritrean human rights activist living in Frankfurt, is one of the organizers of the ‘Ride4Justice’ campaign.  In the interview, he explains the underlying reasons of the Ride4Justice project which aimed to bring attention on the situation of migrants in Libyan detention centers where thousands of people are trapped, in a growing climate of  political tension and military instability.