News highlights: the first weeks of January 2017

This post is the first of what we intend as a regular roundup about recent developments concerning refugees, human trafficking and the Horn of Africa. Our aim is to send this update on a weekly basis.

In this initial message we not only cover events that have occurred since the beginning of 2017, but also give an overview of the events of 2016 that have been at the centre of our work.

 

Recent news (01-13 January 2017)

Malnutrition in Eritrea confirmed by UNICEF
Martin Plaut’s report on the new findings of UNICEF that confirm severe malnutrition across Eritrea caused by the El Niño drought. According to the report, malnutrition rates have increased severely over the past three years in four out of the country’s six regions, where malnutrition rates already exceeded emergency levels. The reports comes to the conclusion that half of Eritrea’s children have been stunted by malnutrition.

French farmer may be jailed and fined for helping refugees
Last week, the Guardian reported on a French farmer who has been charged for helping African migrants to cross the Italian border and for giving them shelter. He was previously arrested for aiding eight Eritreans and faces now up to five years in jail and a fine of €130,000  if convicted.

Security forces used to round up refugees
Last Sunday, the Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it has intercepted the smuggling of 1.500 what it claimed to be illegal migrants on the Sudanese-Libyan border during the last seven months. According to the Sudan Tribune, the Sudanese Government increased its efforts to tackle human trafficking and illegal migration since the EU granted Sudan a development package of over €100m last year.

Round-up of key events in 2016

New Website
EEPA launched a new website in October. All information and latest updates you can now find here. In addition, Africa Monitors launched their new website with EEPA’s help.

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Eritrea
A strong resolution on the situation in Eritrea was adopted in the European Parliament on 10 March 2016. Among other things, the European Parliament condemned the human rights situation in Eritrea, the 2% diaspora tax and called for investigation of the role of the PFDJ and its suborganisations in control and surveillance in Europe.

Trafficking for ransom defined in the European Parliament
The European Parliament recognised trafficking for ransom with severe torture practices  as human trafficking and the definition was included in two resolutions of the European Parliament. The inclusion of these sentences and others in the resolutions paves the way for justice and the recognition of the plight of  victims.

Furthermore, the following events took place over the past year:

NIP for Eritrea signed
On the 29 January 2016, the National Indicative Programme was signed by Eritrean and EU officials and set out out Eritrea-EU development cooperation for the next five years. €200 million of aid was earmarked for Eritrea with the intention to improve the energy the sector in the country. The modalities in the use of these funds remains unclear, and how the EU’s oversight will be maintained. Considerable concerns remain over the EU’s migration sensitive aid strategy and the human rights situation in Eritrea.

Dutch Parliament debate and motions on Eritrea
In June this year, the Dutch Parliament held a debate on Eritrea. The Parliament was particularly concerned with the influence of the Eritrean regime in the Netherlands, including the 2% diaspora tax that is closely related to the means of intimidation by its pro-government supporters. At the time of the debate, Eritreans refugees and members of the diaspora presented a petition to the Dutch parliamentarians calling for action to stop crimes against humanity in Eritrea.The petition had more than 10.000 signatures.

Crimes against humanity in Eritrea
Human rights violations in Eritrea were not only recognised by the Dutch parliament, but also received international recognition with the second publication of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea on the 8 June. Following the UN Human Rights Council consideration of its 2015 report which identified systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations that may constitute crimes against humanity, the report of June 2016 concluded that Eritrean officials had indeed committed such crimes.

Protests in Geneva
The report received widespread attention and was followed by protests of supporters of the regime but also of Eritrean human rights activists in Geneva (and in other places around the globe) this summer.

EEPA and fellow Eritrean human rights activists regret that the report has not been referred to the European Security Council as of yet. A petition was initiated in October 2016, appealing to the UN General Assembly to demand that the findings in the report are taken account at the UN Security Council and to ensure that it is forwarded to the International Criminal Court.

Eritrean minister welcomed by Irish MEP
Irish European Parliament member Brian Hayes hosted a conference on Eritrea in the European Parliament Eritrea’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel as keynote speaker of the meeting.

This event did not go unchallenged and received support from European Parliament Members and petitioners who denounced the Minister’s attendance.

Report on Eritrean organisations and integration in the Netherlands
Following the debate on Eritrea in the Dutch parliament, the DSP-groep and the Tilburg University issued a report on Eritrea and Eritrean organisations in the Netherlands. The Dutch government responded with a letter, outlining the actions they had taken, including a crackdown on the 2% diaspora tax for Eritreans in the Netherlands