News Highlights: Refugees in Tigray under threat, Denmark returning Syrian refugees “a dangerous precedent”, 1 in 3 trafficking victims are minors

In this week’s highlights: Eritrean refugees unsafe in Ethiopia; WFP running out of food in Tigray; 3,000 Ethiopian refugees from Amhara crossed over into Sudan this week; 32 suspects of human trafficking arrested in Sudan; 5,500 people pushed back this year in Europe; Denmark to return Syrian refugees in “a dangerous precedent”; Trafficking victims exploited in Europe identified in Italy are increasingly mothers and children; Nearly 1,000 refugees have died crossing the Central Mediterranean; Turkey refusing to take on more refugee cases as 500 refugees intercepted this week; Over 550 refugees intercepted by UK and French coast guard; 70th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention; COVID-19 has worsened global malnutrition.

News Highlights: Famine and sexual violence “weapons of war” in Tigray, Tigray hospital raided in retribution, EU criticised over ‘chain pushbacks’

In this week’s news highlights: Alex de Waal says Tigray famine is systematic and used as weapon of war by Eritrean and Ethiopian troops; Famine in Tigray surges to highest emergency levels; Ethiopian soldiers stormed Aksum hospital in retaliation to CNN report; Rape used as an act of genocide in Tigray – Webinar; People in Tigray rural areas still cut off from essentials, says MSF; A religious humanitarian worker confirms atrocities in Tigray; NYT reporter expelled from Ethiopia; Eritrea diasporic communities have complex interaction with Eritrean politics – journal; Refugees die off Tunisian coast; Report heavily condemns “inhumane” prosed EU migration pact; Thousands illegally pushed back by EU states, including chain pushbacks, says DRC; Thousands of migrants and refugees enter in Spanish enclave of Ceuta; EU seeks a migration deal with Tunisia and Libya; New EU migration pact “inhumane” and Italian former Interior Minister will not stand to trial in Gregoretti inquiry; UNHCR warns against “externalisation” of refugees; The UNHCR High Commissioner asks not to abandon LGBTIQ+ refugees.

Human rights violations and Tigray conflict cause EU to withdraw Eritrea funding and reconsider ‘dual-track approach’

The use of conscripted labour in EU projects and Eritrea’s engagement in committing human rights violations in the Tigray Region have prompted the European Commission (EC) to “de-commit” more than €100 million from eight upcoming Eritrean development projects. A letter written by Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, revealed that nine projects worth €141.3 million were initially approved for implementation through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) but due to concerns over Eritrea’s stance on human rights, only one project, valued at  €19 million, was disbursed. This recent move has highlighted the friction within the EU’s “dual-track” approach to Eritrea which attempts to mix development assistance and political dialogue.