News Highlights: Eritrean football players flee in Uganda, EU relocation deal stays limited, Human trafficker participated in Italy migration meeting

In this week’s news highlights: Eritrean football players flee during tournament in Uganda; Businessman involved in corruption scandal in South Sudan; 4000 displaced people are missing in South-Sudan; New Food Price List set by the Eritrean government; Only three additional countries participate in relocation system; EU officials visit Turkey, followed by Turkish invasion of Northern-Syria; UN warns of setbacks in battle against statelessness; Italian coast guard finds 13 bodies in the Mediterranean Sea; Asylum process to be cut down to four months in Italy; Human trafficker participated in migration meeting in Italy; Protests against detention centres in Libya supported by Swiss MPs; and EU delegation pushes for closures of detention centres in Libya.

Only three additional member states join the new relocation system after Justice and Home Affairs Meeting

On October 8, European Justice and Home Affairs ministers met to discuss the new relocation framework set up by Finland, France, Germany, Italy, and Malta, which is based on voluntary collaborations amongst member states. The new deal holds that within four weeks, migrants and refugees will be either relocated amongst participating member states or returned if they are not in need of asylum. The arrangement is expected to run until the new college of commissioners takes over in November 2019. Only three additional member states pledged to join the deal after the meeting.

Core messages: EASO’s new Country of Origin report on Eritrea

The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) published a new Country of Origin report on Eritrea. The report is a key document in relation to decisions on the asylum claims of Eritrean refugees. The report looks at the changes that have taken place since its last report in 2016, mainly in relation to the peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea that has since occurred. It finds that broadly, the situation of human rights has not changed in the country. Below are a few of the key findings.