News Highlights: Ethiopia-Tigray negotiations appear to stall, Famine looms in Somalia, Six die from dehydration on Mediterranean

In this week’s News Highlights: Ethiopia negotiations stall despite public commitment by both parties; 12 dead in Tigray airstrikes; Tigray command gives statement on ongoing fighting; portrait of Kenyan president Ruto; Ethiopia faces war and inflation; Floods in South Sudan; FAO says 300.000 face famine in Somalia; al-Shabab loses ground in Somalia; Anti-military protests in Sudan; Migrant shot and killed by Moroccan police; Six people die from dehydration in mediterranean; Denmark reaches agreement to transfer asylum seekers to Rwanda; Frontex says migrant and refugee arrivals up 75% in last 8 months; State of the Union speech; EU unveils legislation for forced labour produce ban; Ukraine shows EU possible alternative migration policy, says ECRE; Spanish expulsion of Ivorian migrant to Morocco cancelled; Syrians form caravan from Turkey to EU; and IOM says 50 million modern slaves in 2021. 

News Highlights: Fighting escalates in Ethiopia, Eritreans call for UNSC sanctions, EU asylum roadmap agreed

In this week’s news highlights: Fighting escalates in Ethiopia; US condemns Eritrea’s involvement in conflict in Tigray; Eritreans urgently call for UNSC sanctions on Eritrea; UN warns of famine in Somalia; Sudan orders evacuation of border reception centre due to fighting; Flash floods in Sudan; Clashes in South Sudan cause severe violations of human rights; Video illustrates abuse of refugees and migrants in Libya; EU asylum roadmap signed by European Parliament; Czech Presidency seeks extension of protection of Ukraine refugees; NGOs warn concept of migration ‘instrumentalisation’ could be detrimental to EU law and rights; Report on COVID-19 impact on asylum in EU; Norwegian Eritreans hopeful that Eritrean government influence is reducing; Italian high court rules permanent contract no longer needed for humanitarian stay; Climate summit pledges funds for Africa’s adaptation; Second year of halt to human development, says UN; and Volker Türk new United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Hate speech and threats at the core of Eritrean ‘festivals’ in Germany and Switzerland

Eritrean regime has organised a series of ‘festivals’ and ‘seminars’ promoted as cultural events. On the basis of previous events that have been organised many perceive that the events promote hate speech and incite violence. They have fuelled pushback in the form of protests, legal action and letters from Eritreans in the diaspora and allies opposing the violent message of the Eritrean regime. A new festival was organised in secrecy in Switzerland last weekend, 27 August 2022, and another event was announced in Germany on 3 September – of which the cancellation was announced yesterday, 31 August.