BREAKING NEWS: Foundation Human Rights for Eritreans Summons EU to Stop Supporting Use of Forced Labour in Eritrean Project

Brussels, 1 April 2019 – The Foundation Human Rights for Eritreans, a Netherlands-based organization of exiled Eritreans, is taking legal action against the European Union. The EU is financing activities in Eritrea for which forced labour is used, as is stated in the EU’s project description: a project of 20 million euros. This is a clear violation of human rights and the EU’s adherence to international legal obligations, states the Foundation. On 1 April, today, the lawyer supporting the Foundation sent letters to the EU institutions in charge of the project. The letters call upon the EU to immediately stop financing these actions, or legal action will follow.

News Highlights: Eritrean elder passes away causing unrest, South Sudanese oil money, drought impact on Somalia

In this week’s news highlights:Upheaval in Eritrea after death of widely recognized elder; Sudan-Eritrea border update by African Monitors; South Sudanese government denies allegations of using oil money to fund civil war; U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson’s visit to Ethiopia amidst civil unrest; Drought causes conflict in Somalia; UN OHCHR’s latest global report on human rights; Libya discussions in the European Parliament with EU and UNHCR; Italy’s election results may mean tougher stance on migration; Eritrean women’s protest at ICC in The Hague.

Libya-discussions in the European Parliament highlight key issues

The key players believe that the core difficulty in shaping policy on Libya is the division between the structure of the Libyan Political Agreement and the external issues the country is facing, as well as the geopolitical interests of the various groups involved and (human) trafficking. However, the European Parliament makes an important addition to the discussion regarding security.