News Highlights: MSF stops activities in 3 Tigray locations, Lithuania to build refugee barrier on Belarus border, Libyan boat fires at refugees

In this week’s news highlights: Over 900,000 people are starving in Tigray in a “man-made famine” while 1 million more are “just one step away”; MSF suspends activities in Abi Adi, Adigrat and Aksum following killings of aid workers; UNICEF reports that in 4.5 million children are in “desperate need of support” in South Sudan; 60 refugees feared dead after 4 boats sink off Tunisia; Video shows Libyan coast guard firing at and attempt to ram at a refugee boat in distress; Lithuania to build barrier on Belarus border to stop migrants and refugees; Four men fined over abusing asylum seekers in Germany; Greece cracking down on refugee NGOs; and Twelve refugees in the UK found struggling to breathe in the back of a lorry.

News Highlights: UNHCR concern over ‘scattered’ refugees in Tigray, 1000 refugees returned to Libya, EU visa restrictions proposed over returns

In this week’s news highlights: UNHCR confirms destruction of refugee camps in Ethiopia; Reports of forced displacement of Tigrayans in western Tigray region by Amhara troops; Report of meeting between Eritrean and Ethiopian senior officials and foreign experts in Tigray; Kenya aims to close two refugee camps housing Somali refugees; Joint EU-IOM plan for returning migrants from Libya to Horn of Africa and other countries; IOM appeals for $99 million for migrants stranded in Yemen; Around 1000 migrants intercepted and forced to return to Libya; Spanish NGO rescues more than 200 migrants and refugees at sea; IOM report on high number of deaths at sea; EU to consider visa restrictions for 13 African and Middle East countries; EU Commissioner calls on Greece to investigate allegations of illegal pushbacks; Drones used for surveillance on migrants and refugees at EU external borders; Angela Merkel approves the EU-Turkey deal on migration; and IOM analysis on benefits of migration on communities.

Eritrea: Cooperation with the wider Eritrean democracy movements recommended

Intergroup discussion on Eritrea in the Bundestag: On 25 June 2020, a public intergroup zoom discussion was held at the invitation of Rudi Friedrich (Connection e.V.) and Kathrin Vogler (MdB, Die Linke). Several experts as well as members of the German parliament parties SPD, FDP and the parliamentary group Bündnis 90/Die Grünen took part in the discussion. More than 60 persons from about 10 countries were following the discussion.