International organisations’ COVID-19 response hindered by political and xenophobic attacks, limiting aid to vulnerable groups

International organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) face a storm of disinformation and blame surrounding their handling of the coronavirus pandemic. This includes xenophobic reactions from populations, but also political blame. The criticism is leading to obstacles for the organisations providing much-needed aid to vulnerable populations, particularly in areas of Africa, due to restricted funding and threats.

News Highlights: new EU resettlement plan, torture in Libya, Sudan travel ban dropped

In this week’s news highlights: European Commission presented a migration plan which includes resettlement for at least 50,000 refugees from North Africa and the Horn of Africa; focus on reducing migration could destabilise countries and endanger human rights, says Saferworld; Eritrea refers to border situation in statement at UN General Assembly; Ethiopian ethnic clashes between Oromo and Somali investigated; UN refugee agency published a video on extortion and torture in Libya; German-based migrants charity states that it was fired at by Libyan coast guard.

News Highlights: EU’s return & relocations plans, Horn of Africa reports, resettlement of Eritreans

This week’s news highlights includes the outcomes of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held in Brussels this week, News highlight of this week concerning the Europe and North Africa relations is Tripoli’s court block of the Italy-Libya deal on migration. Also, we will update you on the situation of Eritrean refugees in Yemen and Ethiopia, including the impact on their situation due to Trump’s executive order on resettlement. The latest updates concerning the Horn of Africa are three newly released reports covering mixed migration, the drought and children in armed conflict in the region.