News Highlights: RSF seize Wad Madani, EU agreement on Migration and Asylum Pact, 61 die off Libyan coast as boat sinks

In this week’s News Highlights: RSF seize capital of Al-Jazira state, Wad Madani; UN appoints Independent International Fact-Finding Mission to Sudan; Chad expels 4 Sudanese diplomats over RSF support allegations; Ethiopia’s credit rating falls further, as African Development Bank withdraws international staff; IDPs from Oromia ordered to leave Amhara IDP centre; Turkish BAYKAR drone CEO gets medal of honour from Ethiopia; European Parliament delegation visits Tigray; 4th round of GERD Dam talks fails; 10 years since outbreak civil violence in South Sudan; Senior al-Shabaab commander killed in Somalia; Boat sinks off the Libyan coast, 61 drown; EU negotiators agree on key regulations for migration pact; NGOs warn of dangerous principles that new migration pact will bring; EU systematically shares information with Libyan militia linked to human trafficking; Refugees and migrants without shelter and resources as the winter starts in EU; Central Mediterranean Route the most frequented migration route to Europe in 2023; Stricter immigration bill adopted by French parliament; and UK Government states need for credible Transitional Justice policy in Ethiopia. 

This is the last News Highlights of this calendar year. Publishing will return to the regular schedule in the week of 8 January 2024. Best wishes for the holiday season.

Advocating for Refugee Data Rights: A Call for Safety and Security

In light of recent developments surrounding the EU’s EURODAC database, the urgent need for robust data rights for refugees has never been clearer. As civil society organizations raise alarms about the expansion of this database, which is increasingly being used as a surveillance tool rather than a protective measure, it is crucial to emphasize the importance of data rights in ensuring the safety and security of vulnerable populations.

News Highlights: Peace talks between Ethiopia and OLA fail, Mediterranean deaths at highest level since 2017, Russia weaponising migration

In this week’s news highlights: RSF takes over military bases in El Daein and Jebel Aulia; Humanitarian situation worsens amidst funding gap for refugees from Sudan; More details emerging about Ardamata massacre in Sudan; Negotiations between Ethiopian federal government and OLA failed; Medical supplies running out in Amhara; Advanced Turkish drones procured by Ethiopia; Floods continue to claim lives in the Horn, as northern Ethiopia faces drought; Dangerous migration routes to Arabian peninsula and South Africa; Red Sea access tensions continue; Families of migrants facing lack of news after Libya floods; Deaths at sea at highest level since 2017 due to ‘deliberate inaction’ by EU states; Far-right anti-immigration Wilders wins elections in The Netherlands; EU sends border guards to the Finnish border as Russia ‘weaponises’ migration; EU/Turkey High level dialogue on migration and security; French companies provide ships and training to the Egyptian coast guard; and Digital rights for refugees and migrants in EU not upheld.