News Highlights: Eritrea-Ethiopia relations 20 years after border war, UNSC renews sanctions South Sudan, new IOM data

In this week’s news highlights: Time to renew Ethiopian-Eritrean relations; UN Security Council extends sanctions to South Sudan; US reviews assistance programs in South Sudan; Ethiopians face hardships on the way to Saudi Arabia; New IOM reports migrants arrivals to Europe for 2018; A Nigerian man’s story: trying to reach Europe; internal news: how will the new EU data regulations affect the news highlights list?

News Highlights: Israel cancels deportation plan, Human Trafficker ‘The General’ still free, Criticism on EU and UK cooperation with Sudan

In this week’s highlights: Israel states that the deportation plan is cancelled; Swedish documentary on human trafficker ‘the General’; criticism for EU and UK cooperation with Sudan; South Sudan seeing more attacks on health facilities; Meron Estefanos on the tragedy of refugees; documents no longer needed for Eritrean family reunification in Sweden; report on EU support for authoritarian states; EP backs regulations on asylum; and AU presents progress in European Parliament.

Dutch minister Sigrid Kaag calls for closure of Libyan detention centres

After paying a visit to a detention centre in Libya, the Dutch minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sigrid Kaag, has declared that the conditions are inhumane. She calls for the closure of the detention centres as soon as possible. She is reported to be the first EU policy maker to openly state this. She continues that alternatives such as open reception centres should be created.