EU migration collaboration with Egypt: critical assessments
25 Oct 2018

EU migration collaboration with Egypt: critical assessments

by | posted in: Africa, EEPA news and activities, European Politics, European Union, Migration, Refugees in the EU, United Nations | 0

The European Union (EU), in order to stem migration, has made deals with Northern African countries like Libya. The latest plan is that Egypt will be the new partner of the EU in helping to decrease the movement of migrants and refugees towards Europe. The collaboration with Libya has faced criticism from international organizations and the civil society as migrants and refugees become trapped in inhumane conditions. The UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein has also characterized the EU’s policy of helping Libyan authorities in detaining migrants as “inhuman”. Collaboration with Egypt faces its own critical assessments, as it is a country with dubious human rights records.

News Highlights: Italian MP visits Ethiopia and Eritrea, Amnesty to challenge Hungarian law in court; UNHCR evacuates refugees from Libya
22 Oct 2018

News Highlights: Italian MP visits Ethiopia and Eritrea, Amnesty to challenge Hungarian law in court; UNHCR evacuates refugees from Libya

by | posted in: Africa, African Union, Asylum Seekers, Deportation, EEPA news and activities, Eritrea, Ethiopia, European Politics, European Union, Germany, Horn of Africa region, IOM, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Norway, Refugees in the EU, Somalia, South Sudan, The Netherlands, Unaccompanied Minors, UNHCR, United Nations, United States, Weekly news highlights | 0

In this week’s news highlights: Italian PM visits Ethiopia and Eritrea; nearly 10,000 newly registered refugees in Ethiopia last month; Eritrea elected to the UN Human Rights Council; IOM report on reducing vulnerabilities of migrants; new “peace ministry” in Ethiopia; almost half of South Sudanese face starvation says Save the Children; Eritrean, Ethiopian and Somali politicians meet; migrants in Italian model town to be transferred away; Amnesty International challenges new Hungarian law in court; EU leaders want to cooperate with Egypt on migration; aid organisations warn against scapegoating migrants and not saving lives; UN human rights expert criticizes Algeria and Niger for alleged migrants’ rights abuses; and the UNHCR evacuates refugees from Libya.

UN: ‘Member States should fulfill their obligations to save lives and stop criminalizing humanitarian aid actors’
8 Oct 2018

UN: ‘Member States should fulfill their obligations to save lives and stop criminalizing humanitarian aid actors’

by | posted in: Asylum Seekers, EEPA news and activities, Médecins Sans Frontières, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Refugees in the EU, United Nations | 0

The United Nations published a report by Agnes Callamard, the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. The report, entitled “Saving lives is not a crime”, describes that the States’ actions to fight terrorism and deter migration, and the subsequent criminalization of humanitarian services, constitute a violation of their obligations. The report urges States to cease the criminalisation of those trying to assist and/or save migrants and refugees.