News highlights: Flooding in East Africa brings more health risks, EU to announce new migration pact, COVID-19 restrictions increase human smuggling and trafficking
21 May 2020

News highlights: Flooding in East Africa brings more health risks, EU to announce new migration pact, COVID-19 restrictions increase human smuggling and trafficking

by | posted in: COVID-19, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, Relocation system, Unaccompanied Minors, UNHCR | 0

This week’s news highlights: Reports – Eritrean refugees as political pawns in Ethiopia; Flooding in Horn of Africa may increase hunger and health crisis; Floods in Somalia; Eritrea says all COVID-19 patients recovered; Eritrea used as base to run illegal arms to Libya; Eritrea to celebrate independence day; COVID-19 measures lead to more smuggling and trafficking; IOM urges mental health response for migrants and refugees; New EU migration pact to be revealed in June; Shift in global smuggling routes, says Europol; Germany in favour of halt on cooperation with Eritrea; Residents of refugee home in Germany tested positive for COVID-19; Switzerland and UK accept a small number of unaccompanied refugee minors from Greek camps; Serbia deploys troops to the border with Croatia to ‘secure’ migrant camps; Greece reopens asylum services; Documentary shows hardship of unaccompanied minors in Greek camps; Over quarter of a million children at risk in Libya due to vaccine shortages; Libyan Prime Minister and NATO Secretary General discuss situation in Libya; And shelling in displaced people’s shelter in Tripoli kills two people

News highlights: Appeal to extend mandate UN Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, Maltese PM implicated in illegal pushbacks, TPLF announces election plans
8 May 2020

News highlights: Appeal to extend mandate UN Special Rapporteur on Eritrea, Maltese PM implicated in illegal pushbacks, TPLF announces election plans

by | posted in: COVID-19, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malta, Mediterranean Sea, UN Special Rapporteur, UNHCR | 0

This week’s news highlights: Appeal to renew UN Special Rapporteur mandate on Eritrea; Tigray region plans to hold elections; Increased vulnerability of women and children in Kenya to domestic and sexual violence; Desert locust and COVID-19 devastating for malnourished children; Eritrean President meets Ethiopian Prime Minister in surprise visit; Eritrean-Ethiopean border divides families; Maltese prime minister implicated in illegal pushback operation; Malta uses private ships for pushback; Armed Forces of Malta ignore ship in distress; Quarantine ends for migrants and refugees on Italian ship; Italian union supports migrants on labour day; UNHCR distributes Ramadan food packages in Libya; UNHCR calls for more EU solidarity; And IOM guidance to curb anti-migration rhetoric.

EU plans additional Libya stimulus package amidst verbal and legal challenges from politicians, experts and NGOs.
30 Apr 2020

EU plans additional Libya stimulus package amidst verbal and legal challenges from politicians, experts and NGOs.

by | posted in: Africa, Coast guards, Detention, EU funding, European Commission, European Parliament, European Politics, European Union, Human Rights abuses, Human Trafficking, IOM, Libya, Migration, Torture, Trafficking, UNHCR, United Nations | 0

While the European Union (EU) is looking to further bolster Libya and the Libyan coastguard, a majority of Members of European Parliament (MEPs) and a number of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) and experts criticize the EU’s involvement in the human rights abuses that are systematically taking place inside Libya. They state that Libya is not a safe place for the disembarkation of migrants and refugees and that by financially supporting Libyan institutions that facilitate widespread and systematic human rights abuses, the EU has been complicit in these crimes. This week steps were taken to address and review the EU’s policies and accountability inside Libya.