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.

Israel: Supreme Court suspends government plans to deport African immigrants until they have further information

Yesterday, Thursday 15 March, the Israeli Supreme Court temporarily suspended the government’s deportation scheme, giving the state until 26 March to provide further information of their plans to deport around 40.000 asylum seekers, mainly from Eritrea. Until they providefurther information, the Israel cannot deport the African immigrants.

News Highlights: Eritrean elder passes away causing unrest, South Sudanese oil money, drought impact on Somalia

In this week’s news highlights:Upheaval in Eritrea after death of widely recognized elder; Sudan-Eritrea border update by African Monitors; South Sudanese government denies allegations of using oil money to fund civil war; U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson’s visit to Ethiopia amidst civil unrest; Drought causes conflict in Somalia; UN OHCHR’s latest global report on human rights; Libya discussions in the European Parliament with EU and UNHCR; Italy’s election results may mean tougher stance on migration; Eritrean women’s protest at ICC in The Hague.