News Highlights: EU-US meeting on Tigray ahead of G7, Tigrayans starving to death, Webinar highlights destruction of heritage
11 Jun 2021

News Highlights: EU-US meeting on Tigray ahead of G7, Tigrayans starving to death, Webinar highlights destruction of heritage

by | posted in: Africa, Asylum Seekers, Denmark, Deportation, EEPA news and activities, Eritrea, Ethiopia, European Commission, European Parliament, European Politics, European Union, Frontex, Horn of Africa region, Human Trafficking, Libya, Malnutrition, Migration, Refugee Camps, Starvation, UNHCR, United Nations, United States, US | 0

In this week’s news highlights: Webinar highlights the destruction of heritage and holy sites and massacres of Tigray religious leaders; In-depth report on Mai Kadra massacre published by Reuters; BBC interviewed Tigryans who said they are starving to death; UNHCR concerned about Ethiopian refugees returned from Djibouti against their will; MMC report on onward migration of refugees and migrants from East Africa; Libyan PM meets the EU Commissioner Johnsson on migration and political transition; EU and US talk about crisis in Tigray ahead of G7; People seeking asylum in Denmark could be deported according to new law; UK MPs call for parliamentary inquiry on Eritrea’s role in Tigray; Court of Auditors found “worrying” deficiencies in Frontex’s procedures; Kent threatens legal action against Home secretary over poor services for child asylum seekers; Kent council threatens to reject asylum seeker applications for speaking to the media.

Voices from Tigray: Testimonies of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence against Women in Tigray
26 May 2021

Voices from Tigray: Testimonies of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence against Women in Tigray

by | posted in: Africa, EEPA news and activities, Empowerment, Eritrea, Ethiopia, European Union, Horn of Africa region, Human Rights abuses, United Nations, UNSC | 0

On 25 May 2021, the webinar “Conflict-Related Sexual Violence against Women in Tigray” took place in the framework of webinar series “Voices from Tigray”. The aim of this online meeting was to give a platform to testimonies of witnesses, describing the atrocities that occurred in the conflict in the Tigray region. The meeting was chaired by Hon. Julia Duncan-Cassell, former Minister of Gender in Liberia. International experts discussed the consequences of rape and gender-based violence on Tigray women and girls and the implication of soldiers, particularly Eritreans, in these crimes In conclusion, experts called for peace in the Horn of Africa and an end to the violence and discrimination of the civil population. The meeting’s main outcomes included calls for all foreign troops, particularly Eritreans, to withdraw from Ethiopia; referral of Eritrea to the International Criminal Court; and immediate cessation by all parties of rape as a weapon of war. 

News Highlights: Eritrea admits its soldiers are in Tigray, Trafficker Kidane sentenced in absentia, 41 dead off the coast of Tunisia
23 Apr 2021

News Highlights: Eritrea admits its soldiers are in Tigray, Trafficker Kidane sentenced in absentia, 41 dead off the coast of Tunisia

by | posted in: Africa, Asylum Seekers, Coast guards, Deportation, Eritrea, Ethiopia, EU funding, European Commission, European Parliament, European Politics, European Union, Horn of Africa region, Human Rights abuses, IOM, Italy, Libya, Malnutrition, Migration, Netherlands, Refugee Camps, Starvation, The Netherlands, Unaccompanied Minors, UNHCR, United Nations | 0

In this week’s news highlights: Eritrea acknowledges presence of its soldiers in Tigray – UN indicates no sign of withdrawal; “A Tigrayan womb should never give birth” – a report by Al Jazeera; CARE warns of “potentially catastrophic levels” of food insecure people in Tigray; Escaped human trafficker tried in absentia, leaving survivors disillusioned; MSF reports testimonies of victims from Adwa bus station attack; 41 dead off the coast of Tunisia;  Smugglers in Greece used torture to extract payment; Illegal refugee deportations in EU acknowledged by Serbian court ruling; EU pledges humanitarian aid to Tigray and Ethiopia; An investigation found over 18,000 unaccompanied child migrants disappeared in Europe; Recent wiretap leaks show Libyan indifference in saving migrants and Italy knew, says The Guardian; Salvini to stand trial; and IOM and the Netherlands “COMPASS initiative” partnering with 12 African countries.