News Highlights: Refugees from Ethiopia reach Sudan, Sudanese refugees arrested in Cairo, 1,600 refugees arrive in Canary Islands

In this week’s news highlights: Thousands of refugees escape Ethiopian conflict towards Sudan as international community calls for de-escalation; UN concerns for Eritrean asylum seekers in Tigray camps; Sudan and Eritrea discuss regional security; Report about pressure on Eritrean asylum seekers in Ethiopia; 1,600 refugees and migrants arrive at Canary Islands; Italy plans to deploy military ships and planes to monitor Tunisian coast; Stricter rules on migration assimilation presented in security-focused draft EU declaration; Nearly 100 refugees cross the English Channel in two days; Inquiry launched into EU complicity in violence against refugees in Croatia; 65 migrants intercepted by Greek coast guards trying to cross to Italy; Captain jailed 8 years for deadly migrant accident; Sudanese refugees arrested for protesting in Cairo.

News Highlights: Experts call for de-escalation of Tigray conflict, Nearly 1,000 refugees returned to Libya, UN calls for new resettlement system in the UK

In this week’s news highlights: Experts call for de-escalation of violence in Ethiopia as military offense starts against Tigray; 54 Amhara people killed in Oromia region of Ethiopia; Renewed relations between Sudan and Israel leaves refugees in fear of deportation; Increase in COVID-19 cases in the East and Horn of Africa; 1,000 refugees returned by Libyan coastguards within days; Statistical analysis on migrant vulnerability on the move in Libya; UN calls for new resettlement system in the UK after tragic family death; Two smugglers taken into custody for piloting boats across the Channel; 1,600 refugees arrive in Lampedusa and 300 await to disembark; Fires burn down tents in refugee centre on the island of Samos; Dutch Government leads a project for digital transition in Africa; Second COVID-19 wave puts women, children, and migrants in danger of human trafficking; 10 countries that receive the most refugees.

Experts state that COVID-19 and mobile money services have changed the modus operandi of criminal networks trafficking and smuggling people

A panel of experts on migration, human trafficking and smuggling, and the rise of mobile money services came together to discuss the changes they have seen emerging with the rise of COVID-19 and the growth of money mobile services within the criminal networks. However, the experts also agree that the pandemic presents a chance to reflect on the role of technology and the fight against human trafficking. The experts argue that protection should be key and that prosecution, in new and innovative ways, should focus on the quality of arrests, not quantity. Just as criminal groups take advantage of increased interconnectivity, so can the efforts taken to stop their exploitation.