Fighting in Libya causes desperate situations for refugees in detention centres
18 Jan 2019

Fighting in Libya causes desperate situations for refugees in detention centres

by | posted in: Africa, Detention, European Union, Libya, Mediterranean Sea, Torture, UNHCR | 0

Fighting broke out around the Tripoli area in Libya this week, leaving refugees in desperate situations. After a militia group failed to withdraw from the Qasr Bin Gashir area south of Tripoli, the protection force of the UN-backed government attacked. Other clashes in the area threatened the unstable ceasefire as well. Reports from the Bin Gashir detention centre, run by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), state that the refugees have been without food and water for two days.

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.

Eritreans protest in The Hague to draw attention to refugees in Libya
14 Sep 2018

Eritreans protest in The Hague to draw attention to refugees in Libya

by | posted in: Detention, Eritrea, Eritrean Women, Libya, UNHCR | 0

The Hague – Around 200 Eritreans gathered in the political capital of the Netherlands to ask for help for Eritrean refugees in Libya. As violence has broken out in Libya, the refugees have increasingly become trapped. The Eritreans protesting in the Netherlands report that Eritrean refugees have been, among other things, tortured, shot, raped and starved. Pictures of trapped groups of people, including of young children and women, are circulating on social media. The protesters ask for help from the UNHCR, the European Union and in particular the Netherlands to provide an emergency solution.