Unrelenting violence in Sudan drives continued refugee exodus
8/11/2024: The continuing bloodshed in Sudan has created the world's worst civilian protection crisis in decades – and the world is not paying any attention. Since the war broke out 19 months ago, over 3 million people have been forced to flee Sudan. In October alone, some 60,000 Sudanese arrived in Chad following an escalation of fighting in Darfur.
Source: UN Refugee Agency
2025 global refugee resettlement needs spike to almost 3 million
5/6/2024: The UN Refugee Agency estimates that more than 2.9 million refugees worldwide will need resettlement next year, the rising number driven by mass displacement situations and the emergence of new conflicts. In 2023 96,311 refugees were resettled by states, an increase of 65 per cent compared with the year before.
Source: The UN Refugee Agency
Syrian refugees at risk as Lebanon steps up crackdown
27/5/2024: Lebanon has announced sweeping new measures against Syrian refugees, raising awkward questions about a one billion Euro aid package to Lebanon granted by the European Commission. Reports by the UN and EU have all concluded that Syria remains unsafe for return of refugees.
Source: Amnesty International
Number of internally displaced people reaches record high
14/5/2024: Conflict in Sudan, the Palestinian territories, and beyond drove the number of internally displaced people to 75.9 million by the end of 2023, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Of these, 68.3 million were forced to flee their homes due to conflict, the remainder due to disasters.
Source: Devex
World Migration Report 2024 reveals latest global trends and challenges
7/5/2024: There are now an estimated 281 million international migrants worldwide, according to the latest annual report by the International Organization for Migration. This includes 117 million displaced due to conflict or disaster, the highest level in modern-day records. Remittances sent by migrants to low– and middle-income countries reached $647 billion, surpassing foreign direct investment in those countries.
Source: International Organization for Migration
UK-Rwanda asylum law: UN leaders warn of harmful consequences
23/4/2024: Following the passage of the “Safety of Rwanda” Bill by the UK Parliament, the UN High Commissioners for Refugees and for Human Rights point out that it changes nothing about conditions in Rwanda. They fear that the Bill will restrict the UK courts from proper scrutiny of removal decisions, leaving asylum-seekers with limited room to appeal.
Source: The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
EU approves new migration pact
11/4/2024: The European Parliament has approved a fundamental reform of asylum policy which aims to reduce the number of new arrivals, speed up asylum procedures and establish centers for doing this at the European Union's external borders. Critics have said the pact undermines the fundamental right to asylum in the EU, and fear people in need of protection will be rejected.
Source: DW
Go to the Gulf: is Ethiopia party to safe migration routes?
6/3/2024: The Ethiopian government hopes to recruit 500,000 young women for domestic work positions in Saudi Arabia, following an agreement between the two countries. Whilst this is an example of regulated migration, observers fear that in practice it is not so different from the operations of human smugglers.
Source: African Arguments
Climate Migration report focuses on the Middle East and North Africa
28/2/2024: A new report from the human rights group EuroMed Rights highlights the growing impact of climate change on human migration patterns in the Middle East, North Africa, and wider Euro-Mediterranean region. Data shows that extreme weather events spur over three times more displacement than armed conflicts.
Source: Morocco World News
How is Germany handling its migration partnerships?
9/2/2024: The aim of migration partnerships is not only to fight irregular migration but to replace it with regular migration. Europe has over 50 partnerships in place but they have failed to halt large movements of refugees. In Germany most migrants are from countries where there are massive human rights violations and war.
Source: DW