UNHCR, IOM and MSF urge the EU not to see Libya as safe
3 Feb 2017

UNHCR, IOM and MSF urge the EU not to see Libya as safe

by | posted in: European Union, Libya, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Refugees in the EU, United Nations | 0

Friday 3 February, European leaders meet at the informal summit in Valletta, Malta, to discuss migration. The meeting is focused specifically on halting migration along the Central Mediterranean Route, with Libya as its focal point. In a joint statement, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) urging the EU to not consider Libya a safe third country. The humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned the EU about an inhumane approach to migration.

News Highlights: EU-Libya relations, upcoming Migration Summit, Eritrea visits Russia
2 Feb 2017

News Highlights: EU-Libya relations, upcoming Migration Summit, Eritrea visits Russia

by | posted in: African Union, European Politics, European Union, Human Trafficking, Libya, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Weekly news highlights | 0

In this week’s news highlights, we would like to update you on the latest developments and media coverage concerning the new EU Libya cooperation for reducing migration on the Central Mediterranean Route, in the run-up to the Summit on migration that will take place in Malta tomorrow (Friday 3 February).

Human rights abuses in Eritrea glossed over in development-centered meeting
29 Nov 2016

Human rights abuses in Eritrea glossed over in development-centered meeting

by | posted in: Eritrea, European Politics, European Union, Horn of Africa region, Uncategorized | 0

On Monday, 29 November 2016, the Irish European Parliament member Brian Hayes hosted a conference on Eritrea in the European Parliament. Despite the fact that the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in Eritrea (COIE) found in its latest report the perpetrating of crimes against humanity by Eritrean officials, the country’s Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel was invited as keynote speaker of the meeting. Gebremeskel was present despite protests from human rights advocates and more than 800 Eritreans and supporters who petitioned against the meeting taking place.