News Highlights: Famine and sexual violence “weapons of war” in Tigray, Tigray hospital raided in retribution, EU criticised over ‘chain pushbacks’
21 May 2021

News Highlights: Famine and sexual violence “weapons of war” in Tigray, Tigray hospital raided in retribution, EU criticised over ‘chain pushbacks’

by | posted in: Africa, Asylum Seekers, Coast guards, COVID-19, Deportation, Detention, Eritrea, Eritrean Women, EU funding, European Commission, European Parliament, European Politics, European Union, Forced labour, Frontex, Horn of Africa region, Human Rights abuses, Human Trafficking, Italy, Libya, Médecins Sans Frontières, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Protest, Refugee Camps, Refugees in the EU, Search and Rescue Operations, Sexual abuse, Starvation, Trafficking | 0

In this week’s news highlights: Alex de Waal says Tigray famine is systematic and used as weapon of war by Eritrean and Ethiopian troops; Famine in Tigray surges to highest emergency levels; Ethiopian soldiers stormed Aksum hospital in retaliation to CNN report; Rape used as an act of genocide in Tigray – Webinar; People in Tigray rural areas still cut off from essentials, says MSF; A religious humanitarian worker confirms atrocities in Tigray; NYT reporter expelled from Ethiopia; Eritrea diasporic communities have complex interaction with Eritrean politics – journal; Refugees die off Tunisian coast; Report heavily condemns “inhumane” prosed EU migration pact; Thousands illegally pushed back by EU states, including chain pushbacks, says DRC; Thousands of migrants and refugees enter in Spanish enclave of Ceuta; EU seeks a migration deal with Tunisia and Libya; New EU migration pact “inhumane” and Italian former Interior Minister will not stand to trial in Gregoretti inquiry; UNHCR warns against “externalisation” of refugees; The UNHCR High Commissioner asks not to abandon LGBTIQ+ refugees.

Human rights violations and Tigray conflict cause EU to withdraw Eritrea funding and reconsider ‘dual-track approach’
26 Apr 2021

Human rights violations and Tigray conflict cause EU to withdraw Eritrea funding and reconsider ‘dual-track approach’

by | posted in: Eritrea, Eritrea Road Project, EU funding, European Commission, European Parliament, European Politics, European Union, Forced labour, Horn of Africa region, Human Rights abuses, Human Trafficking | 0

The use of conscripted labour in EU projects and Eritrea’s engagement in committing human rights violations in the Tigray Region have prompted the European Commission (EC) to “de-commit” more than €100 million from eight upcoming Eritrean development projects. A letter written by Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, revealed that nine projects worth €141.3 million were initially approved for implementation through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) but due to concerns over Eritrea’s stance on human rights, only one project, valued at  €19 million, was disbursed. This recent move has highlighted the friction within the EU’s “dual-track” approach to Eritrea which attempts to mix development assistance and political dialogue.

News Highlights: Libyan authorities kill 3 migrants, COVID-19 spike in Ethiopia, Malta waits 30 hours to rescue distressed refugees
31 Jul 2020

News Highlights: Libyan authorities kill 3 migrants, COVID-19 spike in Ethiopia, Malta waits 30 hours to rescue distressed refugees

by | posted in: Africa, African Union, Asylum Seekers, COVID-19, Eritrea, Ethiopia, European Commission, European Politics, European Union, FAO, Finland, Forced labour, Germany, Greece, Horn of Africa region, Human Rights abuses, Human Trafficking, IOM, Italy, Libya, Malnutrition, Malta, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Refugees in the EU, Search and Rescue Operations, South Sudan, Sudan, Trafficking, United Nations | 0

In this week’s news highlights: Libyan authorities kill 3 migrants; 200 children intercepted and detained in Libya; Widespread human rights violations on route to Mediteranean; COVID-19 a significant threat to Ethiopia; Millions at risk in South Sudan; Human rights abuses and trafficking in South Sudan; Appeal against Eritrea’s conflict preparations; Malta waits 30 hours to rescue migrants and refugees; 100 vulnerable asylum seekers relocated from Greece; Hundreds try to flee Italian overcrowded asylum centers; And Migrants and refugees to be transferred from Lampedusa.