Eritrean asylum seekers rejected by Switzerland face life on the streets of Brussels

Swiss authorities have rejected hundreds of applications of Eritrean asylum seekers who are now legally obliged to return back to Eritrea. Rejected Eritreans are left out of the social assistance as Switzerland has tightened the admission criteria through the ruling of the Swiss Federal Administrative Court adopted on 10 July 2018. This recent practice leads to social disintegration and it brings a new wave of insecurity and fear among the Eritrean community living in Switzerland. Because of this situation, many Eritreans are currently residing on the streets of Brussels hoping to reach the UK. Young Eritreans speak about their experiences.

News Highlights: France deports Eritrean woman, UNHCR warns of deadly summer on Mediterranean Sea, Arrests and internet shutdown Sudan

In this week’s news highlights: Refoulement of an Eritrean woman from France to Eritrea; Migration pushback could lead to instability; seven bodies recovered off the Greek coast; Sudanese opposition leaders arrested in Sudan; al-Bashir to be charged with corruption; NGOs write to UNSC on Sudan; Sudan’s Internet shutdown continues; African writers and activists urge Eritrean President for change; Eritrean diaspora protests through #Enough; Leaked Russian documents show plans for Africa; Report on an Ethiopian dam’s effect on livelihoods; UNHCR warns of deadly summer on the Mediterranean Sea; 160 persons apprehended by the army in Chad.

Refoulement: France returns an Eritrean woman to Eritrea

The prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales (South-West of France) deported an Eritrean national to her country of origin on 6 June 2019. According to RFI Africa, the French prefecture arrested the young woman on 8 May at the Spanish border with a “counterfeit” residence permit. The French newspaper Le Figaro explains that the young Eritrean woman filed an asylum application with the administrative court and appealed to the jurisdiction, unsuccessfully, after being placed in a detention centre in Toulouse by the French authorities. It is the first return from France to Eritrea and can be considered refoulement, due to the fact that the woman is likely to face persecution and human rights abuses in Eritrea.