News highlights: Flooding in East Africa brings more health risks, EU to announce new migration pact, COVID-19 restrictions increase human smuggling and trafficking

This week’s news highlights: Reports – Eritrean refugees as political pawns in Ethiopia; Flooding in Horn of Africa may increase hunger and health crisis; Floods in Somalia; Eritrea says all COVID-19 patients recovered; Eritrea used as base to run illegal arms to Libya; Eritrea to celebrate independence day; COVID-19 measures lead to more smuggling and trafficking; IOM urges mental health response for migrants and refugees; New EU migration pact to be revealed in June; Shift in global smuggling routes, says Europol; Germany in favour of halt on cooperation with Eritrea; Residents of refugee home in Germany tested positive for COVID-19; Switzerland and UK accept a small number of unaccompanied refugee minors from Greek camps; Serbia deploys troops to the border with Croatia to ‘secure’ migrant camps; Greece reopens asylum services; Documentary shows hardship of unaccompanied minors in Greek camps; Over quarter of a million children at risk in Libya due to vaccine shortages; Libyan Prime Minister and NATO Secretary General discuss situation in Libya; And shelling in displaced people’s shelter in Tripoli kills two people

News highlights: European Union sued over forced labor in Eritrea in two courts, Election concerns cause political turmoil in Ethiopia, Call for suspension of forced returns

This week’s news highlights: Dutch Foundation sues European Union over forced labor; Lawyers and UK organisation challenge UK funding to EU project in Eritrea; Advisory Committee urges The Netherlands to provide one billion EUR for Africa amid COVID-19; 1.600 unaccompanied minors on Greece to be relocated; Migrants and refugees in Bosnia and Herzegovina threatened; Hungary illegally held asylum seekers in camps; Malta urged to join operation Irini; Italy to introduce special work permits for migrants; UNICEF steps up preparations to curb COVID-19 in Eritrea; Ruling party in Ethiopia states it will remain in power until next election; Flood and conflict threaten internally displaced people in Somalia; Number of internally displaced people in Horn of Africa drops; UN Network on Migration urges to suspend forced returns; UNHCR raises awareness for stateless people worldwide; UNHCR needs $745 million to protect displaced populations against COVID-19; Joint IGO statement on the threats in Libya; And 53% of migrants lost jobs in Tunisia due to COVID-19 lockdown

EU plans additional Libya stimulus package amidst verbal and legal challenges from politicians, experts and NGOs.

While the European Union (EU) is looking to further bolster Libya and the Libyan coastguard, a majority of Members of European Parliament (MEPs) and a number of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) and experts criticize the EU’s involvement in the human rights abuses that are systematically taking place inside Libya. They state that Libya is not a safe place for the disembarkation of migrants and refugees and that by financially supporting Libyan institutions that facilitate widespread and systematic human rights abuses, the EU has been complicit in these crimes. This week steps were taken to address and review the EU’s policies and accountability inside Libya.