Eritreans protest in The Hague to draw attention to refugees in Libya

The Hague – Around 200 Eritreans gathered in the political capital of the Netherlands to ask for help for Eritrean refugees in Libya. As violence has broken out in Libya, the refugees have increasingly become trapped. The Eritreans protesting in the Netherlands report that Eritrean refugees have been, among other things, tortured, shot, raped and starved. Pictures of trapped groups of people, including of young children and women, are circulating on social media. The protesters ask for help from the UNHCR, the European Union and in particular the Netherlands to provide an emergency solution.

News Highlights: Joint Sudan-Ethiopia border force, Italy refuses to let 177 migrants disembark, 1 in 31 die on Mediterranean Sea

In this week’s news highlights: highlights of the past month; Sudan and Ethiopia agree on joint border force; Eritrean President plans new visit to Ethiopia; Eritrea-Ethiopia peace faces tough negotiation points; Amnesty International Op-Ed states that Eritrean demobilization plan is urgently needed; UN Special Envoy comments on South Sudan peace effort; Italy refuses to let migrants disembark and threatens to return them to Libya; UNHCR and Amnesty sound alarm over deaths at sea; and ARCI report calls attention to dangers of border externalization.

News highlights: Refugees fear UNHCR investigation, EU elaborates on ‘disembarkation centres’, 18-month national service limit may arrive

In this week’s news highlights: news highlights on summer break; Indefinite national service for new Eritrean recruits may be limited, but diaspora remains cautious; Refugees fear lack of protection in UNHCR investigation in Sudan; Eritrean refugees in Sudan are losing faith in UNHCR; Report on Ethiopian man wrongfully deported from UK; New South Sudan peace deal met with scepticism; Somalia to prosecute in case of 10-year-old dying from FGM; European Commission elaborates on ‘controlled centres’ and ‘disembarkation centres’; European Commission defends development-migration fund link; MSF warns EU to stop return of migrants to Libya.