The rival leaders of Libya, a departure point for thousands of refugees to Europe, agree to election plan

In a summit in France on Tuesday the 30th of May, the rival factions of Libya, a country with an estimate of 43,113 refugees according to the UN from which 90 percent cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe, agreed to hold parliamentary and presidential elections. The summit was hosted by the French president Emmanuel macron, who called the summit ‘historic’. However, others raised critical questions about the breakthrough of the conference.

News Highlights: Sudanese militia demands EU compensation, UNSC plans sanctions against traffickers, Ethiopia’s maritime access

In this week’s news highlights: Sudanese militia RSF demands EU compensation for guarding Libya border; The development nexus in Sudan; Ethiopia’s challenges with port access; UN Security Council considers sanctions for inviduals involved in trafficking and smuggling to Libya- publishes names of six people; Smugglers in Niger do not regret their actions; Prevention and trauma treatment important to decrease humanitarian costs of conflict and insecurity, Dutch minister says; Eritreans and Sudanese second on the list of refugees’ nationalities coming to Europe via Italy; British Official condemns Eritrean religious persecution; French Interior Ministry announces clearing of Paris refugee camps.

Country report on Eritrea claims Eritrean refugees are treated better on return

In an episode of Dutch investigative radio programme Argos, the matter of controversial country reports, which are used in asylum decisions, was raised. Anonymous sources, such as those used in reports on Afghanistan and Eritrea, have a large impact on the content of the important reports, determining (possible) return of asylum seekers. In 2017, The Netherlands made a country report on Eritrea, which received criticism for its tone, which was more positive than the 2016 report. Prof. Mirjam van Reisen explains this criticism on the Dutch radio programme Argos on NPO radio 1.