Morocco rejoins the African Union and new Chair is elected during Summit
The 28th session of the African Union Summit is held this week. Chad’s Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat was chosen as the new Chair of the African Union and Morocco rejoined the African Union after a 33-year absence. The African Union is faced with several more challenging topics, such as the role of the threat of genocide in South Sudan.
News highlights: EU-Libya migration deal, downplaying human rights abuses, drought
In this week’s news highlights, we would like to update you among other things on the latest events concerning the recently announced EU measurements to reduce migration on the Central Mediterranean Route, the UK’s and Israel’s strategy to downsize the number of Eritrean asylum seekers, and more on drought in the Horn of Africa.
European Commission seeks to stop migration flows from Libya
On Wednesday 25 January, the European Commission revealed its strategy for blocking the migration flows along the Central Mediterranean Route, especially around Libya. The short-term measurements are intended to significantly reduce crossings before this summer. The measurements include additional support to the Libyan coast guard, strengthening border authorities in North African countries and increasing returns.