Eritrea: Cooperation with the wider Eritrean democracy movements recommended
29 Jun 2020

Eritrea: Cooperation with the wider Eritrean democracy movements recommended

by | posted in: Asylum Seekers, Eritrea, Eritrea Road Project, Ethiopia, EU funding, European Commission, European Parliament, European Politics, European Union, Germany, Refugees in the EU, United Nations | 0

Intergroup discussion on Eritrea in the Bundestag: On 25 June 2020, a public intergroup zoom discussion was held at the invitation of Rudi Friedrich (Connection e.V.) and Kathrin Vogler (MdB, Die Linke). Several experts as well as members of the German parliament parties SPD, FDP and the parliamentary group Bündnis 90/Die Grünen took part in the discussion. More than 60 persons from about 10 countries were following the discussion.

News highlights: IOM’s voluntary return initiative under fire, Eritreans raise alarm over food shortages amid COVID-19 restrictions, EU accused of cover-up amid Croatia migrant abuse
26 Jun 2020

News highlights: IOM’s voluntary return initiative under fire, Eritreans raise alarm over food shortages amid COVID-19 restrictions, EU accused of cover-up amid Croatia migrant abuse

by | posted in: COVID-19, Deportation, Detention, Eritrea, Ethiopia, EU funding, European Commission, European Parliament, European Politics, European Union, Frontex, Germany, Greece, Human Rights abuses, IOM, Italy, Libya, Malnutrition, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Netherlands, Refugees in the EU, Relocation system, Sea-Watch, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, The Netherlands, Trafficking, United Nations, Weekly news highlights | 0

In this week’s news highlights: EU-IOM Joint Initiative fails to support migrants, Euronews reports; Eritrean refugees mistreated in voluntary return programme; Shipwreck off Libyan coast kills several people; Refugees released from detention in Libya; Bangladesh arrests 50 people following migrant murders in Libya; OHCHR to vote on extension mandate of Eritrea Special Rapporteur; Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki visits Sudan for 3-day meeting; African governments urged to reopen borders; Over a thousand migrants stranded in Djibouti due to COVID-19; BBC Tigrinya: People in Eritrea are starving; Violence and child malnutrition worsen in South-Sudan; Focus on sexual and gender-based violence against women; Refugee rights violated, says Human Rights Commissioner; EU officials accused of Croatian migrant abuse cover-up; Family reunification obstacles for Eritrean refugees in Germany; Data leak threatens hundreds of asylum seekers in the Netherlands; Greek journalist alienated due to migration investigation; UK questions human rights situation Eritrea; Austria backs Germany’s hardline migration policy; UNHCR statement in World Refugee Day; Resumption of resettlement flights; And Refugee groups call for more attention for COVID-19 in refugee camps.

The EU and its “no more roads approach” in Eritrea
19 Jun 2020

The EU and its “no more roads approach” in Eritrea

by | posted in: Eritrea, Eritrea Road Project, European Commission, European Parliament, European Union | 0

On June 15, the European Parliament Committee on Development (DEVE) held a hearing in the European Parliament (EP) on the European Union’s development cooperation with Eritrea and in particular the road rehabilitation project that is carried out with the help of national service labour, which is widely defined as forced labour. The hearing included a change of views between the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO), the Europe External Action Service (EEAS) and members of the committee on progress and the possibilities on getting results on the very difficult situation in Eritrea. The ‘no more roads’ decision can be seen as the most important outcome.