COVID-19 and LOCUST-20 lead to unprecedented famine in East Africa
8 May 2020

COVID-19 and LOCUST-20 lead to unprecedented famine in East Africa

by | posted in: COVID-19, Environment, Ethiopia, EU funding, European Union, FAO, Kenya, Locust, Somalia | 0

This month, communities across East Africa, which are already unsteady from the impact of COVID-19, are now also forced to fight against new swarms of locusts. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states that the locust outbreaks in Ethiopia and Somalia are the worst in 25 years and in Kenya the worst in 75 years. The FAO expects that swarms will rise in June and July at the time of harvest and could cause ‘biblical’ famines. David Beasley, head of the World Food Programme (WFP) said that urgent action is needed to avoid a catastrophe. The President of the African Development Bank believes that an unprecedented race against time has begun to urgently halt the progression and potentially destructive impact of COVID-19 and the locust swarms in Africa. The European Commission and the FAO have gathered funds to help in the fight against the growing locust swarms but challenges remain due to COVID-19.

News Highlights: Amnesty: US should address human rights in Eritrea, Dublin Regulation challenged, Italian law to expel people from centres
6 Dec 2018

News Highlights: Amnesty: US should address human rights in Eritrea, Dublin Regulation challenged, Italian law to expel people from centres

by | posted in: Africa, Asylum Seekers, EEPA news and activities, Eritrea, Ethiopia, European Commission, European Parliament, Horn of Africa region, Migration, United States, Weekly news highlights | 0

In this week’s news highlights: A call to US Secretary of State to address human rights in Eritrea; UN condemns mass rapes in South Sudan; Proposals for Ethiopia’s new law on hate speech; US embassy reopens in Somalia; IFAD President urges to invest in the youth in Africa; Presidents of Egypt and Sudan to cooperate on security; Dead end in Libya leads refugees to Morocco; New Italian law expels migrants from reception centres; Tribunal ruling states that UK cannot send vulnerable migrants to Italy without assurance; Commissioner Avramopoulos suggests asylum procedure will voluntarily fall to EU Member States; and the need to put emphasis on agriculture in the Post-Cotonou agreement.

News Highlights: Ethiopian, Somali and Eritrean Ministers meet, Fishermen face trial for sea rescue, Situation Libya “untenable”
6 Sep 2018

News Highlights: Ethiopian, Somali and Eritrean Ministers meet, Fishermen face trial for sea rescue, Situation Libya “untenable”

by | posted in: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Horn of Africa region, Italy, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Refugees in the EU, Weekly news highlights | 0

In this week’s news highlights: Ministers from Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea meet in Asmara, then travel to Djibouti; Events Ethiopia-Eritrea lined up; Ethiopians and Eritreans meet at the border; Book by former finance minister said to expose Eritrean president; Demonstration in Geneva demands full peace in Eritrea; Exhibition ‘Eritrea in the News’ opens in London; Human Rights Watch expresses concerns over Sudan ahead of UN Human Rights Council; UN Special Representative concerned over violence in Libya; 6 Fishermen stand trial in Italy after rescuing migrant boat; Recent mixed migration research published; and UNICEF warns that it has little data on child migrants and refugees in Spain.