European vessels rescue migrants off Libya coast
European warships and coast guard vessels have rescued more than 2,000 migrants off the coast of Libya. The Malta-based, Migrant Offshore Aid Station, said it coordinated the operation along with Italian, Irish and German ships. Italy’s coastguard could not confirm the numbers, but said it was trying to help around a dozen other vessels. The […]
U.S. Gives Temporary Protected Status To Illegal Somalis
The U.S. government extended a temporary protected status on Monday to Somali citizens living illegally in the United States which will allow them to remain in the states for 18 more months. The temporary protected status is a special immigration status that allows people living illegally in the states to work legally and shields them […]
Migrants On The Move And Dominating Headlines
From the Mediterranean to the Andaman, it’s been a season of despair, the faces of migrants haunting television screens and dominating headlines. Harrowing stories have emerged of death, starvation and abuse at the hands of people smugglers. And from the world’s new and continuing conflict zones, there have been new mass movements, across borders and […]
The Tragedy of Ethiopian Migrants
In mid April this year, a group of militants belonging to the Islamic State (IS) released a sickening video of pure brutality: the mass beheading and execution of 30 Ethiopian (and possibly Eritrean) citizens. Now, Ethiopia is mourning and no amount of comfort seems to surmount the sheer grief. Without a doubt IS’s sadistic killing […]
Asia migrants: Bangkok meeting to debate crisis
A regional conference is due to get under way in the Thai capital Bangkok to discuss possible solutions to the South-East Asia migrant crisis. The talks will include member states from the Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) as well as representatives from the US and the UN. Bangladesh and Myanmar have seen an exodus […]
EU asks states to accept 40,000 asylum seekers
The European Commission has called on EU member states to take in 40,000 asylum seekers from Syria and Eritrea who land in Italy and Greece over the next two years. Germany, France and Spain would receive the most migrants under the Commission’s latest plan. The idea of using quotas to resettle those who have made […]
Malaysia orders search and rescue for migrants
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has said his country will conduct search and rescue missions for Rohingya migrant boats in the Andaman Sea. Humanitarian aid would also be delivered by land and sea, he said. His announcement comes after weeks of authorities rejecting migrant boats and towing them out of Malaysian waters. Malaysia and Indonesia’s […]
South Africa Deports Hundreds of Mozambicans
The official death toll is seven with South Africans authorities claiming the murder of one Mozambican man was a case of criminality and not xenophobia-related. Some of the returned Mozambicans said on Saturday that they were arrested and taken to a detention centre when they were found in South Africa without proper documents. In mid-May, […]
Immigration Crisis – Europe to Admit 20,000 Refugees
The European Union as part of the ambitious plan to tackle the teething problem of African and Asian migrants seeking to enter Europe at all costs, has taken a decision to bring 20,000 refugees to Europe in the next two years. The measure is said to cost 50 million Euros (about FCFA 32.8 billion). The […]
Asia boat migrants: UN despair over lack of rescues
The UN has condemned the refusal of South-East Asian countries to rescue thousands of migrants adrift at sea. At least 700 Bangladeshis and Rohingya from Myanmar were rescued off Aceh last week by locals, bringing the numbers in camps there to at least 1,500. UNHCR spokeswoman Vivian Tan said the lack of rescues over the […]
