| Concern grows for displaced Syrians as exodus from Daraa continues. The UN now estimates that more than 320,000 people have fled their homes in southern Syria’s Daraa governorate making it the largest displacement in the area since the war began. UNHCR head Filippo Grandi expressed grave concern for some 750,000 civilians in the area whose lives are in danger. In a statement today, he appealed to Jordan to grant temporary refuge to displaced people living in “dire and insecure” conditions in border areas with support from the international community. Grandi said that the security situation was hindering efforts to reach large numbers of people in dire need of aid. The Guardian reports that shelling and air raids on civilian neighbourhoods in Daraa are thought to have killed more than 200 civilians in the past 10 days. | | |
| Rohingya still fleeing violence and persecution in Myanmar, says UN rights chief. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday that so far this year, 11,432 Rohingya have arrived in Bangladesh. They described continuing violence, persecution and human rights violations, including killings and the burning of their homes. Many reported being pressured by Myanmar authorities to accept a national verification card stating they must apply for citizenship. Al Hussein noted that 58 Rohingya who voluntarily returned from Bangladesh between January and April were arrested and convicted on unspecified charges. They were released from prison to a “reception centre” which he described as “tantamount to administrative detention”. Al Hussein, who was addressing the Council for the final time before his term ends, urged the UN Security Council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court immediately. Myanmar responded that the High Commissioner’s allegations were flawed and misleading. | | |
| Syrian refugees return from Lebanon to uncertain future. The Financial Times reports from the Lebanese border town of Arsal where 300 Syrian refugees returned home last week as part of a return programme organised by the Lebanese authorities. More than 3,000 Syrians, most of them living in Arsal, have registered for the scheme, but critics say that poor conditions in Lebanon are a major push factor and that, despite assurances from Damascus, it’s unclear what awaits them on their return. The Syrian government has promised the returnees a six-month reprieve from military conscription and that they will face “no legal consequences”, but little is known about the fate of a group of Syrians who returned in April. UNHCR believes that the conditions inside Syria are not conducive for returns. | | |
| Spain welcomes second rescue boat after a four-day journey from Central Mediterranean. Reuters reports that the ship operated by Spanish aid group Proactiva Open Arms docked in Barcelona on Wednesday after being turned away by Italy and Malta. The 60 refugees and migrants from 14 different countries were rescued from a rubber boat near the Libyan coast on Saturday. Authorities in Barcelona said they would undergo health checks before being housed in two towns outside the city. They will receive temporary residence permits while they apply for asylum. Proactiva founder Oscar Camps pointed out that while the Open Arms made the long journey to Barcelona, hundreds more people had drowned in the Mediterranean where no NGO vessels are currently operating. | | |
| More children reported missing as DR Congo’s displacement crisis worsens. UNHCR reports that thousands of children are thought to be missing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Tanganyika province after being abducted by armed groups. One woman now staying at a site for internally displaced people in the provincial capital Kalemie said: “The rebels came into our villages, they take the children and disappear with them. They rape the girls and cut them into small pieces with machetes.” More and more children are being reported missing as the displacement crisis continues. While their number is unknown, aid workers believe there are thousands of cases. | | |
| European states must put human rights at centre of migration policies. European states’ current approach to refugee and migrants arrivals has “transformed a manageable issue into an extremely divisive topic” and “caused immense suffering and hardship”, said the European Council’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovićm in a statement issued today. She called on member states to put human rights and the principle of responsibility-sharing at the centre of their migration and asylum policies. She also said that an agreement on migration reached in Brussels on Friday raised “a number of concerns” that states must address to meet their obligations under international human rights law. | | |
| During five tours with the US Marine Corps in Iraq and two in Afghanistan, Scott Cooper saw the impact of war up close. After retiring from 20 years as an aviator he’s now on a new mission: to help refugees find safety in the United States. He’s helped several dozen refugees do just that. “As a veteran when you take off the uniform, the service doesn’t end,” he says. “I stand with refugees because it’s the American thing to do.” | | |
Since the start of military operations in south-west Syria on 17 June, an average of nearly 18,000 people a day have been displaced.
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