| Syrian and Russian authorities set up centre for returning refugees. According to a statement by Russia’s Defence Ministry reported by Reuters, the centre will “monitor the return of all temporarily-displaced people and Syrian refugees from foreign countries to their places of permanent residence”. In a separate statement, the ministry said that 336,500 places around the country had been prepared to receive returning refugees. On Friday, UNHCR said it had not seen details of the plan but was ready to discuss it with the Syrian and Russian authorities, noting that any returns must be aligned with international standards – meaning they must be voluntary, they need to take place in safe and dignified conditions, and need to be sustainable. | | |
| EU refers Hungary’s asylum policies to court. The European Commission has referred Hungary to the EU’s Court of Justice for failing to comply with EU asylum law. The referral is the final stage of an infringement procedure started in December 2015. In a statement on Thursday, the Commission said concerns about restrictive asylum procedures, indefinite detention in transit zones and returns had not been addressed. Separately, the Commission initiated an infringement procedure against Hungary over recently adopted legislation that criminalizes individuals and organizations that assist asylum-seekers and introduces new grounds for refusing asylum applications that are not covered by EU law. | | |
| Offensive in southwest Syria leaves 55,000 children cut off from aid. The government offensive to retake opposition-held areas of Daraa and Quneitra provinces has triggered the single largest displacement of the seven-year conflict and put the lives of an estimated 55,000 children at risk, according to UNICEF. While surrender deals have seen many displaced civilians return to their towns and villages, an escalation in fighting in Quneitra led to new displacement this week. Particularly vulnerable are those sheltering near the Golan Heights, largely cut off from humanitarian assistance. On Friday, UNHCR called for safe passage out of the area for displaced people and immediate humanitarian assistance. | | |
| Bulk of families separated at US-Mexico border remain apart. With one week left before a court-ordered deadline to reunite children and parents separated by US immigration officials, government lawyers reported on Thursday that 364 of some 2,500 families with children aged five and older had been brought back together . The status report was filed as part of an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit challenging family separations at the border. Federal officials have said that all children under the age of five who were separated have been reunited. | | |
| Red Cross warns of worsening conditions for refugees and migrants stranded in Bosnia. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) voiced concern on Thursday about the situation of thousands of refugees and migrants stranded in Bosnia . Many are staying in improvised shelters, tents and dilapidated buildings that lack running water and toilets, especially in the north near the border with Croatia. First aid teams from the local Red Cross in Bihac have been treating up to 70 people per day, mostly for injuries sustained while attempting to cross from Bosnia to Croatia. An IFRC spokesperson told Reuters that many of the people they had treated claimed to have been abused by Croatian border guards. Croatian authorities have denied reports of excessive force. UNHCR spokesperson Neven Crvenkovic said the situation underscored the need for a coordinated and joint approach to finding accommodation for the refugees and migrants. | | |
| UNHCR’s newest goodwill ambassador, American actor Ben Stiller, writes for the Hollywood Reporter about his recent, eye-opening trip to Guatemala, where he met some of the men, women and children fleeing Central America’s “invisible crisis” of gang violence and persecution. At a shelter for unaccompanied children he was met with smiles and laughter and left “energized, deeply moved and hugely motivated to share this experience”. | | |
Amid continued fighting and new displacements in Syria during the first six months of 2018, nearly 13,000 refugees from neighbouring countries and another 750,000 internally displaced people are estimated to have returned to their homes.
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