| Humanitarian ship stranded again after Mediterranean rescues. After rescuing 141 refugees and migrants in two separate operations off the Libyan coast on Friday, the Aquarius, a rescue ship operated by SOS Méditerranée and Médecins Sans Frontières, is once again stranded at sea in international waters “awaiting further guidance”. In a statement on Sunday, the crew of the Aquarius said that more than 70 per cent of those rescued were from Somalia and Eritrea and that 67 were unaccompanied minors. In June, the Aquarius was left stranded at sea for days before eventually being permitted to disembark in Spain. UNHCR has called for a regional arrangement involving States across the Mediterranean to ensure that all boats with rescued passengers have predictability and clarity on where they will be able to dock. | | |
| Militia evicts displaced Libyans from Tripoli settlement. According to residents, a local militia forced the entire population of Triq Al Matar, the largest informal settlement of internally displaced people in Tripoli, to flee their homes last week following three nights of indiscriminate raids and arbitrary arrests. Some 1,900 people are now dispersed in various areas. UNHCR has expressed concern that those moving to other settlements in Tripoli are at risk of further eviction. Triq Al Matar was home to 370 families from the city of Tawergha who were forced to flee their homes in 2011. | | |
| Hundreds flee fighting in Afghan city of Ghazni. AP reports that hundreds of people have fled four days of fierce fighting between Afghan forces and the Taliban in the provincial capital of Ghazni. So far, the fighting has reportedly resulted in 110 to 150 civilian casualties. While some residents have fled to neighbouring Wardak province, the UN reports that the placement of improvised explosive devices along the highway north and south of the city has prevented others from safely fleeing the violence. Families are reportedly sheltering in their houses, unable to leave, even to get water from wells and fountains. | | |
| Nicaraguans seek safety in Costa Rica. Mounting political tensions and violence in Nicaragua in recent months have seen thousands of Nicaraguans flee to neighbouring Costa Rica, where an average of 200 asylum applications are now being lodged daily. UNHCR reports that while Costa Rican authorities struggle to process the large number of asylum claims, most of the recent arrivals are dependent on the kindness of friends, charities and strangers. | | |
| Ebola screening of refugees fleeing DR Congo steps up. VOA reports that UNHCR is stepping up efforts to reduce the risk of the deadly Ebola virus spreading as refugees flee the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as part of the coordinated UN response to the outbreak of the disease. The agency’s main focus is to monitor possible Ebola infections among refugees crossing into Uganda having fled violence in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, both of which have reported Ebola cases. So far no cases in Uganda have been reported, but UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told VOA that UNHCR is working with WHO, UNICEF and Uganda’s Ministry of Health to intensify screening for Ebola at all border entry points. | | |
| Refugee children sent to Nauru suffering from “resignation syndrome”. Buzzfeed reports that at least six children sent to Nauru by Australia for offshore asylum processing have developed resignation syndrome, a rare psychiatric condition that causes an extreme state of withdrawal and can result in death. Two children diagnosed with the syndrome have been airlifted to Australia for urgent medical treatment. A health professional who recently worked on Nauru told Buzzfeed that she was aware of about six children who had shown symptoms of the syndrome when she was there. | | |
| On Monday, SBS News launched an Instagram documentary featuring the story of a Rohingya refugee, Yunus – showcasing his flight from persecution in Myanmar to Australia, his new life there and the struggles of his family, who remain in a refugee settlement in Bangladesh. You can follow Yunus’ story through a series of Instagram posts and videos. | | |
In Libya, some 192,000 displaced people have been living in dire conditions for years.
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