| Four EU countries to take in Aquarius ship passengers. France, Portugal, Spain and Germany have agreed to accept 58 refugees and migrants stranded aboard the Aquarius, an NGO rescue ship, which had its registration revoked by Panama at the weekend. Médecins Sans Frontières, one of the charities that operates the ship, welcomed the announcement but said it remained “gravely concerned about the lack of search and rescue and coordination capacity in the Central Mediterranean”. In a separate development, according to a Reuters’ report quoting Moroccan official sources, a woman died on Tuesday and three people were injured when the Moroccan navy opened fire on a speedboat with refugees and migrants on board. The boat’s driver had refused an order to stop before the navy fired, according to a Moroccan interior ministry official. | | |
| Myanmar under increasing pressure over Rohingya repatriation. In an interview with Reuters late Tuesday, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Myanmar had repeatedly found excuses to delay implementation of a deal made between the two countries last November to begin repatriation of Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh within two months. Hasina said the refugees could not remain in her already crowded country permanently. Following a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday, the United Kingdom, France and 12 other countries issued a joint statement noting that conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine State were “not yet conductive for the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation of refugees”. They called on Myanmar to make faster progress implementing an MoU with UNHCR and the UN Development Programme to work towards improving conditions and to grant UN agencies and NGOs full access to provide humanitarian assistance in Rakhine State. They also called for “a credible accountability and remedy process” given the findings of a recent UN fact-finding mission. | | |
| Clashes in Libyan capital displace thousands. Fighting between several armed groups erupted in Tripoli’s southern districts on 20 September, 20 days after a ceasefire agreement, displacing more than 1,700 families in just two days, according to the UN. An estimated 5,000 families have sought refuge with relatives in safer parts of the city and its outskirts since fighting began in late August, while 115 civilians have been killed. “As the fighting escalates, the number of civilians affected by violence is bound to increase,” said the UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Libya, Maria Ribeiro, in a statement on Monday. She added that the clashes had led to a breakdown of basic services such as electricity and water. | | |
| Mozambican refugees prepare to return home from Malawi. AFP reports that hundreds of people who fled fighting between Renamo rebels and government troops in Mozambique’s Moatize region four years ago are preparing to return home . More than 12,000 Mozambicans crossed into southern Malawi between 2015 and 2016. Many have already returned home, but at least 3,000 remain at Luwani refugee camp. Officials at the camp say that more than 500 people have registered to leave with many families eager to return home in order to plant crops before the start of the rainy season in November. | | |
| Charity warns of mental health crisis at Greek island reception centre. As the Greek government with UNHCR support moved another 400 people from Moria reception and identification centre on Lesvos to the mainland on Tuesday, the International Rescue Committee released a report warning of a mental health emergency there, with 30 per cent of the clients at its mental health centre having attempted suicide and 60 per cent having considered it. Complaints about conditions at Moria have grown increasingly urgent in recent weeks, with several NGOs and UNHCR warning that the situation is deteriorating as overcrowding worsens. The IRC, which provides mental health and psychosocial support to Moria residents, said that living conditions at the facility were triggering or exacerbating existing trauma among refugees, mainly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. | | |
| Unleashing the potential of Venezuelans. Writing for the Washington Post, Dany Bahar of the Brookings Institution and David Smolansky of the Organization of American States argue that people leaving Venezuela represent an opportunity for countries in the region to upgrade their social infrastructure and boost their economies . They suggest the first step should be to recognize the Venezuelans as prima facie refugees, based on principles stated in the 1984 Cartagena Declaration on Refugees, and to declare a regional refugee crisis. Doing so would make more humanitarian assistance available and allow governments to reach a regional responsibility-sharing agreement. The increased aid flows could be used to improve the lives not just of the Venezuelans but also of receiving communities. | | |
| As the only surgeon at Maban Referral Hospital, which serves a population of more than 200,000 locals and refugees in a remote corner of south-eastern South Sudan, Evan Atar Adaha carries out up to 10 operations a day and sometimes works 24-hour shifts. “We are here to save lives, not to sit,” he says. Dr. Atar, as he is known by his patients, is this year’s Nansen Refugee Award winner. Watch this video to understand why. | | |
Over the course of this week of high-level meetings at the UN General Assembly, an estimated 312,480 people will be forced to flee their homes.
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