| India returns seven Rohingya to Myanmar, raising fears for their safety. India returned the seven men to Myanmar on Thursday, sparking concerns about their safety and security. There are some 18,000 Rohingya refugees and asylum-seekers registered with UNHCR in India, although government estimates put the total population of Rohingya in the country at about 40,000. The seven men had been detained since 2012 in the north-eastern state of Assam for illegally entering the country. A last-minute plea on Thursday to allow them to remain in the country was rejected by India’s Supreme Court, and the men were handed over to Myanmar border guards. At a briefing in Geneva today, UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic said UNHCR had requested access to the men to assess their need for international protection prior to their return but did not receive a response from the Indian authorities. Mahecic said UNHCR was concerned the men did not have access to legal counsel or the chance to apply for asylum. | | |
| Italian-flagged ship sets sail as Aquarius suspends operations. As the Aquarius docked in Marseille on Thursday, forced to stop operating until it can find another country willing to issue it a flag, a newly launched Italian-flagged ship was making its way towards the coast of Libya. The Guardian reports that the Mare Jonio , a former tug boat, has been bought and equipped by the Mediterranea humanitarian group with support from two other NGOs: Pro-Activa and Seawatch. Italian media report that the ship’s main activity will be “monitoring, witnessing and reporting”, although it will carry search-and-rescue equipment. Other NGO rescue boats remain in Italian and Maltese ports, blocked by legal actions. In a joint letter published on Wednesday, several rights groups called on European leaders to do everything in their power to ensure the Aquarius and other NGO rescue boats can continue saving lives at sea. In his address to UNHCR’s Executive Committee on Monday, UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi described recent events in the Mediterranean as “ deeply troubling”. “Rescue at sea has been taken hostage by politics,” he said. | | |
| First UN assessments in Myanmar’s Rakhine State reveal fear and mistrust. UNHCR and the UN development agency have finished initial assessments in 23 villages and three village tracts in Rakhine. It has been more than a year since UNHCR had been able to engage with communities in northern parts of the state. The assessments revealed the increased vulnerability of communities remaining in Rakhine following the flight of 720,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh last year. All communities spoke about the cumulative effect of restrictions of movement , with Muslim communities, in particular, not being able to move freely. These restrictions have impact on access to livelihood opportunities and basic services. “Mistrust, fear of neighbouring communities and a sense of insecurity are prevalent in many areas,” noted UNHCR in a press briefing today. A second phase of assessments in the townships of Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung began today. | | |
| Fears of further violence ahead of Cameroon election. As Cameroon prepares to hold presidential elections on Sunday, Reuters reports that tens of thousands of Cameroonians displaced by a separatist insurgency in the English-speaking Northwest and Southwest regions, as well a further 26,000 who have fled into neighbouring Nigeria, will be unable to vote . Those still in Anglophone areas are likely to struggle to reach a ballot box, with separatist groups vowing to stop the election there. The International Crisis Group warned on Thursday that the danger of violence around the vote in Northwest and Southwest regions is high, with tensions growing as election day approaches. | | |
| UN calls for more aid and access to help displaced Syrians. The UN’s humanitarian coordinator in Syria, Ali Al Za’atari, called on warring parties on Thursday to allow aid agencies to access all areas of the country. He said aid delivery remains challenging , especially in the rebel-controlled cities of Idlib and Afrin in the north-west. A funding shortfall is also hampering aid efforts in the country, with only 46 per cent of the 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan so far funded. UNHCR launched an appeal on Thursday to help 3.4 million Syrian and Iraqi internally displaced people and refugees prepare for winter. The agency said US$168 million was needed to ensure winterization assistance was in place before freezing temperatures grip the region. | | |
| Refugee women in Greece speak out. A report released today by Amnesty International gives a voice to refugee women and girls living on the Greek islands and mainland. Amnesty spoke to more than 100 women and girls living in camps and other accommodation in and around Athens and on the Greek islands. The women spoke about the ordeals they faced trying to reach Europe, the grim and unsanitary conditions at many reception centres, their fears of sexual violence and feelings of abandonment. Despite such challenges, says Amnesty, women refugees in Greece are coming together to improve their situation by setting up female-friendly spaces and other initiatives. | | |
| The moment when stateless activist Maha Mamo finally realized her lifelong quest of receiving citizenship was an emotional one. “I don’t know if I’m dreaming, or if this is happening,” she said on Thursday, moments after a ceremony in Geneva where she was awarded Brazilian citizenship . Born in Lebanon in 1988 to Syrian parents, Maha was unable to gain citizenship in either country due to a web of restrictive laws. She moved to Brazil in 2014, where a new immigration law finally opened the prospect of gaining citizenship. | | |
Some 25 countries around the world do not allow women to transfer nationality to their children – putting them at risk of statelessness.
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