At least 14 die after boat capsizes off Libya. At least 14 people have died in a boat off the Libyan coast after spending 12 days at sea without food or water, according to an Egyptian survivor. He was one of only 10 who survived the ordeal and made it to the shore near the city of Misrata. Security forces said two bodies had been recovered from a wooden boat. The group of 25 migrants and refugees had set off from the city of Sabratha. Their boat is thought to have been swept away by the current before over-turning, according to Red Crescent spokesperson Baha al-Kawash who said the survivors had received medical treatment for injuries and dehydration before being taken to a migrant detention centre in Misrata. Search and rescue capacity in the Central Mediterranean has been greatly reduced in recent months by the absence of NGO vessels. | | |
| European Commission calls time on asylum reform. The European Commission on Tuesday proposed setting aside those elements of the European Agenda on Migration that have met with opposition and moving ahead with those elements ready for approval. The most divisive element has been the reform of the Dublin Regulation which determines which member state bears responsibility for processing an asylum request. Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told the Brussels press on Tuesday that the time had come to be “ pragmatic”. He called on the European Parliament to adopt the five proposals on asylum reform on which there was agreement and to adopt temporary measures until a new Dublin Regulation becomes applicable. UNHCR has recommended that the EU continues efforts to reform the Dublin Regulation and establish a mechanism for the fair distribution of asylum-seekers across Member States to ensure a better managed and workable EU-wide asylum system. | | |
| UN seeking $738 million for Venezuela situation in first major appeal. Presenting the Global Humanitarian Appeal for 2019 on Tuesday, humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said the UN was seeking US$738 million to help neighbouring countries cope with the movements of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, who “have no prospect for return in the short to medium term”. It was the first time that the Venezuela situation was included in the UN’s annual global humanitarian appeal which is $21.9 million for 2019, excluding needs in Syria. The UN expects the outflow of Venezuelans to continue next year with 3.6 million projected to need assistance and protection. Led by UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration, funds will be used to provide the refugees and migrants with essential goods and services, to help them integrate into host communities and to strengthen host governments’ capacity to respond. | | |
| Hunger-striking asylum-seekers call for faster processing at US border. Al Jazeera reports that more than a dozen asylum-seekers and activists in Tijuana started a hunger strike last week to pressure US immigration officials to speed up the asylum process at the US-Mexico border. They are among more than 6,000 Central Americans who have arrived in Tijuana in recent weeks as part of a so-called caravan. With US officials restricting the number of asylum applicants to between 40 and 100 a day at El Chaparrel port of entry, rights groups estimate that recent arrivals will have to wait at least two months for their turn to apply. A small group breached the border fence on Monday in the hope of having their asylum claims heard faster. On Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis approved a request to extend the deployment of troops to the US-Mexico border until 31 January. | | |
| Migrant and refugee sea arrivals to Yemen rise by 50 per cent, surpassing Mediterranean crossings. Nearly 150,000 migrants and refugees are expected to arrive in Yemen by the end of this year, despite the ongoing conflict in the country. The figure, released on Tuesday by the International Organization for Migration, represents a 50 per cent increase from the estimated 100,000 who reached Yemen in 2017 and surpasses the 107,000 who have arrived by sea to Europe this year. The majority of arrivals are Ethiopian while Somalis account for the rest. As well as risking abuse from smugglers and traffickers on the perilous route across the Gulf of Aden, most who reach Yemen find themselves trapped by the conflict and exposed to further violence and danger, said Mohammed Abdiker, IOM’s Director of Operations and Emergencies. | | |
| UN agencies reaffirm commitment to deliver cash assistance through common system. The heads of OCHA, UNHCR, WFP and UNICEF reaffirmed today their commitment to deliver cash-based assistance to people affected by conflict and natural disasters, through a common system, that is collaborative and inclusive. In a statement, they clarified that the system will be jointly governed and available for use by multiple partners. UNHCR has been expanding cash-based assistance since 2016 and now provides more cash than in-kind aid. | | |
| This short promotional film by National Geographic recreates the journey of Nujeen Mustafa as she fled Syria in a wheelchair pushed by her sister and travelled over land and sea to reach refuge in Germany. Born with cerebral palsy, Nujeen had seen little of the world outside her family's home before the war. | | |
Of 2,133 refugees and migrants reported dead or missing trying to reach Europe by sea so far this year, 1,270 were lost in the Central Mediterranean.
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