Croatia pushing asylum-seekers back to Bosnia, says rights group. Croatian police are deporting migrants and asylum-seekers back to Bosnia and Herzegovina without due process and in some cases violently, according to Human Rights Watch. Sixteen out of 20 people interviewed by HRW, including women and children, said police had beaten them and stolen their money and mobile phones. HRW said the findings confirmed “mounting evidence of abuse at Croatia’s external borders”. UNHCR has expressed concern over reports of alleged police violence received from refugees and migrants and urged the Croatian authorities to investigate and ensure individuals can safely access asylum procedures. Croatia has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In recent days, aid groups have been warning that conditions are deteriorating rapidly for an estimated 5,300 migrants and refugees trapped in Bosnia and Herzegovina as winter arrives, many of them after several failed attempts to cross into Croatia. Aid workers told the New York Times that they risk exposure and even death. | | |
| UN seeking $5.5 billion to support Syrian refugees in 2019. UN agencies and their NGO partners today released the 2019-2020 Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), a US$5.5 billion plan to support Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq to manage the continued impact of the Syria crisis. Some 5.6 million Syrian refugees are currently registered across the region, with around one million newly born in displacement. The 3RP targets over nine million people in five countries, including some 3.9 million host community members, with a wide range of responses including getting children into schools, enhancing livelihoods opportunities and providing refugees with targeted cash assistance. | | |
| Cyprus under pressure as more refugees and migrants arrive. Both the Guardian and AP report that smugglers are increasingly taking advantage of the island’s partition and proximity to the Middle East . Growing numbers of Syrians are arriving by boat to the northern part of Cyprus lying outside the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus and then crossing into areas under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus. A backlog of 8,000 asylum claims has amassed and people are waiting years for final decisions on their claims, UNHCR’s Katja Saha told the Guardian. As numbers grow, pressure on the island’s two state-run reception centres has become immense and asylum-seekers are expected to find private accommodation after 72 hours. With most unable to afford rent, asylum-seekers have reportedly resorted to sleeping in parks and buses. | | |
| Lost at Sea. A nurse with Médecins Sans Frontières, Tim Harrison, was part of a medical team working on board one of the charity’s rescue boats in the Mediterranean this summer. His recollections of one dramatic night-time rescue are told here in a graphic novel format. MSF announced last Thursday that it had been forced to end the Aquarius’ search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean. | | |
| Why some Syrians are choosing to return from Europe. There are no official figures for how many Syrians refugees have left Europe, but of more than 100 Syrian refugees interviewed by the Christian Science Monitor in Germany and Greece, most knew of at least one friend or relative who had left Europe this year . They cited delays in family reunification, limited job opportunities, feelings of isolation, uncertainty about the future and culture shock as some of the main motivations. The return route often involves crossing the treacherous waters of the Evros River, which divides Greece and Turkey. | | |
| Switching to clean energy could save aid agencies millions, says new report. Aid agencies could save more than US$500 million a year by switching from fossil fuels to clean energy, according to a report released on Monday by the Moving Energy Initiative , an international consortium managed by UK-based think tank Chatham House. A report finds that agencies were still depending mainly on diesel and petrol to fuel electricity generators. MEI estimates that 5 per cent of humanitarian agencies’ expenditure went for diesel, petrol and associated costs such as fixing generators in 2017. Switching to cleaner, more sustainable energy could create large savings and help build positive relations with host-countries, according to MEI. The use of solar plants to power two major refugee camps in Jordan, for example, has relieved pressure on the national electricity grid and saved UNHCR $7.5 million a year. | | |
| Hundreds of young refugees and local residents took part in a three-day talent competition at Kenya’s second largest refugee camp over the weekend. Kakuma Got Talent, now in its fifth year, showcased their skills in music, dance, modelling and comedy. The Lutheran World Federation, which organizes the annual talent show, plans to support the winners through training and mentorship programmes. | | |
Only nine per cent of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries are living in camps.
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