Yemen peace talks set to begin in Sweden. UN-sponsored peace talks aimed at ending nearly four years of war in Yemen are due to begin in Sweden today. A UN team will facilitate the informal talks between delegations from the Yemeni government and the Houthi movement. Writing for the New York Times, UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, who brokered the talks, said they offered “ a glimmer of hope ” and could bring good news for the embattled port city of Al-Hudaydah. “We have been working to reach a negotiated agreement to spare both the city and port the threat of destruction, and guarantee the full operation of the port,” writes Griffiths. “Reaching such a deal will not only put an end to the battles but also save the main humanitarian pipeline for the people of Yemen from being obstructed or destroyed.” Following a visit to Yemen last week, the UN’s humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock warned that the country was “on the brink of a major catastrophe”, but that it was not too late to avert it. | | |
| Civilians at risk from airstrikes and ISIL in Syria’s Deir-Ez-Zor province. The UN’s high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday warned that at least 7,000 people in ISIL-controlled areas of Deir-Ez-Zor province in eastern Syria were being prevented from escaping intensified airstrikes aimed at dislodging remaining ISIL militants. She told reporters in Geneva that her office had also received reports of ISIL executing civilians perceived as cooperating with the Syrian Democratic Forces or other parties to the conflict. Fierce clashes around Hajin district in Deir-Ez-Zor since October have displaced some 6,000 people and left many civilians dead and injured , according to the UN. Many of the displaced are now living in dire conditions in makeshift settlements, some of which are dangerously close to the frontlines. | | |
| Myanmar starts to close Rohingya camps, but restrictions remain. Under international pressure, the Myanmar government has started to close camps for internally displaced Rohingya in Rakhine State. But Reuters reports that instead of allowing the Rohingya to return to their home areas, they are being moved to more permanent homes next to the camps where severe restrictions of their movements remain in place, leaving the Rohingya cut off from livelihood sources and still dependant on aid. Reuters spoke by phone to former residents of one camp who said they still could not visit the local town and that their situation had barely improved since the camp was declared closed in August. | | |
| Asylum-seekers forced out of shelters in Italy under new law. The Independent reports that since a new immigration law came into effect last month, some asylum-seekers with humanitarian protection status, which was scrapped by the law, have been evicted from reception centres across the country. The government said the law would not affect those with existing humanitarian protection status, but Italian media reported that 24 asylum-seekers staying at a reception centre in the south-eastern municipality Isola di Capo Rizzuto who had humanitarian protection status were made to leave on Friday. About 200 others are expected to be expelled from that centre over the coming week. While charities have arranged temporary accommodation for the asylum-seekers, their future is uncertain. | | |
| Lego teams up with Sesame Street to help refugee children play. A charitable foundation set up by the toymaker Lego has granted US$100 million to the Sesame Workshop to create play-based early learning programmes for Syrian and Rohingya refugee children as well as children in their host communities. The New York Times reports that the Lego funding will allow Sesame Workshop and its partner, the International Rescue Committee, to expand projects they began last year using a grant from the MacArthur Foundation. The funding will also allow another partner organization, Bangladesh relief organization BRAC, to open 500 additional “play labs” for Rohingya refugee children. | | |
| A debilitating spinal condition left Congolese refugee Hota Biclere with a curved back and limited movement from a young age. But after arriving in Kenya’s Kakuma camp in 2012, she found work as a dressmaker and saved money to buy a second-hand sewing machine. Six years later, the 35-year-old mother of two has a successful tailoring business that employs seven other refugees. | | |
About 2.3 million people are currently displaced across Yemen. Since June alone, more than 500,000 people have fled conflict in Al-Hudaydah Governorate.
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