Spain stops NGO rescue ship from setting sail. Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms said on Monday that the Port Authority in Barcelona had denied permission for one its rescue ships to set sail. The Open Arms, which operates in the waters between southern Europe and Libya, has previously disembarked refugees and migrants in Spain, but in a statement, Spain’s public works ministry, which controls the Port Authority, said Spain had no maritime jurisdiction off the Libyan coast and that the Open Arms had violated maritime regulations on past rescue missions by not taking those rescued to the nearest port. The charity appealed the decision , arguing that the ship only came to Spain after both Malta and Italy had turned it away. | | |
| Under-funding threatens Burundian refugee response. Burundi’s refugee crisis is one of the most neglected and underfunded in the world, according to UNHCR, which today launched a joint appeal, along with other aid agencies, for US$296 million to support some 345,000 Burundian refugees in 2019. Last year’s inter-agency appeal for Burundian refugees raised just 35 per cent of the amount requested. UNHCR said the consequences for those living in Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda have been food ration cuts, overcrowded schools, inadequate shelter and a lack of medicines. “A massive increase in support is needed to adequately provide for even the most basic needs,” said UNHCR spokesperson Charlie Yaxley at a press briefing in Geneva today. Another objective for 2019, according to Yaxley, was to help generate economic opportunities for those living in Uganda, Rwanda and DRC, where refugees are allowed to work and own businesses. | | |
| Militants overrun north-east Nigerian town. Reuters reports that Islamic State West Africa (ISWA) insurgents attacked the town of Rann in north-eastern Nigeria on Monday evening, setting fire to buildings and sending residents and Nigerian government forces fleeing. Last month, ISWA launched a series of attacks, including on the towns of Baga and Monguno. The UN estimates that more than 40,000 people were displaced by the violence in Borno State between 1 November and 10 January. Rann, which is host to some 35,000 internally displaced people, has repeatedly come under attack. A security source told AFP that militants had set fire to IDP camps and shelters in the town and that most people had fled into the bush towards the Cameroonian border. | | |
| Gdańsk mayor dies after stabbing.The mayor of the Polish city of Gdańsk, Paweł Adamowicz, died on Monday, a day after being stabbed in the chest on stage at a charity event. Thousands attended vigils across Polish cities on Monday evening, including in Gdańsk, where he served as mayor for more than 20 years. Montserrat Feixas Vihe, UNHCR’s regional representative for Central Europe, was among those who expressed their shock and sadness. “Mayor Adamowicz was a deeply courageous, moral leader who showed the way in helping refugees and migrants to integrate,” she said in a statement . Adamowicz’s model for integrating refugees and migrants in Gdańsk inspired other Polish cities to launch similar initiatives. | | |
| UN calls for ‘rapid and unimpeded’ aid access to Myanmar’s Rakhine. Clashes between government forces and the Arakan Army, a separatist group, have forced more than 5,000 people to flee their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine State since early January, according the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. NGOs and UN agencies have been blocked from travelling to rural areas in five townships affected by the conflict following a notice issued by the government last week. On Monday, OCHA called for the ban to be lifted to allow “rapid and unimpeded” humanitarian access to the thousands of displaced civilians. | | |
| How to ensure Ethiopia’s ‘Jobs Compact’ works for refugees. Five researchers from the Overseas Development Institute draw on lessons learned from the so-called Jordan Compact, rolled out in 2016, to recommend five ways to ensure a job creation programme for refugees in Ethiopia succeeds. Among the recommendations are to give refugees the opportunity to do jobs they want and that will improve their lives. In Jordan, jobs in special economic zones proved unpopular with refugees due to distance, work conditions and low pay. | | |
| Barely a year ago, 24-year-old Syrian refugee Eid Aljazairla couldn’t swim. That didn’t stop him from dreaming of following in the footsteps of his swimming hero, Michael Phelps, and competing in the 2020 Olympic Summer Games. His extraordinary determination and progress have won over the sceptics and caught the attention of coaches. | | |
An average of 300 refugees continue to flee Burundi every month.
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