| Libya on verge of civil war, warns UN. In a briefing to the UN Security Council on Tuesday, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Libya Ghassam Salamé warned that unless fighting on the outskirts of Tripoli stops, Libya risks “descending into a civil war which could lead to the permanent division of the country”. He said that the humanitarian consequences of the conflict were already clear, with 460 people – 29 of them civilians – killed since the offensive on the capital began in early April, and 75,000 forced from their homes. Conditions for refugees and migrants that were already dire before the conflict have gone “from bad to worse ”, he added. Salamé called for immediate steps to cut off arms flows to Libya and for the Council’s “unequivocal support” in insisting on the application of International Humanitarian Law. | |
| EU’s border and coast guard agency deploys teams to Albania. Starting today, Frontex will deploy teams of border guards from EU Member States to help Albania “strengthen border management and enhance security” at its border with Greece. The deployment marks Frontex’s first operation outside EU territory and has been described by EU migration commissioner Dmitris Avramopoulos as “a real game changer”. Officers deployed by Frontex will work under an Albanian team leader to halt irregular movements towards western Europe via the Balkans. The EU Commission is negotiating similar agreements with Bosnia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, which will soon allow Frontex to extend its operations to those countries. UNHCR is taking part in sessions to brief officers who will be deployed in the Balkans on their responsibilities under international and EU law, including respect for the principle of non-refoulement. | | |
| Australia’s re-elected government prioritizes repeal of medical evacuation law. The re-elected coalition government is pushing forward with plans to repeal the medevac bill , which gives doctors more power to recommend the transfer of sick refugees and asylum-seekers from Nauru and Manus Island to Australia. The Guardian reports that Prime Minister Scott Morrison has identified repeal of the legislation, passed by the House of Representatives in February, as a priority. Refugees and advocates have reported a consistently worsening mental health situation on the two islands, with several sources reporting a spike in apparent suicide attempts and self-harm since election results were confirmed on Saturday. | | |
| Mexico’s tiny refugee agency turns to UN to cope with asylum surge. Mexico is emerging as not only a transit country for asylum-seekers from Central America and elsewhere trying to reach the United States, but also as a destination. The country is on track to receive 60,000 asylum applications this year, double last year’s figure, according to Andres Ramirez, director of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR). While asylum claims have risen, COMAR’s budget is the lowest in seven years. UNHCR is offering financial support and staff to enable COMAR to open three new offices to deal with the surge. One will be in the northern border city of Tijuana, another in Monterrey, and a third in Palenque in the southern border state of Chiapas. For now, Reuters reports that the line outside COMAR’s office in Tapachula, Chiapas, stretches for three blocks. | | |
| Why churches in Europe are opening their doors to asylum-seekers. The Christian Science Monitor reports on the growing number of churches in Europe that have responded to the hardening of policies towards asylum-seekers by offering sanctuary to asylum-seekers facing deportation. In Germany, 532 churches are offering protection to 855 people, up from 543 people a year ago, while the Bethel church in the Netherlands drew worldwide attention for its non-stop 96-day service to prevent a family’s deportation to Armenia. The demand for sanctuary spaces in German is greatly outstripping supply, according to Pastor Dietlind Jochims, commissioner for migration, asylum, and human rights for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in northern Germany. | | |
| How Syrian refugees in Canada have fared since 2015. Canada’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis has been widely acclaimed, but how successful has the country been at integrating the 25,000 Syrians resettled to the country between late 2015 and early 2016? Macleans meets the Badrs, a Syrian family grappling with the cultural nuances and obligations of their new home. Statistics Canada reported recently that only 24 per cent of adult male Syrians among that first cohort of 25,000 refugees were working, and only 8 per cent of Syrian women. The low employment rate can be partly explained by Canada’s decision to accept the most vulnerable rather than selecting for employability. The Badrs are still struggling to conquer the language barrier, but they are determined to fit into Canadian society. | | |
| After seeking asylum in Egypt in 2012, Abdullah and his brother decided to revive their family’s generations-old tradition of sweet-making to start a business in 6th of October city outside Cairo, where many Syrian refugees live. Their small factory and two shops now employ 10 people and their sweets are a hit with both Syrians and Egyptians. | | |
Since October 2015, Canada has admitted 58,650 Syrian refugees for resettlement.
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