The Colombian government has been praised for paving the way in how states should respond to increased flows of refugees and displaced people. Last month, President Ivan Duque of Colombia made a historic decision to grant temporary protective status to almost 1 million Venezuelan refugees within the country. This decision
The Ocean Viking, a search and rescue vessel operated by French NGO SOS Méditerranée, has rescued hundreds of people off the coast of Libya in recent days. According to SOS Méditerranée, 374 people were rescued within two days. Crossing the Mediterranean has been described as the world’s most dangerous migration
On Friday, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, issued a warning that Yemen is currently in imminent danger of experiencing “the worst famine the world has seen for decades.” He further states that “..in the absence of immediate action, millions of lives may be lost.” According to the United Nations,
The European Commission unveiled its new Pact on Migration and Asylum last Wednesday. Margaritis Schinas, the vice president of the commission, announced the new proposals and asserted that they would constitute a “fresh start” for EU asylum policy. However, according to Amnesty International, the reality is that this new pact
A Sudanese boy was found dead off the coast of Calais, Northern France last Wednesday. Abdulfatah Hamdallah had reportedly attempted to cross the English Channel in an inflatable dinghy with shovels for oars in a bid for asylum. His death is a pertinent reminder of the deadly nature of the
As a further development of increasingly hostile U.S. immigration policies, it has been found that the Trump administration has been detaining young migrant children in hotels, before they are expelled from the country. The children are held for as long as several weeks on end, with some as young as
The dire humanitarian situation in Syria is likely to only intensify as a new series of U.S. sanctions take effect. Recent legislation enacted by the United States, known as the Caesar Act, will impose the most severe and far-reaching economic sanctions on the war-torn country to date. The sanctions aim
The Trump administration has proposed a new asylum regulation which has been described as the most severe approach to immigration policy the United States has seen yet. The new rule was proposed by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security and is titled “The Rule on Procedures for Asylum and
Last week, a boat carrying migrants and asylum seekers sank off the coast of Tunisia. It was headed for the Italian coast and its passengers were primarily from Sub-Saharan Africa. According to local authorities, at least 61 people were killed in the shipwreck. These tragic deaths are a direct result
Russian airstrikes have been reported in northwest Syria, targeting the last major rebel-held territory in the region. These strikes mark a departure from a ceasefire that came into effect in March concerning the region. As such, the air raids were the first to have occurred in three months. While no
Facing arbitrary detention and grave human rights abuses, the crisis for migrants and asylum seekers in Libya continues to this day. The majority of people displaced by conflict seek asylum in Europe by undertaking the highly dangerous journey of crossing the Mediterranean. As of 2017, the main route for this
Militants carried out a brutal attack on the Medecins Sans Frontières maternity ward in Dast-e-Barchi hospital, located in Kabul, Afghanistan. The ward was stormed by three gunmen disguised as police officers at 10:00 AM on Tuesday. The attack has resulted in 24 fatalities, including two newborn babies. Shockwaves were sent
Two humanitarian rescue vessels, the Alan Kurdi and the Aita Mari, have been impounded by Italian authorities. The owners of both vessels claim it is a form of harassment and an attempt to prevent them from carrying out their mission of rescuing asylum seekers in the Mediterranean. The Italian coastguards
The finalisation of a new deal between the United States government and Honduras, described as an “asylum cooperative agreement,” has given rise to widespread criticism. The deal allows those seeking asylum in the U.S. to instead be sent to Honduras. Many asylum advocates have criticised the deal, stating that it
Calais, in Northern France, is a harsh illustration of the reality of the refugee crisis in Europe as it stands today. It was once recognized due to the presence of “The Jungle,” a refugee camp which sheltered around 10,000 refugees between 2015-2016. In October 2016, as a result of growing
The United Nations envoys for the Middle East are calling for an immediate ceasefire in the region. This appeal aims to redirect focus to addressing and responding to the growing threat of COVID-19. The region has been ravaged by various ongoing conflicts, which have resulted in serious damage to health
The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) published a report on Wednesday, highlighting the systemic “environmental racism” the minority Roma population across Europe faces. The report was published as part of International Roma Day and focuses on Central and Eastern European countries. However, the conditions faced by Roma communities have been found
Concern is growing over the potential spread of COVID-19 in Syria, as the first death due to the virus was reported on Sunday. A report from Syria’s Health Ministry stated that a woman died after being rushed to hospital. She was later discovered as being infected with the virus. The
