Dozens queue, but the reception office in Gqeberha only serves 15 asylum seekers a day Many asylum seekers are being turned away at Home Affairs offices in Cape Town and Gqeberha because very few applicants are being served on any given day. GroundUp met a Burundian refugee who has been given an appointment for February […]
Tag: Refugees and Displacement
Adré, Chad — ‘We found corpses lying every two kilometres.’ The route to safety for Darfuris fleeing ethnically targeted violence by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias is a relatively short 30-kilometre road that snakes a path to a refugee camp in neighbouring Chad. But those who have recently traversed the route […]
Nekemte, Oromia — Internally Displaced People (IDP) in Western Oromia, particularly the East Wollega, West Wollega, Kellem Wollega, and Horo Guduru Wollega zones have endured dire humanitarian crisis for years in an area where relief operations are constrained by continued security threats. Government sponsored forced returns have exacerbated the crisis pushing IDPs to street begging. […]
Rwanda is an open and welcoming country for people seeking safety and refuge, government spokesperson Yolande Makolo has said. In an interview with British television Sky News, Makolo said Rwanda, which hosts more than 130,000 refugees, was “very much used to” offering good treatment to people seeking safety. She spoke in the wake of the […]
Dongola — ‘I only realised their value when my money and belongings were stolen right in front of my eyes.’ Azza Hussein anxiously scrutinises her mobile phone. Unphased by the loud cries of street vendors as she stands in front of a pharmacy in a market in Dongola, the capital of Sudan’s Northern state, her […]
As elections loom, extend vital Human Rights Commission mandate To Permanent Representatives of Member and Observer States of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council 20 February 2024 South Sudan: As elections loom, extend vital Human Rights Commission mandate Excellencies, Ahead of the UN Human Rights Council’s (“HRC” or “Council”) 55th session (26 February-5 April […]
The number of forcibly displaced people increased to 108 million in 2022 and is expected to reach 117 million by the end of 2023, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Of these, just over 60 million were internally displaced – people who have been forced to leave their homes but have not crossed […]
Reverend Father Solomon Mfa, a Catholic priest, leaves no one in doubt about his penchant for bettering the lives of the less privileged, especially those of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State. Mfa has become a household name for humanitarian services as he evidently makes life easy for the have-nots of the society. The […]
Despite the dangers, Saudi Arabia remains a top destination for irregular migrants searching for a better life. The rise in targeted killings of Ethiopian migrants by Saudi border officials highlights the brutality of efforts to stop irregular migration, and the desperation of those who make the perilous journeys. In August, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported […]
Mogadishu — ‘You need to start thinking of these informal settlements as permanent settlements – mini-cities.’ War and drought is emptying Somalia’s countryside, creating a surge in urbanisation and cementing a permanent demographic shift that will have far-reaching implications for the country’s future recovery, say aid and development experts. After three decades of conflict and […]
Ouagadougou — ‘Since I have been here, nobody from the government has ever come to help.’ More than 30,000 Burkinabé have made their way down to the capital city, Ouagadougou, over the past few years, escaping a jihadist conflict that has enveloped large parts of the country and displaced more than two million people overall. […]
A nonprofit organization, Save the Children International, SCI, yesterday, raised the alarm over escalation of violence in Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, displacing 78,000 children and ripping thousand of families apart. According to SCI in a statement made available to Vanguard, at least 78,000 children have flee their homes in the past week, with thousands […]
Digital press briefing with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Assistant Secretary of State, Julieta Valls Noyes. Assistant Secretary Noyes discussed her meetings with senior government officials, humanitarian leaders, and refugees in Ethiopia and Chad on the growing humanitarian and migration challenges in both central and eastern Africa. MODERATOR: Good […]
Kampala — ‘International organisations and NGOs often treat refugees as burdens that need to be taken care of rather than as human beings capable of taking care of ourselves.’ I’ve seen advertisements from UN agencies on social media asking, “What would you take with you if you had to flee your home?”. The question is […]
Addis Abeba — Hunger-related complications have tragically led to the deaths of at least 27 individuals, including children, at the Abiy Addi internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in central Tigray. With thousands of people seeking refuge within its boundaries, the camp now stands as a stark reminder of the looming danger and dire circumstances that […]
Johannesburg — Ensure Civil Society Access to Dzaleka; Uphold Refugee Rights The Malawian government is jeopardizing refugee rights at Dzaleka refugee camp by expelling an important refugee rights group, Human Rights Watch said today. INUA Advocacy had been providing independent scrutiny of the human rights situation at the camp, which is about 40 kilometers from […]
Addis Abeba — More than a year after the signing of the Pretoria Peace Agreement in November 2022, and restoration of peace to most parts of Tigray, the task of returning IDPs to their homes remain elusive and complex, further exacerbating the suffering of those displaced by the war. Limited delivery of humanitarian aid left […]
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Congo-Kinshasa: Updates from the Ground
In and around Goma, around 170,000 people have fled the fighting in Masisi territory in recent weeks to settle in the two sites for displaced people in Rusayo. Around 20,000 of them arrived in the week of 12 February alone. Testimonies of people who recently fled their homes due to the fighting: Niramahoro Mafishe Sandrine […]