Conflict, displacement in Ituri threaten DRC Ebola response

Conflict, displacement in Ituri threaten DRC Ebola response

Renewed violence in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is forcing mass displacement from a region where authorities are struggling to contain the Ebola outbreak. Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, who visited the area recently, estimated that some 400,000 persons are displaced throughout Ituri Province.  The International Organization…

Five dead, at least 130 missing from Djibouti migrant boats

More than 130 migrants went missing on Tuesday morning when two boats capsized off the coast of Djibouti. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations agency for refugees and migrants, said the boats capsized about 30 minutes after leaving shore because they were overloaded as they headed into…

Ethiopian migrants head home from Yemen

More than 400 Ethiopian migrants who have been stranded in Yemen are headed home, as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) begins flights to take them to Addis Ababa. The first group of 102 Ethiopians landed in Addis Ababa on Monday, with another 316 arriving by Thursday through a Voluntary…

Morocco imposes new visa rules to deter EU-bound migrants

The Government of Morocco, under pressure to stem the tide of African migrants crossing into Spain, has established new entry visa rules for travelers from some African nations. Reuters reports that the new requirements apply in up to seven countries that have historically had no visa requirement to visit Morocco….

UN migration agency welcomes new director

The UN agency for migration has a new director general, with António Vitorino of Portugal taking the helm this month as former United States diplomat William Lacy Swing steps down after two five-year terms. The 61-year-old Vitorino is a former European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, and was Portugal’s…

Congolese artist living at Kakuma wins IOM migration film award

After 340 film screenings focused on migration, held across the globe in 100 countries, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced on Monday the winners of its Global Migration Film Festival – including a Congolese artist living in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. The top award in the professional category…

IOM, Libyan officials meet to coordinate migrant rescues

There was some positive news Tuesday from the International Organization for Migration, as officials announced they had not seen a single migrant death on the Mediterranean Sea in the past three weeks. That’s a far cry from the 689 deaths recorded in August 2015, and the news comes as the…

Guinea’s latest group of migrants home from Libya

More than 5,000 migrants so far this year have returned from Libya to their countries of origin, the International Organization for Migration said, including 132 people from Guinea who flew home to Conakry last Thursday. The group was on the sixth flight back to Guinea from Libya this year, as…