The highly contentious ban on travel to the United States from six nations – three of them in Africa – went into effect at 0000 GMT, or midnight in Ghana and 3 a.m. Friday morning in Khartoum. The ban affects travelers from Sudan, Libya and Somalia. The original “Protecting the…
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres completes his “Solidarity Summit” visit to Uganda on Friday, in an effort to raise the visibility of refugees and increase support for them and their host communities. Hosted by Guterres and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, the summit of delegates, donors and heads of state hopes to…
The crisis in South Sudan is driving what is now the fastest-growing refugee population, with some 1.4 million people forced to flee the country, the United Nations Refugee Agency said in an annual report released Monday. In South Sudan, an additional 1.9 million people are living as internally displaced persons…
At least 42 people are now reported dead and another 20 to 30 injured following an attack Thursday on refugees traveling by boat across the Red Sea from Yemen and heading to Sudan. The update from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that many of the victims are…
With so much attention focused on United States immigration policy, the Pew Research Center issued an update Tuesday that looks at data about African immigrants and their growing presence in the U.S. There were 2.1 million Africans living in the U.S. in 2015, more than double the number of 881,000…
New United Nations Secretary General António Guterres has reiterated the U.N. position on protecting refugees, joining the chorus of international voices concerned over President Donald Trump’s stance on those seeking help from the United States, and other countries with similar closed-border policies. “Refugees fleeing conflict and persecution are finding more…
Faris El-Khider, a physician at the internationally recognized Cleveland Clinic in the United States, almost got on his flight to Sudan last week. He was scheduled to fly home to visit his family last Wednesday, and he was already at the airport when he heard about American President Donald J….
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
At the United States Department of State, the resettlement of African refugees was a priority of the Obama administration, and there was comprehensive data and a website presence to support it. Now those pages are gone – as a normal part of the transition, they exist as an archive –…
Citing the threat of terrorism, Chad on Thursday closed its 2,000 kilometer border with Libya and will keep troops deployed to guard against armed militants moving from its chaotic neighboring state. “For some days now, the government has noted with regret a worrying deterioration of the security situation in Libyan…
Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn of Ethiopia has urged Kenya to revisit its decision to withdraw troops from South Sudan, the state-affiliated FANA news agency reported. “We want the government of Uhuru Kenyatta to let its troops remain in South Sudan and support the efforts being made to restore peace in…
Kenya will postpone the controversial closure of its Dadaab refugee camp for at least six months, citing the difficult security situation in Somalia and a United Nations appeal as factors in the decision. Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery said Wednesday that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had…
A song by Nigerian reggae musician Majek Fashek has become the message of a new music video in support of refugees and asylum seekers fleeing political and religious violence. The “We Are Not Afraid” video features 175 global music and film stars – from fellow Nigerian Femi Kuti to Ivorian…
The United Nations General Assembly formally appointed António Guterres as the next UN Secretary General on Thursday. The 67-year-old Guterres will succeed Ban Ki-moon when he steps down at the end of the year. Guterres, the former prime minister of Portugal, served as the head of the UN High Commission on…
President Mahamadou Issoufou, meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Niamey, said Monday that Niger needs a “Marshall Plan” to promote development. Issoufou said he believed Niger needed a sum of €1 billion just to fight illegal migration alone, reports Deutsche Welle. He added the €1.88 billion euros in the European…
German Chancellor Angela Merkel begins a trip to Africa Sunday, visiting the nations of Mali and Niger to discuss their security and counterterrorism strategies before heading to Ethiopia. She’ll arrive in Addis Ababa amid the nation’s escalating unrest and the international attention to its alleged human rights violations, issues that…