UNHCR warns of humanitarian crisis in volatile C.A.R.

UNHCR warns of humanitarian crisis in volatile C.A.R.

The elections last month in Central African Republic brought a fresh wave of political violence affecting more than 200,000 people who are now displaced, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). “The continuing volatility has hampered the humanitarian response and made access to the internally displaced more…

UN agencies call for action on Mediterranean migration

UN agencies call for action on Mediterranean migration

Dozens of African migrants were rescued this week from what international migration agencies say is the largest shipwreck this year off the Libyan coast, but the death of at least 45 others has renewed attention to policies that fail to protect Mediterranean Sea migrants. The International Organization for Migration (IOM)…

UNHCR: Social media insults led to fighting in eastern Chad

Social media provocations have been blamed for a spike in clashes among the Zaghwa people living in eastern Chad, causing at least 8,300 people to flee into Darfur regions of neighboring Sudan, according to UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency. The Zaghwa live in a region that stretches across the…

UN refugee chief finishes three-nation Sahel tour

Filippo Grandi, head of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), has completed a three-nation tour of the Sahel, meeting with heads of state and other leaders focused on the security and humanitarian crises. Grandi wrapped up his mission in Burkina Faso, meeting with President Roch Marc Kaboré after stops in…

UN says LNA strikes near Tripoli target civilians

Another bombing on the outskirts of Tripoli  – impacting civilians for the fourth time this week – drew a fresh appeal from the United Nations representative in Libya for their protection. The Institute of Applied Engineering, located near hundreds of people sheltered in the Al-Nasser Migrants Center in Al-Zawiya, was…

UN agencies warn of dire conditions in DRC Ebola zone

The United Nations said Friday that the situation in Democratic Republic of Congo, where more Ebola response workers were killed in attacks this week in and around Beni, has become untenable for civilians and the health and humanitarian aid workers seeking to help them. Armed groups have been targeting civilians…

Rwanda to take in migrants detained in Libya

Migrants trapped in deteriorating conditions in Libya may be headed to Rwanda, following the announcement Tuesday of a deal between the central African nation, the African Union and the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, to evacuate them. “Under the agreement, the Government of Rwanda will receive and provide protection to…

Congolese refugees in Angola are returning home

Congolese refugees who fled to Angola to escape fighting between armed groups and military forces in 2017 are beginning to return home, according to Angolan officials and UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency. Some 8,000 refugees have been on the move for the past week, with more than 1,400 already…

UNHCR laments Italy’s approval of stiff migrant rescue penalties

The United Nations refugee agency responded quickly on Tuesday to a decision made by Italy’s parliament that will impose harsher penalties against those people and organizations involved in migrant search and rescue on the Mediterranean Sea. The UNHCR said that under the changes, fines for private vessels that rescue migrants…

Aid agencies in Yemen work to evacuate Somali, Ethiopian refugees

Humanitarian workers say they’re working to repatriate Somali and Ethiopian refugees who are trapped in Yemen, but problems with the flight permissions necessary to evacuate them were hampering the effort. “The flight delays are putting thousands of migrants’ lives at further risk,” said Mohammed Abdiker of the International Organization for…

UNHCR warns of new communal violence in Nigeria

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, raised the alarm on Tuesday over increasing violence in Nigeria, this time in a northwest region where conflict is not related to the Islamist extremism that plagues Borno state. Rather, the violence is sparked by communal and ethnic violence, vigilantism and kidnappings for ransom in…