Author: RACHAEL ADEEGBE

Austria has announced plans to advocate for a significant shift in handling asylum cases across the European Union. Amid growing divisions on immigration issues within the bloc, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer suggests the EU should emulate the UK’s approach to migration processing. During a working meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Vienna, Nehammer proposed that the EU consider outsourcing its migration processing to African countries, similar to the UK’s plan to send migrants without legal immigration papers to Rwanda. This plan, which has recently overcome legal hurdles, would have migrants apply for asylum in Rwanda instead of the…

For the past few weeks, migrants in Tunisia have reported an alarming increase in arrests by Tunisian authorities, particularly targeting Black people. These arrests are happening on the streets, in cafes, shops, and even in homes, mainly in the cities of Sousse and Sfax. Relatives of those detained fear they may be sent to the desert near the borders with Algeria or Libya, causing significant anxiety among the migrant community. Salif, a twenty-year-old Guinean living near Sfax, recounted to InfoMigrants that the Tunisian National Guard has been forcefully entering homes, confiscating passports, and stealing personal belongings, including phones and money.…

On May 19th 2024, the Calabrian port of Roccella Ionica witnessed a resurgence in migrant landings, with three separate arrivals occurring within just 16 hours. These landings follow a period of relative calm and were the result of rescue operations conducted by the local coast guard. The first landing occurred during the night between Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19, involving 38 Bangladeshi nationals. These adult men had departed from Libya on a small vessel and were intercepted off Capo Spartivento, approximately 30 miles from the Calabrian coast. Later on May 19, two more landings took place within a few hours…

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) revealed in a statement on May 17 that Uganda is facing significant challenges due to the continuous arrival of refugees fleeing war and the climate crisis. Uganda has been welcoming an increasing number of Sudanese refugees, with over 33,000 people arriving since the start of 2024, including 19,000 who have settled in Kampala. These refugees are escaping a conflict in Sudan that has been ongoing for more than a year. Most of the Sudanese refugees are from Khartoum, and many hold university-level educations. Alongside the Sudanese, Uganda receives an average of 2,500 refugees weekly, primarily…

In a tragic revelation, Alarm Phone Sahara, an organization dedicated to assisting migrants in the desert, reported that 11 migrants have died of thirst near the Niger border in the past two months. The migrants were expelled by Algerian authorities and left in the desolate “Zero Point” zone. On May 12, a Malian man was found unconscious by the Alarm Phone Sahara team in the Sahara desert’s scorching heat, where temperatures exceeded 45 degrees Celsius. Abandoned by Algerian authorities, he was rushed to Assamaka, a border town 15 kilometers away, but he succumbed to the extreme conditions. Two days earlier,…

The NGO vessel Ocean Viking, operated by SOS Mediterranee, rescued 35 Bangladeshi migrants from a fiberglass boat adrift between Italy and Malta on Monday, May 20, 2024. The migrants were found suffering from dehydration and hypothermia after being at sea for three days. As darkness fell, the Ocean Viking’s crew spotted the small boat and moved in to assist. Giannis, one of the crew members, called out to the migrants, reassuring them: “We’re here to help you!” The rescue operation began after the crew received a distress call from the hotline Alarm Phone. At 4 am, the Ocean Viking crew…

In a landmark decision, a Greek court acquitted nine Egyptian men, known as the ‘Pylos 9,’ accused of causing the deadly Adriana shipwreck off the coast of Greece last June. The court ruled it lacked jurisdiction over the case. The fishing trawler Adriana, carrying over 700 migrants from Pakistan, Syria, and Egypt, sank on June 14, 2023, in one of the Mediterranean’s deadliest maritime disasters. Only 104 survived, and 82 bodies were recovered near the Peloponnese peninsula. The ‘Pylos 9’, aged 21 to 41, were arrested hours after the incident and held for 11 months on charges of migrant smuggling,…

Nestled among dry hills and a lonely coastline, Riace was once a symbol of hope. It welcomed hundreds of refugees to help bring new life to its old town. But today, this small Italian community is divided, its streets showing the remains of a failed plan and political arguments. In Riace’s old center, where winds blow through empty streets, people remember when new faces from Syria, Eritrea, and Nigeria filled the town. Now, most of the migrants have left, leaving behind a town torn between wanting to include newcomers and wanting to keep them out. At its peak, almost half…

In the vast expanse of the Sahara desert, where the border between Mauritania and Morocco stretches, migrants face unimaginable horrors at the hands of Moroccan security forces. Stories of violence, torture, and abandonment paint a grim picture of the challenges confronting those seeking refuge and opportunity. Amadou, a 19-year-old Guinean migrant, struggles to find words to articulate his trauma. Alongside Mamadou, his friend from Conakry, he recounts their ordeal of crossing the treacherous border, only to be met with brutality and despair. Allegedly apprehended by Moroccan officials, they were subjected to beatings, attacked by dogs, and left stranded in the…

The Roxbury recreation center, which had been repurposed as an emergency shelter for migrants, has closed earlier than anticipated, leading to a variety of responses from the local community. In late January, the Melnea Cass Recreation Center started accommodating numerous migrant families, including some who had been camping at Logan Airport. This initiative, aimed at providing temporary relief for the migrants, was met with mixed reactions. While some community members saw it as a necessary humanitarian response, others were concerned about the impact on local youth who depend on the recreation center for activities and a safe space. Initially, the…