Author: RACHAEL ADEEGBE
Eritrean migrants, fleeing from harsh realities in their homeland, encounter daunting challenges on their journey to Europe, as highlighted by the experiences of individuals aboard Emergency’s Life Support search-and-rescue vessel in March 2024. Mehretab, a 27-year-old Eritrean, embarked on a six-year odyssey to reach Europe, driven by the imperative to evade mandatory military service. His journey, akin to pursuing a doctorate in duration, commenced after completing his electronics studies in Eritrea. Despite legal provisions limiting military conscription, enforced indefinite service compelled Mehretab to seek refuge elsewhere. Departing to Libya via Ethiopia, Mehretab’s aspirations were soon thwarted as he fell prey…
Over the weekend, Cyprus conducted extensive rescue operations, aided by the coast guard and fishing boats, resulting in the successful retrieval of more than 500 migrants, as reported by the Cyprus Times on Monday. By Tuesday, local newspapers indicated the tally exceeded 500 individuals. According to the English edition of the Greek-language newspaper Kathimerini on Tuesday (April 2), over 500 migrants reached Cyprus within the last 48 hours. Among these arrivals, two boats carrying 68 migrants arrived overnight between Monday and Tuesday, with the majority originating from Syria. The first vessel, discovered just past midnight, contained 25 men, five women,…
Recent footage circulating on social media depicts French police officers shining flashlights into migrant tents in the dead of night before swiftly dismantling the camps, raising alarm over clandestine operations aimed at avoiding scrutiny, particularly in the lead-up to the Olympic Games. The collective Accès au Droit (Access to Rights) shared a video on social media capturing French police officers using flashlights to rouse sleeping migrants under a bridge in Paris’s Jaurès district. According to Fanny, a member of the collective, the migrants, primarily young Afghans, were forcibly awakened between 2:30 am and 3 am by police officers wielding tear…
The arson attack, which claimed the lives of a young Bulgarian Muslim family residing in an apartment block in Solingen, has prompted shock and outrage across Germany. Despite ongoing investigations, the incident has sparked concerns of a resurgence in racial violence reminiscent of past tragedies. The Turkish-Islamic Union DITIB expressed deep sorrow over the attack, drawing parallels to a similar arson incident in Solingen in 1993, which had resulted in the deaths of five people and was later confirmed as a racially motivated crime perpetrated by neo-Nazis. While the State Integration Council’s Tayfun Keltek has voiced suspicions of a hate-driven…
Syrians residing in Germany are confronted with a troubling dilemma: they are compelled to return to the very government that subjected them to imprisonment or torture to obtain a new passport. According to activists, the financial transactions involved in obtaining these passports serve to fund a regime that the German government itself sanctions. Adam Yasmin, now 27, was embroiled in political activism from a young age in Syria. However, his involvement in pro-democracy protests led to his arrest and subsequent torture at the age of 16. Fleeing to Germany, Yasmin applied for German citizenship, only to discover that he required…
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has sounded the alarm regarding the escalating humanitarian crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where persistent violence has resulted in a staggering 5.7 million people being internally displaced across North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces over the past two years. Recent violence in the North Kivu territories of Rutshuru and Masisi has forced over 1.3 million people to flee their homes within the DRC, exacerbating an already dire situation. The town of Sake witnessed violent clashes on February 7, leading to a mass influx of nearly 300,000 people…
On March 28th, 2024, in Palermo, Sicily, a momentous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed, heralding a groundbreaking initiative for Moroccan nationals seeking vocational training and seasonal employment opportunities in Italy. This landmark agreement brings together Sicilian and Moroccan labor organizations in a collaborative effort to empower Moroccan workers with essential skills and language proficiency necessary for successful employment within Sicily’s labor market. Spearheaded by prominent entities such as the Sicily Foreign Workers Association, the Human Solidarity Consortium, and the General Union of Moroccan Workers (UGTM), the initiative aims to establish legal pathways for migrant workers while mitigating the risks…
In the wake of 2023, the Mediterranean Sea has emerged as a treacherous passage for migrants, with last year marking the deadliest period since 2017. Amid this crisis, German News Channel, Deutsche Welle (DW) embarked on a migrant rescue mission aboard the Life Support vessel, shedding light on the hazards that define these perilous crossings. Setting sail from the Sicilian port of Catania to Malta’s search-and-rescue zone, the Life Support, operated by the Milan-based NGO Emergency, braced for a 30-hour journey fraught with uncertainty. As crew members rehearsed rescue protocols and navigational strategies, they confronted the looming threat posed by…
In recent months, the tranquil shores of Gavdos, a diminutive Greek island situated south of Crete, have been inundated by a startling influx of migrants, totaling at least 1,180 arrivals since the onset of 2024. With its mere 70 inhabitants, the island finds itself grappling with an unprecedented surge, earning comparisons to the migration pressures faced by Lampedusa, Italy. Originating from Tobruk, Libya’s eastern Mediterranean port city, located some 200 kilometers away, migrants—mainly Egyptians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis—have been journeying across perilous waters to reach Gavdos, seeking entry into Europe. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that makeshift vessels carrying…
According to a comprehensive report released by Italy’s UIL labor union (Italian Unione Italiana del Lavoro), the educational landscape of Italy reflects remarkable diversity. Approximately one million students enrolled in Italian schools do not hold Italian nationality. Representing 11% of the total student population, these figures underscore a notable increase from the previous academic year, which saw 865,388 “foreign” students, as per data provided by the education ministry. In Italy, the process of acquiring citizenship is intricate and non-automatic, posing significant challenges for individuals born in the country to non-Italian parents. Despite being lifelong residents and fluent Italian speakers, these children…