Syrian Refugees in Turkey Receive Cash Payments from E.U.
Nearly 600 Syrian refugees in Turkey are receiving cash assistance of $26 (100 Turkish lira) for each family member per month, as part of a pilot program.
The Emergency Social Safety Net is a $374 million (€348m) project that aims to provide cash assistance to 20,000 more refugees by the end of January if the current programs continue smoothly.
This number is expected to be scaled to 200,000 families by June 2017. About 1 million Syrians – one-third of Turkey’s refugee population – will receive debit cards as part of the program.
By giving refugees debit cards instead of handing out food, sponsors hope to empower refugees and strengthen the local economy, Jonathan Campbell of the World Food Program (WFP) told the Financial Times.
“In countries like Turkey where the market is strong, with a well-integrated economy, it doesn’t make sense for us to be distorting the market. With cash payments, you are actually giving refugees back the way they used to live their lives. You are giving back a sense of normality and dignity,” he added.
Such cash aid has already been tried in Lebanon over the past two years, with positive results.
However, the sustainability of such aid remains an issue, as funding for the program in Turkey will run out by 2017. But E.U. officials are optimistic that it will be extended, based on results.
The experiment in Turkey is part of the $3.22 billion (€3 billion) E.U. aid package to curtail the influx of migrants into Europe.
Gambians Return Home After Outgoing President Hands Over Power
At least 8,000 Gambians returned home from Senegal, shortly after Yahya Jammeh handed over power to President-elect Adama Barrow, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) announced.
Jammeh is expected to spend the coming years in exile, in Equatorial Guinea.
Gambian authorities are sending buses to various border crossings with Senegal to transport those wanting to return home. Some 530 Gambians re-entered the country from Senegal on Saturday. That number rose to more than 3,700 on Sunday and roughly the same number again made the journey on Monday.
A total of 50,000 Gambians remain displaced in neighboring Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, many fleeing persecution and hardship under Jammeh’s rule.
Thousands of Gambians fled their homes in early January in anticipation of political instability when Jammeh rejected the December 1 presidential election results that voted opposition leader Barrow into power. But, given the recent peaceful handover, many will return home.
Indonesian Migrants Drown off the Coast of Malaysia
Malaysian police recovered the bodies of 13 people washed ashore after a boat carrying up to 35 Indonesian migrants sunk near the Malaysian coast on Monday, Associated Press reported.
Patrolling coast guards discovered the bodies of four men and nine women on a beach in southern Johor state. Reuters reported that two people were rescued from the same capsized wooden boat. Although the boat was well over capacity, bad weather conditions have also been cited as a factor leading to the deaths.
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