Tens of Thousands Flee Renewed Violence in Central African Republic
Renewed violence between armed militias in the Central African Republic (CAR) has displaced more than 100,000 people since April, according to the U.N.
“The country is experiencing a deteriorating cycle of violence … it has the worst level of humanitarian needs per capita,” U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
An upsurge in fighting in the southern towns of Bangassou, Bema and Mobaye has pushed more than 60,000 people to flee to the remote border areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since May.
In Ndu, a village in DRC, “refugees are staying everywhere they can – in churches, in buildings used as schools, in the only health center or sleeping in the open,” U.N. refugee agency spokesperson William Spindler said.
Since conflict broke out in CAR in March 2013, more than 1 million people have been displaced, with nearly half of those pushed across the border into neighboring countries.
Protest at Lesbos Detention Center Results in Clashes, Arrests
At least 35 people were arrested after clashes erupted between police and asylum seekers at an overcrowded migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos.
Greek authorities said protesters set fires inside the Moria camp and threw stones at police officers who used tear gas to dispel the crowds. Local media reported that they were protesting the deportation of an asylum seeker back to Turkey.
There have been a number of protests in Moria in recent weeks, in response to deportations under the E.U.-Turkey deal and conditions in the crowded island camps, which are currently housing about 1,000 people above their capacity of 3,500 people, according to official government data.
UK Puts $1.3 Million Toward Community Sponsorship of Refugees
The British government is putting $1.3 million (£1 million) toward its community sponsorship scheme for refugees.
The initiative, partly modeled on Canada’s private sponsorship system, was launched last year. Ten community groups have sponsored 53 Syrian refugees who have been resettled through the scheme to date.
The new funds will provide training and support for more organizations including charities, faith groups and churches to sponsor refugees, a Home Office statement said.
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- Al Jazeera: What’s the E.U.’s Vision to Address the Refugee Crisis?