Coast Guard Rescues Migrants Stranded on Rocks
Dozens of people trying to flee to Europe were stranded for hours on rocks in the Aegean Sea before being saved by the Turkish coast guard.
A boat carrying 51 people from Izmir in Turkey en route to Greece sent a distress call around 1 a.m. local time on Thursday but rescuers could not reach them until daylight because of the sea conditions. The migrants sheltered on rocks while helicopters dropped food and blankets, the Associated Press reported.
The group included 15 children. Five of them were lifted off the rocks by rope while others were taken back to Turkey in coast guard vessels.
Some 27,500 people have tried to enter Greece by boat this year: at least 60 have died in the eastern Mediterranean en route. A further 2,800 drowned in the central Mediterranean en route to Italy and 170 perished aiming for Spain.
Thousands Flee Cameroon as Tensions Rise in Anglophone Region
At least 7,500 people have fled Cameroon as protests by the Anglophone minority have grown into a full-blown separatist movement.
Protests against marginalization by the French-speaking elite began last year and were met by a government crackdown. On Oct. 1, separatists declared an independent state, prompting a clampdown that caused thousands to flee through dense forests over the border into Nigeria, where many are sheltering with families and have little access to food and medicine.
“There are many pregnant women in the forest,” 32-year-old Eta Quinta told Reuters after fleeing with her three children. “I have friends in the forest and am not sure if I will get to see them again, or their kids.”
Some 2,300 people fled Cameroon on Dec. 4 after a deadly separatist militant attack on Cameroonian forces. The United Nations refugee agency says it is making preparations for 40,000 refugees from Cameroon.
Brussels Summit Makes Little Headway on E.U. Divide Over Quotas
European countries on both sides of the divide over refugee relocation quotas stood their ground at a European Union summit in Brussels.
The E.U. is trying reach a compromise on quotas before next June, when the bloc is due to agree reforms to its common asylum system. Four central European states – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – reject mandatory quotas, while countries in which most refugees arrive – Greece and Italy – say they are essential.
Leaders on both sides did not appear any closer after the long dinner meeting in Brussels. German chancellor Angela Merkel said: “There cannot be selective solidarity among European member states.” And Belgian prime minister Charles Michel warned: “The European Union is not only an ATM when you need support.”
Despite the bitter tone of the comments, one anonymous E.U. official stressed to Reuters that at least those present had succeeded in having an honest debate on a contentious topic.
Recommended Reads
- IDMC: Going ‘Home’ to Displacement: Afghanistan’s Returnee-IDPs
- Institute for Security Studies: Migrant Smuggling: Paths From the Horn of Africa to Yemen and Saudi Arabia
- Al-Monitor: Northern Lebanon Struggles to Contain Backlash Against Syrians
- The Guardian: Time to Break the Myth: There’s No Such Thing As a ‘Good’ or ‘Bad’ Immigrant