U.N. Warns Asylum Seekers Pushed From Israel May Head to Libya
The U.N. refugee agency urged Israel not to push thousands of asylum seekers out of the country in the coming months, warning that previous deportees ended up making dangerous journeys to Europe via Libya.
At least 80 Eritreans in Rome told UNHCR officials that they had previously been relocated from Israel before heading to Europe. Many “suffered abuse, torture and extortion” and saw others die along the way, said UNHCR spokesman William Spindler.
Israel has been sending Eritrean and Sudanese migrants to unnamed “third countries” in Africa – Rwanda and Uganda – and recently announced a three-month deadline for more than 40,000 Africans to leave.
Spindler noted that only 10 Eritreans and one Sudanese have been recognized as refugees in Israel since 2009, despite high rates of refugee status for those nationalities in other countries. “So we would expect that among them, many would qualify for refugee status,” he said.
Uganda and Rwanda deny any deals have been struck. Many people sent there from Israel end up without refugee status or support and continue their journey elsewhere.
Spindler noted that the prospect of mass relocations of asylum seekers from Israel and their potential onward journey to Libya could undermine international efforts to step up the evacuation of migrants and asylum seekers from Libya.
More Than 70,000 Flee Regime Offensive in Syria
More than 70,000 Syrians have fled their homes in recent weeks amid a regime offensive in the Syrian province of Idlib.
Some 1.1 million people have moved from other parts of Syria into the northwestern province, the last controlled by opposition forces. Some fled fighting while others were relocated under safe passage deals after rebel fighters surrendered.
The regime recently launched a ground offensive in the province, which has been largely controlled by an Islamist coalition of rebels since early 2015. It was designated a “de-escalation zone” under a deal last year brokered by Iran, Turkey and Russia.
The renewed fighting has hit eight hospitals in recent weeks, aid workers told the Guardian. The newspaper reported that aid and diplomatic officials fear the regime assault will push people toward the border and cram them into shrinking rebel-held areas, with the possibility of massive civilian casualties.
More Than 200 Migrants Scale Wall to Spain
Hundreds of migrants entered Spanish territory during the mass-scaling of a wall between Morocco and the Spanish enclave of Melilla.
Around 100 people were turned back but more than 200 made it over the fortified fence, reaching territory where they can claim asylum in the European Union. Four migrants and one police officer were wounded during the incident.
African migrants and asylum seekers periodically try to enter Melilla and Ceuta –Spain’s two enclaves on the African continent – from Morocco. Last year, the number of people taking boats on the Mediterranean to Spain from North Africa more than tripled to 21,500.
Recommended Reads
- Are You Syrious: Turkey: The Only Hope Is to Return One Day
- The New York Times: From Offices to Disney World, Employers Brace for the Loss of an Immigrant Work Force
- The National Interest: Understanding the Global Refugee Crisis: A Tale of 3 Myths
- Open Democracy: Combatting Loss: Refugees, Employment and Social Entrepreneurship in Turkey