27 Dec 2009
Video Report by France24 reporters Cyril VANIER and Karim HAKKI.
“We’re standing on a beach in southern Yemen, early one November morning. On the opposite side of the Gulf of Aden lies the Horn of Africa, one of the most troubled regions on earth, racked by civil war and poverty. Those who can pay for their way out, make their way to Yemen. Seventy dollars buys them a spot on the next boat out. Many are beaten on the way, sometimes women are raped, and all too often – passengers drown. Those who reach Yemen will have to start a new life from scratch. The sea is calm this morning, it is high season for illegal boats crossing into Yemen. Last night, we heard a motor boat travelling parallel to the beach. There was no light, no noise on board except for the engine: probably a smuggler using the cover of night to carry his human cargo….”
Click here for link to podcast.
26 Dec 2009
From The Sunday Times Magazine, 22 November 2009:
“Meet the survivors, bereaved families from Gambia and Senegal, and a man who smuggles the people — at a colossal price.”
“… The routes [African migrants] take are many and varied. From west Africa, migrants trek through the pitiless Sahara to Libya, from there to brave the Mediterranean — or, more perilous yet, strike out for the Canary Islands in fragile canoes known as ‘pirogues’. If they then cross to the Spanish mainland they will probably do so in tiny, open Spanish fishing boats. An estimated one in every eight migrants who try to travel across the ocean to Europe don’t make it, their bodies carried out into the cold Atlantic. Those who perish are identified only by chance, their skeletons dredged from the sea by Italian and Spanish trawlers, or their bodies washed on to beaches used by holidaymakers…”
Full article: African migrants and their desperate ploy for a better life – Times Online.
23 Dec 2009
Dr Emanuela Paoletti, a junior research fellow at Somerville College, Oxford, has an article in the electronic journal Pambazuka News discussing “Libya’s selective enforcement of restrictive immigration policies as a means of gaining foreign policy concessions from Italy.”
“Since the late 1990s, immigration from Libya to Italy had increased significantly, from less than 5,000 in 2000 to 30,000 in 2008. In May 2009, Gaddafi made his first trip to Italy, which was followed by a second visit on the occasion of the meeting of the G20. Concomitant with these visits, there was a drastic reduction in migration from Libya. From 1 May 2008 to 31 August 2008, 15,000 people arrived to Italy from Libya; in the same period in 2009 only 1,400 have landed on Italian shores. The Italian minister of interior, Roberto Maroni could recently announce, immigration from Libya in 2009 has decreased by 90 per cent compared to 2008. What explains the drastic decrease in ‘illegal’ migration from Libya to Italy?”
Click here for the full article.
23 Dec 2009
According to identical news releases issued by Frontex and the Community Fisheries Control Agency (CFCA), Frontex, the CFCA, and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) have entered into an agreement “with a view to cooperate, in accordance with their respective mandates, in the field of maritime surveillance that will be mutually beneficial for the three agencies.”
The press release goes on to state:
“The Cooperation Agreement will allow for the exchange of information and of expertise as well as of for the exploration of joint use of assets as relevant, optimising the functioning of the European Union as a whole regarding Maritime Surveillance. The cooperation will result in an improvement of the control of external maritime borders of the EU (competence of Frontex), an increase in the maritime safety (competence of EMSA) and an enhancement of the coordination of fisheries control and inspection activities by the Member States (competence of CFCA).
“The main activities comprised in the agreement are the following:
• Exchange of information and data on matters of common interest
• Explore synergies in the use of the maritime surveillance and information systems
• Explore the possibilities of joint use of assets
• Investigate potential cooperation in the field of maritime surveillance directed to the protection of external maritime borders and fisheries control
• Expand mutual collaboration between the Agencies in areas such as coordination of inspections, research and development, training, etc.
”Contacts:
- • EMSA: Pete Thomas, Senior Communication Officer
Peter.THOMAS@emsa.europa.eu, Tel. +351 21 1209 281
- • Frontex: Izabella Cooper, Spokesperson,
izabella.cooper@frontex.europa.eu , Tel. +48 22 544 95 35
- • CFCA: Patricia Sánchez Abeal, Communication Officer
patricia.sanchezabeal@cfca.europa.eu , Tel. +34 986 12 06 17”
Click here and here for links to the press releases.
22 Dec 2009
Human Rights Watch has issued a new report detailing the treatment refugees arriving in Yemen from the Horn of Africa.
“This report documents the harsh treatment of refugees traveling to Yemen and calls on the Yemeni government to stop systematically arresting Ethiopian asylum seekers and forcibly returning them home. The 53-page report also calls on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to put more pressure on the Yemeni government to meet its obligations toward all asylum seekers and refugees.”
Click here for report.
20 Dec 2009
Australia’s off-shore detention centre on Christmas Island is at capacity. Authorities have expanded the centre’s capacity by erecting tents.
So far this year Australian authorities have intercepted 55 boats carrying approximately 2700 people. 1447 people are detained on the island. The use of tents has reportedly expanded detention capacity to 1560.
The migrant flow is expected to slow in January with the onset of the typhoon season in the waters north of Australia.
Click here and here for articles.
19 Dec 2009
Di-ve.com reports that migrant arrivals in Malta in 2009 were the lowest since 2004.
“Sources close to Frontex … believe that a number of factors helped … Frontex’s Nautilus patrols, the strengthening of border controls in the Central Mediterranean and tighter inland measures in member states certainly discouraged movement of migrants. … The agreement between Italy and Libya for migrants to be returned to Libya also had an impact but …there are also agreements in place with Algeria and Tunisia, while Libya also reached an agreement with Niger, which is another popular transit country for migrants heading towards Europe. There has been a shift towards the eastern Mediterranean, with Turkey and the Aegean islands seeing numbers increase, the sources said.”
|
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
| Boats |
21 |
12 |
53 |
48 |
57 |
68 |
84 |
17 |
| Migrants |
1686 |
502 |
1388 |
1822 |
1780 |
1702 |
2775 |
1475 |
Click here for full article.
19 Dec 2009
UNHCR’s recommendations to the Spanish EU presidency include the following”
“Migration and border management
Spain has affirmed that reinforcing Frontex and ensuring that EU migration policy is accompanied by close cooperation with migrants’ countries of origin and transit will be priorities of its Presidency. A review of the Frontex mandate will take place in 2010.
UNHCR encourages the Spanish Presidency to pursue its migration agenda with due regard for international refugee and human rights norms. This includes:
a) Inclusion of refugee protection safeguards in migration control measures generally;
b) Development of clear guidance with respect to the disembarkation of persons intercepted at sea;
c) Attention to the potential protection needs of victims of trafficking;
d) With respect to the return of people found not to need international protection, measures to ensure that such return is safe, dignified and sustainable.
- calling for safeguards in border management activities, including under Frontex’s auspices, with the revision of that body’s mandate foreseen in early 2010; a call for more focus on protection needs of victims of trafficking as part of anti-trafficking measures.”
Click here for full recommendations.
18 Dec 2009
The UNHCR released its most recent estimates of the numbers of Africans who have crossed the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea to Yemen in 2009. UNHCR believes over 74,000 people made the crossing which is estimated to be a 50% increase over last year.
Ethiopians (42,000) now make up the largest group of migrants making the crossing. In previous years Somalis were the largest group.
“According to the latest UNHCR statistics, at least 309 people drowned or did not survive the trip this year. In 2008, some 590 people died during the crossing. Many more people went missing and are presumed dead. The mixed migration route through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea is presently the busiest and the deadliest one in the world.”
“While virtually all arriving Somalis approach the two, strategically positioned reception centres in Mayfaa and Ahwar, where they receive protection and assistance, only some 9,000 Ethiopians went to these venues this year. Most press on towards the Persian Gulf states in search of job opportunities.”
Click here for UNHCR press release.
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