Monthly Archives: March 2010

by | 02 Mar 2010 · 16:56

OHCHR Calls for Egypt to Halt Use of Deadly Force Against Migrants

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has called on the Egyptian Government to issue an immediate order to its security forces to halt the killings of unarmed migrants attempting to enter Israel through the Sinai Desert.

“While migrants often lose their lives accidentally while traveling in over-crowded boats, or trying to cross remote land borders, I know of no other country where so many unarmed migrants and asylum-seekers appear to have been deliberately killed in this way by Government forces. …  It is a deplorable state of affairs, and the sheer number of victims suggests that at least some Egyptian security officials have been operating a shoot-to-kill policy. It is unlikely that so many killings would occur otherwise. Sixty killings can hardly be an accident.”

OHCHR also called for an independent inquiry in the deaths of the approximately 60 migrants who have been killed by Egyptian security forces since mid-2007.  Most of the migrants are from sub-Saharan Africa.

Click here for full article.

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Filed under Egypt, Israel, News, OHCHR

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by | 02 Mar 2010 · 05:09

Informal Meeting of European Union Defence Ministers

An Informal Meeting of EU Defence Ministers was held in Mallorca last week to discuss the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) established by the Treaty of Lisbon.

A decision was taken at the meeting to expand the objectives of Operation Atalanta to include the surveillance and control of Somali ports where pirate ships are based.  This decision will be implemented later in the month of March as weather conditions in the region improve.  The decision represents a potentially significant expansion of the EU’s anti-piracy operations.

Also attending the Informal Meeting were the ministers of defence from Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia.  A side meeting was conducted with regard to improving co-operation in matters of security in the Euro-Mediterranean zone.  The side talks pertained to the so-called “5+5 Western Mediterranean Defence Initiative” or more simply the “5 + 5 Initiative”.

Spanish Minister of Defence, Carme Chacón, who chaired the Informal Meeting said in regard to the meetings with the defence ministers from the five Maghreb countries:

“Spain is very clear on the fact that the Mediterranean is a sea of opportunities, but if we let our guard down then it can become a sea of problems – and we share this vision with all the associations we are involved in. At the moment it is a sea of peace and tranquillity, but both North and South must work together to tackle the dangers and new threats of the 21st Century, such as international terrorism, drug smuggling and organised crime. We must put our surveillance and maritime safety capacities into action in order to combat these threats, which could become an area of concern or a problem if we do not deal with them properly. And Spain will not forget this. In terms of the initiative of bringing together the countries of Europe and the Maghreb, we would like it to be not just the Spanish Presidency that sees to hold these meetings, but for the EU to be able to sit down regularly with these countries to discuss issues relating to the Mediterranean Sea, which must carry on being a source of opportunities rather than one of concern.”

Click here, here, here, and here for Press Releases from the Informal Meeting.

Cliquez ici pour un article (blog post) en francais.

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Filed under Algeria, European Union, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean, Libya, Mauritania, Mediterranean, Morocco, News, Somalia, Spain, Tunisia

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by | 01 Mar 2010 · 03:30

Table Ronde sur le Thème « Migrations/Rétention/Expulsions », 4 Mars, Bayonne

4 MARS 2010 –  14h – TABLE RONDE SUR LE THEME « MIGRATIONS/RETENTION/EXPULSIONS »
Amphi 400 – CAMPUS DE LA NIVE – BAYONNE

À l’initiative de la Faculture (Service Culturel de l’Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour-Bayonne) et en partenariat avec le laboratoire de recherche Identités Territoires, Expressions, Mobilités (ITEM), La Cimade et la Centrifugeuse, une table ronde sera organisée à Bayonne le 4 mars prochain sur le thème « Migrations/Rétention/Expulsions».

1° table ronde « Migrations »

Georges Courade – Politologue – Directeur de recherches à l’Institut de Recherches pour le Développement – Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) – Paris

Patrice Yengo – Anthropologue – Centre d’Etudes Africaines – EHESS – Paris – Université Marien Ngouabi (Brazzaville)

Modérateur :  Abel Kouvouama – Anthropologue – Identités Territoires Expressions Mobilités – Université de Pau et des Pays de l’Adour

2° table ronde « Rétention/Expulsions »

Intervenants :

Olivier Clochard – Géographe – Membre associé à MIGRINTER – MIGREUROP

Laurence Hardouin – Avocate – Présidente du groupe local de La Cimade – Bayonne

Modérateur : Patrice Yengo

Diffusion du Film-documentaire « Dem Walla Dee »

Ce documentaire, tourné à Dakar par des militants du Comité pour l’Annulation de la Dette du Tiers-Monde, pendant l’été 2007, donne la parole aux sénégalais, partis clandestinement en chaloupes à travers l’océan atlantique, pour rejoindre l’Europe qui verrouille ses frontières.

Cliquez ici pour le programme.

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Filed under Colloques / Conferences, France, Senegal

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