“Almost 150,000 migrants, [*** ] mainly from African Horn countries, have arrived in Yemen so far this year, a recent UNHCR report has said. [***] Yemen says the number of African migrants who have already reached its territories exceeds 700.000 people, a figure which the UNHRC says is exaggerated. So far this year, 131 African migrants, mostly from Somalia, drowned while trying to reach Yemeni territories through sea and 66 others went missing, according to the UNHRC.”
Click here for article.
Filed under Gulf of Aden, News, Somalia, Yemen
Document – Libya: Amnesty International completes first fact-finding visit in over five yearsAMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PUBLIC STATEMENT
AI Index: MDE 19/003/2009
29 May 2009
“[***] Amnesty International was also able to undertake a brief visit to the Misratah Detention Centre, some 200 kilometres from Tripoli, in which several hundred alleged irregular migrants from other African countries are held in severely overcrowded conditions, and to interview several of those held there. Many have been detained since they were intercepted while seeking to make their way to Italy or other countries in southern Europe, which look to Libya and other North African countries to staunch the flow of irregular migrants from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe.
“Worryingly, Misratah, like Abu Salim Prison in Tripoli, appears to be controlled by the General People’s Committee for Public Security rather than the Justice Committee, and to be outside the jurisdiction of the public prosecutor or other judicial authorities. Those held there may include refugees fleeing persecution, but as Libya has no asylum procedure and is not a party to the Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol, foreigners, including those in need of international protection, may find themselves outside the protection of the law. There is also virtually no opportunity for detainees to lodge complaints of torture and other ill-treatment to competent judicial authorities.
“In its meetings with government officials, Amnesty International expressed concern about the detention and alleged ill-treatment of hundreds, possibly thousands, of foreign nationals whom the authorities assume to be irregular migrants, and urged them to put in place proper procedures to identify asylum seekers and refugees and afford them appropriate protection. As well, Amnesty International urged the Libyan authorities to cease forcible returns of foreign nationals to countries at which they are at risk of serious human rights violations, and to find a better alternative to detention for those foreigners whom they are not able to return to their countries of origin for this reason. Some of the Eritrean nationals who comprise a sizeable proportion of the foreign nationals detained at Misratah told Amnesty International that they had been held there for two years. [***]”
Click here or here for links to report.
Filed under Italy, Libya, Mediterranean, Reports
UNHCR News Stories, 22 May 2009
“[***] Statistics show ever greater numbers of people are risking their lives in order to reach safety or the chance of a better life. The number of migrants and asylum seekers reaching Yemen in the first quarter of 2009 increased 30 per cent over the same period in 2008, a year when about 50,000 people successfully made the journey.
“In response, UNHCR has stepped up its efforts to deter people from getting on the smugglers’ boats in the main departure point of Bossasso, a crowded commercial town in Somalia’s northeast Puntland region with large slum areas hosting displaced people and migrants. [***] Before 2007, the majority of those reaching Yemen were young Ethiopian men hoping to find work in the Gulf States or in Europe. Today they are outnumbered by Somalis seeking to escape the violence and insecurity plaguing that country.”
Click here for UNHCR statement.
copyright - UNHCR/A Webster
Filed under Gulf of Aden, News, Somalia, Yemen
“From 7 to 10 May, the Italian navy has seized several refugee boats in international waters and pushed them back to Libya. Over 500 boatpeople, amongst them pregnant women and numerous children, have been denied basic human rights.
“The diversion practices of Italian authorities violates international refugee law and the European Convention on Human Rights. Access to asylum procedures in the European Union is being inhibited.
“In Libya the pushed back protection-seekers are threatened by refoulment to persecuting states. In Libya a system for refugee-protection does not exist. Until today the country has refused to sign the 1951 Refugee Convention.
“A clear condemnation of Italy for its violations of international and European law, as well as the initiation of an infringement proceeding against the Republic of Italy are urgently called for.
“The police-cooperation with Libya, which is intended to cut off escape routes of protection seekers to Europe, is to be clearly dismissed.
“We are convinced that the European Union will severely damage the international refugee-protection-regime and lose its credibility referring to human rights issues, if it fails to sanction this violation of human rights in hundreds of cases.”
Click here for full text of letter.
Filed under Italy, Libya, Mediterranean, Statements
Frontex photo
Frontex: ‘Representatives of 22 European countries, European institutions and bodies met for two days in Warsaw [22-23 April 2009] to boost co-operation of coast guard services from the EU and Schengen Associated Countries. … Spain expressed its will to host the next conference, which will be organised annually with possible support of Frontex, European Maritime Safety Agency and Community Fisheries Control Agency. Additionally, participants supported the suggestion to establish permanent secretariat of the conference that would develop proposals for future actions and organise the work of this practitioners’ forum.’
Click here for Frontex news release.
‘The Italian government has given Libya three patrol boats as part of a deal aimed at combating the flow of illegal migrants making the crossing to Italy. The agreement between Tripoli and Rome to maintain joint naval patrols in the Mediterranean was signed earlier this month and comes into force on Friday. [***] An additional three boats will be handed over to Tripoli in the coming weeks. The vessels will take part in joint patrols with the Italian navy from Friday. [***] Last week, the Italy transferred more than 200 stranded migrants to Tripoli after the Libyan government agreed to their immediate return. Mr Maroni said the move marked a “turning point”, but the UN’s refugee agency and the Vatican both said the policy breached international law and risked turning back legitimate asylum seekers. Libya has no functioning asylum system and is not a party to the 1951 UN convention relating to the status of refugees. [***] Correspondents say many Italians believe their country is being left on its own by the EU to deal with the problem of illegal immigration and are ready to support stricter measures to control the flow.’
Click here for full article.
Filed under Italy, Libya, Mediterranean, News
Excerpts from Frontex report:
‘The main objective of the Joint Operation HERA 2008 is to tackle illegal migration flows coming from West Africa countries heading to Canary Islands. The main objective of the Joint Operation NAUTILUS 2008 is to reinforce border control activities in Central Mediterranean and control illegal migration flows coming from North Africa countries heading to Malta and in Italy.’
HERA 2008
Total number arrivals 9615
Migrants diverted back/deterred 5969
Facilitators arrested 360
Interviews carried out by experts
deployed by Frontex 1785
NAUTILUS 2008 (operation ended Oct.)
Total number arrivals MT 2321
Total number arrivals IT 16098
Migrants diverted back/deterred 0
Facilitators arrested 15
Interviews carried out by experts
deployed by Frontex 793
Click here for explanations of data.
Filed under Data / Stats, Eastern Atlantic, Frontex, Mediterranean
MIGRANTS AT SEA 