German authorities sent asylum seekers back to Ethiopia last year, despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic and Tigray's conflict. Opposition politicians and human rights groups condemn the move.
Ethiopian refugee Agitu Gudeta, the founder a successful agricultural company and a role model for successful integration in Italy, has died. An employee has confessed to her murder.
This month Eritrean-born Amanal Petros claimed the German marathon record. But the former refugee's victory remains tinged with pain at having lost contact with his mother and sisters in Ethiopia.
Europe is increasing pressure on African countries to take back migrants in exchange for development aid. But the EU should instead be focusing on creating safe routes to seek protection, analysts have warned.
Accounts of civilian casualties have been emerging from Ethiopia's war-torn Tigray region. Humanitarian organizations are increasingly worried about living conditions for the survivors of the conflict.
German authorities continue to deport asylum seekers to Ethiopia, a country battling COVID-19 and a severe locust plague, and on the brink of civil war. NGOs are calling for a halt to the practice as a 32-year-old mentally ill Ethiopian woman was to be returned on Thursday.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on November 20 called for the opening of "humanitarian corridors" in Ethiopia where fighting since November 4 has led thousands of people to flee to Sudan.
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has sounded the alarm on the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia's Tigray region. The organization warned in a statement published on November 17 that thousands of refugees are fleeing ongoing fighting in the area each day, to seek safety in eastern Sudan.
Ten men were deported from Germany to Ethiopia last week. Asylum seeker support groups say deportations should be stopped during the COVID pandemic.
Although hundreds of thousands of Africans are still choosing to migrate along the so-called "Eastern Route" between the Horn of Africa and the Gulf States via Yemen, a growing number are giving up on their dream and going back home. A new report by IOM Nairobi found that many migrants who set off were largely unaware of the migration risks prior to departure.
The IOM said on Sunday that there are at least "8 migrants dead and 12 are missing at sea" after being forced off a boat by smugglers off the coast of Djibouti. The migrants were traveling from Yemen, the UN organization added.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has launched an alarm on the situation of Eastern African refugees. The UN body says millions of people face serious famine and malnutrition due to the socioeconomic consequences of the coronavirus.