There are more than 6 million migrants and refugees in East Africa and the Horn of Africa, according to UN migration agency IOM. Just over 50% of them are women and girls. Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia all host more than one million foreign citizens. More than 10 million people in the region have been internally displaced.
Six people, including two babies, died of dehydration on a migrant boat that arrived on Monday in the Sicilian port of Pozzallo. The survivors were in a serious condition.
According to a report by two UN agencies, the number of people in forced labor or marriages increased by 10 million between 2016 and 2021. Climate change and the coronavirus pandemic are contributing factors.
UNHCR special envoy for the Western and Central Mediterranean situation Vincent Cochetel had to give an apology after making disparaging remarks about migrants and their families. Cochetel’s comments had ignited a major row on Twitter.
A reported 52% of migrants in Morocco did not have access to the vaccine against COVID-19. Out of that percentage, 70% refused to get vaccinated while the remaining 30% wanted a vaccine but couldn't obtain it, a survey carried out by the International Organization for Migration in Morocco shows.
The International Organization for Migration IOM has assisted over 11,000 migrants in Libya during the last two years. They include more than 1,600 victims of abuse by traffickers, sexual exploitation, forced labor and extortion.
The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced it was beginning to deport migrants back to their home countries. The measure began on Sunday with a test case of two Pakistani nationals on a commercial flight.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that nearly 50,000 migrants have voluntarily returned to their countries of origin in 2021, an increase of 18% compared to 2020.
After waiting for around one week, 380 people rescued from the Mediterranean by the humanitarian organization SOS Mediterranee have been allowed to land in Italy. The rescue ship Ocean Viking was granted permission to make port at Salerno, south of Naples.
UNICEF and IOM (International Organization for Migration) launched new migrant child protection guidelines to safeguard them from climate change. In 2020 approximately 10 million children became displaced due to meteorological-induced shocks, the agencies said.
The UN migration agency IOM confirmed that 44 West African migrants were rescued in the Nigerien desert on July 6. They were on their way to Libya.
IOM, UNHCR, and UNICEF have urged EU states to put an end to the detention of migrant and refugee children, and have provided new recommendations for alternatives to the practice.