Monthly Review May 2024

OUT NOW: Our Monthly Press Review May 2024 covers topics such as Eurafrican migration control, migration, and displacement in African countries, and news on the European border regime. Please also find our update on the Gaza war.

In case there is a news item, report, or campaign you would like to flag in next month’s review please write us via contact@migration-control.info or on Twitter @MigControl.

„Ein vom Elend der Welt unbeschwertes Gemüt des Bürgers ist kein Belang, zu dessen Schutz der Staat Grundrechtspositionen einschränken darf. Unerheblich sind folglich Belästigungen Dritter, die darin liegen, dass diese mit ihnen unliebsamen Themen konfrontiert werden.“ (BVerfGE 102, 347)

Also see

Revue de presse mai 2024 by migreurop.org

New on Migration-Control.info

30.05.24 Report from Amhara:
Desperation and Hope: Sudanese Refugees' Struggle in Amhara Region Camps

The story started when more than 6000 Sudanese Refugees from the Olala and Comer refugee camps decided to march to Gondar because they could not stand the inhumane living conditions in the refugee camps where rape, harassment and repeated attacks by local militias known as Shifta and Fano, added to that basic necessities such as food, medical supplies, and clean water are scarce commodities, exacerbated the already dire circumstances faced by refugees.

19.05.24 Sudan Dossier:

One Year of War: Destroying the Social Fabric of Revolution

Why is it that this revolution was so deep and strong? Answering this question means to dive deeper into that social fabric, which means focusing on the social constitution of the "ordinary people" who made the revolution. In the 2nd part, we characterize the war as a counter-revolutionary war attacking this very social fabric. It is not merely a war between two mad generals, and it is not only about territories, resources, enrichment, and foreign interests, as it is often being assessed. It is a war on the civilian "ordinary people", and their aspirations for a better life.

10.05.24 Gaza Blog:

Gaza and the European border regime: Connecting the struggles

As Israel’s genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip shows no signs of relenting, the situation increasingly lays bare broader inequalities, hypocrisies, and tendencies in global politics. This moment compels those of us working against European borders and border externalization to think about the many connections and parallels between the genocidal Israeli occupation and the global border regime. Israeli apartheid and the global border regime share an assumption that segments of humanity can be permanently confined, contained, and warehoused, surrounded by affluence that springs from their dispossession.

Follow Up: Gaza

02.06.24 Tagesschau: Demonstranten fordern in Tel Aviv due Zustimmung zu einem Geisel-Abkommen mit der Hamas: In Tel Aviv und anderen israelischen Städten haben erneut Zehntausende Menschen für eine Vereinbarung mit der Hamas zur Freilassung der seit fast acht Monaten verschleppten Geiseln demonstriert. Auch Neuwahlen wurden wieder gefordert.

30.05.24 Tom Dispatch: You Can’t Turn Back the Clock on Genocide: Forget the dead for a moment and think about the living. We’re talking about a miniscule, 25-mile strip of land on which, before recent events began, an estimated 2.4 million people lived, went to school, worshipped, farmed, did whatever. When Israel responded to Hamas’s nightmarish October 7th attack by bombing northern Gaza into rubble and sending in its military, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed a “complete siege” of the region with “no electricity, no food, no fuel” for what he called “human animals.” The Israeli military did indeed promptly proceed to destroy most of the homes, schools, and hospitals,

30.05.24 AJE: Dismantle the knowledge systems that enable genocide: The Western university is a key producer and disseminator of terror knowledge and therefore is entangled in the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people in ways that move beyond its financial investments in Israeli companies. Terror knowledge has been given the veneer of scientific and academic respectability under the umbrella term of “terrorism studies”. With 90 percent of its research taking place after the 9/11 attacks, terrorism studies mushroomed into an area study since the war on terror. Terror knowledge is largely underpinned by a positivist orientation which takes terrorism as an object of knowledge that is knowable, generalisable, and verifiable. Much of the knowledge production of terrorism studies is tied to security governance

28.05.24 Al-Monitor: Gaza aid pier breaks down, halting US humanitarian deliveries by sea: The US military has halted deliveries of humanitarian aid to the coast of the Gaza Strip after a temporary floating pier suffered significant damage due to bad weather and high tides, The repair and re-anchoring of the pier onto the Gaza coast is expected to take “at least over a week”.

27.05.24 AJE: Israel kills dozens of Palestinians sheltering at a displacement camp in Rafah: Israeli forces attacked a camp for internally displaced people in a so-called “safe zone” in Rafah in southern Gaza, killing at least 35 Palestinians. Many of the victims were women and children. Dozens more were wounded.

Also see Guardian 27.05.24: Global shock after Israeli airstrike kills dozens in Rafah tent camp

Tagesspiegel 28.05.24: Nach Angriff auf Zeltlager in Rafah: „Uns fehlen die Worte, um das Grauen zu beschreiben“

24.05.24 Guardian: UN’s top court orders Israel to immediately halt Rafah offensive: ICJ president says humanitarian situation in Gaza’s southernmost city is now classified as ‘disastrous’

23.05.24 NYT: U.S. Military Faces Reality in Gaza as Aid Project Struggles: The Pentagon predicted that a stream of humanitarian aid would be arriving in Gaza via the floating pier, but little relief has reached the besieged strip, officials acknowledged this week.

21.05.24 NYT: International Criminal Court Prosecutor Requests Warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas Leaders: While the request must be approved by the court’s judges, the announcement is a harsh rebuke of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and his war strategy in Gaza.

18.05.24 NYT: Under Israeli Bombs, a Wartime Economy Emerges in Gaza: Amid the destruction, a marketplace of survival has arisen focused on the basics: food, shelter and money.

16.05.24 AJE: Pro-Israel billionaires urged New York crackdown on Gaza protests: Report: WhatsApp leaks reveal group of business leaders discussed ways to pressure officials to clear pro-Palestine protesters.

15.05.24 Guardian: Israel and Egypt in growing diplomatic row over Rafah border crossing: Anger over Israel’s seizure of Palestinian side of crossing raises fears Cairo may downgrade relations

15.05.24 DAWN: They Don't See Palestinians as Human Beings': U.N. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese on Israel's Alternate Reality: “The Israelis will have to come to terms with what they have done to the Palestinians, I don’t think that they realize it yet.”

14.05.24 AJE: More than half a million Palestinians flee as Israel escalates Gaza attacks: Israeli forces have intensified attacks across Gaza, bombarding a refugee camp in the centre of the Strip as tanks pushed deeper into eastern parts of Rafah city in the south. In the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Israeli warplanes struck a home on Tuesday, killing at least 14 Palestinians, including children, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

Also see taz 14.05.24: Die Zelte reichen bis ans Meer

07.05.24 taz: „Ein dunkler Tag für die Medien“: Wegen „staatsgefährdender Aktivitäten“ wurde das Büro des TV-Senders Al Jazeera in Ost-Jerusalem von israelischen Sicherheitskräften geräumt und Equipment beschlagnahmt.

06.05.24 AJE: Israel orders Rafah evacuation as Gaza truce talks stall: Israeli forces called on Monday for people in Rafah, into which huge numbers of displaced Palestinians were previously pushed, to evacuate to “an expanded humanitarian area”. The move came as Israel and Hamas blamed one another for a breakdown in truce negotiations.

05.05.24 TomDispatch: Noam Chomsky: A Middle East Peace That Could Happen (But Won’t): The fact that the Israel-Palestine conflict grinds on without resolution might appear to be rather strange. For many of the world’s conflicts, it is difficult even to conjure up a feasible settlement. In this case, it is not only possible, but there is near universal agreement on its basic contours: a two-state settlement along the internationally recognized (pre-June 1967) borders — with “minor and mutual modifications,” to adopt official U.S. terminology before Washington departed from the international community in the mid-1970s.

North Africa

Morocco / Sahel

24.05.24 Atlantic Council: Behind Morocco’s bid to unlock the Sahel: King Mohammed VI announced the launch of an international initiative to “enable the Sahel countries to have access to the Atlantic Ocean.” Landlocked Mali, Niger, Chad, and Burkina Faso are at the center of the Moroccan plan, which involves making Morocco’s road, port, and rail infrastructure available to them and implementing large-scale development projects.

Also see Jeune Afrique 28.05.24: Mohammed VI, le Sahel et l’ « Afrique atlantique » : le nouveau schéma stratégique du Maroc

Tunisia / Algeria / Libya

17.05.25 taz: Richtungswechsel in der Sahara: Tunesiens Präsident Kaïs Saied hatte sich am 22. April mit seinem algerischen Amtskollegen Abdelmadschid Tebboune und dem Chef des libyschen Präsidialrates, Mohamed al-Menfi, geeinigt, die steigende Zahl der aus Agadez ankommenden Menschen durch Rücktransporte zu senken. Fast alle der rund 70.000 in Tunesien lebenden Geflüchteten sind über die beiden Nachbarländer eingereist. Nach mehreren Treffen Saieds mit Italiens Regierungschefin Giorgia Meloni und ihrer Reise nach Libyen vergangene Woche vermuten viele Medien in der Region, dass auch Rom das Trio unterstützt.

Also see Euractiv 08.05.24: Italy’s Meloni in Libya to further expand cooperation on migration: Arriving in Libya on Tuesday, Meloni met with Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Rahman al-Dbeibeh and President of the Libyan Presidential Council Mohamed Yunus al-Menfi. According to sources in the Italian Prime Minister’s Office, Meloni prioritised migration as a key discussion issue. She reportedly stressed the need for Italy and Libya to continue on the path they have embarked on, as it has already yielded significant results, and to have proposed further expanded cooperation on the issue.

Meloni is also reported to have called Libya to be involved in working groups of the so-called Rome Process, with the first concrete projects to be identified in the coming weeks. Launched by Meloni last summer, the Rome Process aims to coordinate collective action on migration policy, addressing root causes such as conflict, economic hardship and climate change while fighting human traffickers.

Tunisia

25.05.24 AJE: ‘Down with dictatorship’: Tunisians rally against gov’t crackdown on media: Several hundred Tunisians have marched through the capital, Tunis, chanting “down with the dictatorship” as they protested a spate of arrests under a presidential decree critics say is being used to stifle dissent.

18.05.24 AJE: At least 23 people missing off Tunisia coast, authorities say: Tunisia’s National Guard said in a statement on Saturday that it had been notified of “unauthorised sailing operations” from several areas along the Tunisian coast. Five suspects in organising the crossing have been arrested, it added.

15.05.24 OrientXXI: Tunisie. Haro sur les migrants subsahariens et leurs soutiens: Avalanche d’arrestations, à commencer par celle de Saadia Mosbah, figure emblématique de la lutte antiraciste, suivie entre autres de celle de l’avocate Sonia Dahmani en raison d’un commentaire sur un plateau de télévision. Le monde associatif et les intervenants médiatiques critiques du discours présidentiel sont dans le viseur des autorités. Le tout dans une atmosphère de retour à la chasse aux migrants.

10.05.24 AJE: Tunisia: The migration trap: The Refugees in Libya organisation described a wretched journey for the asylum seekers, many travelling with infants, who were refused help from hostile people in Tunisia and blocked from accessing transport back to Tunis.

Outside Sfax, 278km (172 miles) south of Tunis on the coast, thousands of sub-Saharan Africans, many of them registered refugees, shelter in open fields, attacked by security services and residents.

Refugees in Libya shared a video of 400 refugees and migrants they said had been seized from Sfax, as well as some from the Tunis camps, being expelled to Libya on May 2. The only indication the NGO has of what happened to them is a message it received on Tuesday originating from Libya’s al-Assa prison, 19km (12 miles) from the border.

Also see AJE 06.05.24: Tunis police raid sees refugees abandoned near the border with Algeria

Taz 06.05.24: Tunesien räumt Geflüchteten-Camps

East Africa

Sudan

26.05.24 AJE: More than 100 killed in two weeks of fighting in Sudan’s el-Fasher: MSF: “The world is watching silently what is going on in Fasher … as if it was a scene from a fictional action movie scene,” Minnawi said in a Facebook message on Sunday. “The operation is being carried out by the hands of the same characters that carried out ethnic cleansing and genocide in 2003.”

See also AJE 25.05.24: At least 47 killed in Sudan army’s last Darfur stronghold el-Fasher; Guardian 24.05.25: It’s an open secret: the UAE is fuelling Sudan’s war – and there’ll be no peace until we call it out Guardian 24.05.24: Tens of thousands flee camp in Sudan after attacks by RSF paramilitaries: About 60% of the more than 100,000 inhabitants of the Abu Shouk camp fled on Thursday, according to the Coordinating Committee for Refugees and Displaced People, which oversees camps in the region.

21.05.24 taz: Sudan? Nie gehört: Einen Monat nach der großen internationalen Sudan-Konferenz in Paris ist die Lage nur schlimmer geworden – und die Hilfszusagen wurden nicht eingehalten

16.05.24 Guardian: Starlink internet shutdown in Sudan will punish millions, Elon Musk warned: Starlink, the satellite arm of Musk’s SpaceX, recently said that it will remove its services in Sudan by restricting roaming in jurisdictions where it was not licensed.

The imminent termination of the system risks destabilising the coordination of emergency assistance and humanitarian services to millions of civilians caught up in the year-long civil conflict.

15.05.24 AJE: US sanctions two RSF commanders as fighting escalates in Sudan’s Darfur: The RSF has encircled el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in recent weeks and fighting between the paramilitary group and the Sudanese Armed Forces has surged. Earlier this week, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the violence in el-Fasher put more than 800,000 civilians at risk.

13.05.24 AJE: Use of fire as weapon in Sudan war surged last month, study finds: Fires set by combatants in the war in Sudan destroyed or damaged 72 villages and settlements last month, a rights group based in the United Kingdom has found, highlighting the use of fire as a weapon of war in the African country.

West Africa and Sahel

All West Africa
27.05.24 The European Sting: EU allocates €201 million in humanitarian aid for Sahel and Africa’s Lake Chad countries: The Commission is providing €201 million in EU humanitarian funding to address the needs of the most vulnerable people affected by the humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Nigeria.

All Sahel

18.05.24 VoA: West African military regimes consolidate regional alliance: Junta-run Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have finalized plans to form a confederation after turning their backs on former colonial ruler France to seek closer ties with Russia.

Their foreign ministers met Friday in Niger's capital Niamey to agree on a text establishing the Confederation of the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

Also see LM 27.05.24: Sahel : exercice militaire « d’envergure » des armées du Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Tchad et du Togo: Un exercice militaire « d’envergure », regroupant les armées du Niger, du Mali, du Burkina Faso, du Tchad et du Togo est en cours depuis le début de la semaine dans l’ouest du Niger, proche du Mali, a annoncé dimanche 26 mai le ministère de la défense nigérien.

Dans cette zone où sévissent les groupes djihadistes, un « exercice national d’envergure est en cours au centre de formation des forces spéciales » à Tillia, depuis lundi, déclare le ministère dans un communiqué.

Burkina Faso / Sahel

27.05.24 taz: Militär bis 2029 an der Macht: Mit einer neuen „Übergangscharta“ verlängert Militärherrscher Ibrahim Traoré seine Amtszeit. In Mali, Niger und Guinea sieht es ähnlich aus.

Also see AJE 26.05.24: Burkina Faso extends military rule by five years

22.05.24 RFI: Burkina Faso: nouvelle série d'affrontements entre terroristes et forces régulières: Plusieurs militaires et supplétifs VDP sont tombés sous les balles des groupes armés terroristes dans l'Est du pays entre vendredi et lundi.

11.05.24 NYT: ‘They Shot at Us All’: Burkina Faso Accused of Massacring Civilians: Witnesses and human rights groups claim the West African country’s military killed more than 220 people, including women and children, in February. It was neither a mistake nor a one-off, they say.

Also see RFI03.05.24: Burkina Faso: manifestations devant l'ambassade des États-Unis à Ouagadougou

02.05.24 Reuters: US to provide nearly $55 million in humanitarian aid for Burkina Faso: The aid will address emergency food and nutrition needs as well as other support, and will bring the U.S. Agency for International Development's total emergency aid to Burkina Faso to nearly $158 million since the beginning of fiscal-year 2023.

"Widespread violence and attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure have driven mass displacement and disrupted essential services, leaving approximately 6.3 million Burkinabe – nearly a third of the country’s population – in need of urgent aid this year."

Chad

22.05.24 AJE: Chad Prime Minister Masra resigns after disputed vote winner confirmed

10.05.24 RFI: Présidentielle au Tchad: «Un impressionnant défilé militaire pour dissuader de se révolter contre les résultats»: Trois jours à peine après l’élection présidentielle tchadienne, l'Agence nationale de gestion des élections (Ange) a annoncé jeudi soir les résultats officiels provisoires et la victoire de Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, avec un score de 61% des voix. Sans attendre cette annonce, le Premier ministre Succès Masra, candidat lui aussi, avait revendiqué sa propre victoire.

Ivory Coast

17.05.24 LM: Une colonne de véhicules militaires sème le trouble à la frontière entre la Côte d’Ivoire et le Burkina Faso: La frontière entre la Côte d’Ivoire et le Burkina Faso est devenue une zone sensible. Pas seulement à cause de la menace sécuritaire que font peser les groupes djihadistes actifs côté burkinabé et accusés d’avoir installé des bases arrière côté ivoirien, mais aussi en raison des différends politiques entre Abidjan et Ouagadougou.

Also see NYT 09.05.24: Chad’s Military Ruler Is Announced as Winner of Disputed Election

Mali

23.05.24 Guardian: ‘I pray to you not to shoot us’: Mali’s Fulani herders languish in camps after violence – in pictures: Thousands of the semi-nomadic pastoralists have fled to camps in towns, leaving their cherished animals and way of life. Many must beg to survive at sites lacking food and clean water, with no end in sight to the conflict

22.05.24 RFI: Mali: les rebelles du CSP veulent un pacte de non-agression avec les jihadistes du Jnim: Dans le message envoyé vendredi 17 mai aux combattants du CSP, Alghabass Ag Intalla explique, sans rentrer dans les détails, avoir déjà obtenu certaines avancées et en espérer d'autres. Il demande à ses troupes de ne pas s'opposer à son initiative, qu'il juge nécessaire.

18.05.24 Reuters: Mali signs agreement with China's Ganfeng to operate Goulamina lithium mine: Ganfeng Lithium bought Australia's Leo Lithium's (LLL.AX), opens new tab 40% stake in the Goulamina mine for $342.7 million earlier this month.

Leo Lithium said at the time that the risks associated with operating in Mali and the impact of new mining code meant selling the stake was in the best interests of its shareholders.

09.05.24 Defense Post: EU Not Renewing Mali Military Training Mission: The 27 member states “have decided by mutual agreement not to extend the mandate of the EUTM (European Union Training Mission) Mali beyond May 18 2024, heeding the strategic review and consultations with the Malian authorities,” the European Commission said in a statement.

06.05.24 LM: Au Mali, le chef de la junte lance la phase nationale du « dialogue pour la paix et la réconciliation »: Les autorités présentent le « dialogue » comme se substituant à l’accord de paix d’Alger signé en 2015 avec les séparatistes du Nord. Cette initiative, censée sortir le pays de la crise sécuritaire dans laquelle il est plongé depuis des années, est boycottée par une grande partie de l’opposition.

01.05.24 RFI: Mali: le Fonds monétaire international va accorder 120 millions de dollars de financement d'urgence: Combler le déficit immédiat et urgent de la balance des paiements du Mali, c'est l'objectif de cette facilité de crédit du FMI. Ces 120 millions de dollars sont censés soutenir la fourniture de nourriture et les transferts d'argent ciblés aux personnes confrontées à l'insécurité alimentaire

Niger

17.05.24: Critiques ouvertes contre les militaires au Niger: Les organisations de travailleurs et les partis demandent la levée de la suspension de leurs activités en place depuis le coup d'Etat.

Niger / Turkey

31.05.24 Reuters: EU to end military mission to Niger by June 30: "The Council today decided to not extend the European Union military partnership mission in Niger (EUMPM) beyond 30 June 2024, in view of the grave current political situation in the country,"

Also see German Foreign Policy 31.05.24: Die deutsche Cold Base in Niger:D ie Bundeswehr kann ihre Militärpräsenz in Niger vorläufig aufrechterhalten und hofft jetzt auf eine dauerhafte Stationierungserlaubnis am Hauptstadtflughafen in Niamey. Dies ist das Ergebnis von Geheimverhandlungen, die das Berliner Verteidigungsministerium in den vergangenen Monaten führte. Ziel ist es, künftig in Niamey eine „bemannte Cold Base“ betreiben zu können – eine Art Miniaturstützpunkt mit einer niedrigen zweistelligen Anzahl an Soldaten, über die bei Bedarf Militäroperationen wie Evakuierungen auf dem afrikanischen Kontinent abgewickelt werden können.

17.05.24 VoA: Turkey sends Syrian mercenaries to Niger to secure strategic interests: Hundreds of Syrian mercenaries have been sent by Turkey to Niger in recent months to protect Ankara's economic and military interests in the West African nation, a rights group and experts said.

05.05.24 ActuNiger: La Russie élargit son soutien au Niger : un troisième vol cargo livre équipements militaires, instructeurs et aide humanitaire: la Russie consolide son engagement envers le Niger en dépêchant un troisième vol cargo, chargé d'équipements militaires, d'instructeurs russes et d'une aide humanitaire essentielle. Cette initiative marque une avancée significative dans la coopération bilatérale, visant à renforcer les capacités militaires du Niger tout en répondant aux besoins pressants de sa population en produits de première nécessité.

Senegal

30.05.24 France24: Senegal's Faye makes first visit to military-ruled Mali and Burkina Faso: Senegal's new President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Thursday began his first visit to Mali and Burkina Faso to strengthen ties with these two states which have quit regional bloc ECOWAS.

17.05.24 Reuters: Senegalese prime minister criticises French military bases on territory: "More than 60 years after our independence ... we must question the reasons why the French army for example still benefits from several military bases in our country and the impact of this presence on our national sovereignty and our strategic autonomy," Sonko said at a joint conference with the French left-wing politician Jean-Luc Melenchon in the capital Dakar.

07.05.24 APANews: Senegal: what’s next after outing list of fishing licence holders?: In Senegal, the new authorities intend to make transparency a cardinal feature in the way they manage public affairs. Having launched an audit of the management of the previous regime, they have just published the list of vessels authorised to fish in waters under Senegalese jurisdiction.

Also see Jeune Afrique 09.05.24: Pêche au Sénégal : face à Bassirou Diomaye Faye, l’UE minimise son impact;

Taz 04.05.24: Wieder leben können vom Fischen

Central and Sub Saharan Africa

Mozambique

10.05.24 AJE: Mozambique’s president says northern town ‘under attack’ by armed groups: The town is in Cabo Delgado, a gas-rich northern province where groups linked to the ISIL (ISIS) group, launched an armed uprising in 2017. Despite a large security response, there has been a surge in attacks since January this year.

Rwanda / EU

02.05.24 AJE: ‘Blood minerals’: What are the hidden costs of the EU-Rwanda supply deal?: European Union has signed a deal with Rwanda that will ensure a supply of precious minerals needed to build clean tech like solar panels and electric vehicles.

But it turns out that Rwanda is a country that exports more than it mines. Vast amounts of minerals like coltan and gold are smuggled from the war-ravaged Democratic Republic of the Congo to Rwanda, where they enter global supply chains.

West Asia

Lebanon

18.05.24 AJE: Lebanon’s economic crisis endures, as does the EU’s ‘fear’ of refugees:Analysts and rights groups question whether large EU grants to Lebanon have anything to do with getting its economy out of the hole it is in.

Also see DW 12.05.24: EU-Libanon-Hilfe: Segen oder Fluch für syrische Flüchtlinge?: Das Abkommen wurde während eines Besuches von EU-Kommissionspräsidentin von der Leyen und dem zypriotischen Präsidenten Nikos Christodoulides in Beirut verkündet. Es geht um eine Milliarde Euro, die bis 2027 fließen sollen. Der Großteil des Geldes - etwa 736 Millionen Euro - ist dafür gedacht, die Versorgung der Flüchtlinge im Libanon, die überwiegend aus Syrien kommen, zu gewährleisten. Vom Rest soll die Kontrolle der Grenzen und der illegalen Migration verbessert werden.

Europe

Bulgaria / Turkey

02.05.24 IMI: Aufrüstung unter dem Stern des Schengen-Beitritts: Die Autorin Yasmina Dahm untersucht, inwiefern das so genannte „Pilotprojekt für schnelle Asyl- und Rückführungsverfahren“ 2023 und der Diskurs um den partiellen bulgarischen Schengen-Beitritt mit dem Diskurs um die Aufrüstung der EU-Außengrenzen und den systematischen Menschenrechtsverletzungen durch die Grenzpolizei in Bulgarien in

Verbindung gebracht werden können.

Germany

24.05.24 taz: Abschiebungen „im großen Stil“ werden real: Nachdem der Bundeskanzler im Herbst schnellere Abschiebungen gefordert hatte, sind die Zahlen nun gestiegen. Besonders bei Menschen aus dem Irak schlagen Behörden zu

Also see Tagesspiegel 23.05.24: Abschiebungen aus Deutschland um 34 Prozent gestiegen – mehr Schutzsuchende:Im ersten Quartal 2024 sollen bereits 4791 Menschen aus Deutschland abgeschoben worden sein. Im Vergleich dazu seien 7048 geplante Rückführungen gescheitert, heißt es in einer Antwort der Bundesregierung auf eine Anfrage der Linken.

Greece

21.05.21 Guardian: Charges dropped against nine Egyptians over 2023 migrant shipwreck off Greece: A Greek court has thrown out charges against nine Egyptian men accused of causing one of the Mediterranean’s deadliest shipwrecks, ruling it has no jurisdiction over the case because the disaster was in international waters.

Also see AJE 20.05.24: Nine Egyptians to go on trial in Greece over deadly Pylos shipwreck: Survivor testimonies allege that the Hellenic coastguard attempted to tow the boat, causing it to flip over, and that it did not sufficiently act to save the lives of those in the water.

Guardian 23.05.24: Greek police detain nine Egyptians despite dismissal of shipwreck charges;

Statewatch 22.05.24: From Cutro to Pylos: what two shipwrecks reveal about Europe’s deadly migration policies;

Guardian 17.05.24: ‘The real smugglers are rarely on the boat’: activists in Greece question jailing asylum seekers: Hundreds of people – including children – face lengthy prison sentences under harsh Greek anti-smuggling law

Italy / Albania

16.05.24 Melting Pot: L’accordo Italia-Albania e la nuova frontiera dell’esternalizzazione: I centri forse operativi a novembre. Forti le preoccupazioni sulla tutela dei diritti e la sicurezza delle persone coinvolte

Also see

Taz 01.06.24: Ausgelagert nach Albanien

Repubblica 07.05.24: Medihospes wins EUR 133 million contract for centres in Albania

NZZ 04.05.24: Umstrittenes Lager für Bootsflüchtlinge in Albanien: Die «Festung Europa» bleibt eine Baustelle

European Union

22.05.24 SZ: Putin lenkt offenbar wieder Migration nach Europa: Die Zahl der Flüchtlinge über die Belarus-Route steigt. In deutschen Sicherheitsbehörden wächst die Angst, dass Russlands Präsident im Wahljahr erneut zu einer perfiden Strategie greift.

21.05.24 Lighthouse Reports: Desert Dumps: Europe supports, finances and is directly involved in clandestine operations in North African countries to dump tens of thousands of Black people in the desert or remote areas each year to prevent them from coming to the EU.

Funds for these desert dumps have been paid under the guise of “migration management” with the EU claiming that the money doesn’t support human rights abuses against sub-Saharan African communities in North Africa. Brussels claims publicly that it closely monitors how this money is spent. But the reality is different.

Also see Le Monde 21.05.24, BR 21.05.24, Der Spiegel 21.05.24,

15.05.24 RFI: UE: quinze États veulent de «nouvelles solutions» pour transférer des migrants vers des pays tiers: Quinze pays de l'Union européenne, emmenés par le Danemark et la République tchèque, plaident pour « de nouvelles solutions » pour transférer plus facilement des migrants vers des pays hors Union européenne, y compris lors d'opérations de sauvetage en mer.

07.05.24 Statewatch: Finland and Italy want more military involvement in migration control: The Finnish and Italian governments last month presented a plan on “countering instrumentalization of migration and migrant smuggling” to the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting, calling for “innovative ways” to address the issues – including by increased cooperation between the EU and NATO.

06.05.24 Euractiv: Member states push to outsource migration procedures to non-EU countries: A group of EU member states, led by Czechia and Denmark, are preparing a letter to the European Commission calling for migrants trying to reach the EU to be transferred to selected third countries before reaching the bloc’s shores – a procedure experts say is likely to be difficult to enforce under current EU migration law.

According to the letter obtained by Czech newspapers, the signatories call for agreements with non-EU countries to which EU member states could send migrants intercepted at sea. The entire EU could then switch to a model similar to the one agreed in November 2023 between Italy and Albania.

06.05.24 Euronews: Les accords de l'UE sur l'immigration avec l'Égypte et la Tunisie doivent être "révisés", déclare Nicolas Schmit: Les accords de plusieurs millions d'euros que l'UE a signés avec les pays voisins pour réduire l'immigration irrégulière doivent être "révisés", estime Nicolas Schmit, tête de liste des socialistes européens pour les élections de juin.

03.05.23 Mediapart: Avec le Liban, l’UE compte de nouveau sur un pays tiers pour contrôler les migrations: Un nouvel #accord a été conclu entre l’Union européenne et le Liban cette semaine, à hauteur d’un milliard d’euros. Ce dernier vise, sous couvert d’aider à maintenir la sécurité et la stabilité du pays, à freiner les départs d’exilés syriens en direction de l’Europe.

See also: taz 03.05.24: Grenzwertiger Deal: Die EU möchte dem Libanon in den nächsten Jahren 1 Milliarde Euro zahlen, damit das Land syrische Geflüchtete nicht ausreisen lässt. Menschenrechtsorganisationen befürchten mehr Rückführungen in das Bürgerkriegsland

Mediendienst 29.04.24: "Ein EU-Libanon Abkommen wird wenig bewirken": Anders als Tunesien oder Ägypten hat der Libanon keine funktionierende Regierung. Seit 2022 hat das Land aufgrund verschiedener politischer Konflikte keinen Präsidenten und nur einen stellvertretenden Regierungschef. Wer soll dann dafür sorgen, dass das Abkommen eingehalten wird? Einige politische Kräfte wie die Hisbollah würden außerdem jegliche Kooperationsversuche systematisch boykottieren.

HoA Media Office

In this section we publish relevant articles, and links, and also make

available translations to Arabic in the form of PDFs. The media office cooperates with Arkamani for the Sudan anthropological and archaeological translation series.

في هذا القسم سنقوم في المستقبل بنشر مقاالت وروابط

صلة بالقرن األفريقي كما ستكون بعض الترجمات ذات

.PDFs على صيغة إلى العربية متاحة

أيضا يسر القسم أن يعلن عن تعاونه مع دراسات أركماني

االنثربولوجيا واالركيولوجيا السودانية

April 2024: EU Agency for Asylum: Country of Origin Information: Sudan: The purpose of this report is to provide relevant contextual information in view of the assessment of applications for international protection, including refugee status and subsidiary protection. The report provides an overview of the situation in Sudan, in the period 15 April 2023 – 31 January 2024, focusing on security issues and selected profiles relevant for international protection, that have been impacted by the conflict.

30.05.24 AfricaisaCountry: To be a woman in Sudan: Women in Sudan have gone from being state subjects to war spoils.

HRW: “The Massalit Will Not Come Home”. Ethnic Cleansing and Crimes Against Humanity in El Geneina, West Darfur, Sudan:
This report provides an account of how the Rapid Support Forces and allied forces committed numerous serious violations of international humanitarian and human rightsaw as part of their campaign against the Massalit people of El Geneina. It is based on over 220 interviews, verification and assessment of 110 photographs and videos, and analysis of satellite imagery and documents shared by humanitarian organizations. Between April and November 2023, researchers interviewed recently displaced residents of El Geneina in person during six trips to Chad, Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan, and also conducted supplementary telephone interviews.

NYT 15.05.24: One Year of War in Sudan: How Two Rival Generals Wrecked Their Country: The fighting between two generals leading competing military factions has now been going on for a year, leading to massacres, hunger and a massive wave of people fleeing their homes.

+++

HRW: World Report 2024, Chapter Ethipoia:
The human rights situation in Ethiopia remained precarious, with government security forces, militias, and non-state armed groups responsible for systematic abuses, with impunity remaining the norm.
In August, clashes between the Ethiopian military and militias in the Amhara region escalated, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and displacement. In response, the federal government passed a sweeping state of emergency for the region, but in practice, its provisions have been applied throughout the country.

Also see
AJE 04.04.24: Ethiopia’s army accused of committing war crimes in Amhara region;
VoA 01.03.24: Fighting Resumes Between Ethiopian Government and Militants

20.05.24 Guardian: This is how Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states could end war in Sudan: Adopting ethical trade policies that exclude all livestock exported from Sudan’s killing fields would stop the conflict, says Nicholas Stockton:

After decades of marginalisation, Sudan’s pastoralist herders started hitting back in 2003, destroying peasant farmers’ villages and converting the most favoured agricultural zones in Sudan into gigantic militarised ranches.

Since December 2023, the Rapid Support Forces have been repeating this process in Gezira, Sudan’s largest irrigated agricultural scheme. All this to take advantage of the burgeoning livestock trade with the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia, and now re-established as Sudan’s leading export industry.

This is the principal driver of Sudan’s civil war. The fastest and most effective way of stopping it would be to control this trade and thereby remove the incentives that underlie the brutal land clearances. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states could stop the war in Sudan at a stroke by adopting ethical trade policies that exclude all livestock exported from Sudan’s killing fields.

08.05.24 Guardian: Soaring number of migrants trapped in Yemen face abuse and starvation, say NGOs: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) put out a warning this week about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, leading a call for urgent funding to support the “safe and voluntary return of migrants to their countries of origin”.

The intervention follows a number of fatal boat journeys last month from Djibouti, a major transit point for people leaving the Horn of Africa, many of whom are attempting to get to Saudi Arabia – the Arab world’s largest economy and the world’s third most popular destination for migrants.

According to the IOM, the number of African immigrants arriving in Yemen by boat rose to 97,210 in 2023, up from 73,233 in 2022 and 27,693 the year before, and closer to the 138,213 recorded arrivals in pre-Covid 2019. As new frontlines open and worsening economic woes add strain on African nations, more immigrants – the majority of whom are Ethiopians – are falling victim to traffickers.

March 2024 Insight: The Roles of External Parties in the April 15 War and Their Interests in Sudan: Following the December Revolution, Sudan's leadership lacked a cohesive foreign relations strategy. The pillars of power, including the Sudanese army, the Rapid Support Forces, and the Forces of Freedom and Change, each pursued their own connections, attempting to court favor with the Western world after decades of strained relations with Sudan government. Consequently, Sudan neglected its longstanding strategic partnerships with Russia and China, traditionally leveraged by Islamists. Regionally, the conflict revealed biases among several regional actors, indicating the necessity for pre-war coordination and understandings among them.

Reports and Long Reads

EU

Fischer-Verlag: Report Globale Flucht 2024: Schwerpunkt des Reports 2024 ist die Asylpolitik der Europäischen Union.

Lost in Europe: Lost in Europe is a not-for-profit cross-border journalism project which investigates and uncovers the stories of child migrants ‘lost’ after arriving in Europe. Our investigation was prompted by a comment made by a former Europol chief of staff in 2016. Who had said that no fewer than 10,000 migrant children have gone missing in Europe.

EU / Tunisia

22.05.24 Terre Solidaire: Lumiére sur Les Financements Francais e Européens en Tunesie: La présente étude du CCFD-Terre Solidaire met en regard le contexte politique tunisien, caractérisé par une dérive autoritaire propice à la violation des droits

humains, notamment des personnes exilées, et les financements croissants que l’UE et la France allouent à cet Etat pour qu’il renforce les capacités des autorités en charge des contrôles sur ces populations

Gaza

April 2024 Untoldmag: Killing intelligence: death by tech and other ordinary horrors in Gaza: The latest AI gadget deployed by the IDF in Gaza, paves the way to a new mode of warfare that can further encourage the dehumanization of human beings behind a narrative of technological progress, efficiency, and accuracy.

IOM

World Migration Report 2024: Migration Continues to Be Part of the Solution in a Rapidly Changing World

Mediterranean

22.05.24 Civil MRCC:Echoes from the Mediterranean:
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS

• Against all odds, European state pursue border outsourcing policies in Tunisia
• Sovereigns on the sea at gunpoint - What does the violent escalation of the so-called Libya coastguard mean?
• From the SAR to the "law enforcement" logic - How the "political level" has stifled human rights and the laws of the sea

COMMENT

• The phenomenon of run-away boats and the demand for safe(r) passages

27.05.24 Alarmphone: Western Mediterranean and Atlantic Regional Analysis, 1 October - 31 March 2024: Children on their way to Europe are often overlooked; their specific needs, their extreme vulnerability, but also their cleverness in finding ways to travel are often invisible. And what is worst, the fact itself that they are children is often overlooked or hidden behind the discourse of “minors” or acronyms like “MENAs”...
As usual, this analysis will also provide an overview of sea crossings, statistics and Alarm Phone cases of the past six months (section 2), as well as a list of all those who did not survive (section 4). We are thinking of them, our respect and solidarity are with their families.

Niger

06.05.24 THN: In post-coup Niger, migration becomes legal again: The bus station is now an official departure point for people wanting to cross the desert between Agadez and the Libyan border, around 900 kilometres away. Every Tuesday, authorities organise large convoys that are escorted by the army. People wanting to join line up in front of a police post to register their names as drivers call out, “Libya! Libya!”.

Senegal

30.04.24 Clingendael: Political unrest and migration in Senegal: On 2 April, the newly elected President of Senegal took office and on the same day appointed his main ally Ousmane Sonko as the Prime Minister. This can be seen as the culmination of a long journey that has taken the country through violent protests and an excessive use of power followed by a surge in departures to the Canary Islands. This commentary argues that these processes are interconnected events. By extension, it also argues that the fight against irregular migration – supported by Western donors – is interconnected with the repression of political protests. Combating irregular migration became a way of supporting the repression carried out by the Senegalese authorities, largely because of the absence of legal pathways for migration.

Serbia

Klikaktiv: From migration to criminalization- growing oppressive treatment against people on the move in Serbia:

The report covers the main activities of Klikaktiv, trends and needs observed in the field, legal obstacles for people on the move in Serbia, and legal analysis of EU and Serbia’s migration policies in 2023.

There is a particular focus on monitoring and documenting violent push backs from the EU member states, but also new practices when it comes to the (mis)usage of readmission agreements. The report includes testimonies of refugees who reported increased violence by police officers both on the Serbian territory and on its borders. The coordinated police action which started at the end of October 2023, after another shooting between smuggling groups, changed the situation on the groups and forced

people on the move to use alternative migration routes

Tunisia

25.05.24 NZZ: «Als Tunesier bist du eingeschlossen in deinem eigenen Land» – ein Psychoanalytiker erklärt, warum so viele seiner Landsleute den Maghreb verlassen: Der tunesische Forscher Wael Garnaoui sagt, die Sehnsucht nach dem Westen setze sich bei der Jugend wie ein Virus im Kopf fest.

West Africa

May 2024 Clingendael: Supporting the state? Constraints to stabilisation efforts and lessons learned from the Central Sahel: This policy brief seeks to make two (modest) contributions by challenging the assumption that the state needs to be strengthened and the assumption that large-scale externally driven change is possible.