Monthly Press Review December 2025

This monthly press review covers Eurafrican migration control, migration, social movements and displacement in African countries, and news on the European border regime.

The selection of these articles is somewhat arbitrary and biased towards our interests in popular uprisings and social and migration movements, as well as border politics and the militarisation of social relations.

The main sources are news from AJE, the Guardian and the New York Times, as well as articles and newsletters from various other sources. As we know, especially after the Gaza experience, it is necessary to supplement the European, and particularly the German, news landscape with articles from abroad. If you would like to contribute articles from other sources, please let us know at contact[at]migration-control.info.

For a more distinguished approach to press reviews that focuses on European developments, please also see the Migreurop Press Review for November 2025 and the ERCE Press Review.

We also recommend the SWP Web Monitore, especially Nahost/ Nordafrika, and Subsahara-Afrika.

All Africa

30.12.25 Africa Report: Forget Lobito. Is West Africa’s ‘Liberty Corridor’ the next frontier for Trump’s minerals diplomacy?: The Trump administration is navigating a high-stakes influence battle between mining giants Ivanhoe Atlantic and ArcelorMittal over the strategic rail infrastructure project in Liberia designed to unlock West Africa’s massive iron ore deposits.

26.12.25 Africa Report: Africa’s new cities – urban utopias or future ghost towns?: From Cairo to Libreville and Dakar, new towns are proliferating, driven by massive investments and futuristic promises. While they inspire dreams for many residents, they remain difficult to bring to life.

19.12.25 Guardian: US plan for $1.6m hepatitis B vaccine study in Africa called ‘highly unethical’: Experts decry ‘neocolonialist’ Guinea-Bissau study after Trump administration changed advice for US babies

08.12.25 TNH: Five takeaways from the UN’s aid plans for 2026: UN-led appeals will aim to reach 87 million people while asking for $23 billion, under a so-called “hyper-prioritised” plan driven by cuts.
It’s the fewest people these UN-coordinated responses have tried to reach in a decade – even as humanitarian needs rise, fuelled by conflict, climate change, and rising impunity for international norms. The trend is clear: Humanitarians are asking for less money despite rising need. And they’re getting less, no matter what they ask for.

08.12.25 ACLED: Africa Overview: December 2025: ISCAP’s collaboration with allies deepened in the DRC, Ethiopia launched its first airstrike against the Tigray Defence Forces since the Pretoria agreement, and violence surged in the Tombouctou region of Mali.

04.12.25 MMC: How Smuggling Really Works: Drivers, Operations, and Impacts: This report brings together evidence from over 80,000 interviews with people on the move along key mixed migration routes worldwide and more than 450 interviews with smugglers in Africa. This provides an accessible evidence-base that explains how smuggling really works and how current policies are strengthening the trade.

North Africa:

Algeria

24.12.25 Guardian: Algeria passes law declaring French colonisation a crime: The legislation lists the “crimes of French colonisation”, which include nuclear tests, extrajudicial killings, “physical and psychological torture” and the “systematic plundering of resources”.

Egypt

04.12.25 TNH: [Sara Creta and Nour Khalil] Egypt ramps up Sudanese refugee deportations with little UNHCR pushback: This follow-up investigation, based on more than a year of additional reporting, documents how the deportation campaign has intensified and spread into cities, and examines growing criticism of UNHCR’s limited and muted response.

Libya

19.12.25 AfriqueXX: En Libye, un système carcéral meurtrier à l’ombre de l’Europe: [Enquête] Fosses communes, torture, viols systématiques… Enquête sur les prisons libyennes, où des milliers d’exilés sont abandonnés à la mort avec la complicité silencieuse de l’Europe.

08.12.25 Libya Observer: Haftar meets European delegation for talks on irregular migration: Khalifa Haftar and his two sons have held talks with a senior European delegation on efforts to curb irregular migration, as well as human and drug trafficking networks.

05.12.25 Irpimedia: L’Italia sostiene il piano della Libia per costruire 70 nuovi centri per i rimpatri volontari: Esiste un progetto per la realizzazione in Libia di «70 centri di accoglienza (con la collaborazione e presenza di Oim [Organizzazione mondiale delle migrazioni, ndr] e Unhcr [Alto commissariato Onu per i rifugiati, ndr])». Hanno lo scopo di rinforzare la rete dei rimpatri volontari assistiti dalla Libia ai Paesi d’origine. Ne fanno menzione i deputati della maggioranza in una mozione approvata alla Camera il 15 ottobre sulla quale il governo ha espresso parere positivo.

03.12.25 Infomigrants: Libya: Repatriations increase, while migrant arrivals decrease: The Libyan authorities declared they intend to increase the number of migrant repatriations, particularly in the case of migrants from sub-Saharan African countries. Migrants from Bangladesh are also regularly sent home, and according to the IOM, the number of irregular arrivals is also decreasing.
The Interior Minister explained that the government had been operating what he called a "national repatriation program" since October, and that their goals were to try and return "thousands of migrants" a month to various countries, including Chad, Somalia and Mali. At least two repatriation flights are being planned per week, prioritizing women, children and the elderly, reported AFP. Trabelsi made clear that Libya does not want to play host to any migrants that are rejected by the EU and it will not act as a third country resettlement spot.

Morocco

18.12.25 Guardian: Morocco accused of ‘horrific’ abuse of detained gen Z protesters: The arbitrary detention of hundreds of gen Z protesters in Morocco and alleged “horrific” beatings have been condemned by human rights groups, as the country prepares to host the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.

14.12.25 Enass: À Ras Asfour, des migrant-e-s meurent de froid: Douze migrants originaires de pays d’Afrique subsaharienne ont trouvé la mort de froid et de faim dans des vallées glaciales de Ras Asfour, (province de Jerada, à l’est du Maroc), non loin de la frontière avec l’Algérie. Ils ont été enterrés dans des tombes sans nom.
« La région est connue pour sa géographie difficile, son isolement et son froid intense durant cette saison », rappelle l’AMDH Oujda. Ras Asfour est l’un des points d’entrée des migrants en situation irrégulière depuis l’Algérie vers le Maroc.

27.11.25 AMDH: Rapport sur la situation des réfugiés au Maroc: Un groupe de réfugiés et de demandeurs d'asile ont organisé un sit-in devant le Bureau du HCR jeudi 27 novembre 2025 à 10h30 .
Et il ne s'agit pas de la première fois qu'ils dénoncent et protestent contre leur mauvaise situation économico - social et contre le danger de la campagne de déportations effectuées au hasard par les autorités marocaines en dehors des contrôles légaux.
Le dernier Rapport du HCR a révélé que le Maroc a accueilli jusqu' à fin juillet { 2025 } 19,756 réfugiés et demandeurs d'asile au niveau de l'inscription , les demandeurs d'asile rencontrent des problèmes d'inscription et de détermination de leur statut : le nombre des demandeurs d'asile a atteint 2,377 soudanais , 2229 guinéens , 1538 sénégalais , 523 de Côte-d'Iivore et 633 maliens .

Tunisia

25.11.25 (!) Melting Pot: Tunisia: il confine invisibile d’Europa: [Report] Il punto sulla situazione delle persone migranti tra detenzione e respingimenti

East Africa

Ethiopia

05.12.25 Africa Report: Ethiopia’s Amhara region, Fano faction sign breakthrough agreement: Brokered and witnessed by the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) regional bloc, the agreement marks the first formal accord since the conflict erupted more than two years ago, destabilising one of the country’s largest regions.

Somaliland

28.12.25 taz: Somaliland freut sich über Israels Anerkennung: Somaliland feiert seine Anerkennung durch Israel als erstes Land seit der Staatsgründung 1991. Somalia ist erzürnt und mobilisiert die arabische Welt.

Sudan

Web Sources: Sudan Conflict: This African Library list offers a selection of online resources on the ongoing violence in Sudan. It contains online articles, blogs, infographics, podcasts and videos, most of which are freely accessible.
This list will be updated when relevant new sources become available.

31.12.25 SWM: Allied Rebels Overrun Sudan Army Defenses Near South Kordofan Capital: Sudanese army defenses continue to break down around the cities of Kadugli and Dilling in South Kordofan, coinciding with an exodus of civilians amid famine and fears of imminent rebel attacks. Army units in the area are outnumbered and facing shortages of critical supplies. Some soldiers are defecting or abandoning their positions.
Also see Spiegel 25.12.25: »Mit einem Federstrich sind wir gezwungen zu entscheiden, welche Leben wir retten und welche nicht«: UN im Sudan ; Spiegel 09.12.25: Die Reichsten Staaaten der Welt verschärfen die sudanesische Flüchtlingskrise: Die USA, Frankreich, Großbritannien und die Niederlande streichen ihr Budget für Krisenregionen zusammen. Auch die Bundesregierung kürzte 2025 die Gelder: Statt 2,2 Milliarden Euro gibt Berlin insgesamt nur noch eine Milliarde; AJE 15.12.25: Tracking Sudan’s humanitarian crisis: By the numbers: According to the latest figures from the UN, at least 21.2 million people are facing high levels of acute food insecurity, 9.5 million people are displaced internally, 4.35 million people have fled the country, and 10 million children are out of school with classrooms destroyed, occupied, or unsafe to reach; AJE 15.12.25: EU launches aid flights to Sudan’s Darfur as humanitarian crisis escalates: The European Union has launched an “air bridge” to bring eight planeloads of humanitarian aid into Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur region. The European Commission’s department overseeing overseas aid unveiled the measure on Monday and said the flights will carry 3.5 million euros ($4.1m) of “life-saving supplies” to the western region, where “mass atrocities, starvation and displacement” have left millions of people in urgent need.

27.12.25 Africa Report: Drones, gold and covert networks: Foreign hands fuelling Sudan’s relentless war: From clandestine Emirati airlifts to Turkish drones and Sudanese gold moving through murky Gulf networks, foreign governments and arms brokers are propelling a war Sudan’s commanders do not control. We map the external actors – and weapons, wealth, fuel and diplomatic cover – shaping its course.

Also see Guardian 19.12.25: Colombian mercenaries in Sudan ‘recruited by UK-registered firms’; taz 07.12.25: Wie Waffen aus Europa nach Darfur gelangen: [Ausführliche Recherche] Woher kommen die Waffen, mit denen die RSF-Miliz in Darfur Massaker begeht? Die Spur führt über Libyens Wüste in die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate.

22.12.25 AJE: Sudanese bloc declares Nairobi roadmap, but is it a civilian breakthrough?: On December 16, Sudanese political parties, armed movements, civil society organisations, and prominent political figures signed a nine-point political roadmap in Nairobi, presenting it as a civilian-led initiative aimed at ending Sudan’s war and restoring a democratic transition.
Framed as an antiwar, pro-peace platform, it seeks to position civilians as a “third pole” against the two military actors in Sudan’s conflict: the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

22.12.25 SWM: Islamist Liberation Party Escalates Criticism of Sudan's Military: Sudan’s Liberation Party (Hizb al-Tahrir) has intensified a campaign of public protests and political statements accusing the country’s military leadership of subordinating Sudan’s future to U.S.-led diplomacy and facilitating what the party describes as a foreign-backed plan to fragment the country.

20.12.25 NYT: Escape From the Abyss: Surviving the Atrocities in El Fasher: The United Nations’ migration agency estimates that 100,000 people have fled El Fasher since its collapse. That would leave more than 150,000 people still unaccounted for.

Also see Guardian 05.12.25: RSF massacres left Sudanese city ‘a slaughterhouse’, satellite images show: While the final death toll of the massacre remains unclear, British MPs have been briefed that at least 60,000 have been murdered in El Fasher.

16.12.25 SWM: Investigative Report: The Kanabi Killings: Sudan Army and Proxies Killed Hundreds and Dumped the Bodies in Canals

11.12.25 WOZ: In den Minen der RSF: Schürfen für die Kriegskasse: Der Krieg im Sudan ist nicht zuletzt ein Krieg ums Gold. Geflüchtete Minenarbeiter berichten im Nachbarland Tschad von den unmenschlichen Zuständen in den Abbaugebieten in Darfur.

03.12.25 ND: Kindersoldaten und chemische Waffen: Aus dem Machtkampf im Sudan wird ein regionaler Vernichtungskrieg

03.12.25 Guardian: Whistleblower accuses Foreign Office of ‘censoring’ warning of Sudan genocide: Exclusive: Analyst claims UK officials deleted alert to threat of genocidal violence by paramilitaries to protect UAE

30.11.25 AJE: How Europe’s migration policy and arms empowered Sudan’s warlords: European funding aimed at curbing migration inadvertently strengthened Sudanese paramilitaries, while weak export oversight allowed the flow of weapons.

Uganda

04.12.25 Guardian: Uganda stops granting refugee status for Eritreans, Somalis and Ethiopians: Hillary Onek, Uganda’s minister for refugees, announced that the government would no longer grant the status to new arrivals from countries “not experiencing war”.
The decision, from a country seen as one of the world’s most progressive in its approach to migration, has raised concerns that thousands of people will be left in legal and humanitarian limbo. Onek put the blame on a lack of money.

West Africa and Sahel

02.12.25 OCHA: Route-Based Report: The West Africa and Atlantic Route (January – June 2025): This report is part of a series of route-based reports, prepared and issued by UNHCR. They provide protection information about the major routes used by refugees and migrants, including information on the people travelling along the routes and the situation in countries of transit and, to a lesser extent, countries of origin.
The WAAR is a major area for mixed movements from countries in the Sahel to other parts of West Africa, as well as to Europe. It includes overland and road journeys to and through Senegal, Mauritania, Western Sahara and Morocco, from where some people attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean to the Canary Islands, Spain.

Benin

07.12.25 NYT: Coup Attempt Rocks Benin, but Government Says It’s Over: ECOWAS, a West African regional alliance, which had strongly condemned the coup attempt as “unconstitutional” on social media, said late on Sunday that it had ordered the deployment of a “regional standby force” to defend Benin “with immediate effect.”

Also see The Conversation 09.12.25: Benin’s failed coup: three factors behind the takeover attempt; DW 09.12.25: With Benin elections near, failed coup shakes democracy; France 24, 07.12.25: West Africa's ECOWAS bloc deploys standby force to Benin in response to coup attempt

Burkina Faso

05.12.25 Afric.com: Le Burkina Faso rétablit la peine de mort face au terrorisme: La sentence, qui n’avait plus été appliquée au Burkina Faso depuis 1988, sera désormais rétablie pour des crimes tels que la « haute trahison », le « terrorisme » et les « actes d’espionnage ».

Chad

16.12.25 DW: Au Tchad, des tensions et signes de fracture dans la société: Les critiques sont de plus en plus vives chez les Tchadiens face aux restrictions de l’espace civique et politique et l’emprisonnement de figures de l’opposition.

06.12.25 RDFI: Tchad: l'ONU alerte sur le coût des escortes militaires payantes imposées dans l’est du pays: Depuis le début de la guerre au Soudan voisin en avril 2023, le Tchad fait face à un afflux de réfugiés sans précédent. Pour intervenir sur le terrain, les agences des Nations unies doivent presque systématiquement recourir à des escortes armées censées sécuriser leurs déplacements, à la différence des autres ONG qui elles se déplacent sans escorte. Mais dans un contexte de réduction drastique des financements occidentaux, le coût de ces escortes grève l’action humanitaire.

Guinea-Bissau

01.01.26 Spiegel: Junta-Chef Doumbouya gewinnt Präsidentenwahl in Guinea: Der damalige Oberst und Kommandeur der Spezialeinheiten, mittlerweile General, hatte im September 2021 Präsident Alpha Condé gestürzt und Guinea seither als Übergangspräsident geführt. Er diente davor jahrelang beim französischen Militär

Also see africanews 08.12.25: Guinée-Bissau : la junte justifie le coup d’État par un "risque de guerre éthnique"

Mali

31.12.25 AJE: A marriage of three: Will Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso bloc reshape the Sahel?: Impressions from Bamako. Since withdrawing from ECOWAS, the post-coup countries have inaugurated a new bank, TV station and joint military force.

18.12.25 RFI: Mali: la coalition d'opposition CFR conduite par l'imam Dicko enregistre ses premiers ralliements: La CFR a pour objectif de mettre un terme au régime militaire de transition en place depuis plus de cinq ans, de restaurer les libertés fondamentales et l'ordre constitutionnel dans le pays.

17.12.25 Clingendael: Evolving Fuel Blockade in Mali: Pressure, Pause, and Renewed Attacks: In September, the Al-Qaeda affiliated group JNIM (Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin) launched a fuel blockade on Bamako. JNIM attacked over 100 fuel tankers on key supply routes, paralysing transport and electricity generation.
By late November, signs of stabilisation briefly emerged. The brief slowdown in disruption gave way to renewed attacks in early December, when JNIM destroyed 15 fuel trucks in the Bougouni region. The attack followed a mid-November video in which the group signalled a renewed tightening of the blockade. There is little sign that JNIM seeks, or is currently able, to seize Bamako. Nonetheless, the blockade has emerged as a critical test of Mali’s capacity to respond to a conflict increasingly shaped by economic pressure.

16.12.25 Africa Report: Turkish drones in Mali: The secret contract between Baykar and Bamako: The deal to buy six Akıncı drones was one of the Malian junta’s most guarded secrets. But a leak from within the intelligence services has exposed the $210m price tag, unusual discounts, and questions over who is really pulling the strings in Bamako.

14.12.25 France 24: Girls and women fleeing Mali describe sexual violence by Russian military: The AP learned of the alleged rape and four other alleged cases of sexual violence blamed on Africa Corps fighters, commonly described by Malians as the “white men,” while interviewing dozens of refugees at the border about other abuses such as beheadings and abductions.

02.12.25 Reuters: Mali recovers $1.2 billion in arrears from miners, eyes annual windfall under new code: The military-led government launched an audit of Mali’s mining sector in early 2023 that uncovered massive shortfalls for the state and paved the way for a new mining code.

Niger

06.12.25 Niger Diaspora: Niger: des signes de malaise dans le secteur pétrolier?: Le pétrole constitue l’un des piliers de la stratégie souverainiste du Niger : pipeline vers le Bénin, litige avec WAPCO, augmentation de la production, valorisation locale… Chaque décision administrative y prend donc une dimension politique.

04.12.25 EurAsia Daily: The French are furious: Niger is exporting uranium mined by Orano to an unknown destination: [Cave: Putin Press] The French Orano said that it became aware of the shipment of uranium from the SOMAIR mine expropriated from it in the north of Niger. It is reported by Reuters.

Also see France 24, 01.12.25: Niger puts Somair uranium up for international sale

05.12.25 AfriqueXXI: Niger. Un an après son arrestation, Moussa Tchangari toujours en prison: À 56 ans, Tchang, comme on le surnomme affectueusement au Niger arrêté chez lui il y a un an, a été de toutes les batailles. Ses amis se souviennent du militant qu’il était déjà au lycée puis, étudiant en philosophie, à l’orée des années 1990, dans la vague du mouvement scolaire qui allait renverser, non sans sacrifices en vies humaines, les héritiers du général Seyni Kountché et de son régime d’exception.

Also see Migreurop 03.12.25: One year of detention for Moussa Tchangari: Migreurop calls for his immediate release

Nigeria

26.12.25 Spiegel: USA greifen an Weihnachten IS-Stellungen in Nigeria an: Donald Trump spricht von »perfekten Angriffen«: Der US-Präsident meldet tödliche Luftschläge gegen IS-Terroristen im Nordwesten Nigerias. Die Regierung des afrikanischen Landes bestätigt die Attacken. Der Militärschlag sei auf Bitten der nigerianischen Behörden erfolgt, teilte das US-Militärkommando für Afrika (Africom) auf der Plattform X mit.

Also see AJE 17.12.25: Nigeria must not become America’s next battlefield

Sub Saharan Africa

DRC

12.12.25 AJE: Refugees describe neighbours killed as M23 cements control of key DRC city: Congolese refugees have recounted harrowing scenes of death and family separation as they fled intensified fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels captured a strategic city despite a recent United States-brokered peace agreement.

Also see Guardian 05.12.25: People flee DRC fighting a day after peace deal signed in Washington

Malawi

16.12.25 TNH: Malawi’s new government faces its first test, a nationwide state of disaster: ust a few months into his new term, President Peter Mutharika is grappling with a triple crisis – a deep-seated food emergency, diminishing aid, and soaring debt. With over four million Malawians – 22% of the population – facing the threat of acute malnutrition until the next harvest in March, Mutharika last month declared a nationwide state of disaster. But the $119 million humanitarian response is underfunded. Although crucial to staving off the risk of hunger-related deaths, it has so far raised only $26 million from Malawi’s aid partners – roughly 21% of the amount required.

West Asia

Gulf Monarchies

15.12.25 Tagesspiegel: Palantir-Chef Alex Karp im Interview: „Im Nahen Osten gibt es mehr Menschenrechte als in manchem Berliner Stadtteil“: Die Monarchien im Nahen Osten sind viel, viel besser als manche Demokratien. Stabilität und Menschenrechte gibt es im Nahen Osten nur unter einem starken König. Und dort, wo es keine Stabilität gibt, gibt es null Menschenrechte.

Iran

30.12.25 NYT: Protests Over Sinking Economy in Iran Spread to Universities: Protests driven by worsening economic conditions in Iran have spread to universities in several cities on Tuesday, with students chanting for freedom and clashing with the security forces near some campuses, according to local news media and videos posted on social media. The student demonstrations added a youthful contingent to protests this week, which were initially led by merchants frustrated by sky-high inflation and the collapse of the national currency, which hit a record low over the weekend.

Also see SZ 02.01.26:Trump droht Iran mit Eingreifen bei Gewalt gegen Demonstranten: Am Mittwoch protestierten Menschen in Iran den fünften Tag in Folge angesichts der schweren Wirtschaftskrise gegen die autoritäre Staatsführung. Vor allem in den ländlichen Regionen kam es seit Mittwochabend zu schweren Zusammenstößen zwischen Demonstranten und Sicherheitskräften.; France 24 31.12.25: Iran to unleash 'decisive' response if economic protests destabilise country, prosecutor says; Spiegel 30.12.25: Chaos auf den Märkten, Wut auf den Straßen

07.12.25 NYT: U.S. Deports Second Planeload of Iranians, Officials Say: The plane, carrying about 50 Iranians and other deportees, took off from Arizona on Sunday, under a deal the Trump administration reached with Iran two months ago.

Israel

31.12.25 AJE: Which aid groups is Israel banning from Gaza now – and what will it mean?: Israel said it will suspend permits for more than three dozen aid organisations for allegedly failing to meet new requirements for operating in war-devastated Gaza, a move likely to worsen already dire conditions for Palestinians in the enclave.
Organisations facing bans as of January 1, 2026 have failed to meet new requirements for sharing detailed information about their staff, funding and operations, Israeli authorities said on Tuesday.

Also see NYT19.12.25: Gaza City Famine Averted, Global Experts Say, but Palestinians Face Major Difficulties Accessing Food: Food security experts said a famine reported in August had been alleviated but that the situation remained dire across the enclave, despite a cease-fire in October and greater flows of aid.

12.12.25 AJE: Israel approves 19 new West Bank settlements in major annexation push: Israel’s security cabinet has signed off on plans to formalise 19 illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank, in a move Palestinian officials say deepens a decades-long project of land theft and demographic engineering.
Israeli media reported on Friday that the decision also revives two northern West Bank outposts dismantled during the 2005 “disengagement”.

Also see France 24 02.12.25: 'They’re allowed to do what they want': Palestinians describe surge in settler attacks

Syria

05.12.25 Spiegel: Assads Ex-Geheimdienstchef und ein milliardenschwerer Cousin des gestürzten Diktators planen offenbar Aufstand

Yemen

30.12.25 NYT: Emirates to Pull Troops Out of Yemen After Saudi-Led Airstrike: The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday that it was pulling its remaining troops out of Yemen, hours after a Saudi-led airstrike targeted an Emirati shipment, an episode that has laid bare the deepening rift between two Gulf powerhouses.
The escalation pits two key U.S. allies against each other.

Also see AJE 30.12.25: After Saudi Arabia’s Yemen strike, UAE rejects support for separatists; Tagesschau 21.12.25: Separatisten erobern große Teile Südjemens

Mediterranean and Atlantic Route

01.01.26 AJE: At least seven dead, dozens missing as migrant boat capsizes off The Gambia: Gambian authorities say 96 people rescued after boat capsizes along popular West African migration route.

29.12.25 Guardian: More than 3,000 migrants died trying to reach Spain in 2025: According to a new report by the NGO Caminando Fronteras, 3,090 people drowned between January and 15 December 2025, including 192 women and 437 children.
The figure is significantly lower than the 10,457 who died in the attempt last year.
Helena Maleno, the NGO’s research coordinator, said that while the number of fatalities has fallen, there had been an increase in the number of shipwrecks to 303, with as many as 70 boats having disappeared without trace. She said: “This is because we’ve seen an increase in the number of embarkations on the dangerous route from Algeria to the Balearic Islands. “These boats tend to carry around 30 people, whereas the ones on the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands may have up to 300 people on board.”
According to Spain’s interior minister, 35,935 irregular migrants arrived by sea and land up to 15 December, compared with 60,311 who reached Spanish territory during the same period in 2024.

24.12.25 Alarmphone: Alarm Phone fears yet another deadly shipwreck in the Central Mediterranean: At 14:00 CET on 20 December*, Alarm Phone was informed about a boat which departed from Zuwara on the evening of 18 December, carrying 117 people. According to the information received, the departure had taken place around 20:00 local time the previous evening.
We repeatedly attempted to contact the boat via satellite phone, without success. Relevant coast guards and NGOs were alerted, despite not having a GPS position.

19.12.25 AJE: Greece rescues more than 500 asylum seekers off coast of Crete: A coastguard spokesperson told the AFP news agency that the rescued asylum seekers were from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan and the occupied Palestinian territory.
They were taken to the Cretan city of Rethymno, the spokesperson said, and after undergoing health checks, their asylum claims will be processed.
In a separate incident on Thursday, the European Union’s border agency Frontex rescued 65 men and five women seeking refuge from two boats in distress off Gavdos, the Greek coastguard added.

01.12.25 El Salto: Frontex consolida su red de control indirecto en África más allá de la ruta canaria de migración: En las Islas Canarias, como territorio fronterizo entre África Occidental y Europa, se despliega el brazo ejecutor de la política migratoria de la Unión Europa a través de una de sus agencias con mayor presupuesto.
“Frontex está vinculada a perpetuar el proyecto neocolonial en África. Es un elemento clave para externalizar las fronteras y entrenar a fuerzas de seguridad y convierte a esos otros países en puntos fronterizos de la UE sin ningún tipo de vigilancia ni de inspección”

20.11.25 Civil MRCC: Distant Port Assignation – Piantedosi Decree: In recent years, the Mediterranean has become not only a central route for migration but also a contested political space where solidarity at sea is increasingly criminalized. Since the introduction of the Piantedosi decree in January 2023, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) conducting search-and-rescue (SAR) operations have faced mounting administrative and legal obstacles. Among these, the policy of systematically assigning increasingly distant Ports of Safety (PoS) stands out as one of the most consequential measures affecting rescue capacity and operational efficiency.

Europe

Bosnia

22.12.25 Altreconomia: La vicenda drammatica di tre uomini partiti dal Sudan e rimasti congelati in Bosnia: In fuga dal conflitto nel Paese, erano in viaggio lungo la rotta balcanica per raggiungere la Germania. A pochi chilometri dalla frontiera croata hanno iniziato a non camminare più. Tra ritardi nelle cure e ricoveri posticipati, hanno subito l’amputazione di gambe e dita delle mani. Attivisti e Ong chiedono di farli spostare in un centro di cure specializzato e di non riportarli nel campo di confinamento di Lipa

Finlande

09.12.25 Infomigrants: La Finlande renforce sa frontière pour enrayer la déstabilisation migratoire menée par la Russie: Une immense clôture haute de cinq mètres, dont au moins un mètre de barbelés, se dresse le long de la frontière. Cette barrière est à l'image du paysage environnant, entièrement prise dans la glace. Ce jour-là, il fait -20°C.

Kosovo

12.12.25 Reuters: Kosovo starts accepting third-party deportees from the US: Kosovo agreed to a request from President Donald Trump's administration to initially take in 50 deportees. "We are accepting those that the U.S. did not want on their territory," Kurti told Kanal10 television. He gave no details on which countries they were from, and said only one or two have arrived so far.

UK

04.12.25 Calais Bordermonitoring: Rechtsextremes Grenzspektakel an der Kanalküste: Britische Rechtsextreme nutzen die nordfranzösische Küstenregion stärker denn je als Bühne. Mit Raise the Colours trat im November 2025 ein weiterer Akteur hinzu (siehe hier). Wöchentlich suchen Aktivisten seither Schauplätze der humanitären Krise auf und propagieren direkte Aktionen, um anstelle der Behörden „die Boote zu stoppen“.

08.10.25 (!) New Statesman: The truth about the small-boats crisis: "In our reporting, we have spent time in camps across northern France and spoken at length to the migrants who passed through. We’ve approached aid workers, politicians, locals, policemen and town planners. The picture that emerges pertains not just to a failure of policy, but a failure of humanity. Beneath the political slogans and misapprehension, there is a terrifying, neglected reality. No one who arrives at the border is quite the same when they leave."

European Union

Balkan Route

18.12.25 ecre: Balkan Route,

EU

18.12.25 ecre: EU Eastern Developments

18.12.25 Guardian: Ten years of fortress Europe has served only cruelty, profiteers and racists. The next decade is up to us: The hard right and far right are the political winners from the migration ‘crisis’, but only because centrist parties keep legitimising them.

08.12.25 Euronews: Les pays de l'UE intensifient les expulsions en signant un nouvel accord sur les centres de retour: Les États membres de l'UE seront autorisés à conclure des accords bilatéraux avec des pays tiers pour faciliter l'expulsion des demandeurs d'asile déboutés.
La nature de chaque plate-forme de retour dépendra des accords bilatéraux conclus entre les États membres de l'UE et les pays tiers. Les plateformes peuvent être un lieu de transit, une étape avant que les personnes ne soient renvoyées dans leur pays d'origine, ou devenir un lieu permanent pour ceux qui n'ont pas le droit de rester dans l'UE.

08.12.25 DW: Asyl-Politik: EU-Innenminister verschärfen Regeln: Die EU-Länder haben sich bei der Verteilung von Asylbewerbern und den Beiträgen zum sogenannten Solidaritätspool geeinigt. Innerhalb der Europäischen Union sollen 21.000 Schutzsuchende umgesiedelt werden, um besonders unter Druck stehende EU-Staaten zu entlasten, wie die Innenminister bei einem Treffen in Brüssel festlegten. Zudem sollen weniger belastete EU-Länder im Rahmen des Solidaritätsmechanismus, der mit der europäischen Asylreform 2024 beschlossen wurde, insgesamt 420 Millionen Euro bereitstellen.

Dec 2025 movements, 1/2025: [Article by Julia Manek] „Like a Lipstick on a Gorilla“: Das Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC) auf Samos als Blaupause für zukünftige Asylgrenzverfahren: This article outlines the possible consequences of the asylum border procedures under the new Common European Asylum System (CEAS), focusing on the Closed Controlled Access Center (CCAC) on Samos.

Germany

09.12.25 Tagesspiegel: Bericht über Dobrindt-Deal: Griechenland und Italien nehmen offenbar Migranten aus Deutschland zurück: Neben der Verschärfung des EU‑Asylkurses hat Bundesinnenminister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) beim Treffen mit seinen europäischen Amtskollegen offenbar einen weiteren Deal erreicht.
Wie die „Bild“-Zeitung berichtet, wollen Griechenland und Italien Migranten aus Deutschland zurücknehmen, die vorher schon bei ihnen Asyl beantragt haben. Gelten soll diese Regelung demnach ab Juni 2026. Im Gegenzug für die Rücknahme sollen die Länder an den EU-Außengrenzen entlastet werden. Dobrindt zufolge geschieht dies durch einen „starken Außengrenzschutz und effizientere Rückführungen“.

Greece

5.12.25 taz: Milliarden Euro gegen Migration :KI an der Grenze: Europa baut ein KI-Kontrollsystem an seinen Grenzen auf – finanziert von der EU, vorangetrieben von Deutschland. Die Rüstungsindustrie profitiert.
Im September nahmen hochrangige EU-Grenzbeamte an einem internen Meeting in der Zentralevon Frontex, der EU-Grenzschutzagentur in Warschau, teil. Das Thema: „Innovation“. Zwei der Teilnehmenden zufolge wurde dort ein von Frontex getestetes Überwachungsnetzwerk aus Drohnen vorgeführt. Die senkrecht startenden Fluggeräte schwebten entlang der bulgarisch-türkischen Grenze und übertrugen Echtzeitvideos an die Kommandozentrale in Warschau.
„Die EU ist entschlossen, KI im Grenzmanagement einzuführen“, erklärte Theofanis Papadopoulos, Leiter der griechischen Verwaltungsbehörde für Migrations- und Innenpolitik, auf Anfrage. „Sie vergeben Fördermittel, die auf KI und elektronische Überwachung ausgerichtet sind. Sie stellen Finanzmittel dafür bereit und veröffentlichen Ausschreibungen mit dieser ganz konkreten Ausrichtung. Das gibt den Mitgliedstaaten Anlass, sich in diese Richtung zu bewegen.“

Also see Solomon 29.11.25: Greece: A Testing Ground for Smart Surveillance Technologies: Europe is rapidly building an AI-ready smart-border regime — bankrolled by the EU, pushed by Germany and tested in Greece. Defense and security firms are among the biggest winners. Much of it is unfolding under the radar, with safeguards for people on the move lagging behind. 03.12.25 Inkstick: American AI Arrives on Fortress Europe’s Borders. At What Cost?

10.12.25 RTS: En Grèce, des îles-prisons pour réfugiés financées par la Confédération: Des îles grecques servent de prison pour réfugiés. Ce sont les "centres fermés à accès contrôlé", où on retrouve aussi des "zones sécurisées pour mineurs non accompagnés", le tout financé par la Suisse. Sur place, des enfants et des familles y vivent dans le dénuement, privés de soins de santé et de leurs droits.

04.12.25 Infomigrants: Grèce : ouverture à Lesbos du procès de 24 travailleurs humanitaires jugés pour trafic de migrants: Les ONG estiment que ce procès est une illustration de la criminalisation de la solidarité en Grèce. "Le sauvetage de vies en mer est assimilé à tort à du trafic de migrants", déplore Human Rights Watch.

Italy

15.12.25 IRPI: L’Italia sostiene il piano della Libia per costruire 70 nuovi centri per i rimpatri volontari. I misteri di Arkenu, la compagnia che ridisegna il potere petrolifero libico: An Italian proposal paves the way for Libyan centres for voluntary repatriation, while a new Libyan company exports hundreds of millions worth of crude oil thanks to an obscure agreement with the state.

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