Monthly Press Review October 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 rough and contingent, and biassed on our interest in popular uprisings, and social and migration movements, but also border politics, and militarization of social relations.

The main sources are News from AJE, Guardian, New York Times, etc., but also newsletters and websites. As we know, all the more after the Gaza experience, it is necessary to complement the European, and especially the German news landscape with articles from abroad. If anybody would like to contribute from other sources, let us know (contact[at]migration-control.info).

For a more distiguished way of doing press reviews, and more fokused on European developments, please Also see migreurop Press Review July 2025, and the ERCE Press Review.

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

All Africa

24.10.25 Guardian: UK’s biggest weapons firm BAE grounds ‘lifeline’ aircraft delivering food aid: Britain’s arms maker has revoked licence to fly for planes taking supplies of food to starving people in South Sudan, Somalia and DRC

13.10.25 AfricaReport: [Paywall] Are Emirati petrodollars really a good deal for Africa?: Logistics, energy, minerals – the United Arab Emirates has become one of Africa’s leading foreign investors, behind the European Union and China. The charge has drawn the occasional accusation of neo-colonial practice.

North Africa:

Algeria

22.10.25 Africa News: Algiers–N’Djamena: A New Air Bridge Strengthening African Connectivity: It also aligns with Algeria’s broader strategy to affirm its role as a regional hub — a crossroads linking North Africa, the Sahel, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Libya

30.10.25 Amnesty: Libya: Investigate killings of Tebu people and disclose fate of the disappeared: Amnesty International documented a series of human rights violations committed between August and October 2025 against members of the Tebu community in the Kufra district, based on ethnic origin, by the Subul al-Salam Battalion, an armed group under LAAF command, and the Kufra police affiliated with LAAF.
Under the command of the LAAF, Subul al-Salam Battalion patrols the desert areas across the Kufra district to counter smuggling and irregular migration between Libya, Sudan, and Chad. [The region is a supply route for arms deliveries from the UAE to the RSF in Darfur]

16.10.25 Africareport: AFRICOM picks Libya for 2026 exercise in bid to unite rival armies: The US military is gambling that it can get Libya’s duelling factions to stop aiming at each other and focus instead on common threats.
Italy’s Special Forces Command is expected to enable the planning and execution of the Libya spoke.

02.10.25 Infomigrants: [Analysis] The Libyan Coast Guard – explained: The Libyan Coast Guard is often in the spotlight, in connection with the role it plays in irregular migration from Libya to Europe. This attention has sharpened in recent years as it is increasingly implicated in abuses against people on the move, and more recently direct attacks on NGO vessels.
While often referred to as a single entity, the Libyan Coast Guard is far from it. It comprises numerous groups with different command structures, loyalties and inter-group relations. There are also other groups in Libya which often get mistaken for the Libyan Coast Guard.

Mauritania

24.10.25 Infomigrants: Mauritanie : près de 2 000 "retours volontaires" ont eu lieu depuis le début de l’année: Le nombre de "retours volontaires" depuis la Mauritanie se multiplie depuis cette année. À l’intérieur de ces vols, on retrouve majoritairement des Guinéens. Depuis le mois d’août, ils ont occupé au moins 762 places, selon nos informations confirmées par l’OIM.

24.10.25 Guardian: Plain rice and little else: life for 120,000 refugees inside Mauritania’s vast camp on Mali’s border: Over a quarter of a million refugees live in Mbera and nearby villages, and more than half are under 18. But aid cuts mean providing essentials has become even harder

Morocco

31.10.25 Spiegel: Uno-Sicherheitsrat votiert für Westsahara unter marokkanischer Souveränität: Marokko hält seit den Siebzigerjahren große Teile der Westsahara besetzt. Das Volk der Sahrawis lebt deshalb im algerischen Exil. Nun hat der Uno-Sicherheitsrat diese Politik abgesegnet. Treibende Kraft dahinter: die USA.

13.10.25 France24: Morocco’s GenZ 212 youth collective calls for ‘peaceful sit-ins’ to demand reforms: "We call on young people in Morocco and all citizens to massively mobilise to support this movement until our demands are met," the group, whose founders remain unknown, said in a statement.

Also see France24 24.10.25: More than 1,500 people face prosecution in Morocco after GenZ 212 protests; Africa rfi 19.10.25: Maroc: après neuf jours de pause, le mouvement Gen Z 212 à nouveau dans la rue; Africa Report 02.10.25: Why is Morocco going up in flames?: Protesters denounce failings in two essential services — education and health. In schools they point to dilapidated infrastructure, overcrowded classes and pupils dropping out. In hospitals they cite a chronic shortage of doctors, outdated equipment and poor access to care in some regions.
Their demands also reflect a deeper malaise tied to corruption, the “opaque” use of public funds and a sense of “social injustice”; NYT 02.10.25: 3 Killed in Antigovernment Protests in Morocco: [with Video] The protests began last weekend after a loosely organized group known as Gen Z 212 used social media to call for better schools and hospitals and for broader freedoms in the North African country. Demonstrators initially took to the streets in major cities including Rabat, the capital, and Casablanca, during which they contrasted the millions that the government was spending to host the sporting event with the dire state of public services.

Tunisia

27.10.25 FDTES: The Nexus of Technology and Migration Tech-Facilitated Bordser Control and Implications for Tunisia: [Policy Paper, PDF] The policy paper examines the strategies and methods underlying the deployment of emerging technologies along the Italian Tunisian migration borders in the broader context of migration management in the Mediterranean.

25.10.25 FDTES: In Support of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women and Against the Policies Criminalizing Civil Action: The Tunisian authorities have decided to suspend the activities of the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD) for a period of one month.
This decision is part of an ongoing series of measures aimed at criminalizing independent civic action and further restricting civic space in Tunisia, affecting dozens of independent associations

03.10.25 LM: En Tunisie, un homme condamné à mort pour des publications Facebook critiques du pouvoir: Prononcée mercredi 1ᵉʳ octobre, cette condamnation s’inscrit dans un climat de répression généralisée, dans un pays où le président, Kaïs Saïed, s’est arrogé les pleins pouvoirs en 2021.

East Africa

Sudan

31.10.25 AJE: Sudan’s North Kordofan ‘deteriorating’ under RSF as thousands flee: More than 4,500 people have fled Sudan’s North Kordofan state as the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) escalate their violent attacks against civilians there and in neighbouring North Darfur’s el-Fasher, a Sudanese medical organisation says.
Field reports from the Sudan Doctors Network (SDN) on Friday indicated that nearly 2,000 people have successfully travelled from the Bara locality, which the RSF recaptured last week, to the state capital of el-Obeid, about 60km (37 miles) to the south.

31.10.25 NYT: Twenty Years On, Darfur Tips Into Chaos Again: [News Analysis]: The world seems unable, or unwilling, to do much to stop a new struggle on an old battlefield, as atrocities sweep villages and towns.

31.10.25 taz: Hametti und Haftar, zwei Warlords im Aufwind: Die RSF-Miliz in Sudan und die LNA-Parallelregierung in Libyen arbeiten zusammen gegen ihre Regierungen. Sie haben mächtige Freunde in Moskau und Dubai.

30.10.25 NYT: Executions and Mass Casualties: Videos Show Horror Unfolding in Sudan: Videos and witness accounts show trenches filled with bodies, and fighters with the paramilitary force — the Rapid Support Forces, or R.S.F. — hunting down civilians as they flee.

Also see AJE 30.10.25: UN officials condemn ‘horrifying’ mass killings in Sudan as RSF advances

28.10.25 Abu Hureirah: Sudan at the Crossroads of EmpireRevolution, Counterrevolution, and the UAE’s Subimperial Ambitions: [Analysis]: Displacement and famine open territory for mining. Looting creates dependency on aid controlled by those funding armed conflict. Each ruined village becomes a future investment zone. Humanitarian crisis a step in the business model of empire.

26.10.25 SWM: RSF captures army base in North Darfur capital: The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have suffered two significant defeats over the past two days, losing control of the town of Bara in North Kordofan State, and the 6th Infantry Division headquarters in El-Fasher, its last major stronghold in the Darfur region.
More than 60% of the El Fasher population has fled, according to estimates by the International Organization for Migration. Hunger, shelling, and the threat of targeted or accidental killings (due to crossfire) have driven the exodus. The latest fighting displaced even more civilians; video footage reviewed by Sudan War Monitor showed civilians fleeing through the western side of El-Fasher as fighting continued in the final SAF-controlled enclave.

Also see AJE 26.10.25: Battle for Sudan’s el-Fasher intensifies as RSF claims seizing army HQ; NYT 26.10.25: Sudanese Paramilitaries Claim Control of Key Army Garrison in Darfur: Those scenes stoked fears of violent retribution and even ethnic cleansing in El Fasher.

More info in our blog post on El Faher

24.10.25 AJE: RSF drones target Sudan’s Khartoum in fourth day of sustained attacks: Explosions were heard in the vicinity of Khartoum International Airport amid uncertainty over its reopening.

Also see SWM 22.10.25: Hemedti threatens regional aviation: “Any airplane that takes off from any neighboring country—any airplane that is dropping supplies, bombing, or killing—any drone that takes off from any airport—for us it is a legitimate target.

15.10.25 TNH: Sudan’s displaced are in homes, not just camps – and aid keeps missing them: “We must stop searching for a crisis that fits existing models and start designing responses that fit the crisis we actually have.”

14.10.25: AJE: Control, choke points: The battle lines in southern Sudan: The Sudanese army’s gains may enable it to choke off the RSF’s supply lines and eventually enter Darfur, analysts say.

Also see 13.10.25 SWM: Dozens killed in RSF and army strikes in North Darfur: At least 80 people were killed over the weekend in North Darfur State as drone attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) struck civilian-populated areas. In a statement Saturday, the El Fasher Resistance Committee accused the RSF of executing a coordinated series of strikes on Dar Al-Arqam from Friday into Sunday morning. The committee said the attacks deliberately targeted shelters housing displaced families – mainly women, children and the elderly – killing and injuring scores; AJE 11.10.25: RSF drone strike kills dozens in Sudan’s war-ravaged el-Fasher

ẞ9.10.25 France 24: Videos show the Sudanese army's use of chlorine gas as a weapon: On May 22, 2025, the US accused the Sudanese army of using chemical weapons in its war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. The US presented no evidence to support the allegations, which the Sudanese army denied. But the FRANCE 24 Observers team has documented two incidents in September 2024

West Africa and Sahel

October 2025 Clingendael: Stability and livelihood challenges in the borderlands of Coastal West Africa: [Report] The lives of people in the communities of the borderlands of Coastal West Africa are not bound by formal lines on a map. Rather, these communities create and depend on complex cross-border socio-economic activities and networks, which are increasingly threatened by violent extremist organisations and state responses to these groups. These efforts, if not managed properly, could engender further expansion of violent extremists.

24.10.25 DW: Au Sahel, les régimes militaires en manque de liquidités: Depuis les coups d’État successifs qui ont porté au pouvoir des militaires au Mali, au Burkina Faso et au Niger, les économies sahéliennes subissent de profondes turbulences. Dans les trois pays, des informations concordantes font état de difficultés récurrentes à assurer le paiement ponctuel des salaires des fonctionnaires, un poste qui absorbe en moyenne plus de 30 % des dépenses publiques.
Le maintien des forces armées sur plusieurs fronts sécuritaires, la lutte contre les groupes djihadistes et l’extension de zones à sécuriser constituent des charges financières exponentielles qui grignotent les crédits destinés au développement, à l’éducation et à la santé.

10.10.25 AJE: Around four million people displaced across Africa’s Sahel, UN warns: Women and children represent 80 percent of those forcibly displaced in countries including Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, UNHCR says. While 75 percent of those displaced remain within their own countries, cross-border movements are on the rise, putting pressure on host communities

Ghana

15.10.25 Time: The New Gold Rush: Today, Ghana remains Africa’s top gold exporter and sixth largest globally. In recent years, however, what should be a boon has become spiked with burden. Independent of commercial mining operations, thousands of galamsey sites dot the emerald countryside of this West African nation of 34 million. But to isolate gold, galamsey workers typically use poisonous mercury, which pollutes drinking water and farmland and has been linked to serious illness and birth defects.

14.10.25 rfi: Ghana: l'accord migratoire avec les États-Unis attaqué devant la Cour suprême: Alors qu'un nouveau groupe de migrants transféré des États-Unis est arrivé à Accra lundi 13 octobre, un cabinet d'avocats a déposé une plainte devant la plus haute juridiction ghanéenne pour obtenir sa suspension. Il estime que le texte entre non seulement en contradiction avec les traités internationaux dont le Ghana est signataire mais que sa non ratification par le Parlement conduit l'exécutif à agir en dehors de tout cadre constitutionnel.

Ivory Coast

29.10.25 Punch: Ivory Coast opposition party calls for rally against election violence: Ouattara’s re-election with nearly 90 per cent of the vote came after a campaign marked by heightened tensions in which his main rivals were prevented from challenging the 83-year-old leader.
Some two per cent of polling stations reported disturbances during Saturday’s ballot, while others saw eruptions of violence, notably in the centre-west of the West African nation.

Also see Guardian 27.10.25: Alassane Ouattara wins landslide fourth term as Ivory Coast’s president: Low turnout said to have made for most peaceful election in years, as 83-year-old accused of clampdown on dissent wins 89.77% of vote

Mali

31.10.25 Spiegel: Al-Qaida-Verbündete auf dem Vormarsch: Deutschland, USA und Italien rufen Staatsbürger zur Ausreise aus Mali auf: Wegen immer dramatischeren Treibstoffmangels in Mali rufen Deutschland, die USA und Italien ihre Bürger zur dringenden Ausreise aus dem Land auf. Islamisten, die mit der Terrormiliz al-Qaida verbündet sind, haben das westafrikanische Land seit Wochen weitgehend von Benzin- und Diesellieferungen abgeschnitten. Schulen und Universitäten sind landesweit seit dieser Woche bis zum 9. November geschlossen.

28.10.25 Bamada: Fermeture des frontières terrestres Mali–Mauritanie : la visite du ministre des Affaires étrangères mauritanien n’aura donc pas suffi à calmer le jeu?: Une décision qui plonge les éleveurs nomades dans l’incertitude, des milliers de familles vivant de la transhumance se retrouvant isolées, privées d’accès aux pâturages et aux points d’eau essentiels à la survie de leur cheptel. Cette fermeture de frontière, qui ne peut être dissociée du climat de méfiance qui persiste depuis plusieurs années entre Bamako et Nouakchott,

22.10.25 rfi: Mali: le Jnim poursuit son offensive, le Premier ministre dénonce «une tentative de déstabilisation»: Au Mali, le Jnim a encore attaqué un convoi de camions citernes mardi 21 octobre à la frontière ivoirienne, malgré l'escorte militaire. Les jihadistes poursuivent sans relâche leur offensive, maintenant une grave pénurie de carburant dans le pays et imposant également, depuis vendredi, le port du voile aux femmes sur les routes du pays.

Also see AJE 27.10.25: Mali shuts schools as fuel blockade imposed by fighters paralyses country; LM 21.10.25: Au Mali, les djihadistes mettent Bamako sous tension en la privant d’essence; rfi 18.10.25: Mali: les jihadistes du Jnim veulent imposer leurs règles à tous les voyageurs sur les routes

Niger

31.10.25 Sahel Intelligence: Niamey : Coopération renforcée entre le Niger et l’Italie: Le Premier ministre, ministre de l’Économie et des Finances du Niger, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, a présidé ce jeudi 30 octobre 2025 une importante séance de travail avec une délégation italienne en visite officielle à Niamey. La délégation, conduite par le vice-président du Conseil et ministre italien des Affaires étrangères et de la Coopération internationale, Antonio Tajani, a pour objectif de consolider les relations de coopération entre les deux pays.
Le ministre italien a également insisté sur la nécessité de développer des partenariats « gagnant-gagnant » afin de transformer les ressources naturelles du Niger, générer des emplois et soutenir la croissance économique des deux nations. « Ensemble, nous travaillerons pour renforcer cette amitié, en particulier dans la lutte contre le terrorisme », a ajouté Antonio Tajani, précisant que cette visite ne constituait pas seulement un acte formel, mais marquait le début d’une nouvelle phase dans les relations entre l’Italie et le Niger.

28.10.25 Africa Report: People smugglers enriched in Niger’s Agadez after junta dumps EU migration deal: [Paywall] The business of smuggling migrants to the Mediterranean has been decriminalised under the junta. As more desperate migrants return, they have to deal with more ruthless smugglers, often operating with criminal networks.

27.10.25 RFI: Niger: 17 civils tués dans une frappe de drone à près de la frontière avec le Mali: Au Niger, une frappe aérienne de drone a fait 17 victimes civiles l'après-midi du 27 octobre au marché hebdomadaire de Tchinberkaouane, non loin du ranch animalier d'Ekrafane à la frontière avec le Mali, selon des sources sécuritaires. Les vidéos qui circulent sur les réseaux sociaux montrent notamment des cadavres calcinés et des hangars carbonisés. Le 22 septembre dernier, 40 autres civils avaient été tués par un drone de l'armée nigérienne dans la même zone de la préfecture de Filingue. Aucun bilan officiel n'est encore disponible pour le drame de ce 27 octobre.

24.10.25 RFI: Niger: fin des auditions du militant des droits humains incarcéré, Moussa Tchangari: Les auditions du militant nigérien des droits humains Moussa Tchangari ont pris fin. Il y a deux jours (mercredi 22 octobre), le secrétaire général de l'ONG Alternative Espaces Citoyens a été confronté une dernière fois au doyen des juges d'instruction à Niamey. Cette figure reconnue de la société civile africaine est poursuivie pour cinq chefs d'accusation dont apologie du terrorisme, complot contre l'autorité de l'État et intelligence avec une puissance extérieure. Depuis son arrestation il y a près d'un an (10 mois), Moussa Tchangari est incarcéré à la prison de Filingué, à 180 km au nord de la capitale.

24.10.25 ecofin: Niger Raises Minimum Wage by 39.8% After Union Demands: Niger’s statutory minimum wage (SMIG) will rise 39.8% to 42,000 CFA francs from 30,047 CFA francs, the government announced after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. An effective date for the increase was not immediately provided.Despite the increase, Niger’s new minimum wage remains below that of neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso (45,000 CFA francs) and Senegal (64,175 CFA francs).

Nigeria

Africa Report 31.10.25: Sahel terror group JNIM hits Nigeria for the first time – a sign of expansion plans: The strike, in the north of Kwara State near the Benin border, left one soldier dead. The Sahel-based group says it seized weapons, equipment and cash. Kwara State, in the North-Central region, is strategically placed and shares notoriously porous borders with Benin. In recent months JNIM has stepped up attacks on Beninese territory, and they have grown in scale. Its preferred area of operations for fighters coming from Burkina Faso and Niger has been the W and Pendjari national parks in northern Benin. This time, JNIM struck near Benin’s eastern borders.

Senegal

15.10.25 DW: Le Sénégal face au risque du non-remboursement de sa dette: Dans son dernier rapport , l'agence de notation américaine Moody's a dégradé la note du Sénégal, ce qui classe le pays à la quatrième place, parmi les États de l'UEMOA qui en compte huit. Une position qui traduit une vulnérabilité accrue et un risque élevé de non-remboursement de la dette, selon les analystes.

Sub Saharan Africa

Cameroon

11.10.25 AJE: Cameroon presidential election: As Paul Biya set to win, what’s at stake?: The cocoa and oil-producing Central African country has been beset by challenges in recent years, including the rising cost of food, high rate of youth unemployment, armed attacks in the far north and a secessionist conflict in the country’s southern Anglophone regions.

Kenya

22.10.25 TNH: Dadaab refugees decry divisive and unfair food aid cuts: Differentiated Assistance (DA) replaces the previous blanket aid system, which an under-funded World Food Programme (WFP) says it can no longer afford. The agency is instead prioritising the most vulnerable – an approach it has employed in neighbouring Uganda, as well as Lebanon.

Madagascar

15.10.25 France24: Madagascar’s pattern of popular revolts gets its Gen Z update: Madagascar is experiencing its fifth political crisis since the island gained independence from France in 1960. President Andry Rajoelina fled the country on Monday after weeks of protest led by social media group Gen Z Madagascar, creating a power vacuum that has allowed the military to claim power – a situation that feels like déjà vu.

Also see rfi 19.10.25: Madagascar: à Antananarivo, une foule en liesse célèbre sa «révolution» place du 13-Mai: A l'occasion d'une grande fête populaire organisée ce samedi 18 octobre, au lendemain de l'investiture du colonel Michael Randrianirina comme « président de la refondation »; France 24 15.10.25: Madagascar’s pattern of popular revolts gets its Gen Z update NYT 13.10.25: Madagascar’s President Goes Into Hiding: The move followed weeks of intense and deadly protests against the government of President Andry Rajoelina, who said he would defy growing calls to resign; France 24 11.10.25: Madagascar soldiers join protestors, refuse orders to shoot demonstrators

Tanzania

31.10.25 taz: Schwere Unruhen in Tansania: „Das ist eine Revolution“: Berichte über 165 Tote bei den landesweiten Protesten in Tansania seit den Wahlen am Mittwoch. Aktivisten aus Kenia wollen sich anschließen.

Also see ACLED 14.10.25: The last of the hegemonic liberation parties: Tanzania’s CCM clings to power as elections loom: The systematic repression of opposing forces in Tanzania — through arrests, abductions, and political exclusion — guarantees President Hassan’s victory on 29 October.

West Asia

Emirates

27.10.25 Forbes: This Gulf Nation Is Powering Trump’s Moneymaking Machine: The president has already made hundreds of millions abroad, much of it stemming from a single Middle Eastern nation. His most lucrative foreign deal may be about to begin. (This explains why UAE has free hand in Sudan)

04.10.25 Tgsp: KI-Unterricht schon im Kindergarten: Wie die Golfstaaten zur weltgrößten Tech-Macht werden wollen: [Long Read from Handelsblatt]: Öl hat die Golfstaaten unvorstellbar reich gemacht, jetzt investieren sie massiv in Zukunftstechnologie. KI wird schon im Kindergarten gelehrt. Ihr Ziel: Augenhöhe mit USA und China. Was fehlt. Ist ein großer Heimarmarkt

Syria

30.10.25 NYT: Hundreds of Thousands Have Fled Their Homes in Syria’s Rocky Transition: More than 400,000 Syrians have been displaced in the year since the civil war ended, according to the United Nations, driven by a mix of sectarian violence, acts of revenge and property disputes.

Europe

Italy

31.10.25 Migreurop: 2nd anniversary of the Italy–Albania migration agreement : let’s dismantle it !: We demand the abolition of the Italy–Albania agreement and the destruction of the Shëngjin and Gjader camps!

15.10.25 Libya Security Monitor: Italian Parliament Approves Reneval of Migration MOU: On 15 October, Italy’s Chamber of Deputies has approved the renewal of the 2017 MoU with Libya on migration control, reinforcing cooperation to curb irregular crossings in the Central Mediterranean. The MoU is scheduled for its next automatic three-year renewal on 2 November 2025, unless either Italy or the Government of National Unity (GNU) formally revokes or requests revisions to the agreement before that date

Also see Sea Watch: 60 Libyan attacks at sea as EU rolls out red carpet for militias, new data shows: A new report of the search and rescue organization Sea-Watch records 60 violent incidents by Libyan militias such as the so-called Libyan coastguard, against migrants as well as civil and EU state actors at sea since 2016. 54 of the recorded episodes were committed by the so-called Libyan coastguard.

Ireland

23.10.25 Spiegel: Dritte Nacht mit Ausschreitungen vor Asylhotel in Dublin: In der irischen Hauptstadt eskalieren Proteste gegen Asylsuchende. Auch in der Nacht zu Donnerstag flogen Steine und Flaschen, zwei Polizisten wurden verletzt. Hintergrund ist ein angeblicher Übergriff auf ein Mädchen.

Poland

23.10.25 Guardian: Poland’s birth rate is in freefall. The cause? A loneliness epidemic that state cash can’t solve: [Bonus Material: Better Block Immigration] Bonuses for families have done nothing to fix a baby bust caused by post-communist Europe’s relationships crisis. Te population has shrunk by 1.5 million. A million new one-person households have materialised in the demographic ledger, quiet entries in a changing social contract. In 2024, Poland’s fertility rate collapsed to 1.1 – meaning it ranks among the world’s least fertile countries, beside war-scarred Ukraine. This year, it is poised to fall further, to 1.05.
Young Poles aren’t just sleeping apart –they’re scrolling apart. Seven in 10 have tried the lottery of dating apps.
But the promise of infinite possibility appears to have delivered infinite hesitation: only 9% of young couples have actually met online. What appears, in statistics, as a fertility crisis seems, in lived experience, to be a crisis of connection.

UK

Tandoline: Vigilant Whiteness: racism, transphobia and the mainstreaming of far-right politics in Britain: Far-right agendas have moved to the centre stage of politics. Here, we examine how registers of difference are crafted within reactionary movements in the UK. We analyse social media activities and interviews with individuals who gained a public profile by advancing far-right agendas. Racist and transphobic discourses thereby fulfil parallel functions: both operate via projected scenarios of biological contamination and criminal transgression.

UK / Frontex

16.10.25 Guardian: Border security officers sent to Balkans to disrupt people-smuggling networks: British border security officers have been deployed to the Balkans for the first time in an effort to disrupt the networks smuggling migrants into the UK.
Officers have been sent to develop new ways of working with Frontex, the EU’s border agency, to track down and arrest people-smugglers operating along key routes into western Europe.

European Union

31.10.25 Statewatch: EU: New Handbook offers guide to privacy and data protection for immigration and asylum practitioners: Statewatch is publishing a handbook that explains how data protection law can be used to seek remedies and redress for people in the EU’s immigration and asylum systems. Aimed at lawyers, case workers, volunteers and others working on immigration and asylum cases, it offers an overview of key digital technologies, and privacy and data protection concepts and cases.

18.10.25 taz: 20 Staaten drängen auf mehr Abschiebungen nach Afghanistan: In einem Brief fordern die Staaten von der EU-Kommission mehr Möglichkeiten zur Abschiebung nach Afghanistan. Auch Bundesinnenminister Dobrindt hat unterzeichnet.

Also see Infomigrants 15.10.25: Germany’s interior minister proposes sharing deportations among EU states: German Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has proposed that Germany could, in future, carry out deportations to Afghanistan on behalf of other EU states. “Conversely, perhaps other countries can take over repatriations where they have negotiated better agreements on returns,” he said after discussions with his European counterparts in Luxembourg.

16.10.25 EC: The Pact for the Mediterranean: One Sea, One Pact, One Future: he appointment of the first ever European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, working in close cooperation with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, highlights the EU’s ambition to step up and have a more focused approach to the Mediterranean. The Pact for the Mediterranean (‘the Pact’) reflects this strategic ambition. We want to strengthen this relationship and achieve deeper integration within the Common Mediterranean Space.

All the bla bla, and „implementing a whole-of-route approach to migration management“, whatever this means.

Find an analysis by emergency.it here.

13.10.25 anafé: Entry/Exit System : un pas de plus vers la surveillance généralisée: Présenté comme un « simple » outil facilitant le contrôle des frontières et dont la seule conséquence négative serait le temps d’attente aux postes frontières, le système d’entrée et de sortie de l’espace Schengen (EES)[1], mis en œuvre à partir du 12 octobre 2025, est en réalité un outil supplémentaire au service d’une surveillance généralisée des personnes en migration.

Also see France 24 09.10.25: What the EU's new biometric border rules mean for non-EU travellers

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