Monthly Press Review August / September 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 from various sources. 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.

Gaza Special

01.10.25 FA: The Middle East That Israel Has Made: [Analysis] The countries of the Middle East increasingly see Israel as their new shared threat. Israel’s war in Gaza, its expansionist military policies, and its revisionist posture are reshaping the region in ways that few anticipated.

Also see MERIP 01.10.25: The Military-Industrial Backbone of Normalization: [Analysis] In February 2025, as international condemnation of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza reached new heights, Abu Dhabi hosted the International Defence Exhibition and Conference. The most dynamic areas of Arab-Israeli cooperation are not cultural exchange or conflict resolution, but weapons sales, intelligence and surveillance collaboration and digital repression.

25.09.25 +982: Microsoft revokes cloud services from Israel’s Unit 8200, following +972 exposé: The decision followed an exposé last month by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and the Guardian revealing how Unit 8200, the Israeli army’s elite cyber warfare agency, was housing intercepted recordings of millions of mobile phone calls by Palestinians on Microsoft’s cloud platform, Azure, creating one of the world’s most intrusive collections of surveillance data over a single population group.

24.09.25 USB: Difendiamo la Flotilla con la mobilitazione permanente. E prepariamoci a bloccare tutto di nuovo: Questa notte la Global Sumud Flotilla è stata attaccata di nuovo. Diverse imbarcazioni sono state danneggiate ma per fortuna nessuno degli equipaggi è stato colpito. Si è trattato di un nuovo atto di totale illegalità internazionale ai danni di una missione umanitaria che sta viaggiando in acque internazionali. Le autorità italiane non stanno protestando per quanto sta avvenendo né si stanno ponendo il problema di proteggere i nostri connazionali.

Also see USB 04.10.25: PAME: On the big strike in Italy and the Ports of Europe: PAME salutes USB and the big strike of the workers in Italy, who for the second time in ten days, with their unwavering struggle, show the way, raising a wall of solidarity against the genocide in Gaza and the imperialist plans that plunge peoples into poverty and misery for their wars.

17.09.24 ACLED: Gaza after two years: As Israel expands control and sows chaos, Hamas adapts to survive: A look at Israel’s campaign to degrade Hamas since March and what remains of the group’s strength today, along with Israel’s weaponization of aid and claims of systematic aid diversion by Hamas.

17.09.25 NYT: Israel Pounds Gaza City as Fears Mount for Those Inside: With hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still in the city, the Israeli military said it was opening another temporary evacuation route. The U.N. warned that food supplies in northern Gaza would soon run out.

15.09.25 TNH: Israel has killed nearly 3,000 Gaza aid seekers: “These are not isolated incidents. They're not just similar incidents. They are a pattern, and reflect policy and an acceptance on the part of the state that this should continue indefinitely.”

Also see Spigel 01.09.25: Ehemaliger US-Soldat über die Hilfsgüterverteilung in Gaza »Das war kein Unfall. Das war Absicht«

12.09.25 Guardian: ‘We took the gloves off’: ex-IDF chief confirms Gaza casualties over 200,000: The Gaza ministry statistics do not distinguish between civilians and fighters, but leaked Israeli military intelligence data on casualties until May this year suggested that more than 80% of the dead were civilians.

01.09.25 Guardian: Leaked ‘Gaza Riviera’ plan dismissed as ‘insane’ attempt to cover ethnic cleansing: On Sunday the Washington Post published a leaked prospectus for the plan, which would involve the forced displacement of Gaza’s entire population of 2 million people and put the territory into a US trusteeship for at least a decade.

29.08.25 +972: Forget symbolic statehood — the world must recognize Israeli apartheid: [Opinion] The push to recognize a Palestinian state creates the illusion of action, but delays the real remedies: sanctioning and isolating Israel's apartheid regime. Real change begins with acknowledging the truth: there is already one state here, and it is an apartheid state. From there, countries must act legally, diplomatically, economically until the cost for Israel to maintain apartheid outweighs its benefits.

27.08.25 Spiegel: Hunderttausende demonstrieren in Israel für Ende des Gazakriegs: Das Forum der Geiselangehörigen hatte für Dienstag unter dem Motto »Israel steht zusammen« einen landesweiten Protesttag ausgerufen, um auf die Situation der Geiseln aufmerksam zu machen. Bereits tagsüber kam es zu Demonstrationen und Straßenblockaden. Die Organisatoren werfen dem israelischen Ministerpräsidenten Netanyahu vor, den Krieg aus politischen Gründen zu verlängern und ein Abkommen für deren Befreiung zu sabotieren.

21.08.25 Spiegel: Was ist übrig von der Hamas?: Nach bald zwei Jahren Krieg ist die Terrororganisation enorm geschwächt, aber immer noch die dominierende palästinensische Macht im Küstenstreifen. Jetzt bereitet sie sich auf den Kampf um Gaza-Stadt vor.

18.08.25 NYT: Israel Is in Talks to Send Gazans to South Sudan, Officials Say: Unable so far to find countries willing to accept large numbers of Gazan refugees from the nearly two-year Israeli campaign against Hamas, Israel has held talks with South Sudan on taking them. Israeli officials have labeled their policy “voluntary migration,” framing it as a humanitarian move to allow Palestinians who wish to depart to freely do so.

16.08.25 Spiegel: Der Spaltungsplan: Israels rechtsextremer Minister Bezalel Smotrich genehmigt ein Bauprojekt im Westjordanland, das einen zukünftigen Palästinenserstaat endgültig verhindern könnte. Brüssel und Berlin protestieren schwach. Washington nickt nur.

14.08.25 Guardian: Aid groups say Israel’s new registration rules are ‘weaponising aid’: More than 100 aid organisations working in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank have accused Israel of dangerously “weaponising aid” in its application of new rules for registering groups involved in delivering humanitarian assistance.

13.08.25 Guardian: How German media outlets helped pave the way for Israel’s murder of journalists in Gaza: [Opinion] In the run-up to this week’s deadly attacks, stories linking Palestinian reporters to Hamas gained currency. Meanwhile, a growing consensus recognises Gaza as the site of a livestreamed genocide. Yet in Germany – a country that prides itself on having learned the lessons of its own genocidal history – some of the most powerful media institutions have played a part in enabling Israel’s actions. Some German journalists have even justified the killing of their Palestinian colleagues.

07.08.25 Spiegel: Hilfskonvoi für Gaza offenbar von israelischen Siedlern angegriffen: Die Angreifer hätten die Straße blockiert, Fahrzeuge mit Steinen beworfen und vier Lastwagen beschädigt: Laut jordanischen Angaben sollen israelische Siedler einen Hilfskonvoi für Gaza an der Weiterfahrt gehindert haben.

03.08.25 Tagesschau: Kinder für Israels gefallene Soldaten: n Israel kann Soldaten nach ihrem Tod Sperma entnommen werden, selbst wenn sie dies nicht ausdrücklich gewünscht hatten. Immer mehr Hinterbliebene nutzen die Möglichkeit

All Africa

02.10.25 France 24: Generation Z is stirring up rebellion across borders, from Morocco to Madagascar: Gen Z, the first generation to have grown up in the internet age, has been at the forefront of anti-government protests in several countries of the Global South. Madagascar and Morocco are the latest countries to be hit by these youth-led movements, which use digital tools to communicate anger at corruption and underfunded social services.

25.09.25 AJE: Trump officials rally global leaders for restrictions on asylum seekers: The administration of United States President Donald Trump has held a meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to claim the global asylum system is broken.

16.09.25 AP: What to know about the US deportations to non-citizen African countries: Ghana is the latest African country that has received third-country nationals deported by the U.S. or has agreed to receive them, though the legality of the approach is being questioned.
Eswatini, Rwanda and South Sudan have also taken in such deportees, and Uganda has agreed to a deal with the U.S. to take certain deported immigrants, though it hasn’t yet received any.
Experts have said some countries may accept the deportees to earn goodwill in negotiations with the Trump administration on policies such as trade, migration and aid.

August 2025 SWP: Neue Kriege 2.0: (Analysis] 2023 gab es so viele gewaltsame Konflikte wie seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg nicht mehr. Auch die Todesraten insgesamt sind spürbar gestiegen.

05.09.25 ACLED: Africa Overview: September 2025: JNIM overran the Farabougou army base in Mali after a five-year siege, Boko Haram escalated attacks on the Cameroon-Nigeria border, and targeted violence in Darfur drove an increase in civilian deaths in August.

03.09.25 AJE: US and EU sanctions have killed 38 million people since 1970: New research published this year in The Lancet Global Health, which gives us a global view for the first time. Led by the economist Francisco Rodriguez at the University of Denver, the study calculates the total number of excess deaths associated with international sanctions from 1970 to 2021.
In their central estimate, the authors find that unilateral sanctions imposed by the US and EU since 1970 are associated with 38 million deaths. In some years, during the 1990s, more than a million people were killed. In 2021, the most recent year of data, sanctions caused more than 800,000 deaths.

18.08.25 TNH: Protection or prevention? The global refugee system is at a crossroads: [Opinion] While the rhetoric remains humanitarian, the reality is a growing investment in containment, deterrence, and control. The infrastructure of refugee protection is being retooled to stop people from moving, not to help them survive displacement.

01.08.25 AJE: Africa’s billionaire boom masks a crisis for the many: [Opinion] The surge in African billionaires signals elite capture rather than economic progress, locking millions into poverty.

North Africa

Egypt

18.08.25 RPE: The Collapse of Egypt’s Protection for Refugees [Report, PDF]: A joint report prepared by the Refugees Platform in Egypt (RPE) and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) has revealed that security authorities in Egypt have consistently engaged in widespread violations of the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt, and insist on breaching the state’s commitment to the principle of “non-refoulement” for refugees and asylum seekers, in the absence of legal safeguards and the growing reliance on heavy-handed security measures in the state approach to refugee issues.

Libya

17.09.25 SWP [Analysis]: Die politischen Kosten europäischer Migrationspolitik in Libyen: Konsolidierung des Internierungssystems, Aufwertung von Gewaltakteuren, Ablehnung durch die libysche Öffentlichkeit.
doi:10.18449/2025A41

Also see France 24 19.09.25: ‘They hit us and torture us’: Refugees accuse Libyan authorities of violence: Videos posted on social media by the NGO Refugees in Libya in early September show dozens of refugees crammed together on the floor at the detention centre in Tobruk, Libya. The videos are the latest example of the violence asylum seekers face in Libya, says our Observer, who was once detained himself; Spiegel 25.08.25: Libysche Küstenwache schießt auf Rettungsschiff im Mittelmeer: Die Hilfsorganisation SOS Méditerranée wirft der libyschen Küstenwache vor, ein Rettungsschiff in internationalen Gewässern beschossen zu haben.

07.08.25 LMD: Keine Zuflucht in Libyen: Die EU-Migrationspolitik und der Aufstieg der Milizenführer: Infolge des Deals mit der EU schob Tunis 13 000 Menschen über die Grenze nach Libyen ab, wo viele von ihnen in dem neuen Internierungslager al-Assa landeten. Das hinderte Brüssel aber nicht daran, eilends weitere Partnerschaften mit Ägypten, Mauretanien und Marokko einzugehen (wobei Marokko mit einer „weicheren“ Haltung zur Westsahara-Frage belohnt wurde).
Mit ihrer Fixierung auf die Zahl der Ankünfte blendet die EU die Frage nach den menschlichen Kosten aus: Im gesamten Mittelmeer kamen in den letzten zehn Jahren fast 28 000 Flüchtlinge ums Leben, davon 21 000 im zentralen Mittelmeer. Aufschlussreich sind dabei zwei Zahlen für die Jahre 2017 bis 2019: In diesem Zeitraum stieg die Quote der durch die libysche Küstenwache verhinderten Überfahrten von 12 auf 50 Prozent, zugleich stieg jedoch die Todesrate von 2 auf 7 Prozent, also um mehr als das Dreifache.

Morocco

02.10.25 NYT: 3 Killed in Antigovernment Protests in Morocco: 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.

Also see Africa Report 02.10.25: Street clashes: Why is Morocco going up in flames?; Guardian 02.10.25: Organisers call for sixth night of protest as Morocco death toll rises to three

12.08.25 Guardian: Migrants swim from Morocco to Ceuta as officials say enclave ‘overwhelmed’: About 100 people, including several children, risked their lives by trying to swim from Morocco into Spain’s north African enclave of Ceuta early on Saturday morning, as the territory’s authorities warned that its overwhelmed reception system was close to collapse.
Recent weeks have seen a rise in the number of people trying to reach Ceuta, with more than 50 children swimming across from Morocco on 26 July alone.

Tunisia

24.09.25 IRPI: Espulsioni a catena: storie di migranti abbandonati più volte nel deserto: Abdallah, sudanese, è una delle migliaia di vittime di questo scaricabarile. L’ultima espulsione lo porta in Niger, dove il numero di espulsi provenienti dai Paesi vicini è in aumento dal 2023

15.09.25 Synergies Migrations: Des migrations dans l'écheveau de l'autoritarisme: politiques migratoires, frontières et gestion des étrangers dans la Tunisie "post-démocratique" [Long Read, PDF]: Ce rapport visait à restituer, dans une perspective diachronique et critique, les mécanismes ayant conduit à la configuration migratoire actuelle en Tunisie, et plus particulièrement à Sfax et dans sa région.

September 2025 OMCT: Les routes de la torture : Violations des droits humains subies par les enfants en déplacement en Tunisie – Volume 4 (novembre 2024 – avril 2025) [Report, PDF]

16.08.25 France 24: Tunisia's labour union UGTT calls for protest amid crackdown threats: Tunisia's powerful labour union, long seen as a cornerstone of the country's fragile democracy, called for a major march in downtown of the Tunisian capital of Tunis on Thursday to retaliate against mounting pressure from President Kais Saied and his supporters.

East Africa

03.08.25 France 24: Scores dead, dozens missing after migrant ship sinks off Yemen coast: Tens of thousands of migrants cross the perilous waters between the Horn of Africa and Yemen every year in search of work in Saudi Arabia and the wealthy Gulf states.

Somalia

25.09.25 TNH: Al-Shabab’s shadow state: Why Somalia’s militants are winning legitimacy: Privately, representatives of humanitarian and development organisations often confide that al-Shabab would be a more efficient partner than the federal government.

20.08.25 TNH: Weak state and clan politics leave Somalia’s urban displaced in limbo: “Nearly everyone here has been displaced from different parts of the country, but we all have one thing in common – no one can return home.”

07.08.25 Africa Report: Somaliland courts Trump’s favour while Somalia turns to Türkiye for support: [Paywall} Competing alliances are tearing at the fabric of the Horn, as the self-declared republic sidesteps Mogadishu with a high-stakes bid with the US to officially recognise Somaliland as a sovereign state.

Sudan

30.09.25 Lower Class Magazine: Erklärung an das sudanesische Volk – Übersetzung aus der Zeitung der Sudanesischen Kommunistischen Partei (Al-Maidan)

30.09.25 AJE: War in Sudan: Humanitarian, fighting, control developments, September 2025: [Survey article] This month saw a few key military updates, as the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate

23.09.25 France 24: What we known about the video of a woman hanged by her arms: Independent investigators and NGOs are blaming the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary group fighting the Sudanese army in the country's civil war.

23.09.25 IPG: Spielball der Schutzmächte: [Analysis] (Es gibt) noch die Energie der Dezember-Revolution, die Demokratie einfordert, erkennbar etwa in der Mutual Aid-Arbeit der unabhängigen Emergency Response Rooms. Iinternationale Unterstützer (müssen) die demokratische Energie aufrechterhalten und junge Menschen, Frauen und Menschen aus marginalisierten Regionen in Dialogformate einbeziehen.

09.09.25 SWM: Drone barrage targets Khartoum’s three cities: A wave of drone strikes on Tuesday morning struck multiple sites across Khartoum, Sudan’s capital region, in one of the most significant escalations since the RSF’s expulsion from central Sudan earlier this year.

23.08.25 Spiegel: »Die Menschen essen Blätter und Wurzeln. Und Tierfutter«: Auch in Faschir waren die Menschen stark auf Gemeinschaftsküchen angewiesen, aber viele davon mussten schließen, weil ihnen Lebensmittel und Geld fehlten oder weil die Betreiber Angst bekamen und flohen. Leider sind viele dieser Solidaritätsinitiativen insbesondere in Nord-Darfur nun völlig überfordert.

Also see SWM 19.09.25: Worshippers massacred in RSF drone strike on Mosque in El Fasher; Guardian 19.09.25: Scores killed by RSF drone strike on mosque in besieged Sudanese city; NYT 15.09.25: Starving Children Eat Animal Feed in Besieged Sudanese City: At least 260,000 civilians trapped in El Fasher face a dire choice: risk being starved or bombed if they stay, and raped or killed if they flee; AJE 04.09.25: In besieged Sudan city, civilians face death if they try to escape; AJE 22.08.25: RSF attacks kill 89 people in 10 days in Sudan’s Darfur, UN says; AJE 06.08.25: Why are people starving in Sudan’s el-Fasher?

28.08.25 AJE: Why Sudan’s RSF chose this parallel government ahead of peace talks: [Analysis] The Tasis Alliance, a coalition of Sudanese armed groups formed in February, has unveiled a parallel ”transitional peace” government to rival Sudan’s wartime government in Port Sudan. Tasis is based on a partnership between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N)

21.08.25 AA: Madaniya* (civic politics): Women’s Emergency Response Rooms as Flourishing Sites of Democracy in Wartime Sudan: [Opinion] Women’s Emergency Response Rooms (WRRs) represent a natural extension of the feminist struggle that began with the revolution.

18.08.25 RLS: Germany’s Hand in Sudan’s War: [Opinion] Countless photographs show both the former Darfur fighters and current RSF mercenaries armed with the Bundeswehr’s former standard-issue weapon.

Also See Spiegel 26.09.25: Dieser Genozid ist uns näher, als wir denken

15.08.25 Spectre: The UAE’s Subimperialism in Sudan: [Analysis] The UAE’s role in Sudan is not an anomaly. It is part of a coherent, well-financed, and regionally expansive project: a subimperialist agenda that combines economic extraction, authoritarian alliance-building, and counterrevolutionary politics under the cover of diplomatic sophistication and global partnerships.

06.08.25 The Atlantic: The Most Nihilistic Conflict on Earth: [Reportage] Sudan’s devastating civil war shows what will replace the liberal order: anarchy and greed.

16.08.25 SWM: Why Colombian Mercenaries Are Fighting in Sudan: [Long Read] The arrival of Colombian private military contractors in early 2025 marked another escalation. While some have been used as trainers and convoy security, others have joined RSF combat units in Darfur and Kordofan, bolstering RSF assaults on contested cities such as An-Nahud in West Kordofan and El Fasher in North Darfur.

Also see AJE 07.08.25: Sudan military destroyed UAE plane carrying Colombian mercenaries: State TV

06.08.25 NYT: ‘Bad Things Happen in Darkness’: Sudan’s Civil War Shifts West: The fighting has made it nearly impossible for aid groups to send lifesaving supplies or even clearly assess the situation. “What’s happening in Kordofan is invisible,” Mr. Yett added. “We can’t get our supplies there or our people there. Bad things happen in darkness.”

Also see SWM 02.08.25: RSF repulses Sudanese army offensive in North Kordofan

West Africa and Sahel

11.09.25 Africa Report: The $10bn ‘unseen market’ of food in West Africa: [Report] $10bn. That’s the average annual value of intra-regional food trade in West Africa over the past decade, according to estimates in the report (OECD). The findings present an economic reality far removed from the official figures, which put the value of this regional trade at only around $1.7bn a year.

July 2025 TNI: Exporting Borders. Frontex and the Expansion of Foortress Europe in West Africa: [Report, PDF] This
report shows how this externalisation strategy plays out in the Sahel region of West Africa under the guise of partnership and development cooperation. West Africa is the main priority region for EU security-migration-development cooperation. This report critically examines the evolving role of Frontex, the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency, as a central part of the EU’s broader strategy of border externalisation

AES

23.09.25 NYT: 3 West African Nations to Leave International Criminal Court: The military rulers of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger said the court had become a tool of neocolonial repression. All three governments have been accused of human rights violations.

11.09.25 LMD: Hilflose Autokraten: Die Militärjuntas im Sahel bekommen die Gewalt nicht in den Griff: [Analysis] Eine Welle von Putschen (Mali 2020 und 2021, Burkina Faso 2022, Niger 2023) hat Militärdiktaturen an die Macht gebracht, die zwar miteinander kooperieren, aber ineffizient im Kampf gegen die Unsicherheit sind. Ihr Versprechen, den Frieden und die staatliche Autorität wiederherzustellen, konnten sie nicht einlösen.

Also see RFI 02.10.25: La «Force unifiée» de l’Alliance des États du Sahel entre en phase opérationnelle au Niger: Depuis janvier 2025, date de l’annonce de la création de la FU-AES, des opérations conjointes ont déjà été menées sur le terrain. À terme, la force devrait compter environ 5 000 hommes issus des armées malienne, nigérienne et burkinabè; DW 04.08.25: L'information de guerre sous contrôle au Sahel

Burkina Faso

15.09.25 HRW: Burkina Faso: Islamist Armed Groups Massacre Civilians: [Analysis] Since the start of their insurgency in Burkina Faso in 2016, the Islamist armed groups have repeatedly attacked and forcibly displaced tens of thousands of civilians. The Burkinabè government, which took power in a 2022 coup, has increasingly targeted civilians during counterinsurgency operations.

Also see France 24 05.09.25: "On doit garder le silence" : omerta après une manifestation anti-terroristes au Burkina Faso: Une manifestation contre la présence des groupes jihadistes a été dispersée mardi par les forces de l’ordre à coups de gaz lacrymogènes, à Barani, dans le nord-ouest du Burkina Faso. Plusieurs personnes auraient été blessées. Selon notre Observateur, l'omerta règne sur place : les habitants refusent de témoigner par crainte des représailles.

13.09.25 RFI: Ouagadougou annonce la gratuité des visas pour tous les ressortissants africains: Au Burkina Faso, les visas sont désormais gratuits pour tous les ressortissants des pays africains. Décision prise par le gouvernement au cours du dernier Conseil des ministres. Seule condition pour les Africains qui désirent se rendre dans le pays : remplir un formulaire en ligne et voir sa demande de visa validée. Avec cette mesure, le Burkina Faso entend affirmer sa volonté de « raffermir les liens historiques de fraternité entre les peuples africains », dit le ministre de la Sécurité.

Chad

15.09.25 RFI: Tchad: malgré l'accord de paix, des troupes militaires déployées à Miski: Au Tchad, le déploiement de troupes militaires dans la province du Tibesti, dans le nord du pays, s'est accompagné de rumeurs d’affrontements entre l'armée et la population, largement relayées sur les réseaux sociaux.

09.09.25 RFI: Tchad: le projet de code pastoral «menace la coexistence pacifique», accuse l'opposition: La réintroduction par le ministère de l'Élevage du projet de relecture du code pastoral continue de faire couler beaucoup d'encre. Ce texte avait été rédigé en 2014, voté par l'Assemblée nationale en 2015, mais jamais promulgué par l'ancien président Idriss Déby Itno, notamment en raison d'une forte opposition dans le pays.

Ghana

29.09.25 News 24: West Africans deported by US to Ghana dumped in Togo without papers

04.09.25 France 24: Deadly land dispute in northern Ghana displaces nearly 50,000 people: At least 31 people have been killed and nearly 50,000 displaced following violent communal clashes in Ghana's Savannah Region, sparked by a land dispute in the village of Gbiniyiri. The conflict began when the local chief sold a parcel of land to a private developer, without broader community consent. When the developer attempted to access the land to begin work, residents resisted violently.

Mali

29.09.25: Africacenter: JNIM Attacks in Western Mali Reshape Sahel Conflict: [Analysis] By attacking transportation arteries, fuel tankers, and population centers in western Mali, the JNIM coalition is targeting the economic, security, and political vulnerabilities of the military junta in Bamako.

Also see RFI 24.09.25: Mali: la pénurie de carburant s'aggrave dans certaines zones du pays: le blocus terroriste se fait de plus en plus sentir. À Mopti, dans le centre du pays, le gouverneur a annoncé dimanche 21 septembre « une baisse drastique » des quantités disponibles de carburant dans la région; RFI 15.09.25: Mali: les jihadistes détruisent des dizaines de camions-citernes et réaffirment leur blocus à Kayes; RFI 04.09.25: Les jihadistes du Jnim imposent un blocus à Kayes et Nioro, des proches du chérif de Nioro enlevés; RFI 25.08.25: Mali: les civils fuient en masse les localités de la région de Ségou attaquées par les jihadistes; RFI 20.08.25: Mali: deux attaques jihadistes simultanées dans la région de Ségou

06.09.25 RFI: Chinese firms pay price of jihadist strikes against Mali junta: [Analysis] Jihadists allied to Al-Qaeda have launched a blitz of raids on Malian industrial sites run by foreign firms, especially Chinese, as a tactic to undermine the ruling junta.

01.09.25 Daily Trust: How jihadists took control of strategic Mali town amid deepening crisis: Local officials told AFP that Farabougou is now under jihadist control, with residents returning under strict conditions, including payment of taxes and adherence to Islamic rules banning secular music, alcohol, and uncovered women.

Niger

27.09.254 Defence Post: ‘Dozens’ of Civilians Killed in Niger Airstrikes: Witnesses: On Monday, “army strikes targeted terrorists travelling on motorbikes and there were dozens of civilian deaths in Injar,” one local resident told AFP. Another local corroborated the account.
Injar is located some 200 kilometers (124 miles) northeast of the capital Niamey. It’s in the vast Tillaberi region bordering Burkina Faso and Mali, where jihadist groups are active.

26.09.25 The Conversation: Niger : comment les Touaregs ont trouvé le chemin du dialogue avec l’État: [Analysis] Contrairement au cas malien, au Niger les communautés touarègues ont une relation plus apaisée avec l’État. Cela n’a pas toujours été le cas. Cette relation est le fruit d’une évolution notable dans les relations entre ces communautés nomades et l’État.

01.10.25 Africa Report: ‘We live in hunger’: Niger’s worst economy in a generation: [Paywall] In the shadow of the Niger junta, ordinary Nigeriens are suffering under sanctions and a crushing economic downturn as military leaders pivot towards oil.

22.09.25 MEE: Turkey to train Niger army in fight against militant groups: Two people familiar with the matter said that at least four battalions will provide training and advisory support in Niger, though Turkish forces will not directly participate in combat.

10.09.25 HRW: Niger: Islamist Armed Group Executes Civilians, Burns Homes: [Analysis] Despite Warnings of Attacks, Army Repeatedly Fails to Protect Villagers in Tillaberi.

27.08.25 TNH: Niger arrests six Sudanese refugees in raid on Agadez camp: Nigerien authorities have arrested six Sudanese refugees from a camp on the outskirts of the northern city of Agadez who were among the most visible organisers of ongoing protests over poor conditions and the absence of resettlement opportunities. The whereabouts of those arrested in the 21 August police raid remain unknown.

05.08.25 APA: Niger strengthens community-based security: Backed by the M62 movement and the Ministry of the Interior, the “Garkoua Kassa” program seeks to engage youth in local defense and development. An official ceremony was held Sunday in Niamey to mark the launch of the initiative, spearheaded by the M62 movement under the supervision of the Ministry of the Interior, Public Security, and Territorial Administration. The program aims to establish a network of young volunteers trained and supervised in coordination with relevant state agencies, with a view to strengthening urban security and contributing to grassroots development.

Nigeria

19.09.25 AJE: ‘We will stay’: Displaced Nigerians fear Boko Haram, stay in closing camps: Authorities are closing camps in Borno state and resettling displaced people. But communities fear continuing violence.

Also see TNH 16.09.25: Why bandit amnesties are failing in Nigeria's northwest: [Analysis] Talks become leverage to win safe passage, taxation rights, or space to rearm. That’s why residents bristle when they see armed men strolling out of a reconciliation meeting – nothing has essentially changed.

23.08.25 France 24: Nigerian air force says at least 35 jihadists killed near border with Cameroon: The airforce said the latest operation demonstrated the force's commitment to providing close air support to ground forces, "while also disrupting terrorist logistics and movement corridors along the north east border regions".

Senegal

17.09.25 RFI: Sénégal: un pêcheur sauve 112 migrants d'une embarcation à la dérive partie de Gambie: Il y a toujours beaucoup de départs des côtes de la région depuis le début de l’année. La traversée reste très prisée par les candidats ouest-africains à l’exil, malgré les dangers. Depuis janvier, les arrivées ont nettement reculé aux Canaries : 12 000 personnes environ contre plus de 26 000 à la même période l’an dernier. En cause : des contrôles renforcés au Sénégal, en Mauritanie et au Maroc.
En conséquence, les flux migratoires changent d’itinéraire. Désormais, les départs de pirogues vers le sol espagnol se font davantage au sud, depuis la Guinée et la Gambie.

03.09.24 Infomigrants: Sénégal : plus de 1 900 migrants interpellés au 1er trimestre 2025: Selon le Comité interministériel de lutte contre la migration irrégulière (CILMI), 1 946 migrants ont été interpellés, 74 convoyeurs arrêtés et 32 pirogues saisies par les forces de sécurités sénégalaises durant le 1er semestre 2025. Des chiffres qui relatent l'ampleur du phénomène migratoire au Sénégal malgré les efforts entrepris pour lutter contre l'immigration clandestine vers l'Europe.

Sub Saharan Africa

Angola

05.08.25 AJE: In oil-rich Angola, poverty, hunger and deadly unrest over fuel price hikes: Thousands of people took to the streets of Africa’s third-largest oil-producing country last Monday to protest against a government decision to cut fuel subsidies and increase the price of diesel by one-third from July 1.

DRC

12.08.25 AJE: US sanctions DR Congo armed group over illicit mining, ceasefire tested: The United States has sanctioned an armed group accused of illicit mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as both the army and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group traded accusations of violating a recently reached US-mediated ceasefire deal by attacking each other’s positions.
The administration of President Donald Trump has been pushing for US access to the region’s minerals, as it has done in other parts of the world, including Ukraine. It also slapped sanctions on the Congolese mining company CDMC,

Madagascar

30.09.25 Africa Report: President sacks government after deadly Gen‑Z protests: After nearly a week of demonstrations in Madagascar, President Andry Rajoelina is trying to regain control, and has dismissed his government after more than 20 people were killed in violent protests.

Also see NYT 02.10.25: Madagascar’s Youth Won’t Back Down, Demanding President’s Resignation: In the days since the announcement, thousands of young people have gathered in Antananarivo, the capital, demanding that Mr. Rajoelina step down for his failure to deliver basic needs, most notably reliable electricity and water.

10.09.25 TNH: Mozambique: A case study of growing need and global aid cut confusion: [Analysis] When unprecedented aid budget cuts were announced by the United States and other major donors earlier this year, concerns were raised about where the reductions in finance and operational capacity would hit hardest and fastest.
The months since have been marked by tortuous deprioritisation efforts that have been shrouded in mystery and confusion. In this article, we try to unpack the impact on humanitarian responses in one setting, Mozambique, and work out what it might signal elsewhere.

Uganda

29.07.25 TNH: Grassroots groups in Uganda are keeping GBV services going despite the cuts: As formal protection systems collapse, ordinary people are stepping in to fill the void. Their efforts highlight human resilience, but dangerous gaps are emerging in the care of some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.
Uganda hosts the fifth largest refugee population in the world. Across settlements that house these 1.8 million people, who have primarily fled conflicts in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the consequences of collapsing humanitarian budgets are stark.

West Asia

29.09.25 France 24: Afghanistan faces communications blackout after Taliban shut down internet: Taliban authorities on Monday imposed a nationwide shutdown of communications, weeks after they began shutting down high-speed internet in several provinces as part of a campaign to prevent "vice".

16.09.25 France 24: Three years after Mahsa Amini's death, Iranian women have seized 'irreversible' liberties: In the streets of Tehran and in provincial towns, women are gradually rejecting the veil and other constraints.

19.08.25 Spiegel: Iran und Taliban stehen vor neuem Wasserkonflikt: In Afghanistan haben die herrschenden Taliban einen Fluss gestaut, der auch die zweitgrößte Stadt Irans versorgt. Ein ähnlicher Fall hatte erst vor zwei Jahren zu Gefechten geführt. In einem Artikel der iranischen staatlichen Zeitung »Jomhouri-e Eslami« wird vor einer Versorgungskrise in der Millionenmetropole Maschhad gewarnt.

05.08.25 TNH: Refugees without refuge: Afghans in Iran: In the weeks following the June 2025 Iran-Israel conflict, a new crisis has unfolded across Iran's eastern border. The Iranian government launched a sweeping deportation campaign targeting undocumented Afghan nationals, accusing them of ties to Israeli intelligence and drone manufacturing inside the country.
More than 700,000 undocumented Afghans have been pushed out since 13 June, according to the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR.

Europe

Balkans

14.08.25 BVMN: Balkan Regional Report - June 2025: [Report, PDF] This report gathers updates from the month of June and brings together first-hand testimonies and observations from a range of countries in the Balkans, Turkey, and France to look at the way European Union states and other actors are affecting systemic violence towards people crossing borders.

France / UK

02.10.25 ecre: More crossings and deaths in the Channel: According to Home Office data, 1,072 people crossed the Channel in 13 small boats on 19 September while 895 people made the crossing in 12 boats on 27 September. One of the boats that made the crossing on 27 September reportedly carried 125 people – “the largest ever number to make the journey in a single vessel” according to the BBC. On the same day, two Somali women died off the coast

15.09.25 Guardian: First ‘one in, one out’ deportation flight reportedly takes off without migrants: Group of people who crossed Channel by boat understood not to have been on Air France plane after legal challenge

Germany

28.09.25 taz: Innenministerium verhandelt im Oktober mit Taliban in Kabul: Bundesinnenminister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) will regelmäßig Straftäter nach Afghanistan abschieben. Dafür will er mit den Taliban zusammenarbeiten.

24.09.25 taz: Ausbeutung von Migranten: Azubis im Bordell: Vietnamesische Frauen, die über Ausbildungsagenturen nach Berlin kommen, landen in der Prostitution. Wieso? Eine Spurensuche, die bei Facebook beginnt.

19.09.25 Mediendienst: Trendwende bei der Migration aus der EU: Erstmals seit 15 Jahren sind weniger Zuwanderer aus EU-Staaten nach Deutschland gekommen als gegangen sind. In den letzten Jahren ging insbesondere die Migration aus Osteuropa zurück.

16.09.25 Migration-Control.Info: Report to Migreurop, Situation in Germany

13.09.25 Heise: Biometric border control: Germany to launch entry/exit system in October: Germany's border controls will be gradually upgraded technologically from October 12. Germany then wants to put the new European Entry and Exit System (EES), including automated biometric verification procedures. After a delay, the European entry/exit system for border management is now to be launched in Düsseldorf. Frankfurt and Munich are to follow.

Greece

September 2025: RSA: Deportation & immigration detention statistics in Greece: first half 2025: The present note analyses official data on return, deportation and immigration detention in Greece in the first half of 2025, supplied by the Greek authorities in reply to parliamentary questions.

25.09.25 AJE: Greece’s expansive refugee deportation law tests limits of rights in EU: Greece has drawn criticism and concern from rights groups and a United Nations office after passing what it considers to be the European Union’s strictest refugee deportation policy earlier this month. The law was put to use on September 12, when three Turkish citizens were convicted of illegal residence and handed stiff jail sentences. Two men were given two years of imprisonment and fines of 5,000 euros ($5,870), while the third, aged 19, the youngest of the group, was handed a 10-month prison sentence.

15.09.25 Infomigrants: Crete: Nearly 800 new migrant arrivals places Greek island under pressure once again: The Greek coast guard says that the majority of migrants who arrived at the weekend reportedly set off from the Libyan port city of Tobruk in the east of the country near its border with Egypt, adding that they had set off in a number of fishing boats, traveling 300 kilometers (about 165 nautical miles) in almost a straight line.

Also see Tagesschau 14.09.25: Chaotische Zustände in Flüchtlingslager auf Kreta

Italy

08.08.25 Infomigrants: Un rapport épingle les centres de rétention italiens en Albanie: Les centres de rétention pour migrants en attente de leur expulsion (CPR) situés en Albanie sont les "plus coûteux" de tous les centres CPR gérés par l'Italie, révèle un nouveau rapport publié par l’ONG Action Aid, en collaboration avec l'université italienne de Bari (UniBari).

Netherlands

20.09.25 Euronews: Anti-immigration demonstration in The Hague turns violent, weeks before general election: Rioters, many wearing black and waving Dutch flags and flags associated with far-right groups, threw stones and bottles at the police and set one of their patrol vehicles on fire. The police, in return, used tear gas and a water cannon to disperse the crowd.

Poland

04.09.25 ecre: Poland: Situation on borders remains dire: On 25 July, the Polish parliament voted for a 60-day extension to the temporary suspension of international protection at the country’s border with Belarus.

Also see AJE 01.08.25: ‘We are scapegoats’: The rise of anti-migrant anger in Poland

Turkey

23.09.25 Mültec: Report on İzmir Removal Center Visits (April-June 2025): In addition to long-standing concerns, the report identifies several escalating issues, including increased psychological distress among detainees and a growing trend of indefinite detention without access to legal remedies.

02.09.25 Comparative Migration Studies: Future-making as a refugee in Turkey: containment, resettlement, and multiple futures: [Report] Currently, Turkey hosts approximately 300,000 conditional refugees and international protection applicants who are required to reside in provinces (“satellite cities”) designated by the immigration authority. Policies such as registration requirements, travel permits, and weekly reporting obligations prevent refugees from leaving these Turkish provinces, turning them into containment spaces where refugees spend extended periods of time awaiting resettlement.

UK

13.09.25 Guardian: Far-right London rally sees record crowds and violent clashes with police: More than 110,000 people join Tommy Robinson-organised protest featuring racist conspiracy theories and hate speech

Also see France 24, 24.08.25: UK promises to improve 'broken' asylum system amid wave of anti-migrant protests: As anti-migrant protests continued outside hotels housing asylum seekers on Sunday, the UK government announced plans to reform the asylum appeals process – aiming to speed up decisions, cut the backlog and end the use of hotels for accommodation.

Alsoo see Infomigrants 04.08.25: Royaume-Uni : le gouvernement annonce des mesures après de nouvelles manifestations anti-migrants

August 2025 BVMN: No Rwanda, no problem: How the UK is outsourcing its deportation centres to the Balkans: [Analysis] Labour is now seeking to experiment with its own version of border externalisation, through the establishment of so-called return hubs in the Western Balkans. (our research shows) that Serbia is the front runner to house UK return hubs in the Western Balkans, both practically and operationally.

European Union

25.09.25 ecreWeekly: EU Maritime Borders: Several tragedies in the Mediterranean ― First footage of Libyan militiamen in brutal people smuggling operations

15.09.25 Statewatch: Monitoring EU Externalization Policy, Bulletin 9: The European Commission has circulated its latest update on external migration cooperation (the previous update was 21 January 2025). It rounds up the EU’s various bilateral dialogues and cooperation with countries of origin and transit.

05.09.25 Council of Europe: Externalised asylum and migration policies and human rights law [Policy Paper, PDF]: Regardless of definition, external co-operation focusing on coercive measures – such as involuntary transfers, preventing departures from a country, limiting access to asylum, or detention – can have a serious impact on human rights

25.08.25 EC: EU and Jordan take important step towards delivery of €500 million to support Jordan's macro-financial stability and reforms: The Memorandum of Understanding, signed today by Commissioner Dombrovskis on behalf of the EU, underpins the fourth MFA, approved by the European Parliament and the Council in April 2025. It paves the way to unlocking €500 million, to be disbursed over a period of up to two and a half years, subject to the progress on the agreed reform agenda and policy measures outlined in the Memorandum.

22.08.25 Europe Must Act: Externalisation and the Outsourcing of Asylum [Report, PDF]: In this report, we will explore this recent development in European migration governance, highlight practical examples that underscore the problems of externalisation, and examine positive instances of resistance to this unjust practice.

04.08.25 EC: Non-Bindung Instruments of the Council of Europe in the Field of Migration and Asylum: [EU Dok} Non-binding instruments are, for some, negotiated and signed by representatives of ministries of member States (Committee of Ministers) and are therefore politically committing to their signatory States.
Resolutions adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe are adopted by members of national parliaments, the results of the votes by member of parliament are available on PACE’s website (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe).
Resolutions adopted by the Congress of Local and Regional Powers are committing representatives of local authorities voting in favour of such texts (Home - Congress of Local and Regional Authorities).

Reports and Long Reads

August 2025 Civil MRCC: Echoes #18 – Let’s act transnationally!

July 2025 TNI: Exporting Borders. Frontex and the Expansion of Foortress Europe in West Africa: [Report, PDF] This report shows how this externalisation strategy plays out in the Sahel region of West Africa under the guise of partnership and development cooperation. West Africa is the main priority region for EU security-migration-development cooperation. This report critically examines the evolving role of Frontex, the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency, as a central part of the EU’s broader strategy of border externalisation

September 2025: Refugees in iLibya: Book of Shame: [Book] For a descrpition, Also see taz 18.09.25: Ein Buch der Anklage: Geflüchtete kritisieren im „Book of Shame“ Versäumnisse von UN und EU – begleitet von Aktionen zum 10. Jahrestag des „Summer of Migration“

Campaigns and Events

16.09.25 migreurop: Over 200 organisations call for rejection of the ‘return regulation’ announced by the European Commission

September / October 2025 Transborder.Net: Ongoing in Rome, Vienna, Ragusa, Albania: International Chain of Action 2025

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