Monthly Review February 2025
March 4th, 2025
This monthly press review covers Eurafrican migration control, migration and displacement in African countries and news on the European border regime. In case there is a news item, report, or campaign you would like to flag for in next month’s review please write us to: migr-contr@ffm-online.org or on Twitter @MigControl
Also see Migreurop Revue de presse - Janvier 2025
Special: "A Day Without Us" Protest
Latino-owned businesses in D-FW closed as part of ‘Day Without Immigrants’ protest: "Many Latino-owned businesses in the United States, including in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, shuttered their doors on Monday [February 3] as part of a nationwide demonstration aimed at underscoring the role immigrants play in the country’s economy. The closures come after back-to-back weekends of protests in Dallas against President Donald Trump’s efforts to crack down on immigration, including a wave of executive orders and arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement."
Day Without Immigrants 2025: Why businesses are closing today: "A 'Day Without Immigrants' is being planned for Monday, where businesses across the country will close their doors for the day to show the importance of immigrants in the United States economy. The social media-driven campaign calls on immigrants to stay home from work, not take their children to school, urging businesses to close and people to refrain from shopping on Monday, Feb. 3 according to news source. The planned protest comes amid reported U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across the country, including New Jersey, which has raised fear among immigrant families. Raids have been reported in Newark, West New York, Paterson and Asbury Park, drawing condemnation from community leaders and officials that called them ´inhumane` and ´cruel`."
03.02.25 USA Today [Video]: Protests against President Trump's immigration policies break out in Los Angeles, Dallas
Minneapolis grocery seeks to help migrant families on "A Day Without Immigrants": "While the Trump administration ramps up deportations, participating businesses are showing how they impact the U.S. economy. Anyone who took a drive along East Lake Street in Minneapolis on Monday may have noticed the empty storefronts with open signs flipped off. "In just Minneapolis and St. Paul alone, we're talking about 350 to 400 Latino businesses that are closed," said Daniel Hernandez, owner of Colonial Market."
01.01.25 NYT: Trump Raises New Threat to Sanctuary Cities: Blocking Transportation Dollars: "A new order revives an old battle about how much an administration is allowed to coerce cities and states by withholding money."
And: US Deportation Industry
04.02.25 Tom Dispatch: Todd Miller, Facing the Deportation Industry: "But what if the Biden administration, instead of opposing mass deportation, had proactively helped construct its very infrastructure? What if, in reality, there weren’t two distinctly opposed and bickering visions of border security, but two allied versions of it? What if we started paying attention to the budgets where the money is spent on the border-industrial complex, which tell quite a different story than the one we’ve come to expect? And that, in fact, offers but a glimpse of Biden’s tenure as — yes! — the biggest contractor (so far) for border and immigration enforcement in U.S. history. During his four years in office, Biden’s administration issued and administered 21,713 border enforcement contracts, worth $32.3 billion, far more than any previous president, including his predecessor Donald Trump, who had spent a mere — and that, of course, is a joke — $20.9 billion from 2017 to 2020 on the same issue."
05.02.25 NYT: Migrants Are Deported to India on U.S. Military Plane: "The flight appeared to be the first use of an American military aircraft to deport people to India, which is one of the top sources of illegal immigration to the United States."
In the meantime, destination states for deportation flights from the USA as well as transit states on busy migration routes to the USA are adapting.
14.02.25 Guardian: El Salvador offers to hold deportees and incarcerated US citizens in its jails: "Human rights groups alarmed as Marco Rubio, US secretary of state, meets with Nayib Bukele during overseas trip."
18.02.25 NYT: 170 Migrants Deported From U.S. Agree to Return to Home Countries, Panama Says: "Days after the United States sent 300 migrants from Asia and the Middle East to Panama, a Panamanian official said that more than half had agreed to be deported to their countries of origin. Around 150 migrants who had not agreed to be deported would be relocated from the hotel to a camp near the jungle known as the Darién Gap, according to Panama’s security minister, Frank Ábrego. He said at a news conference on Tuesday [February 18] that the migrants would remain at the camp, San Vicente, until they were offered asylum in a third country ´where they felt safe`.”
26.02.25 taz: Der Mexican Dream und sein Preis: "Auf dem Weg in die USA entscheiden sich immer mehr Migranten, in Mexiko zu bleiben. Das hilft auch der Wirtschaft. Doch Kriminalität trübt den Traum."
All Africa
23.02.25 AJE: Ever wonder why Africa’s borders appear so strange?: "Africa has the most countries of any continent with a total of 54. Rather than following natural terrains or historical boundaries, many of its borders are strikingly straight in some areas and jagged in others, cutting through mountains, rivers and even communities."
22.02.25 NYT: Trump Appointees Fire Hundreds at U.S.A.I.D. Working on Urgent Aid: "The firings add to doubts raised about whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio is allowing employees for the United States Agency for International Development, or U.S.A.I.D., to carry out lifesaving humanitarian assistance."
Also see Guardian 21.02.25: ‘The impact has been devastating’: how USAid freeze sent shockwaves through Ethiopia: "Ethiopia was the largest recipient of US aid assistance in sub-Saharan Africa"; TNH 10.02.25: How local humanitarian groups are navigating US aid freeze havoc; NYT 08.02.25: ‘We Are in Disbelief’: Africa Reels as U.S. Aid Agency Is Dismantled; 05.02.25 AfricaReport: What does USAID, the agency Musk is taking apart, really do?: "Musk has singled out USAID as his first major target, labelling it a “criminal organisation”. A 90-day foreign-aid freeze has brought America’s top humanitarian agency to a standstill."
16.02.25 SZ: Wie die hohe Schuldenlast Entwicklungsländer in den Abgrund reißt: "Seitdem die Niedrigzins-Phase vorbei ist, sind Entwicklungsländer in einem Strudel aus Krediten zu immer schlechteren Konditionen gefangen. Eine Datenanalyse der SZ zeigt: Das bringt einige Länder an den Kollaps."
10.02.24 ACLED: Regional Overview Africa: February 2025 Find Interactive Map of Confliccts and the Belt of War Across Africa
North Africa
14.02.25 Alarmphone: Deaths and Repression but also Solidarity and Struggle in the Central Med [Background report]: "In the second half of 2024, Alarm Phone was alerted to 482 boats in distress in the central Mediterranean Sea. In the whole of 2024, we worked on 803 distress cases in this region. Many have tried to cross the sea but did not succeed. This is also due to mass interceptions carried out by Libyan and Tunisian authorities who receive continuous support by Europe."
20.02.25 Guardian: Europe greenwashing with north Africa’s renewable energy, report says: "Greenpeace argues European-backed projects hamper countries’ ability to decarbonise their own economies."
Egypt
28.01.25 RPE: Arrests, Detentions and Forced Deportations of Refugees in Egypt: "Since last December, and throughout January, the Refugee Platform in Egypt monitored and documented a noticeable increase in the number of reports related to the arrest and detention of dark-skinned people holding various African nationalities in many governorates. The statistics behind these reports indicate that most of those arrested are expatriates with Sudanese or Eritrean citizenship. Sudanese citizens and expatriates make up the largest proportion of those arrested at the border governorate of Aswan and the Upper Egyptian governorates on the Aswan-Cairo highway. Most of these arrests take place at train and bus stations as well as through checkpoints on the road to Cairo. Most of the detainees were on their way to attend a registration interview with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Throughout the past two weeks, the Refugee Platform in Egypt documented two prominent cases of mass arrests."
Libya
09.02.25 France 24: Scores of bodies uncovered in Libyan mass graves linked to human trafficking: "Authorities in Libya uncovered nearly 50 bodies in two mass graves in the southeastern city of Kufra, officials said Sunday. The discovery followed a raid on a human trafficking site, where 76 migrants were freed and three suspects were arrested. The al-Abreen charity, which helps migrants in eastern and southern Libya, said that some were apparently shot and killed before being buried."
Also see AJE 10.02.25: Bodies of migrants in Libya mass graves had gunshot wounds, UN says
Morocco / Mauritania
20.02.25 APA News: New cross-border axis to connect Morocco, Mauritania: "The construction of the road linking Es-Semara to the Mauritanian border via the Moroccan municipalities of Amgala and Tifariti, over a length of 93 km, is 95 percent complete. The ambitious infrastructure project has just been launched, allowing the opening of a unique border crossing between Morocco and Mauritania."
05.02.25 Atalayar: Le Maroc et la Mauritanie signent un accord historique d'interconnexion électrique: "Ce projet s'inscrit dans le cadre de l'Initiative royale atlantique promue par le roi du Maroc, Mohammed VI, dont l'objectif est l'intégration africaine et la coopération Sud-Sud."
06.02.25 Reuters: Morocco foils 78,685 migrant attempts to reach Europe in 2024: "Among the migrants, 58% were from West Africa, 12% from North Africa where Morocco is located, and 9% from East and Central Africa, it said. Years of armed conflict across Africa's Sahel region, unemployment and the impact of climate change on farming communities are among the reasons driving migrants towards Europe."
East Africa
Ethiopia / Sudan
20.02.25 TNH: Sudanese refugees imprisoned and impoverished by Ethiopian visa policy: "Sudanese refugees living in Ethiopian cities are being driven deeper into poverty because of government-imposed visa fees that are beyond their means, and some have even been arrested for failing to pay the monthly charges and arrears."
Puntland
02.02.25 taz: Trump fliegt erste Luftangriffe auf Somalia: "Nach dem Terroranschlag in New Orleans lässt der US-Präsident angeblich den globalen Führer des IS und 47 weitere Mitglieder umbringen. Puntland führt seit 2023 eine „Operation Blitz“ gegen IS-Somalia und hat mehrere hundert Kämpfer festgenommen, vor allem aus Tansania, Äthiopien, Jemen und Marokko. IS-Anführer Mumin war in diesem Zusammenhang schon einmal im Mai 2024 Ziel eines fehlgeschlagenen US-Luftangriffs."
Sudan
27.02.25 ECFR: Split decision: Why Sudan is on the brink of partition—again: "Sudan’s conflict is intensifying, fuelled by the entrenchment of distinct administrative zones and deepening divisions within warring parties, while the country’s social fabric continues to erode."
26.02.25 TNH: Sudan mutual aid groups face survival battle amid army abuse and US aid freeze: "The US aid freeze is forcing mutual aid groups fighting famine in Sudan to halt their lifesaving work just as volunteers also grapple with increasing attacks against them by an emboldened army that is clawing back territory from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces."
24.02.24 D Sp: Ärzte ohne Grenzen zieht sich aus Flüchtlingscamp im Sudan zurück: "Mehrfach wurde das Lager Samsam im Sudan in den vergangenen Wochen beschossen. Nun stellt die Hilfsorganisation Ärzte ohne Grenzen die Arbeit ein. Betroffen sind mindestens eine halbe Million Menschen."
20.02.25 AJE: After splinter, can Sudan’s anti-war coalition reinvent itself?: "On February 10, Sudan’s largest antiwar coalition, Taqaddum, finally splintered.
The disagreement was over whether to participate in a new parallel government being set up by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), one of the belligerent parties in Sudan’s nearly two-year war."
19.02.25 AJE: As Sudan’s army routs RSF from Khartoum, Sudanese reactions are mixed: "Many Sudanese civilians are welcoming the army as a liberator as it advances across the capital, Khartoum, to topple the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). But activists on the ground say both sides are increasingly resorting to brutal tactics, which are exacerbating the humanitarian crisis."
18.02.25 Guardian: Sudan paramilitary group kills more than 200 people in three-day attack, activists say: "The Emergency Lawyers network said the RSF killed civilians south of Khartoum, with hundreds more either wounded or missing. The foreign ministry of the army-backed government said 433 people, including children, had been killed in the attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The attack on the White Nile state villages of al-Kadaris and al-Khelwat, 100km (60 miles) south of the capital, sent thousands fleeing, witnesses said."
18.02.25 NYT: Sudanese Paramilitaries Announce Plan for Breakaway Government: "Amid reports of new atrocities by their troops in Sudan, leaders of the Rapid Support Forces were cheered at an elaborate political event in Kenya."
Also see AJE 23.02.25: Sudan’s RSF, accused of genocide, signs charter to form rival government
17.02.25 Guardian: Young, old, refugees and returnees: thousands fleeing violence cross border into South Sudan: "Makeshift hospitals and informal settlements deal with daily influx of those escaping the war in neighbouring Sudan."
10.02.25 taz: Armee verjagt den Feind und jagt „Kollaborateure“: "Sudans Regierungsarmee fügt der RSF-Miliz schwere Niederlagen zu und erzielt einen Durchbruch in der Hauptstadt Khartum. Viele Zivilisten starben."
10.02.25 AJE: Sudan army-aligned foreign ministry sets path to elections amid civil war: "In a Sunday post on X, the ministry, which is aligned to the army, set a path to elections amid civil war. It outlined its roadmap for peace, noting the Sudanese military’s progress in their fight against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)."
07.02.25 NYT: Fighting Intensifies in Sudan, Leaving Hundreds Dead: "Hundreds of people, including dozens of children, have been killed in Sudan in recent days, according to civilian witnesses, medical workers and the United Nations, as fierce clashes have escalated in an internal conflict that is approaching its third year. The war between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has unleashed a wave of devastation across Sudan, killing tens of thousands of people, forcing millions to flee their homes and pushing parts of the vast nation deeper into famine."
Also see Guardian 07.02.25: Sudanese army says it is close to retaking Khartoum from paramilitaries: "Army making rapid advances across the country and closing in on RSF-held Republican Palace in capital"; 06.02.24: The Guardian view on Sudan’s war: borders can’t contain a devastating, destabilising crisis; AJE 03.02.25: As Sudan’s RSF surrounds Darfur’s el-Fasher, ethnic killings feared: "The RSF has launched drones, fired artillery and surrounded el-Fasher from the east and west since January 21, according to the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University, which relies on satellite imagery analysis."
27.01.25 Criticalthreats: Drones Over Sudan: Foreign Powers in Sudan's Civil War: "Several key foreign actors, including Iran, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have contributed to the civil war in Sudan for over a year by sending drones to the opposing sides."
Also see BBC 13.06.24: Evidence of Iran and UAE drones used in Sudan war
South Sudan
31.01.25 ACLED: South Sudan’s peace process stagnates as violence grips Greater Upper Nile region: "As South Sudan’s oil fields dry up, wealth and sustenance are carved out wherever they can be found, often violently. The central government in Juba deprives national institutions of funding, neither state nor rebel forces are committed to integrating into a unified military, and state officials at all levels exploit their positions to fund expensive lifestyles and large patronage networks. […] Given these realities, the peace process could hardly address South Sudan’s myriad, local-level contests over borders, resources, and political positions."
West Africa and Sahel
25.02.25 Clingendael: Kush in Sierra Leone: West-Africa's growing synthetic drugs challenge and Europe’s and China’s part in it: "Kush, a deadly drug, has likely killed thousands in West Africa, with Sierra Leone at its epicenter. Some of the substances are imported from China, the Netherlands and most likely the UK. Chemical testing finds that nearly 50% of sample contains nitazenes, a very addictive and deadly opioid."
19.02.25 WP: Crossroads of Conflict: "Across the breadth of Africa, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea, stretches a belt of turmoil. Nowhere else have Islamist extremists recorded such stunning gains since the defeat of the Islamic State in the Middle East, with this swath emerging as the new epicenter of jihadist activity."
19.02.25 The Conversation: Ecowas breakup could push up food prices and worsen hunger in west Africa: "The exit from Africa’s largest political and economic union threatens to disrupt flows of goods, services and people. As a political economist who focuses on agriculture and nutrition policy in much of Africa, I worry that these developments will have serious consequences for food security in a region where almost 17 million children under five are already acutely malnourished."
14.02.25 Global Initiative: Mercenaries and illicit markets: Russia’s Africa Corps and the business of conflict: "This paper reviews how Russia’s Wagner Group and the Africa Corps have developed since the death of Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in August 2023. It includes their evolving role in illicit markets and the implications for African peace and security." Download here.
10.02.25 The Conversation: Power vacuum in west Africa’s Sahel: 3 ways China could fill the gap as west exits: "I argue that Beijing could take advantage of the vacuum in the Sahel in at least three ways: expansion of investments in critical minerals; resolution of the Ecowas crisis (when Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali exited the regional bloc); and increased arms sales."
07.02.25 Internazionale: Il sovranismo africano che cancella la libertà (by Achille Mbembe): "I regimi militari andati al potere in Africa occidentale rifiutano ogni forma di democrazia. L’esempio peggiore è la Guinea, scrive il filosofo camerunese."
07.02.25 Mondafrique: Sahel, les militaires font main basse sur le renseignement: "De N’Djamena à Nouakchott en passant par Bamako, Niamey et Ouagadougou, des officiers généraux ou supérieurs ont pris ces dernières années la tête des services de renseignement dans pays sahéliens habituellement dirigés par des civils. « La militarisation » des services en a fait des institutions beaucoup trop puissantes échappant à tout contrôle dans un contexte marqué par l’absence de vrais parlements remplacés par des Conseils de transition, mais surtout l’affaiblissement du pouvoir judiciaire dont les décisions sont ignorées par les tout-puissants services de renseignement."
Burkina Faso
17.02.25 RFI: Burkina Faso: multiplication des attaques jihadistes dans la région Nord: "Un détachement de l’armée a été visé, dimanche 16 février, par des jihadistes, à Séguénega, dans la région Nord. C’est la dernière attaque d’une longue série, en moins d’une semaine."
Also see RFI 17.02.25: Residents flee as terrorists overrun Burkina Faso town; 03.02.25 RFI: Burkina Faso: plusieurs positions militaires attaquées dans la province du Soum au nord du pays.
11.02.25 APA: EU reaffirms support for Burkina Faso: "The head of Burkina Faso’s diplomacy met on Tuesday with the newly appointed EU Special Representative for the Sahel, João Gomes Cravinho, during an audience in Ouagadougou. Cravinho, who is visiting the country, engaged in talks with Jean Marie Traoré on ways to strengthen Brussels-Ouagadougou partnership. “Our objective is to continue working in Burkina Faso on issues of paramount importance to the population, particularly in the areas of development aid and food security,” Cravinho stated."
Chad
18.02.25 VoA: L'armée tchadienne annonce la fin d'une contre-offensive contre Boko Haram: "Aujourd'hui Boko Haram n'a aucun sanctuaire sur le territoire tchadien. Les différentes opérations aériennes et terrestres ont traité simultanément et avec efficacité toutes les lignes de front et les bases arrière de ces terroristes"
31.01.25 RFI: Au Tchad, une cérémonie clôt la présence militaire française, la Turquie y installe ses drones: "La force d'Ankara est de proposer des offres « tout compris » : des matériels militaires avec ses entreprises très concurrentielles – comme Bayraktar pour les drones ou Autokar pour les véhicules blindés –, des financements, des formations, mais aussi des débouchés aériens. Ces dernières années, Turkish Airlines a ouvert des dizaines de destinations vers l'Afrique."
Ghana
04.02.25 taz: Kakaoproduktion in Ghana: "Lange war Ghana einer der führenden Kakaoexporteure weltweit. Inzwischen wenden sich Bauern jedoch öfter dem illegalen, aber lukrativen Goldabbau zu. Wer in Ghana schnelles Geld verdienen will, baut Gold ab. Ob die Arbeiter zum Teil noch minderjährig sind, die Minen legal oder nicht, oder die Chemikalien im Abbauprozess gesundheitsschädigend, spielt dabei kaum eine Rolle. Weltweit arbeiten zwischen 10 und 20 Millionen Menschen in 70 Ländern im manuellen Goldabbau. Er macht rund 15 Prozent der globalen Goldförderung aus."
Mali
21.02.25 BBC: Mali to investigate claims soldiers 'executed' women and children: "The FLA accuse Malian forces and Russian Wagner mercenaries of intercepting two passenger vehicles travelling to Algeria from the Malian city of Gao and killing the civilians on board, including women and children."
17.02.25 APA: Mali army steps up counterterrorism campaign in the north: "The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) have intensified military operations in the country’s north, targeting key figures within active insurgent groups."
09.02.25 LM: Au Mali, une attaque djihadiste sur un convoi civil fait une trentaine de morts: "Des djihadistes présumés ont tiré, vendredi, sur un convoi de véhicules civils escortés par l’armée malienne et des mercenaires du groupe russe Wagner dans le nord du pays. (The attacked convoy comprised 22 minibuses, 6 passenger buses, 8 trucks, and a FAMA military escort. The majority of the victims were young men employed by the foreign gold mining company, en route to the N’Tahaka gold mine in the Gao region accvording to JA)."
07.02.25 APA: Mali-Sénégal : vers le renforcement de la coopération militaire: "Les ministres de la Défense malien et sénégalais se sont engagés à Bamako à renforcer leur coopération bilatérale, notamment dans la lutte contre le terrorisme et la criminalité transfrontalière."
Niger
27.02.25 RFI: Le Niger continue de renforcer la sécurité de ses installations pétrolières: "L'accord entre le gouvernement nigérien et la Soraz, marche dans le pas de celui signé en janvier avec Wapco, l'entreprise pétrolière, aussi chinoise, qui a construit l'oléoduc transportant le brut depuis Agadem jusqu'au port béninois de Sèmè-Kpodji. Le but restant « la sécurisation » et « une protection efficace des installations et du personnel » de la raffinerie de Zinder. Les détails de ces accords de sécurisation sont inconnus, mais les autorités nigériennes ont auparavant indiqué que Pékin était prête à utiliser des drones de surveillance et à construire au moins quatre aérodromes le long du pipeline."
20.01.25 Reuters: Niger commission recommends 5-year transition to democratic rule: "The duration of the transition is set at 60 months, which may change depending on the security situation.“
Also see DW 17.02.25: Niger : des assises nationales pas inclusives ?
18.02.25 Daily Post Nigeria: Niger rejects ECOWAS passport for Nigerian travelers, tightens immigration rules: "Despite keeping the border open with Nigeria, Nigerien authorities have tightened immigration controls at key border crossings such as Illela (Nigeria) and Konni (Niger). Cross-border traders and travelers are facing major challenges as border officials no longer accept the ECOWAS passport as a valid travel document."
18.02.25 APA: Timide dégel entre Bruxelles et Niamey après la crise de l’aide: "La visite à Niamey du nouveau représentant spécial de l’UE pour le Sahel, João Cravinho, rapportée par Télé Sahel, marque une première tentative de rapprochement après la crise diplomatique qui a culminé en novembre avec le départ de l’ambassadeur européen."
06.02.25 AP: At least 10 soldiers in Niger are killed in an ambush, the army says: "The military unit was deployed Monday to catch criminals who had been stealing the cattle in the western village of Takzat, the military said in a statement broadcast Wednesday night."
06.02.25 LM: Le Niger demande au Comité international de la Croix-Rouge de quitter le pays: "Une nouvelle organisation humanitaire est priée de plier bagage au Niger. Le régime militaire au pouvoir a demandé au Comité international de la Croix-Rouge (CICR) de quitter le pays avec effet immédiat. Le régime militaire, arrivé au pouvoir en juillet 2023 par un putsch, a fait de la souveraineté nationale une de ses priorités."
Senegal
25.02.25 AN: Senegal signs historic peace deal with Casamance separatists: "Senegal Signs Historic Peace Deal with Casamance Separatists Senegal has reached a landmark peace agreement with the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), ending one of Africa’s longest-running conflicts."
12.02.25 AJE: French troops to exit Senegal by end of 2025: "Senegal distances itself from colonial past, following trend sweeping across West and Central Africa since 2022."
Frbr.2025 MMC: Smuggling in the Central Sahel: New 4Mi snapshots [Background report]: "The first snapshot analyses how gender and age influence contacts and perceptions between migrants and smugglers. The study draws on a dataset of 1,550 surveys conducted between May and August 2024 with migrants who used smuggler services and were interviewed in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. The second snapshot provides an evidence-based understanding of how migrants use smugglers in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. It is based on 1,913 surveys conducted with migrants who use smuggler services, interviewed between May and August 2024 in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso."
Sub Saharan Africa
DRC
22.02.25 NYT: What Congo’s President Thinks of Rwanda: A ‘Mania to Be the Apex Predator’: "In his first interview since an armed group backed by Rwanda seized swaths of his country’s territory this year, Felix Tshisekedi, the president of the Democratic Republic of Congo, offered the United States and Europe a stake in his country’s vast mineral wealth, a sector currently dominated by China."
17.02.25 Guardian: Rwanda-backed M23 rebels capture eastern DRC’s second-largest city: "On Friday [February 14], M23 fighters entered Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, after advancing south following the group’s capture of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, last month. The militia faced little resistance in its latest march." One Bukavu resident, Blaise Byamungu, said the had been ´abandoned by all the authorities and [taken] without any loyalist force`."
Also see Standard 18.02.25: Audienz bei Corneille Nangaa, dem Rebellen, der Ostafrika erschüttert; AJE 14.02.25: DR Congo’s M23 fighters seize Bukavu airport before African Union summit: Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi traveled to Germany to attend Munich Security Conference in efforts to rally international support; taz 13.02.25: Das Fanal von Goma: Es gibt nachvollziehbare Gründe für den Krieg der M23 in der DR Kongo. Man muss sie angehen, um nach 30 Jahren Krieg endlich Frieden in der Region zu schaffen; TNH 11.02.25: Why conflict mineral narratives don’t explain the M23 rebellion in DR Congo: Whereas war in other settings is often acknowledged to be the product of a more complex type of geopolitics, history, and ideology, warfare in Africa is reduced to naked greed; AfricaReport 03.02.25: DRC war: Rwanda shrugs off increasing global pressure over M23 fighting in the Kivus; 03.02.25 taz: Es gibt wieder Strom und Nahrung in Goma
West Asia
17.02.25 FA: The Fatal Flaw of the New Middle East: "Ultimately, the main obstacle to the Arab world’s reconstruction will not be the lack of funds. It will be political disputes and grievances. The region is filled with failing states. It features competing powers that work to leverage this chaos to their geopolitical advantage. Together, these problems make permanent peace impossible."
12.02.25 ECFR: The price of pause: America’s aid halt will hit civil society in the Middle East hard: "Scything cuts to US foreign aid will drain an already shallow pool of funding for embattled human rights defenders and independent media. That should worry Europeans, whose own budget cuts are part of the problem."
Israel / Palestine
26.02.25 SZ: Willkommen in „Trump-Gaza“ [Video]: Der 33 Sekunden lange KI-Clip in Trumps Account auf Truth Social zeigt eine heile, bunte, reiche Welt ohne Palästinenser.
24.02.25 AJE: As Israeli tanks roll into Jenin, Palestinians prepare for lengthy invasion: "Residents of Jenin face an uncertain future as military attacks intensify, forcing families to flee their homes."
See also NYT 23.02.25: Expanding West Bank Campaign, Israel Sends Tanks for First Time in Decades: "Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said that 40,000 Palestinian residents displaced from militant hotbeds would not be allowed to return to their homes"; AJE 23.02.25: Israel won’t allow Syria military forces south of Damascus: Netanyahu; NYT 17.02.25: Palestinian Displacement in the West Bank Is Highest Since 1967, Experts Say
13.02.24 LMD: Bloodlands des Südens: "US-Präsident Trump träumt von einer Kolonie in Gaza. Sein Denken fügt sich nahtlos in die kolonialen und genozidalen Narrative, die Israel in Gaza und im Libanon aufruft."
Also see AJE 14.02.25: Trump’s Gaza takeover ‘plan’ puts Egypt in a tough spot; FA 14.02.25: What Gazans Want; taz 05.02.25: Vertreibung von Palästinensern: Eine Stadt im Schatten der Offensive; Guardian 05.02.25: Trump’s Gaza plan has staggered the world. Did he mean it? For now, that doesn’t matter: "The president’s appalling threat to seize Gaza and drive out its people imperils global stability, even if he never deploys a single US soldier"; NYT 05.02.25: Trump Proposal Puts Egypt and Jordan in an Impossible Position: "The Arab countries are among the top recipients of American military aid, but forcing Palestinians out of their remaining territory could destabilize the entire region"; AJE 05.02.25: As Trump meets Netanyahu, protesters chant: ‘Palestine is not for sale’
Jordan
03.02.25 AJE: Analysis: Jordan faces ‘geopolitical blackmail’ after Trump Gaza demand: "Analysts say the new US administration of Donald Trump could lead to major disruptions in the Kingdom of Jordan."
Syria
26.02.25 AJE: Key takeaways from Syria’s National Dialogue conference: "Syria’s National Dialogue, a key moment in the country’s political transition after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December, concluded on Tuesday. A statement delivered at the end of the one-day conference, which was only announced on Sunday and gave many potential participants little time to prepare for, paved the way for a new constitution to be drafted and emphasised the importance of freedom of expression and human rights."
13.02.25 LMD: Wie weit reicht der türkische Einfluss in Syrien?: "Der größte Dämpfer für die Hoffnung Ankaras, den Gang der Dinge in Syrien zu bestimmen, war jedoch die Weigerung der HTS, das türkische Angebot zu akzeptieren, die neu aufzubauende syrische Armee aufzustellen, auszubilden und auszustatten. Unabhängigkeit von Ankara demonstriert die neue Führung auch in der Handelspolitik. Um die inländische Produktion anzukurbeln, wurden Mitte Januar 2025 Lebensmitteleinfuhren aus der Türkei mit drastischen Zollerhöhungen belegt, was den türkisch-syrischen Grenzhandel fast vollständig zum Erliegen brachte. Dagegen redet die Netanjahu-Regierung öffentlich darüber, dass Israel und die Kurden gemeinsame Interessen hätten. Und in Washington enttäuschte Trumps Außenminister Marco Rubio die türkischen Hoffnungen, eine Regierung Trump würde die Zusammenarbeit mit den Kurden in Syrien bald beenden."
11.02.25 FA: Syria’s Biggest Problem: "The return of these refugees could become the largest repatriation operation in decades, with over six million Syrian refugees abroad and seven million displaced within Syria. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have already returned to their homeland, driven by their desire to check on the property they left, escape poverty and persecution in host countries, reunite with family, or take part in the next chapter of their country’s history."
Saudi Arabia
28.02.25 Guardian: Saudi border forces accused of killing ‘hundreds of Ethiopian migrants’: "Witnesses making the crossing from Yemen report coming under machine-gun fire and seeing rotting bodies."
Turkye
27.02.25 taz: Abdullah Öcalan verkündet Auflösung der PKK: "Vertreter der kurdischen Partei DEM haben eine Erklärung des inhaftierten PKK-Anführers verlesen: Öcalan ruft zum Ende des bewaffneten Kampfes auf."
Also see FA 03.02.25: The End of the PKK?
04.02.25 IPG: Wettstreit um die Vorherrschaft: "Die Türkei weitet ihren Einfluss in Syrien aus und verändert die geopolitische Ordnung im Nahen Osten – der Machtkampf mit Israel spitzt sich zu."
UAE:
06.02.25 IPG: Arabische Scheckbuchdiplomatie: "Die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate sind heimlich zum größten Investor in Afrika aufgestiegen. Ihr Einfluss reicht weit über die Wirtschaft hinaus."
Europe
Belgium
21.02.25 cncd: Analyse: Accord de gouvernement Arizona : un désert pour les droits des personnes migrantes: "Malgré la mention du respect du droit international et européen et de l’intérêt supérieur de l’enfant, l’accord de gouvernement Arizona défend une politique anti-migration visant à réduire le nombre de personnes migrantes en Belgique. Pour y parvenir, les mesures reposent principalement sur la dissuasion au départ, la diminution des voies légales d’entrées, la difficulté du maintien au séjour, le recul de la protection, la criminalisation voire la coercition pour l’éloignement."
Balkans
25.02.25 migreurop: Rivers are deadly if you’re not on the right side: "The European Migration and Asylum Pact adopted this spring could lead to an increase in police tracking of people exiled in the Balkans. For some twenty years now, the EU and Frontex have been developing surveillance systems with lethal effects. By going up the rivers which separate several countries in the region, this portfolio goes back to the sources of this cycle of violence."
Cyprus
17.02.25 Statewatch: €1,500 and a one-way ticket: how Cyprus deports Syrian refugees with EU support: "Cyprus has been unlawfully detaining Syrian refugees for years, and has coerced thousands of people to go back to Syria through a supposedly "voluntary" return programme. Behind those "voluntary" returns lies a lack of access to asylum procedures, intimidation by officials, and appalling detention conditions. The European Commission and Frontex have supported the programme, despite internal concerns. EU funds for the Cypriot deportation regime run into the tens of millions of euros, but the real price is paid by Syrian refugees."
Germany
Febr. 2025 Mediendienst: Wie viele irreguläre Einreisen gibt es nach Deutschland?: "Die Bundespolizei zählte im Jahr 2024 rund 83.000 "unerlaubte Einreisen" an den Grenzen. Das sind circa 36 Prozent weniger "unerlaubte Einreisen" als im Vorjahreszeitraum. Etwa 16.000 Personen kamen über die polnische Grenze – ein Drittel davon über die sogenannte Belarus-Route. Etwa 13.500 Einreisen fanden über die "Luftgrenze" statt (mit dem Flugzeug). Ebenso viele Menschen kamen über die österreichische Grenze. Rund 11.400 Personen kamen über die Schweizer Grenze. [...] Etwa 44.500 Personen, die irregulär nach Deutschland einreisen wollten, hat die Bundespolizei im Jahr 2024 an den Grenzen zurückgewiesen – das sind 28 Prozent mehr Zurückweisungen als 2023 (34.860 Zurückweisungen)."
18.02.25 akweb: GEAS, Bezahlkarte, Zurückweisungen: "Die rigide Flüchtlingspolitik der Ampel-Regierung hat die BRD nach rechts verschoben."
Also see AK Asyl 14.02.24: Vom Aufbruch zur Abschottung: Die bittere Bilanz der Ampel-Migrationspolitik; Antira Info 13.02.25: Verteidigung der Migrationsgesellschaft; taz 12.02.24 Aus Sicht der Migrationsforschung: Migration und Demokratie
03.02.25 taz: Mehr Gewalt gegen Geflüchtetenunterkünfte: "Die Zahl der politisch motivierten Straftaten gegen Geflüchtetenunterkünfte hat nach Angaben der Bundesregierung im Jahr 2024 zugenommen. Die Polizei registrierte im vergangenen Jahr 218 solcher Taten, bei denen Unterkünfte Angriffsziel oder Tatort waren."
Greece
Febr. 2025 Legal Centre Lesvos: Quarterly Developments and Updates. October - December 2024 [Background report]: "In the last quarter of 2024, Greek islands experienced a significant increase in arrivals, with 19,009 people reaching Greece by sea between October and December, including more than 3,500 on Lesvos, according to UNHCR data. In parallel, Greece’s unlawful practice of push- backs continued, with 3,413 migrants forcibly and clandestinely returned in the Aegean sea during the same period, according to the Turkish Coast Guard."
Italy / Libya
13.02.25 AJE: ‘I saw him kill people:’ Libya and Italy’s shadowy migrant deals: "Italy is accused of releasing Libyan officials wanted on international warrants in return for limiting migrant flows."
13.02.25 Domani: Le navi delle ong che salvano i migranti costrette a fare tre volte il giro del mondo: così il governo ostacola i soccorsi: "Il decreto Piantedosi, il decreto flussi e la pratica di assegnazione dei “porti lontani” sono i tre modi con cui l’esecutivo ha reso più complicato per le navi delle organizzazioni della società civile pattugliare il Mediterraneo. “Un porto lontano è un soccorso negato” mostra il costo umano ed economico delle misure di criminalizzazione introdotte."
10.02.25 Corriere d.l.S.:Nuovo decreto Albania, l'accordo sarà modificato: il piano del governo italiano per la competenza a Tirana: "Ripristinare subito l’operatività dei centri albanesi di Gjader e Shengjin, a prescindere dalla decisione della Corte di giustizia europea prevista per il prossimo 25 febbraio. Anche a costo, come soluzione estrema, di togliere la giurisdizione italiana sulle strutture, alla base del trattato siglato con Tirana. È l’obiettivo del governo che ha deciso di modificare l’accordo con l’Albania e potrebbe farlo addirittura per decreto."
Also see Post 10.02.25: Il governo inizia a capire che i centri in Albania non funzionano: "Per questo sta pensando di cambiarne le funzioni: per Giorgia Meloni però significherebbe ritrattare una grossa parte della propaganda dell'ultimo anno."
05.02.25 Guardian: Italian founder of migrant rescue group ‘targeted with spyware’: "Luca Casarini, an activist whose organisation is estimated to have saved 2,000 people crossing the Mediterranean to Italy, is the most high profile person to come forward since WhatsApp announced last week that 90 journalists and other members of civil society had probably had their phones compromised by a government client using Paragon’s spyware."
Also see Guardian 11.02.25: Campaigner for migrants in Libya targeted in spyware attack
05.02.25 Domani: Ridare ai morti la loro storia: gli esperti che cercano i nomi dei migranti affogati: "Dal 2014 nel Mediterraneo sono scomparse oltre 31mila persone: la maggior parte dei corpi rimane senza identità. La professoressa Wilkinson, a capo di Migrant Disaster Victim Identification Action, un’equipe di scienziati che promuove nuovi processi di identificazione: «Identificare queste persone è un valore universale. Gli attuali sistemi sono inadeguati e sottofinanziati»."
Poland
13.02.25 Statewatch: Polish government proposes life-long EU entry bans for deportees: "In the coming months, EU institutions will start negotiating a new law to increase deportations. EU governments want their positions taken into account in the European Commission’s forthcoming proposal. The Polish government has proposed banning deportees from EU territory for ´an indefinite period of time,` alongside other coercive measures."
10.02.25 MSF: Increased militarisation has life-threatening consequences for people trapped at the Poland-Belarus border: "MSF spoke at the Polish parliament on 4 February 2025, outlining what our teams have seen in two years of providing medical care to migrants at the Poland-Belarus border. We have witnessed how Poland's legislation has turned into violence against people seeking safety."
Also See Guardian 04.02.25: ‘They are people’: asylum seekers caught up in ‘hybrid war’ at Poland-Belarus border: "Poland says it is under attack from its eastern neighbour, and its razor-wire fence reflects EU’s harsher migration stance."
Spain
19.02.25 Guardian: Why is Spain’s economy booming? Thanks to migration – which proves xenophobia doesn’t pay: "Why is Spain doing so well? One key reason is immigration. Recent population flows, particularly but not only from Colombia, Venezuela and other Latin American countries, as well as Morocco, have boosted domestic demand and rejuvenated the workforce. According to the main labour national survey, nearly 90% of new jobs were filled by workers of foreign origin or dual nationality. Unemployment is at its lowest level since 2007."
UK
11.02.25 Guardian: UK to refuse citizenship to refugees who have ‘made a dangerous journey’: "The Refugee Council said that the move will potentially bar 71,000 people who have successfully applied for asylum from claiming UK citizenship. A leading immigration barrister has claimed that it is a breach of international law."
European Union
25.02.25 EU / Egypt. In 16.01.25, several Civil Society Groups (including migration-control.info) wrote an Open Letter to Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, expressing their concerns on the negotiation on a working agreement between Europol and Egypt, to enhance the cooperation between European and Egyptian law enforcement agencies. Now, Mr. Brunner answered a respective question on this, on behalf of the EC.: „The envisaged international agreement with Egypt on the exchange of personal data with Europol will aim to strike a balance between, on one hand, the need to fight serious crimes and terrorism and, on the other hand, the protection of personal data and other fundamental rights, by spelling out the necessary safeguards. No formal negotiations for such international agreement and the particular safeguards have been held so far between the EU and Egypt.“
February 2025 11.be, Hungarian Helsinki Committee et al.: Pushed, Beaten, Left to Die: European Pushback Report 2024: "This report analyzes data on pushbacks from EU member states to third countries in 2024, highlighting ongoing violations of international and EU law. It draws from NGO reports, research groups, human rights organizations, UN agencies, government services and interviews with organizations active in Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece, Poland, Croatia, Finland, and Bulgaria. In total, 120.457 pushbacks were recorded, underscoring the persistence of this practice. Overall, the trend of normalizing pushbacks persists, requiring stronger enforcement and greater accountability from both member states and EU institutions."
Also see InfoMigrants 25.02.25: Over 120,000 migrant pushbacks recorded at EU borders in 2024, say NGOs
18.02.25 Migreurop et al.: After mass graves discovered, MEPs and international human rights organisations lead call for EU-Libya migration funding freeze: "MEPs and 32 civil society organisations including Migreurop have released a joint statement following the uncovering of new mass graves earlier this week. They are calling for a freeze on migration funding to Libyan security forces and the opening of safe routes for people escaping the country.."
Reports and Long Reads
Febr. 2025 BVMN: Controlled and Confined: Unveiling the Impact of Technology in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre: "This report examines the deployment and impact of surveillance technology in the EU-funded Samos Closed Control and Access Centre (CCAC). This report aims to bring to light the human impact of the use of technology in Samos, including the removal of people on the move’s phones, CCTV, drones, motion recognition analytics and biometric data processing. Through interviews with people on the move and people who work in the CCAC, this report highlights the implications of the use of technology on privacy, autonomy, and fundamental freedoms."
January 2025 MERIP: Artificial Humanitarianism—The Data-Driven Future of Refugee Responses: "Unveiled in 2013 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), it included the large-scale digitization of refugee registration through the Biometric Identity Management System (BIMS). The UNHCR started using BIMS after a nearly 100-person trial of Afghan refugees in Pakistan in 2002. The system works by creating a unique biometric identifier for each registered refugee. That identifier is then stored in a blockchain called the Population Registration and Identity Management Ecosystem (PRIMES). Initially pitched by the UNHCR as a way to easily track refugee registration and residency, the biometrics model has morphed into an all-encompassing surveillance system."
Please note:
We link to sites purely on editorial merit. The inclusion of a link to an external website should not be understood to be an endorsement of that website or the site's owners (or products/services).