Crises

Democratic Republic of Congo

DRC rebels announce 'temporary' ceasefire <(Aljazeera, 24 May 2013)

M23 rebels call for truce coinciding with UN chief's visit to Goma where three days of fighting left at least 19 dead.

Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have declared a temporary ceasefire, during a visit by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank chief Jim Yong Kim in country's volatile east.

The decision comes after three days of fighting between rebels and government forces in the country’s eastern province of North-Kivu that has left at least 19 people dead.

UNHCR urges protection for civilians amid fresh fighting in DR Congo <(UNHCR, 22 May 2013)

The UN refugee agency said on Wednesday it was concerned about the latest outbreak of heavy fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and urged all parties to ensure the safety of civilians.

The fresh combat erupted early on Tuesday between government troops and fighters of the M23 movement in DRC's troubled North Kivu province. The two sides first clashed in April last year and subsequent waves of fighting have led to the internal displacement of tens of thousands of people, while more than 60,000 have sought shelter in Uganda and Rwanda.

Syria

Russia: Syria agrees to take part in talks< (Aljazeera, 24 May 2013)

Russia says the Syrian government had agreed in principle to attend an international peace conference proposed by Russia and the US, and criticised what it called attempts to undermine peace efforts.

The summit has been suggested by the US and Russia and could take place in the Swiss city of Geneva.

Jordan keeps out Syrian refugees in border clampdown< (Reuters, 21 May 2013)

Jordan has turned away thousands of Syrian refugees in the past week in the first such clampdown since the crisis in Syria began more than two years ago, diplomats, activists and aid workers said on Tuesday.

Jordan, due to host an international conference on Syria on Wednesday, has already taken in 473,587 Syrians out of a total of 1.5 million who have fled the conflict in an exodus that has accelerated in the past four months, U.N. figures show.

Urgent action needed to dodge Syria spillover: EU< (AFP, 22 May 2013)

Urgent action is needed to protect countries bordering Syria from spillover from the spiralling civil war there, the EU's aid chief said Wednesday.

"We cannot turn the clock back on Syria, on the tragedy that has happened there, but we still might be able to protect against the flares going into the neighbourhood," humanitarian aid commissioner Kristalina Georgieva told reporters in Geneva.

<Attacks across Iraq kill 95 in hints of sectarian spillover from Syria <(The Washington Post, 20 May 2013)

Iraq’s wave of bloodshed sharply escalated Monday with more than a dozen car bombings across the country, part of attacks that killed at least 95 people and brought echoes of past sectarian carnage and fears of a dangerous spillover from Syria’s civil war next door.

Syria: allow humanitarian aid and start a political process, MEPs demand< (European Parliament/News, 23 May 2013)

MEPs call for respect for human rights and humanitarian law in Syria and support a political solution to the conflict, in a resolution voted on Thursday, while emphasizing that the two tracks should be kept separate.

The EU should play a leading role in preventing the armed conflict in Syria from spilling over into neighbouring countries, MEPs say. They also call on the Commission to present a comprehensive aid package to address the humanitarian crisis in Syria and its neighbouring countries.

Support for Syria’s neighbours as the humanitarian crisis worsens< (Government of Australia, 24 May 2013)

Australia is giving international relief agencies an extra $12 million to help them respond to the humanitarian crisis unfolding as thousands more flee the fighting in Syria.

Since the fighting began, more than 1.5 million people have fled Syria. By the end of the year, these numbers could reach 3.6 million. Every day more than 5,000 Syrians cross into the neighbouring countries of Lebanon and Jordan.

Fighting displaces 70-80% of Palestinians in Syria: UN< (AFP, 22 May 2013)

The conflict in Syria has displaced more than two-thirds of Palestinian refugees living in the country, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees said on Wednesday.

"We have registered approximately 530,000 Palestinian refugees. We believe that almost all of them, certainly maybe 70-80 percent, are displaced from their normal homes," UNRWA Commissioner General Filippo Grandi told AFP on a visit to Syria.

Sudan

Sudan: Old crisis, new challenges in Darfur <(OCHA, 20 May 2013)

United Nations Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos is visiting Sudan from 20 to 23 May 2013. She will visit the region of Darfur where a shrinking humanitarian community has led to deteriorating services for hundreds of thousands of people living in camps.

Darfur has been in a state of crisis for ten years, and the numbers of people affected have grown steadily during that time. There are now 1.4 million people receiving humanitarian assistance in nearly 100 displacement camps across Darfur.

Immigration

Making migration a driver for development <(European Commission, 22 May 2013)

The European Commission is presenting its views on how migration and mobility can contribute to inclusive and economic social development and how to strengthen global cooperation in this area.

The Commission Communication “Maximising the Development Impact of Migration” will provide the basis for a common position of the EU and its Member States at the High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development, organised by the United Nations General Assembly on 3-4 October 2013. This event will provide a unique opportunity for policy makers and practitioners to reflect on how to work towards a global agenda for effective, inclusive and rights-based migration governance and identify measures to promote the role of migrants as agents of innovation and development.

UK net migration shrinks further, official figures show< (The Guardian, 23 May 2013)

Net migration to Britain has shrunk by a further 10,000 people to 153,000 in the 12 months to September 2012 compared with the previous quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The drop in the politically sensitive figure has largely been driven by a further fall in the number of overseas students coming to Britain and a decline in the numbers coming under the family reunion route largely to join spouses.

Seeking safety in the city <(IRIN, 21 May 2013)

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are forced from their homes by violence or natural disasters. But the face of displacement is changing: While the popular view of displacement is one of sprawling rural camps, displaced people are now just as likely to be living in urban areas, often hidden from view.

The Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG), based at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), has explored this phenomenon in a series of studies called “Sanctuary in the City?”, which examines displacement conditions and policies in eight urban centres around the world.

The big bad foreigner in poster art <(SwissInfo, 24 May 2013)

First it was Bolsheviks and Jews. Then it was migrant workers from Southern Europe. Now it’s more exotic newcomers such as Muslims. There have been many Swiss political posters bedeviling foreigners, as displayed in an open-air exhibition in Neuchâtel.

Uruguay launches “Positive Migration” information campaign< (IOM, 24 May 2013)

IOM Director General William Lacy Swing and Uruguay’s Foreign Minister, Luis Almagro, have launched “Positive Migration,” a mass information campaign aimed at raising awareness of the positive effects of migration for the South American country.

Human Trafficking

Trafficking gang 'smuggled Bangladeshis into Brazil' <(BBC News, 17 May 2013)

Brazilian police say they have identified a gang specialising in trafficking Bangladeshi nationals into the country.

About 80 workers have been lured by their own countrymen with promises of earning up to $1,500 (£985) a month.

Photocredit © UNHCR / T. Irwin / April 2013
Photocredit © UNHCR / B. Sokol