Crises

Syria

Syria’s civil war: The most brutal of them all <(The Economist, 24 April 2013)

ANTONIO GUTERRES is a man of experience. A former prime minister of Portugal, he has run the UN’s High Commission for Refugees since 2005, dealing with crises from Afghanistan to Congo and Iraq. But of all the humanitarian catastrophes he has witnessed, nothing has proven as appalling or as dangerous as what is happening in Syria.

“This is the most brutal, even with very brutal conflicts elsewhere,” Mr Guterres has said.

Could chemical weapons in Syria force Obama's hand? <(The Christian Science Monitor, 23 April 2013)

President Obama may soon have to come to grips with what it means to issue a "red line" to a foreign government.

On Tuesday, Israeli military officials said they have evidence and are "nearly 100 percent certain" that forces of Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime have used chemical weapons – a step Mr. Obama said would be a game changer for the United States in its policies toward Syria and the civil war raging there. Last August, Obama declared that any use or even "moving around" of Syria's substantial chemical weapons stockpile would constitute a "red line" for the US – any crossing of which "would change my calculus … change my equation."

Ban reiterates necessity of political solution to Syrian conflict in meetings with envoy, partner<s (UN News Centre, 22 April 2013)

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Nabil Elaraby, today met with their special representative Lakhdar Brahimi to discuss ways to help the Syrian parties begin a political process which could help end the violence while protecting all people and communities in the shattered country.

During the meeting, held at the UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Ban reiterated his call on the Security Council to find unity and put all of its weight behind a political solution in Syria and Mr. Brahimi’s efforts to that end.

Time Is Running Out for Syria <(Huffington Post, 23 April 2013)

The Syrian civil war is creating a humanitarian crisis beyond the reckoning of even the world's most experienced aid workers. But in the face of all the evidence of its truly catastrophic dimensions, I fear that we are sleepwalking towards a disaster -- not just for the Syrian people themselves but for the Middle East and the wider world.

In Jordan, tensions rise between Syrian refugees and host community< (Washington Post, 22 April 2013)

After months of shrugging off glares, Abdullah Saad could no longer ignore the feeling that he was unwelcome in this country. The message was spray-painted in red across the side of his home for any passerby to see: Go back to Syria.

Lebanon: EU allocates additional financial support for refugee crisis< (European Commission, 23 April 2013)

The European Commission has adopted a decision to provide additional financial support to Lebanon to mitigate the impact of the Syrian crisis in the country.

Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood, Policy Štefan Füle, said: “Lebanon receives the highest number of people fleeing from Syria – Syrians as well as Palestine refugees from Syria - and we know that it puts this country under enormous strain. The hospitality and generosity displayed by the Lebanese towards their neighbours is admirable and commendable. The EU remains committed to assisting Lebanon in its response to the refugee crisis”.

Chemical weapons in Syria: Crossing a red line <(The Economist, 27 April 2013)

THE conviction that Bashar Assad’s regime has begun to use chemical weapons is gaining strength. Israel’s most senior military-intelligence analyst, Brigadier-General Itai Brun, said on April 23rd that there was strong evidence that sarin, a lethal nerve agent, had been and was continuing to be deployed. Israeli intelligence sources added that satellite images and witness testimony had “conclusively determined” the use of a nerve agent. Photographs showing victims with constricted pupils and foam coming from their mouths are consistent with poisoning by the compound.

Syria’s civil war: Yet another massacre< (The Economist, 27 April 2013)

“WE ARE at zero—still alive, but that’s it.” So says Adnan, a barber in Syria’s capital, Damascus, rueing the fact that he is too poor to get his family across the border to nearby Lebanon. His expectation is that things can only get worse.

Syrian rebels accuse government of massacre in Damascus suburb <(Washington Post, 22 April 2013)

Syrian activists and rebel fighters said Monday that at least 100 people, many of them civilians, have been killed in a five-day Syrian government offensive in a predominantly Sunni area of the Damascus countryside. The death toll could be the largest from a single military campaign in nearly a year.

Syrian Religious Leaders Commit to Establish the Inter-religious Council of Syria< (Religions for Peace, 23 April 2013)

A wide range of Syrian religious leaders convened in Istanbul to advance multi-religious cooperation for peace in Syria during a meeting, Syria for all Syrians. They committed themselves to the establishment of a Syrian Religions for Peace Council (RfP—Syria).

People of Cyprus bring relief - and fun - to Za'atari refugee camp, Jordan< (UNICEF, 22 April 2013)

There’s excitement in the air – hundreds of children are waiting for the official opening of Za’atari refugee camp’s fifth playground.

Norway supports civil society in Syria <(Government of Norway, 23 April 2013)

“Given the grim situation in Syria today, it is important to support efforts to build up local civil leadership. Norway will provide funding to strengthen civil society capacity in Syria with a view to a political process and stabilisation in the future,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.

Global community failing Syrian refugee children, CARE warns< (CARE, 24 April 2013)

Syrian refugee children are being abandoned by the international community as funds run dry, the humanitarian organisation CARE International has found in a new survey. CARE’s household assessment of more than 1,900 Syrian refugees living in urban sections of Jordan has revealed that in some areas 60 percent of school-aged refugees are not getting an education. In many cases, families are forced to prioritise food, water and shelter over sending children to school.

Uganda

Uganda pilots mobile courts for refugees< (IRIN, 23 April 2013)

Uganda's government and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have launched a pilot mobile court system to improve access to justice for victims of crimes in Nakivale, the country's oldest and largest refugee settlement.

Immigration

Europe’s undocumented migrants struggle to access healthcare< (IRIN, 25 April 2013)

Europe's financial crisis and rising xenophobia are complicating access to medical treatment for undocumented migrants, according to a new report by the international NGO Médecins du Monde (MdM).

Grassley’s Baseless Claims Put to Rest by Napolitano, Current Asylum System’s Protections< (Human Rights First, 23 April 2013)

During today’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on border security and immigration modernization, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano set the record straight after Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) wrongly claimed that proposed improvements to the current U.S. asylum system could make the United States more vulnerable to terrorist attack.

Janet Napolitano Defends Asylum Policy In Wake Of Boston Marathon Bombings< (The Huffington Post, 23 April 2013)

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano (neh-pahl-ih-TAN'-oh) is defending the security procedures that occur when someone applies for asylum to the U.S. – as the family of the alleged Boston bombers did about a decade ago. She described an extensive process with multiple screenings.

Amidst a growing humanitarian crisis in Greece, new report recommends strategies to improve the situation of migrants< (Picum, 25 April 2013)

One day after Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, called for better mechanisms to sanction individuals and organisations which incite or promote intolerance and hate in Greece, 28 Bangladeshi migrant workers were shot and wounded during a pay dispute on a strawberry plantation in Manolada, Greece on 17 April 2013.

GOP authors defend need for immigration reform< (The Washington Post, 20 April 2013)

The Republican co-authors of a bipartisan immigration reform effort denounced suggestions Friday from conservatives that the terrorist attacks in Boston were evidence that the United States should abandon a sweeping overhaul of its border control laws.

Amid renewed terrorism concern, immigration bill would expand asylum opportunities< (NBC Politics, 19 April 2013)

The Boston Marathon bombing, and subsequent examination of the suspects involved, has already begun influencing the debate over immigration reform in Washington.

This act of terrorism has revived a major question: Who should gain access to the United States and why?

Modern-day Slavery

Slavery must be recognised in all its guises< (The Guardian, 26 April 2013)

Five years ago, I became the UN's first special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery. Since then, I have been asked time and again by government officials, businesspeople and NGOs not to use the word "slavery" at all. I have been asked to change the name of my mandate and not speak out about what I have seen. They have asked me to use other words instead – ones that don't carry the same meanings or implications.

Video

Democratic Republic of the Congo: the Last Stand – video< (The Guardian, 25 April 2013)

For the past five years, photojournalist Susan Schulman has been following the plight of the village of Kimua in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Plagued by an armed militia called the FDLR and driven from their homes, the locals have finally decided to fight back as the FDC. But their resistance has come at a terrible price

Max Levchin's Story<

Max Levchin immigrated to America in 1991. Seven years later he co-founded PayPal. Check out Max's immigration story and why he's supporting FWD.us.

Photos

Syria refugees: your stories< (The Guardian)

The number of refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria has reached 1.3 million according to the UN. There are refugees in neighbouring Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt and Iraq. If you're affected by the crisis – whether as a refugee or an aid worker – we would like to hear from you. Please share your story so we can see what life is like for you and the people around you. Though we'd like to hear from you, your security is most important. We recognise it may not always be safe to record or share your experiences – so please think about this when sharing your content with GuardianWitness.

Syria's refugees: birth and life in Zaatari camp – in pictures< (The Guardian, 22 April 2013)

Jordan's Zaatari refugee camp houses more than 100,000 Syrians who have fled the civil war; 3,000 of those registered are pregnant women. Against the odds, women are adapting to the cycle of life. 13-15 babies are born in the camp every day and the majority of births are attended by healthcare professionals. For now, this is where the women call home

Photocredit © UNHCR / A. Al-Sharif / December 2012