Crises:

Syria

BRICS Leadership Will Be Tested by Syria< (Brookings, 25 March 2013)

The humanitarian tragedy unfolding in Syria is probably the most serious crisis facing the world today. And yet, the international community is struggling to find a way forward. With more than four million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance and three million internally displaced – a conservative UN estimate based on surveys of 6 out of 14 governorates in Syria – the humanitarian response to the plight of civilians so far has been entirely inadequate. A recent UNICEF report highlighted the two million children maimed, orphaned, and suffering from malnutrition as a result of the conflict – an entire generation “scarred for life”. Meanwhile, over one million refugees are seeking asylum in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. This number will likely hit the three million mark by the end of 2013 – a ticking bomb for countries based on delicate social, ethnic, and sectarian balance.

Deaths from long term illnesses mean true Syria war toll 'far higher' <(HelpAge International, 27 March 2013)

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) says unaccounted deaths of people in Syria with diabetes, heart conditions and other chronic illnesses mean the true death toll of the war is far higher than the reported 70,000. Many more deaths are happening because the health service has collapsed with one third of hospitals and 90% of pharmaceutical factories out of action.

Displaced Syrians being failed by foreign governments, charity warns< (The Guardian, 27 March 2013)

Foreign governments are failing to deliver the money they promised for homeless Syrians fleeing the civil war, and this, rather than lack of access, is the main reason for the massive shortage of aid, according to the main volunteer agency in the country.

Syrian refugees in Lebanon: And still they come< (The Economist, 27 March 2013)

WHEN Zaharith left the fighting of Damascus for the safety of Lebanon, she did not expect to find herself in jail. But the young Syrian is living in an abandoned prison in Souawiri, a town in the Bekaa valley. Damp walls stretch up to a tiny barred window and heavy locks dangle from the iron door which seals the cell she shares with five other families.

UNHCR calls afresh on Syria's warring parties to allow aid delivery< (UNHCR, 26 March 2013)

The UN refugee agency on Tuesday called again on all parties to ensure safe passage for convoys delivering humanitarian aid to civilians inside Syria. "In the current security environment, several convoys have had to be cancelled or delayed. This is depriving many Syrians of vitally needed help," UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told journalists in Geneva.

Officials: Weapons supplies to Syrian rebels increase dramatically before a push on Damascus <(The Washington Post, 27 March 2013)

Mideast powers opposed to President Bashar Assad have dramatically stepped up weapons supplies to Syrian rebels in coordination with the U.S. in preparation for a push on the capital of Damascus, officials and Western military experts said Wednesday.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Congolese refugee camps in Rwanda “full”< (IRIN, 27 March 2013)

Camps in Rwanda hosting thousands of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are running out of space following an influx of people fleeing insecurity in eastern DRC, says a senior government official.

Democratic Republic of Congo braced for more conflict <(The Guardian, 27 March 2013)

The Democratic Republic of Congo is braced for more conflict in its eastern provinces as the warlord, Sultani Makenga, strengthens his grip on the M23 rebel group and reinforces his position around Goma.

Local aid groups and UN officials said that while they welcomed the decision of a M23 faction leader, Bosco Ntaganda, to hand himself in to the US embassy in Rwanda last week and then to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to face war crimes charges, it would not make peace between the M23 and the DRC government more likely.

Central African Republic

Humanitarian crisis deepens in Central African Republic< (UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs, 28 March 2013)

The crisis in the Central African Republic, including the seizure of power by the Seleka coalition on 24 March, has exacerbated an already difficult humanitarian situation. Since December 2012 an estimated 173,000 people have been displaced within the country, while more than 32,000 Central Africans have fled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and Chad.

Myanmar

Families still in need as calm returns to Myanmar’s Meiktila< (IRIN, 26 March 2013)

Inside a stadium now sheltering more than 2,000 displaced people in the central Myanmar town of Meiktila, residents appear dazed.

When the lid blows off : Sectarian violence was not supposed to be part of Myanmar’s bright new direction <(The Economist, 30 March 2013)

WHEN Myanmar’s newly installed president and former soldier, Thein Sein, kick-started the country’s political transition two years ago, he hoped to usher in a clean and steady advance towards some sort of orderly democracy. Now, however, things are starting to turn out rather differently.

Immigration

Report says 'deficiencies' persist in treatment of migrants at EU borders< (The Parliament, 27 March 2013)

A new report calls for an EU-wide ban on the return of migrants to third countries if this could put them in danger of 'inhuman or degrading' treatment.

The report, by the EU's fundamental rights agency (FRA), also says policymakers should do more to increase fundamental rights protection of migrants when they arrive in the EU.

Refugee boat sinks off Australia, reopens border security debate <(Reuters, 25 March 2013)

A fishing boat carrying nearly 100 asylum seekers capsized off Australia's west coast on Monday, authorities said, turning the spotlight on the sensitive issues of refugee policy and border protection ahead of a general election in September.

Video

Aid for Syrian refugees drying up< (The Washington Post, 23 March 2013)

Photocredit © UNHCR/ B.Sokol / March 2013