Archive for January 10th, 2015

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10/01/2015

Spain's Moroccan Enclave: The Story Behind the Picture

Human Wrongs Watch

Nador, Morocco, 9 January 2015 (IRIN)* – Late last year an image went viral. In it two golfers, dressed in white on lush green fairways, appear oblivious as in the background around a dozen migrants try to scale a border fence in an attempt to enter Europe.

**Photo: José Palazón (Reprinted with photographer’s permission) | The image of two golfers playing as migrants scale a fence in the Spanish enclave of Melilla, inside Morocco, went viral late last year. Source: IRIN.

The migrants were climbing from the sleepy and conservative coastal north Moroccan town of Nador, trying to enter Melilla, one of two Spanish territories inside the North African country. It shone a light on Morocco’s struggles to manage its migrant population and attempts by Spain to further seal its borders.

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Posted in Africa, Mother Earth, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples | Leave a Comment »

10/01/2015

No Where to Go — Syrians Looking to Flee Their Country Are Running Out of Options

Human Wrongs Watch

All of Syria’s neighbours have tightened their restrictions on the entry of refugees in recent months as they have suffered under the strain of hosting hundreds of thousands of people. While rights groups call for open borders, governments argue they need more support  to continue supporting such high numbers of refugees. In the meantime, fleeing Syrians have dwindling options.

Photo source: IRIN

Photo source: IRIN

9 January, 2015 (IRIN)* – Lebanon’s decision on 5 January 2015 to tighten restrictions on the entry of Syrian refugees is the latest in a series of measures across the Middle East. In each of the neighbouring countries that accept refugees – Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey – the past six months have seen higher barriers to entry for those fleeing the civil war.

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Posted in Middle East, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples, War Lords | Leave a Comment »

10/01/2015

New Boko Haram Attacks in Nigeria Drive Thousands of Refugees into Chad

Human Wrongs Watch

The number of Nigerian refugees seeking safety in Chad has almost quadrupled over the past 10 days after attacks by Boko Haram insurgents in northeastern Nigeria uprooted thousands, the United Nations refugee agency on 9 January 2015 reported.

A group of refugees in Diffa, Niger, after fleeing Boko Haram violence in Nigeria. Photo: OCHA/Franck Kuwonu

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that attacks in Borno state have uprooted about 7,300 Nigerians, forcing them into western Chad, where most are staying with local communities in villages around 450 kilometers north-west of the capital, N’Djamena.*

A spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the 3 January attack on the town of Baga alone caused 3,400 people to flee to Chad.

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Posted in Africa, The Peoples, War Lords | 1 Comment »

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