May 2021 - Press Review
National Coverage
Victory for refugees after High Court orders reopening of home affairs reception office
News24 – 19/05/2021
Acting Judge Alma de Wet found the Department of Home Affairs in violation of a Supreme Court of Appeal judgement in an order issued on Tuesday. The Scalabrini Centre and the Somali Association for South Africa were represented by the Legal Resource Centre (LRC), which took the case to court. There has been on ongoing fight to get the Department to reopen the refugee office in Cape Town. Initially, they desired the appointment of a Special Master to oversee the office's opening. De Wet, on the other hand, mandated that the department submit monthly progress reports. The LRC, De Wet, and the department would meet monthly to examine the reports, with the first meeting scheduled for June 18 and the report due on June 11. The report must include information on the office location, a budget for operations, people, and computer infrastructure, as well as who is responsible for what and when. The administration has been fighting a court struggle to reopen the refugee offices in Cape Town.
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South Africa: SA Officials Ignore Laws On LGBTQIA+ Asylum Seekers
AllAfrica – 20/05/2021
A new report details how Department of Home Affairs officials misapply the law and use discriminatory language to discriminate against gender-diverse applicants escaping persecution. The researchers looked at 67 denial letters written by RSDOs to 65 asylum seekers who identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or intersex in LGBTI+ Asylum Seekers in South Africa: A Review of Refugee Status Denials Involving Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. The researchers discovered that when examining the applications of LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers, home affairs authorities routinely failed to meet a number of legal responsibilities, infringing on multiple articles of legislation. "RSDOs breach applicants' rights as specified in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa by failing to comply with these regulations... We also detect fundamental inconsistencies in international law "According to the research. The researchers emphasized that they hoped the findings would aid in ensuring that LGBTQIA+ applicants were treated with dignity and respect throughout the application process and that they were given fair decisions.
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https://allafrica.com/stories/202105200928.html
South Africa’s policy on migrants is inadequate and at odds with the Freedom Charter
Mail & Guardian – 27/05/2021
The adoption of the Freedom Charter in 1955 was a declaration of a free and peaceful society. ‘South Africa belongs to everyone who live in it,' declared the charter, which was anchored in the spirit of fostering cooperation, peace, and respect for equal and basic human rights for all citizens of the country. According to the International Organization for Migration, one of South Africa's key issues is "inadequate migration management policies and border control systems." The Refugee Act of 1998 granted asylum seekers and refugees the right to work and to get an education. The amendments to the Refugee Act and the Immigration Act became more restrictive over the past two decades. In 2017, the modified Refugee Act increased the time a migrant can petition for permanent status from five to ten years and made expired asylum seeker permits punishable by imprisonment. In the same year, the White Paper on International Migration was published, which stripped asylum seekers of their rights to work, receive an education, and freely move throughout the country. According to the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (the Accord), migrants' situations have deteriorated over the past 27 years as a result of increasingly restrictive migration policies combined with inadequate social welfare marked by increased unemployment, inequalities, and poverty, which has created a fertile ground for xenophobia. Migrant integration in South Africa is a large-scale undertaking that necessitates the government's policies to be sensitive to changing circumstances. To inform South Africans and migrants about policy measures, the government must work with civil society organizations and social partners, as well as local and national media.
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Migrants in South Africa call for tolerance, unity and social cohesion
Daily Maverick - 24/05/2021
South African migrants have offered their perspectives on life in the country as the continent commemorates Africa Day, which is observed every year on May 25. The day is set aside to focus on the continent's unity and variety, as well as its potential in the fields of arts and culture and economic prospects, as it recalls the creation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963, the progenitor of the African Union (AU). According to some migrants, further integration across African countries is needed because social cohesion is absent due to a lack of trust. Migrants in South Africa have also expressed concerns about xenophobic violence and have been caught up in clashes. The most recent assault took place in Durban in March, when locals attacked foreigners and vandalized their property.
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Regional Coverage
Starting over is not easy but Burundian refugees are hopeful as they return home
UNHCR – 03/05/2021
At least 145,000 Burundian refugees have been helped to return home since 2017, with more than 25,000 arriving from Rwanda in recent months. Every week, 2,000 people are helped to return willingly from Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania. During a multi-country tour to the Great Lakes area, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi accompanied a convoy from Rwanda. He spoke to families like Donatien's, who were aware of the hardships ahead, but were relieved to be returning home. He also reaffirmed UNHCR's commitment to enabling the voluntary return of Burundian refugees, emphasizing the importance of the Burundian government ensuring the conditions for a safe and dignified return that respects the rights and aspirations of the returnees. In February, UNHCR, Burundi's government, and 19 partners released the Joint Refugee Return and Reintegration Plan, which asks the international community for US$ 104.3 million to help returnees and the communities where they are returning. Despite an increase in the number of refugees returning from throughout the region, less than ten percent of the financing needed to help the reintegration of returnees in Burundi has been committed.
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UNHCR rushing to help displaced after volcano eruption in DR Congo
UNHCR - 25/05/2021
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is assessing the needs of affected populations in the city of Goma following the eruption of the Mount Nyiragongo volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on May 22. As lava rushed towards Goma, destroying communities along the route, thousands of residents left their houses on foot, carrying mattresses and other things. Many were welcomed by host families in Goma and the surrounding villages, while thousands more fled across the Rwandan border. Together with the DRC government and other humanitarian organizations, UNHCR took part in a joint evaluation to assess the damage. Two settlements on Goma's northern tip were completely destroyed, while two others were nearly totally engulfed in lava. Entire areas have been left without electricity, and water shortages are feared. Lava has also destroyed the road leading to northern portions of North Kivu province, making it difficult to carry food and goods to the area near Beni, where 280,000 people have been displaced by fighting and insecurity since January 2021 and are dependent on humanitarian relief. UNHCR continues to work with the government, local communities, and other partners to help the internally displaced, offering shelter, core relief items and support for local protection activities, as well as protection monitoring that serves the whole response.
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Families displaced by DRC volcano decry lack of gov’t support
Aljazeera – 30/05/2021
The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is under criticism over a developing humanitarian catastrophe in the country's east, where thousands of people who fled Goma following a volcano explosion are without shelter, food, or water. Nearly 400,000 people have been forced to evacuate Goma, the capital of the eastern DRC's North-Kivu province. While many escaped to Rutshuru in the north and Minova in South-Kivu province, up to a quarter of them made their way to Sake, around 30 kilometers (18 miles) northwest. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said the AFP news agency that between 100,000 and 180,000 people had sought refuge in Sake, adding to the town's 70,000 residents, and that cholera was a threat as the town tried to absorb the effects. MSF stated that they have deployed to solve a water crisis, bringing in supplies and distributing water via tanker truck, but that more is needed, citing food, shelter, and medicine as critical requirements. Hundreds of children were separated from their parents during the migration, adding to the hardships of the displaced — a scenario that humanitarian organizations are working to resolve.
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A dangerous road home for Horn of Africa migrants
ISS - 25/05/2021
The Eastern Route between the Gulf states and the Horn of Africa has long been utilized mostly by Yemenis fleeing the country's civil strife. However, since the first half of 2020, African migrants in Yemen have started using this route to return to the Horn via Djibouti, paying traffickers US$300 apiece. Migrants are returning for three reasons: unemployment in Yemen, growing human rights violations in Yemen, and the closure of the Yemen-Saudi Arabia border. Many migrants are arriving in Djibouti from Yemen, and many more are likely to follow in their footsteps. In Yemen, about 32 000 people are stuck without access to shelter, water, food, or medical care. According to an upcoming IOM assessment on the effects of COVID-19 on migrants via the Eastern Route, 12 701 African migrants returned from Yemen to Djibouti between May 2020 and April 2021, landing on the coast of Obock. 2 065 people have returned to Somalia in the first half of 2020. Smugglers were most likely used by the migrants to return home. ‘Migrants stuck in Yemen face the same poverty, conflict and socio-economic ills they’d hoped to escape.’
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https://issafrica.org/iss-today/a-dangerous-road-home-for-horn-of-africa-migrants
International Coverage
Israeli hit on Gaza refugee camp kills 10, including 8 children
Aljazeera – 15/05/2021
Following the fifth night of incessant bombing of the beleaguered enclave, at least ten members of a Palestinian family – two women and eight children – were killed by an Israeli air attack on their home in the Shati refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Rescue crews were digging through the wreckage of the Abu Hatab family house in the early hours of Saturday, where more individuals are suspected to be buried. During the air raid, at least 15 individuals were injured. At least five missiles were launched on the house by Israeli fighter jets, according to a resident of the Shati refugee camp. Shati is the third largest and most populated of the Gaza Strip's eight refugee camps, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). It is home to almost 85,000 refugees, all of whom live in a 0.52 square kilometre area. Since Monday, when Hamas began firing rockets at Israel following days of protests against the forced expulsion of Palestinian families from the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah and subsequent Israeli crackdowns and raids on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, at least 139 Palestinians have been killed, including 40 children.
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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/15/at-least-ten-killed-in-insraeli-strike-on-gaza-refugee-camp
Also see similarly the following article:
An Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 members of a family in a Gaza refugee camp.
The New York Times- 15/05/2021
A house in a refugee camp in Gaza was his by an Israeli airstrike that which killed at least 10 Palestinians including 8 children from the same extended family overnight, according to witnesses. Official from Palestine and neighbours averred that without warning the house in the camp had been attacked. The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday said that it had “attacked a number of Hamas terror organization senior officials, in an apartment used as terror infrastructure in the area of the Al Shati refugee camp.”
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Canada taken to court over COVID policy that pushes asylum-seekers to U.S.
Reuters - 04/05/2021
A legal suit filed on Tuesday claims that Canada's pandemic-era policy of turning back asylum-seekers attempting to enter between official border crossings is illegal and breaches their rights. The Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers filed the lawsuit in federal court, saying that the policy is unconstitutional since it ignores asylum claimants' circumstances and whether they have reasonable alternatives. According to a copy of the court lawsuit seen by Reuters, the policy also denies asylum seekers their right to a hearing. It is the first legal action taken against this policy since it was implemented in March 2020 in response to COVID-19. According to the Canada Border Services Agency, 387 asylum seekers attempted to cross between ports of entry between March 21, 2020, and April 20, 2021.
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UNHCR, aid partners call for renewed and strong support for the Rohingya refugees
UNCHR – 14/05/2021
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is calling for renewed international commitment, assistance, and solidarity for Rohingya refugees ahead of a donor conference and the introduction of the 2021 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis. It pulls together the efforts of the Bangladeshi government, 134 UN agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to reach around 1.4 million people this year. The US$943 million plan aims to fulfil the requirements of the District's host populations, which include around 880,000 Rohingya refugees and 472,000 Bangladeshis. In 2017, the majority of Rohingya refugees (740,000) escaped unrest in Myanmar's Rakhine State. Bangladesh needs strong and long-term international cooperation to protect the safety and well-being of stateless Rohingya refugees as the refugee crisis enters its fourth year. This must be allowed to become a forgotten crisis. Both Rohingya refugees and Bangladesh, which has generously harboured them for decades, must see the international community supporting them. Rohingya refugees have more pressing needs than just food and shelter. Refugees, like everyone else, should not be forced to wait years for access to education and opportunities for a decent life and a meaningful future. More must be done to guarantee that refugees in Bangladesh have hope of a future back home in Myanmar, in order to reduce the dangers of individuals making perilous onward travels. Otherwise, they may be forced to take more risky land or sea voyages to find a solution elsewhere.
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UNHCR warns against “exporting” asylum, calls for responsibility sharing for refugees, not burden shifting
UNHCR – 19/05/2021
The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, is asking states not to externalize their asylum and protection commitments, as some governments explore sending asylum applicants abroad for processing. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warns that such activities risk the safety of persons in need of international protection. Externalization schemes that forcibly relocate asylum seekers to other countries are strongly opposed by UNHCR. Externalization just passes responsibility for refuge to another country while avoiding international duties. Such methods violate the rights of persons seeking refuge and protection, stigmatize and penalize them, and may jeopardize their lives. Externalization attempts usually include the forcible relocation of asylum seekers to third-world countries, often in developing countries, where human rights protections and resources may be insufficient. This could result in their permanent “warehousing” in secluded locations or under punishing conditions, putting their physical and mental health at risk. While governments may agree to share asylum processing and protection responsibilities, UNHCR notes that in practice, such externalization arrangements frequently fall short of international obligations. Externalization arrangements, according to UNHCR, are against the spirit of the Global Compact on Refugees, which committed 181 nations to share fairly the burden for refugee protection.
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How Denmark’s Syrian refugee residency move reflects shifting policies across Europe
The New Humanitarian – 17/05/2021
At the end of last year, the Danish government reviewed the temporary protection status of 1,250 Syrian refugees from Damascus and its outskirts. While the majority of the more than 35,000 Syrians in Denmark are unaffected, 380 Syrians – including children – have had their status revoked and have been urged to return to Syria voluntarily. If they don't, they risk being transported to bare-bones deportation centers, which human rights groups describe as "awful for individuals." Because returning to Damascus and its suburbs is still considered perilous for men who could be recruited into the military, the bulk of those affected are women. While Denmark is the first European country to formally revoke Syrian refugees' residency permits, the decision fits into a troubling trend of countries across the continent enacting policies aimed at discouraging people from seeking asylum by removing benefits and making protection only temporary for those who make it to their borders.
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Migrants reach Spain's Ceuta enclave in record numbers
BBC – 18/05/2021
At least 6,000 migrants have arrived in Spain's Ceuta enclave from Morocco in a single day, according to Spanish officials. They claim that the migrants, who number around 1,500, either swam around the jutting out into the sea border fencing or walked across at low tide. The majority of them are claimed to be Moroccan. Spain claims to have already returned 2,700 people, but not the youngsters. The Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla have become magnets for African migrants. Spanish troops have been deployed to the beach in Ceuta's major entry point, Tarajal, on the enclave's south side, to assist border police. Ceuta's typical 1,100-strong border force will be aided by 200 troops and 200 more police, according to Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska. The enclave has a population of 80,000 people. Melilla, the other enclave, welcomed 86 Sub-Saharan Africans via its southern jetty, which marks the Moroccan border, on Tuesday. Melilla has a powerful border fence, and security officers have detained several hundred more migrants, according to Spain's Efe news agency.
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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57150051
Photo by Maxim Ilyahov on Unsplash
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