04
Mon, Dec

Migrants playing football at one of IOM’s seven transit centers in Niger where close to 5,000 people receive essential services. Amidst the current political instability, humanitarian corridors must be established to allow migrants to return home in a safe and dignified manner. Photo: IOM/Souleymane Galadima

Starters

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) issued a stark warning today, emphasizing the critical need for immediate action to address the worsening political turmoil in Niger, which has further exacerbated vulnerabilities among migrants, internally displaced persons, and host communities.

The turmoil, which began in late July, has prompted border closures and airspace restrictions, resulting in significant shifts in migration patterns.

Armed Taliban security personnel parade on a Humvee convoy as they celebrate the second anniversary of their takeover near the US embassy in Kabul on August 15, 2023. Afghanistan's Taliban government marked on August 15 the second anniversary of their takeover of the country with celebrations and a public holiday, issuing a defiant statement commemorating their surge back to power. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Starters

In a somber revelation, Afghanistan finds itself grappling with a two-fold crisis: an alarming number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and a distressing prevalence of explosive remnants of war that disproportionately affect children. As reported by TOLO News, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has declared Afghanistan one of the most weapons-contaminated countries globally, with a staggering 85 percent of explosion and unexploded mine victims being children.

Rohingya refugees and humanitarians have faced unprecedented challenges in 2023, including fires, cyclones, and ongoing threats of monsoon-related disasters, putting their resilience to the test. Photo: IOM

Starters

As the Rohingya crisis reaches its sixth year in Bangladesh, the situation of nearly one million refugees remains unchanged, caught in a cycle of uncertainty and vulnerability. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is urging the global community to ensure the provision of essential humanitarian aid and long-term support for both Rohingya refugees and the communities hosting them.

A girl looks out a damaged window at a house Israeli soldiers demolished at the Asker camp for Palestinian refugees east of Nablus city in the occupied West Bank, early on August 8, 2023. The Israeli army demolished the house of Abdel Fatah Khroushah accused of an attack which killed two Israelis in the occupied West Bank at the end of February. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Starters

The escalating violence and illegal land takeovers by Israeli settlers have resulted in the displacement of almost 500 Palestinians from seven communities in the past 20 months. This distressing trend continues, with twelve families from the Ras At-Tin Bedouin community, located northeast of Ramallah, forced to flee their homes this week.

The situation has raised concerns among humanitarian organizations, with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) condemning the displacement.

Photo: Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)

Starters

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has received distressing reports from its field teams detailing the violent eviction of displaced families from a settlement in Kabul. Approximately 280 families have been left homeless as a result of this demolition. Shockingly, during the traumatic evacuation process, two young lives, a 4-year-old and a 15-year-old, were tragically lost. Bulldozers were deployed early yesterday morning, reducing the camp to rubble by day's end.

This aerial view shows makeshift structures of people displaced by drought at the Ladan internally displaced people (IDP) camp in Dolow on May 1, 2023. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Starters

Statement by Jan Egeland, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Secretary General, on the new global displacement figures.

“This has been a dark decade. Every year, the world watches the number of displaced people increase, and then does too little to protect and assist the displaced. There is a reason for the dramatic increase in refugees and internally displaced: we fail to prevent war and violence, and national and international leaderships fail in conflict resolution where we have protracted emergencies.

A seven-year-old girl pours water on her father’s head to help him relieve the summer heat. IOM, through its partners, regularly supplies water to IDP camps in northwest Syria. Photo Credit IOM

Starters

The Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), António Vitorino, is raising alarm over the scarcity of funding for humanitarian operations required to support millions of Syrians and their host communities in Syria and neighbouring countries.

Attended by the IOM Director General, the Brussels conference taking place on 14-15 June, represents a significant opportunity to collectively show solidarity and commitment to the people most affected by the Syria crisis.

Man in Cox's Bazar refugee camp. Photo: Jessica Wanless / NRC

Starters

The excruciating new cut in food rations for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will have a deadly impact, warned the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

According to the World Food Programme (WFP) the UN agency has again been forced to make additional cuts to already dwindling food assistance due to critical funding gaps.

Photo: Abdulkadir Mohamed / NRC

Starters

A toxic mix of conflict, severe drought and devastating floods has forced more than 1 million people in Somalia to flee their homes in just 130 days – a record rate of displacement for the country.

The figures recorded by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), show that conflict was among the main causes of displacement between 1 January and 10 May this year, while over 408,000 people were displaced by floods sweeping across their villages and another 312,000 people were displaced by ravaging drought.

More News

LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Israel's Iron Dome air defence system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza City, on May 10, 2023. Israel's army and Gaza militants traded heavy cross-border fire on May 10, with 22 Palestinians killed over two days amid the worst escalation of violence to hit the coastal territory in months. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Israeli army tanks and vehicles deploy along the border with the Gaza Strip in southern Israel on October 13, 2023. Thousands of people, both Israeli and Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023, after Palestinian Hamas militants entered Israel in a surprise attack leading Israel to declare war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip enclave on October 8. LEHTIKUVA / AFP

Typography

In a startling move, the Israeli military has issued a demand for 1.2 million civilians in northern Gaza to relocate to the south within a mere 24 hours, without any assurance of safety or the right to return. This ultimatum, criticized widely, has been condemned as a potential war crime by Jan Egeland, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Egeland strongly stated that this act would constitute a war crime of forcible transfer, a violation of international law.

The indiscriminate collective punishment of civilians, including children, women, and the elderly, for the actions of a few armed individuals is deemed illegal under international regulations. Reports from within Gaza highlight the dire situation faced by residents in the northern regions, where safe relocation remains an impossible feat due to continuous attacks.

The intentional or indiscriminate use of force leading to the loss of civilian lives is a grave war crime. Concerns are raised that Israel might categorize those unable to flee northern Gaza as participants in hostilities, making them targets. This situation has led to an urgent call for action from influential nations.

The United States, the UK, the European Union, and other Western and Arab nations, who hold sway over Israeli political and military decisions, are being urged to demand the immediate rescindment of this illegal relocation order. International pressure is mounting to reverse this ultimatum and ensure the safety and rights of the civilian population in Gaza.

HT

After-dark
Sixdegrees

Chef recommends

Chef recommends

Chef recommends

Chef recommends

Appetizer

Appetizer

Appetizer

Appetizer

Commentary

Commentary

Commentary

Commentary

Interview

WorldCon 75, Scott Lynch; photo by Jana Blomqvist

Interview

WorldCon 75, Robin Hobb; photo by Jana Blomqvist

Interview

Based on an interview by Alisa Nirman on 3.10.2016

Interview