U.N. refugee agency - The African Mirror

Mar

2022

Ukraine: U.N. calls for open borders for fleeing Africans

THE U.N. refugee agency has urged authorities in countries neighbouring Ukraine to open their borders to African citizens fleeing the conflict there amid reports that some were being denied access to safety, UNHCR has said. Thousands of African and other foreign nationals, particularly students, have been scrambling to leave Ukraine since Russia's invasion on February 24. Close to 700,000 people fleeing Ukraine have been taken in by neighbouring countries in the European Union. Videos and testimonies have been circulating on social media complaining of discrimination against Africans at train stations and border posts. Reuters has not been able to authenticate these…

Jul

2021

By The African Mirror

Food, water running out in Tigray refugee camps – UN

NEWS

STEPHANIE NEBEHAY SOME 24,000 Eritrean refugees are trapped in two camps in Ethiopia's Tigray region, cut off from humanitarian aid, and their food rations may have run out, according to the United Nations. Appealing for access to the Mai Aini and Adi Harush camps, the U.N. refugee agency said there was "a real danger of hunger" if the refugees did not receive supplies. Fighting that began between the Ethiopian central government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) last November has escalated in and around the camps, and two refugees have been killed this month, it said. "The last food…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Kenyan judge rules against closure of two refugee camps

NEWS

A Kenyan judge ruled yesterday against the closure of two refugee camps hosting hundreds of thousands of people mainly from neighbouring Somalia, according to a copy of the court order seen by Reuters. Two weeks ago the country's interior minister, Fred Matiang'i, announced the government's intention to shut the camps and gave the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) two weeks to present a plan to do so, adding that there was no room for further talks on the issue. The ruling blocks the closure for 30 days. It originated from a petition filed by a local politician challenging a move to…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Kenya orders closure of two refugee camps, gives ultimatum to UN agency

NEWS

KENYA has ordered the closure of two sprawling camps that host hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighbouring Somalia and gave the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) two weeks to present a plan to do so, the interior ministry said. The Dadaab and the Kakuma refugee camps in northern Kenya together host more than 410,000 people, a small proportion of whom are from South Sudan. Authorities in Nairobi first announced their intention to shut the Dadaab camp, which is closer to the border with Somalia than Kakuma, back in 2016, citing national security concerns. Fred Matiang'i, the interior minister, has now…

Jan

2021

By The African Mirror

Nearly 60 000 have fled C.A.R

NEWS

THE number of people fleeing violence in the Central African Republic has doubled in just a week to nearly 60,000, the U.N. refugee agency has said, as post-electoral violence intensifies. CAR's government has been battling rebel groups seeking to overturn a December 27 vote in which President Faustin-Archange Touadera was declared victor despite fraud claims. FILE PHOTO: Central African Republic President Faustin Archange Touadera addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 25, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo "What's clear is the situation has...worsened," UNHCR spokesman Boris Cheshirkov…