Displaced People: Any person, or people, who migrates from one place to another for relatively long periods of time and is in need of basic standards of protection. Among displaced persons, you may find: political refugees, asylum seekers, uprooted people, undocumented individuals, climate refugees, diasporic people, forced migrants, and more.
Egypt
Eight refugees deported under the pretense of ‘public interest’ and refugee residency extended for an additional year, undocumented Sudanese citizen buried while bodies are found on Egyptian coasts, Refugee Platform in Egypt and human rights organizations warn of Saudi Arabia’s execution figures, and another statement calling for the release of Mohamed Aad
Eight Refugees Deported Under the Pretense of ‘Public Interest’ and Refugee Residency Extended for an Additional Year:
According to Syria TV, the Egyptian Interior Ministry announced that it has deported six Syrian citizens from its borders for reasons the ministry stated were related to public interest. Egyptian media outlets reported that Interior Minister Mahmoud Tawfik ordered the deportation of Syrian citizen Mohammed Mohammed Waddah al-Nashid, born in 1986, for reasons of public interest.
The ministry added that a similar decision was issued yesterday, according to which the Interior Ministry also deported Abdel Wahab Mohamed Deeb Khashini, Ammar Ahmed Abdel Hai, Mohamed Nour Anwar Abu Yahya, Saeed Zuhair Karnaba, Anas Mohamed Jamal B Abu Dabous, in addition to Bahaa al-Din Mohamed Yass Mohamed Ahmed, a Sudanese citizen, and Mohamed Yousef Mohamed al-Shanti, a Palestinian citizen holding a Jordanian passport.
The decisions all state: ‘After reviewing Law No. 89 of 1960 on the entry and residency of foreigners inside and outside of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and its amendments, as well as the memorandum of the General Directorate of Passports, Immigration, and Nationality regarding the request to deport a Syrian citizen from the country for reasons of public interest.’
It should be noted that the Egyptian Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, approved a proposed decision by the Prime Minister to extend the legalization period of status and residency for foreigners residing in the country illegally for an additional year. This decision was made in light of the terms and regulations stipulated in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 3326 of 2023.
Undocumented Sudanese Citizen Buried While Bodies Are Found on Egyptian Coasts:
In continuation of the high-risk migration situation on the Egyptian-Sudanese border, nine bodies of unidentified individuals were buried in Aswan’s Sadaka Cemetery after funeral prayers were held at the Abu Shouk Mosque in front of Aswan’s cemeteries. Dr. Mustafa Abu al-Magd, Director General of Preventive Medicine in Aswan, explained that all the necessary procedures by the preventive medicine department, from preparing the deceased bodies to completing the burial process, were carried out under the supervision of Dr. Mohamed Saeed.
Abu al-Magd added that the deceased people, five Sudanese citizens and four Egyptian citizens who died in separate incidents over the past months, had no identification papers and no one recognized them. They were placed in the Aswan Public Morgue, and today (September 5th) the prosecution’s decision to authorize their burial was issued. Abu al-Magd noted that the Sudanese consulate also participated in arranging the burial, and a representative of the consulate was present until the end of the burial ceremony, which was attended by health and security officials and religious leaders.
In another development, the Transient Foundation for Migrant Assistance and Humanitarian Services reported the discovery of a deceased body washed up on the beach in Sidi Barani, identified as Nour al-Huda Khaled Idris, which is currently at the mortuary of the Matrouh General Hospital morgue. The same organization reported finding another decomposed body wearing black pants and a yellow T-shirt in Egypt’s Salloum region, while appealing for the deceased person’s identification at the Salloum General Hospital morgue.
Refugee Platform in Egypt and Human Rights Organizations Warn of Saudi Arabia’s Execution Figures:
In other news, human rights organizations, including the Refugee Platform in Egypt, expressed grave fears for the lives of hundreds of prisoners threatened with execution in Saudi Arabia on drug charges, including 33 Egyptians in one ward in Tabuk prison. This is due to the sharp increase in the number of sentences carried out since the beginning of 2024, accompanied by alarming information from inside the prisons.
According to this information, Tabuk prison is witnessing a state of anxiety and terror among those sentenced to death on drug-related charges, most of whom are Egyptian citizens. The escalating tension comes as eight people were executed inside this prison on similar charges, while the number of executions on drug charges alone in various regions, from the beginning of 2024 until September 12, reached 42 people including three Egyptian citizens.
While there is a lack of transparency in the Saudi Arabians government’s handling of the executions, tracking some of these cases confirmed common violations suffered by many of the prisoners including a lack of involvement from the Egyptian consulate or embassy, lack of access to adequate self-defense, failure to appoint legal representation, failure to effectively deal with their pleadings before the court, as well as torture and ill-treatment.
According to data published by the Interior Ministry, the individuals whose sentences were carried out were of the following nationalities: Saudi, Egyptian, Syrian, Jordanian, Pakistani, Afghan, Ethiopian, Sudanese, Yemeni, and Nigerian.
Another Statement Calling for the Release of Mohamed Aad:
Human rights organizations, including the Refugee Platform in Egypt, called on Egyptian authorities to immediately release imprisoned political activist Mohamed Adel while holding the authorities fully responsible for his life and the deterioration of his health; as a result of his hunger strike to protest the extension of his prison term and the restrictions imposed on him in prison.
Palestine
The occupation bombs 16 shelters in one month and a UN vaccination stall to deepen the crisis of Palestinians in Gaza, UNRWA warns of the loss of an entire generation in Gaza, the government office in Gaza warns of the dire state of 2 million displaced people, and extremist settlers accelerate the seizure of land in the occupied West Bank
The Occupation Bombs 16 Shelters in One Month and a UN Vaccination Stall to Deepen the Crisis of Palestinians in Gaza:
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor documented a serious escalation in the state of Israel’s systematic policy of targeting schools that have turned into shelters for forcibly displaced civilians in the Gaza Strip. Thus, without prior warning, hundreds of Palestinian people were killed and injured, as part of the occupation’s ongoing genocidal campaign since October 7th, 2023.
The Monitor highlighted that, since the beginning of August 2024, the Israeli occupation’s army bombed 16 schools used as shelters in the Gaza Strip. 15 of which were located in the northern Gaza Valley, killing 217 Palestinians and injuring hundreds more in the process, many of which were women and children. This tactic of targeting and destroying school shelters housing displaced people is never based on any factual justifications, and constitutes a blatant violation of principles against discrimination, of military necessity, proportionality, and the need to take precautions. The monitor added that the Israeli occupation’s army consistently attempts to justify these massacres through claims of executing military goals without ever providing any evidence to prove the validity of their claims.
‘These attacks are a basis for implementing war crimes to ethnically cleanse the Gaza Strip, which aim to empty that occupied Palestinian territory of as many Palestinian people as possible through murder and forced displacement. The state of Israel is also obstructing the vaccination of children against the, once eradicated, polio virus in the Gaza Strip by perpetuating military assaults on vaccination areas and blocking United Nations convoys headed to carry out vaccination campaigns in northern Gaza’ the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor stated.
In another statement, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor documented that at around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Israeli occupation warplanes bombed a group of Palestinians near a food stall in Shawa Square in Gaza City, killing five people including a child. The bombing was timed with the start of the polio vaccination campaign carried out by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in partnership with the United Nations and local institutions in the northern Gaza Valley. The Monitor stated that the bombing targeted the vicinity of a food stall in the ‘Al-Tuffah district’ located between three centers that have been identified as carrying and administering the polio vaccine.
The attacks are part of a wider occupation strategy aimed at intensifying the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, while preventing any alleviation of the suffering Palestinians endure, as well as putting the lives of Palestinian children and Palestinian people in general at greater risk and maximizing the ethnic cleansing committed there.
UNRWA Warns of the Loss of an Entire Generation in Gaza:
In another development, Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), warned that the inability to educate Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip due to the Israeli occupation’s aggression genocidal campaign against Gaza could lead to the ‘loss of an entire generation.’ This statement was released on the Xbox platform on Wednesday regarding education, schools, and the scholasticide of school-age children in the Gaza Strip.
‘Gaza has become a place where schools are no longer schools’ Lazzarini stated: ‘The classrooms that used to welcome children are now either full of displaced families or have been destroyed.’ He continued: ‘Classrooms have been replaced by beds, and many schools are no longer places of learning, but rather a hotbed of despair, hunger, disease, and death.’
‘After the state of Israel began its aggression on October 7th, 2023, UNRWA was forced to cease school-related operations and turn those schools into shelters for displaced Palestinians instead. Half of Gaza’s 600,000 school-aged children were educated in UNRWA schools before the Israeli war on Gaza’ Lazzarini explained, noting that Palestinian children will not be able to go to school at the beginning of the new academic year due to the Israeli occupation’s bombardment: ‘The longer children stay away from school in the ruins of a destroyed institution, the greater the risk of them becoming a lost generation’ Lazzarini concluded, emphasizing Gazan children’s right to learn like other children in the world.
The Government Office of Gaza Warns of the Dire State of 2 Million Displaced People:
As winter approaches, the government media office in the Gaza Strip launched an urgent humanitarian distress call on Saturday to save two million displaced people in the Gaza Strip before it is too late. This call comes in conjunction with the arrival of the harsh elements relating to the advent of the winter season and its harsh climatic conditions, releasing in a statement distributed to the media that the number of displaced people continues to flow and increase day by day. Presently, at the time of reporting, the number of displaced Palestinian people in general grew from 1.9 million to 2 million displaced people in the governorates of the Gaza Strip.
The statement also indicated that there are now 543 shelters and displacement centers operating as a result of the Israeli occupation forcibly displacing Palestinians, which is a war crime. Considering that, the occupation is forcibly displacing Palestinian citizens from their homes and safe neighborhoods which is in direct violation of international law.
The media office also noted that 74% of the tents used by displaced people have become unusable, according to government field assessment teams. These teams reported that 100,000 of the 135,000 tents housing displaced Palestinians need immediate and urgent replacement as they have been completely worn out by the elements and were made of wood, nylon, and cloth. These tents are now unusable, due to the heat of the sun and climate conditions in the Gaza Strip, as they have housed displaced Palestinian people for 11 continuous months through inhumane conditions.
Zionist Settlers Accelerate the Seizure of Land in the Occupied West Bank:
In the West Bank, since October 7th, 2023, Zionist settlers in the occupied West Bank have increased their use of extreme violence to seize the land and property of many Palestinian people thereby forcibly displacing them from their homes. BBC Eye‘s investigation reveals how these Zionist settlers are attempting to create a new type of illegal settlement known as a ‘pastoral outpost’, to access vast tracts of Palestinian land. These, and other, outposts were not approved by the occupation’s government and are illegal under the Israeli occupation’s law as well as international law.
Syria
Boat carrying dozens of Syrians and Egyptians sinks; UN plans to return 30,000 Syrians from Lebanon
Boat Carrying Dozens of Syrians and Egyptians Sinks:
A boat carrying dozens of Syrian citizens and Egyptian citizens sank a few days ago in Libyan territorial waters, leaving behind the dreams of families and young people who risked their lives in search of a safer and more humane future.
A young man who lost his brother and a number of his friends during the journey recounted horrific details about the tragedy of the boat sinking in Libyan waters, where their repeated calls for help went unanswered. The young man told Syria TV on Wednesday that his brother and a group of Syrian citizens left Egypt, specifically from Alexandria, for Libya weeks ago. Their goal was to reach Europe to build a new life for themselves and their families away from the recent residency restrictions.
The tragedy began when about 30 young men boarded a rubber palm boat from the shores of the Libyan city of Tobruk after midnight more than a week ago. The boat was barely afloat, full of patches, and the youths refused to board at first, but the human traffickers involved in the operation threatened, insisted, and eventually forced them to board according to a survivor. The boat traveled an estimated 100 kilometers before the waves rose and the passengers realized the gravity of the situation, especially considering the fact that they were alone at sea. The survivor added that they tried to call for help from the Greek coast guard, but were told that they were still in Libyan waters and that no help would reach them.
The situation worsened as the waves continued to rise. The Libyan Coast Guard was notified, but there was no immediate response, and the situation worsened after the base of the engine broke and water seeped into the rubber boat. The boat soon capsized, and the passengers found themselves in the open sea without food or water. Some clung to the remains of the boat and wore life jackets, while others died from panic and the inability to save themselves.
The survivors remained at sea fighting for life for days, before Libyan coast guard teams reached them and were able to recover a body and rescue them, while 22 people remain missing including the brother of the young man who survived to narrate this tragedy. The survivor mourned his brother and their friends on social media after losing all hope of finding them alive. Other youths also posted a list on Facebook mourning nine young men who, they said, drowned while trying to migrate to Libya on the same rubber boat.
UN Plans to Repatriate 30,000 Syrians from Lebanon:
The United Nations announced its plan to voluntarily repatriate 30,000 Syrian displaced people from Lebanon soon, citing a ‘positive change’ in the Syrian regime’s handling of their files despite heightened warnings from human rights organizations. “There is momentum that can be used to tend to the issue of early repatriation to facilitate the return of displaced people.” Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Rovindrini Menekdiwela, stated during her meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib on Friday.
“The UNHCR is working to voluntarily repatriate 30,000 displaced Syrian citizens from Lebanon to Syria soon.” she continued, according to Lebanon’s official National News Agency. Bou Habib encouraged the UN official to “continue with this process, especially considering many areas in Syria are now safe for their return.” he concluded.
The Access Center for Human Rights in Lebanon expressed deep concern and strong opposition to the recent deliberations of the Lebanese Ministry Council regarding the so-called ‘voluntary return’ plan for Syrian displaced people. The plan, announced on August 14, stipulates that ministries and administrative bodies submit their proposals for the plan within one week before coordinating with the Syrian state to enact the forcible return plan. This plan represents a continuation of unlawful coercive measures and is part of a long-term lobbying campaign aimed at forcibly returning Syrian displaced people to Syria in violation of Lebanon’s non-refoulement obligations.
Tunisia
Bodies of 6 migrants recovered off the coast of Monastir, Tunisia
6 Migrants Bodies Recovered off the Coast of Monastir, Tunisia:
On Thursday, September 12, Farid Ben Jeha, the spokesman for the Public Prosecution at the Court of First Instance in the Tunisian province of Monastir, stated that “the judiciary launched an investigation into the death of six migrants, likely to be from sub-Saharan Africa, after their deceased bodies were reportedly recovered by the naval guard.” Ben Hajjah continued his state to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that “the naval guard reported on Wednesday that the displaced people’s six deceased bodies were recovered off the coast of Monastir governorate in central eastern Tunisia, and the judiciary authorized the opening of an inquiry into the circumstances of the drowning incident.”
“The public prosecution examined the recovered bodies and found that they belonged to non-Tunisian displaced people” the spokesman stated, adding that the victims are likely to be from sub-Saharan African countries without specifying their nationalities. He noted that “a 3-year-old infant girl was among the bodies that were in a state of decomposition according to the forensic doctor’s report. The drowning incident may have occurred about a week ago, based on the forensic report that examined the bodies” he concluded. Based on the investigation, the public prosecution is determining responsibility for the sinking of the boat and to track down the human traffickers who organized the journey and all those involved who will be revealed by the investigation, according to the spokesperson.
Algeria
Nearly 20,000 displaced people returned to Niger since early 2024
Nearly 20,000 Displaced People Returned to Niger Since Early 2024:
“Since the beginning of this year, Algeria has returned about 20,000 sub-Saharan African displaced people to neighboring Niger and often in harsh conditions.” Alarm in the Desert told Agence France-Press on Monday (September 2). Since 2014, Algeria has deported large numbers of unlawful migrants, including women and children, and is a major transit point for those seeking to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.
The non-governmental organization for displaced people in the vast desert between Algeria and Niger, based in Niger’s capital Niamey, recorded the return of 18,798 unlawful migrants from Algeria to Niger between the beginning of 2024 and last August the organization’s communications officer, Mokhtar Dan Yayi, told AFP. In a report published in late August, Alarm for the Desert showed that migrants are often expelled in ‘harsh conditions’ with potentially deadly consequences.
Yemen
UN cuts back operations
UN Cuts Back Operations:
“The United Nations has scaled back its operations in Yemen in response to a blockade by Ansar Allah (Houthi group) of staff working for the UN and other humanitarian, development, and educational organizations” a UN official stated on Thursday.
Acting UN Humanitarian Affairs Officer, Joyce Msuya, told the UN Security Council that the UN has taken steps to “minimize the exposure of staff to risk in Houthi-controlled areas.” Msuya also said the UN has narrowed its focus to “essential, life-saving, and sustainable activities” and is de-prioritizing broader activities for the development of the Arab world’s poorest country.
In June, the Ansar Allah detained more than 60 people working with the UN and other organizations, according to the UN Human Rights Office. Days later, the Ansar Allah stated that they had arrested members of what is being referred to as an ‘American-Israeli spy network’.
Senegal
Dozens of migrants dead and missing after boat capsizes
Dozens of Displaced People Killed and Missing After Boat Capsizes:
Senegal’s navy has announced that a major tragic accident occurred off of the country’s western coast of Mburt, killing dozens of displaced people when a boat carrying dozens of them capsized on Sunday (September 8th).
Authorities stated that they launched a search operation with three vessels, with the support of a Spanish maritime surveillance plane, which is ongoing until Tuesday. The Senegalese navy confirmed to Migrant News that the number of deceased bodies recovered had risen to 29. The navy initially tweeted on the “X” platform that 17 deceased bodies had been found before updating the announcement with a death toll that rose to at least 26. This number is expected to continue to rise, as the total number of people on board the boat is not yet known, but it is estimated that there were around 100 displaced people. At least five of the deceased victims were women, including an 18-year-old young lady.
Local fishermen found three survivors, while Radio France Internationale (RFI) reported that 24 displaced people were rescued, four of whom were hospitalized with severe burns caused by coming into contact with the incendiary mixture of seawater and fuel.
Italy
Construction of two asylum centers in Albania to be finalized
Construction of Two Asylum Centers in Albania to be Finalized:
Last year, Meloni, who leads a far-right nationalist and populist coalition government, reached an agreement with Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, to build and operate asylum camps in the coastal towns of Shingjin and Gadir, which are located about 75 kilometers from the capital of Tirana.
The project has been subject to severe political and human rights criticism. According to the agreement, Tirana will be responsible for the external security of the camps, while Rome will be responsible for their internal security and management. Those transported by sea to the camps are prohibited from leaving the camps or mingling with any general population. This specifically includes those rescued in the Mediterranean Sea and those deemed, by the Italian state, to come from safe countries for repatriation including: Bangladesh, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria, Gambia, Cameroon, and Senegal.
Many European governments are monitoring this preliminary agreement between EU countries and non-EU countries based on the continent. This remains controversial due to the European union’s attempts to shift blame for displaced people on to countries outside of the European union, including attempts to build camps in Rwanda and elsewhere in North Africa.
The Italian model in Albania was described by Riccardo Maggi, a politician from the Italian liberal center-right party, in press statements in Rome, as building ‘the Italian version of Guantanamo’ (the infamous American detention facility built on Cuban land in Guantanamo Bay after the September 11th, 2001 attacks).
Non-governmental organizations believe that the construction of camps outside the EU will obscure Italy’s asylum policies, including the involvement of serious human rights violations and violations of the asylum treaty. This is in addition to accusations that the Albanian mafia is linked to parts of the Rome government and the construction of these camps.
Seven decomposing bodies found near the island of Sicily on Sunday (September 8th) are believed to be migrants who went missing after their boat sank off the coast of Italy last week, local Italian media reported. According to the same source, the bodies, all adult men, were taken to the island of Lampedusa, located 350 kilometers from Sicily.
On Wednesday (September 4th), the Italian coast guard rescued seven Syrian migrants from a half-sunken boat, southwest of Lampedusa. The survivors told rescue teams that they set off from Libya on September 1st and that 21 people on the boat, including three children, fell into the sea after the boat sailed through bad weather conditions.
Ukraine
14 displaced people, half of them children, injured in traffic accident in eastern Croatia
14 Displaced People, Half of Them Children, Injured in Traffic Accident in Eastern Croatia:
A van carrying displaced people veered off the road and crashed into a light pole in eastern Croatia, as the vehicle tried to flee from police on Monday (September 9th), injuring 14 people, half of which were children, media outlets quoted Croatian police as stating.
The incident occurred around 3 AM when police spotted a pickup truck with Swiss license plates, and a large number of people inside. When the police patrol signaled the truck to stop, the driver fled, police stated. According to the police’s account, a few minutes later, the patrol saw the truck on the side of the road after hitting a lamp post. Doctors said the displaced people were hospitalized, and seven of them were seriously injured, including four children.
The displaced people are Syrian citizens with the youngest being two years old, state-run Hrvatska radiotelevizija, or Croatian Radiotelevision, reported.
English Channel
A minimum of 12 displaced people die in the channel
A Minimum of 12 Displaced People Die in the Channel
At least 12 displaced people aboard a boat carrying around 70 displaced people, off the coast of Le Portel in northern France, have died, local media confirmed Tuesday (September 3rd) according to a preliminary death toll of a sinking in the English Channel.
The Resigning French Interior Minister, Gerald Dramannin, traveled to northern France and confirmed 12 deaths and two missing persons, stating that “all state services were mobilized to find the missing and care for the victims”.
Spain
More than 580 displaced people have arrived in 72 hours on Spain’s Balearic Islands
More Than 580 Displaced People Have Arrived in 72 Hours on Spain’s Balearic Islands:
In addition to the Canary Islands, which are seeing record numbers of arrivals, the Balearic Islands have also witnessed an unexpected influx of displaced people in recent weeks.
In the beginning of September, more than 580 displaced people arrived on 30 boats in just three days. Of those arrivals, more than 100 displaced people arrived on Tuesday, Sept. 3, on a single boat. Local media reported that all the displaced people on the boat were from North Africa, including two women and a child.
Since the start of the year, 3,203 displaced people have arrived in the Balearic Islands on 189 boats, according to Cronica Balear, noting that this number ‘far exceeds last year’s figures’ when 128 boats carrying 2,278 migrants reached the islands, according to the same source.