tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19702053284505842792024-02-08T06:47:36.269-08:00Mayibuye Africa - Migration Blog (MAMi-Blog)"Mayibuye" is a Xhosa word from South Africa. It means "to return" or to "urge something to come back". It is used here to evoke a call for retrieval of the struggle for African migrants around the world, in support the many voiceless masses on the move within Africa and around the world.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1970205328450584279.post-35655310138663505072011-07-20T11:43:00.000-07:002011-07-20T11:43:42.607-07:00Xenophobic attacks on the rise in crisis-hit Greece<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><h1 class="entry-title"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> </h1><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">As the economic crisis over Europe continues, there's increased attack on African migrants. See below a new article by the New <a href="http://www.newint.org/features/web-exclusive/2011/07/15/immigrants-crisis-greece/?utm_medium=ni-email&utm_source=message&utm_campaign=intl-enews-2011-07-19">Internationalist Magazine on the condition of migrants in Greece</a>.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> </i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>In 2009, I had an opportunity to travel to Athens Greece to take part in an international migraiton gathering known as the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like many such gatherings, we were put up for 3 days at one of the most expensive hotel and the entire 3 day gathering cost well over a million dollars.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Many of us were also part of a parallel process known as the <a href="http://www.migrantwatch.org/index.html">People’s Global Action on Migration, Development& Human Rights – known as PGA.</a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This process brought together diverse migrant groups from in and around Athens, to speak about issues of European and Greek policy on migration, testimonies on their own lives and those of their families and communities.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">One of the individuals I met and spoke with is <b>Moawia Ahmed</b>, a Sudanese refugee who’d been living in Greece over two decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He spoke at length about conditions for African refugees in the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can listen to the entire video here (sound quality is not the best but audible). </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/HvZnMaMAgb4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i> </i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A group of African women who engaged in domestic service also attended the PGA. They had organized themselves and presented to the Ministry of Interior a demand to have their children, born in Greece, recognized and given documentation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it stood then (and I doubt it has changed by now) all children born of undocumented migrants were not given any birth certificates. In fact, their births are not recorded at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is as if they don’t exist. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the time comes for the child to attend school, they are denied entry because they have no papers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Now of course the situation has changed considerably given the increasing economic crisis in the country. As in all other countries, immigrants, and especially those with darker skin are the first to be recognized as “not belonging” and targeted for attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conditions for refugees were deplorable before the crisis and the article below shows how it has increased to a much worse situation.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nunu</i></div><h1 class="entry-title">Xenophobic attacks on the rise in crisis-hit Greece</h1><div id="t-sharing-buttons"> Life is tough for the quarter of a million undocumented migrants and asylum seekers living in destitution across Athens. They are packed, sometimes 10 or 20 people to a room, into dark, dingy flats. The unlucky ones bed down in the city’s parks and squares.<br />
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Their lives won’t get better anytime soon. <span style="font-size: large;"><b>Greece has a backlog of around 60,000 asylum cases, mainly from Afghanistan, Palestine, Somalia, Iran and Iraq; they could take years to clear. </b></span><br />
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Some have already waited for up to a decade for a decision. Even if their cases are looked at, it is unlikely they will be allowed to remain. Greece grants refugee status to less than one per cent of applicants, the lowest rate in the European Union where the average is around 36 per cent.<br />
<h2 id="p148585">'Sacrifice your life'</h2>In a sign of growing desperation, in December last year, 100 Afghan asylum seekers, some of whom had waited for up to eight years for an asylum decision, set up a protest camp outside Athens University. Twelve of the group, including one young mother, sewed their lips together and went on a hunger strike.<br />
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‘The best way to get a response from the Greek government is to really sacrifice your life,’ says 22-year-old Ezmerey Ahmadi, one of the protesters. ‘Most important is getting our papers; we aren’t requesting any economic help.’ The hunger strike ended in February, but the protest continues. Six of the protesters have been granted asylum, six have been refused and the rest remain.<br />
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The current economic climate makes life particularly tough for asylum seekers and undocumented migrants in Greece. Financial woes have sparked a rise in support for the political far-right. And as the socialist government implements an unprecedented package of austerity measures, many ordinary Greeks are turning to fascist groups, quick to blame migrants for the country’s problems.<br />
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Last October the far-right party Chrysi Avgi, also known as Golden Dawn, won its first seat in Athens city council. Since then it has held several anti-immigrant rallies in areas with large migrant communities. Fascist activists are also alleged to have carried out random revenge attacks on innocent migrants after a Greek man was stabbed to death in central Athens in March.<br />
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‘I never come out of the house during the night, because I’m afraid of the fascists,’ says Abolzar Jalily. ‘I came from Afghanistan to be safe.’ Jalily left his home after receiving death threats because he worked as an interpreter for foreign forces. Now he faces a fresh threat from a violent fascist movement operating with near impunity in downtown Athens, where Jalily lives with his family.<br />
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‘In one attack the fascists killed some refugees and injured more than 150 people. They beat them very badly and they could not go to the police because they would do nothing for them,’ he says.<br />
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Tania, a Bulgarian immigrant who has lived in Greece for 10 years, says she is too afraid to travel downtown after hearing stories about Albanians being randomly attacked. ‘There are some fascist organizations that are trying to blame foreigners for many things that happen here, one is taking their [Greeks’] jobs.’<br />
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Conditions for migrants in Greece are likely to deteriorate further. The new austerity measures will mean greater penury for those who are already last in line for state support and living wage jobs.<br />
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‘I am a single mum and I have no help from the government,’ explains Tania, who is a maths and physics graduate, but works as a cleaner and nail technician. If you are a foreigner here, you have no social services to help you.’<br />
<h2 id="p148586">Let the problem escalate</h2>‘When Greek society is being destroyed, it is easy to understand that there will be people that treat migrants and asylum seekers as scapegoats,’ says Spyros Rizakos, who works for Aitma, an <span class="caps">NGO</span> in Athens. ‘This is the result of the lack of policy on these issues. The Greek government doesn’t address the problems of migrants and refugees, they let them escalate and it becomes difficult to control.’<br />
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But the difficulties bought on by the country’s economic problems are only a small part of the wider problems faced by migrants in Greece.<br />
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The country is notorious for its appalling border reception centres, where immigrants can be held for up to six months in overcrowded and dirty cells. Nearly 90 per cent of undocumented migrants enter Europe through Greece, creating tension on the country’s border with Turkey, where 45 people died trying to cross last year. <br />
Georgios Salamagkas heads up the police directory of Orestiada, a city in Northern Greece close to the Turkish border. His officers have felt the pressure as the number of immigrants entering this tiny area exploded from 3,500 to 36,000 in the last year.<br />
<br />
‘They risk drowning in the river to cross the border to reach a better life,’ Salamagkas says. ‘You feel sad about the drowned people but you also feel anger for the traffickers who do not take the measures to keep human life safe. If they put them in life jackets they would be safe, it costs just €3.’<br />
<br />
While Greece’s immediate focus is on clearing its debts, what is clear is that money alone will not solve the country’s immigration problems.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Additional resources:</b></span><br />
Guardian UK "<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/06/migrants-risk-death-in-greece">Illegal Migrants risk death for right to stay in Greece</a>"<br />
The World "<a href="http://www.theworld.org/2011/06/immigrants-greece/">Anti immigrant Mood on the Rise in Greece</a> "<br />
VOA News "<a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/europe/Greece-Worries-Over-Recent-Wave-of-Migrants-Through-Turkey-118018129.html">Greece Worries Over Recent Wave of Migrants Through Turkey</a>"<br />
Day Breaking News "<a href="http://www.daybreakingnews.com/post/Youth-Gangs-Attack-Asian-and-African-Immigrants-In-Greece-25-Injured-in-violence.aspx">Youth Gangs Attack Asian and African Immigrants In Greece, 25 Injured in violence</a>"<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1970205328450584279.post-17921783509471929072011-06-23T08:47:00.000-07:002011-06-23T08:47:41.789-07:00African Refugees in Libya - Whose responsibility? Part II<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">New regime in Libya Selling out African Refugees: So much for democracy, when the new regime of ‘rebels’ in Libya is selling out to Europeans at the expense of African immigrants.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Italian Foreign Minister <span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b><a href="http://migrantsatsea.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/frattini-says-he-expects-libyan-rebels-will-soon-take-steps-to-stop-migrant-departures/">Frattini Says He Expects Libyan Rebels Will Soon Take Steps to Stop Migrant Departures</a> </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Now that they are gaining momentum and soliciting attention and validation from the international community, the Libyan rebels are playing politics with the lives of the most vulnerable African refugees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It seems that the entire world is now hailing Khadafy <b>as the evil leader</b> who oppressed his people for decades on end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a tune that all sing in unity but was not the case until recently.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In 2008, a <b><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/world/europe/31iht-italy.4.15774385.html">New York Times article read “Italy to Pay Libya$5 billion” </a></b>as reparations for the colonial occupation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real deal in this here was not the “<i>compensation for its 30-year occupation of the country</i>” as it was made out to seem but the agreement that “<i>Italy wants Libya to crack down on the thousands of illegal migrants smuggled across the Mediterranean to Italian shores</i>.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Trzi2FzYnWA/TgNfgcCUkcI/AAAAAAAAMPc/hKOcZlKWbCc/s1600/2009_Pushedback_thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Trzi2FzYnWA/TgNfgcCUkcI/AAAAAAAAMPc/hKOcZlKWbCc/s320/2009_Pushedback_thumb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Shortly after that, Libya put the ‘crack down’ into full operation in open violation of international conventions of the protection of the rights of refugees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Human Rights Watch report on this in 2009 states “<a href="http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/09/17/italylibya-migrants-describe-forced-returns-abuse">Italy intercepts African boat migrants and asylumseekers, fails to screen them for refugee status or other vulnerabilities, andforcibly returns them to Libya, where many are detained in inhuman and degradingconditions and abused.”</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The full report is available from <a href="http://www.hrw.org/en/node/85585">HRW here</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The issue that always arises with refugees, IDPs in Africa and worldwide is whose responsibility is it to protect them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b>There’s a prevailing assumption that a sovereign government is responsible for its citizens safety and protection of rights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many African countries, it is the government and policies that the populace runs away from in the first place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In which case the refugees that flee to a neighboring country, is it the new host country or UNHCR that is primarily responsible? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Recently, I joined a relatively new group, the <a href="http://iceritreanrefugees.org/ic/%20">InternationalCommission on Eritrean Refugees,</a> established to focus solely on the global conditions of Eritreans in flight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I considered myself informed about matters of African refugees worldwide but found myself shocked by the new reports I was reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One such report concerns Eritreans in the <a href="http://iceritreanrefugees.org/ic/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=124:trafficking-slavery-torture-and-rape-victims-&catid=44:articles&Itemid=41">Sinai region of Egypt who are held captive by the smugglers</a> awaiting payment from family members in Europe and the U.S. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">The questions asked by ICER and by the many organizations working with refugees is who is responsible for the protection of refugees and where do the appeals go when there are violations. The government of Egypt is turning a deaf ear to the demands made by ICER to intervene and protect the rights of Eritrean refugees who are kidnapped, raped and killed outright with total impunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Refugee rights’ organizations have written countless messages pleading for protection from UNHCR – it is the one agency that all agree should be responsible and it is an agency that has more than it is able to accomplish.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As in the case of the new government in Libya, the interest of the nation state is seen counter to that of refugee protection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What makes this ironic is that <b>the new government in the process of formation in Libya claims that they will be different than Kaddafi, </b>they will be more democratic and protect the civil and human rights of all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have a strange way of showing it when they have compromised themselves and their stance by agreeing to abide by the treaties Khadafy signed with Italy. Libyan rebel leader, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, has previously said that a post-Gaddafi Libyan Government would respect “<b>all agreements with Italy by the [Gaddafi] regime, including those involving combating illegal migration and oil contracts with Eni</b>.” This will mean continuing on the enforcement policies of mass detention and incarceration of many sub Saharan Africans that are in the borders of Libya.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What a way to commemorate this June 20<sup>th</sup> as International Refugee Day, </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1970205328450584279.post-84168190606317084112011-05-20T16:44:00.000-07:002011-05-21T07:28:08.312-07:00Latest News Digest on African Migration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O2BzFcJIpHo/Tdb6RWPZzKI/AAAAAAAAMMw/5wzL0CSX7_g/s1600/killing+seas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O2BzFcJIpHo/Tdb6RWPZzKI/AAAAAAAAMMw/5wzL0CSX7_g/s200/killing+seas.jpg" width="111" /></a></div><a href="http://everyonegroup.com/EveryOne/MainPage/Entries/2011/5/21_Sub-Saharan_Migrants_in_the_Sinai%2C_latest_news.html" style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Sub-Saharan Migrants in the Sinai, latest news</b></span></a><br />
Saturday, May 21, 2011, by EveryOne Group<br />
<i><br />
These operations have led to many arrests and a reduction of human trafficking, so much so that today we have news of only small groups of prisoners from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and other sub-Saharan countries still in the hands of kidnappers. </i><br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_484070208" style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Killing Seas </span></a></b><br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/opinion/19lucht.html%20">NY Times Opinion Page May 18, 2011</a><br />
<i>“…….For years, European countries paid Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi to control the flow of African migrants like Ebo across the Mediterranean — even if the methods were inhumane. Now, armed Qaddafi loyalists are forcing migrants onto the high seas to protest the NATO airstrikes in support of Libya’s rebels……..”</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/13/us-libya-migrants-idUSTRE74C35N20110513?feedType=RSS&feedName=everything&virtualBrandChannel=11563%20">U.N. says 10 percent fatality for Libya sea migrants Reuters, </a></b></span><br />
Barbara Lewis, Geneva, May 13, 2011<br />
<i>One in 10 migrants fleeing conflict in Libya by sea is likely to drown or die from hunger and exhaustion in appalling conditions during the crossing, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday.</i><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dzrWH_k5YVQ/Tdb6tdFmk4I/AAAAAAAAMM0/Qdz66SXI0Js/s1600/Migreurop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dzrWH_k5YVQ/Tdb6tdFmk4I/AAAAAAAAMM0/Qdz66SXI0Js/s200/Migreurop.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/refugees/73273">Libya: Hundreds of boat people killed by the international coalition’s inaction </a></b></span><br />
Pambazuka News<br />
<a href="http://www.migreurop.org/%20">Migreurop</a> press release May 16, 2011<br />
<br />
<i>Since January 2011, over 1,000 migrants have drowned while attempting to reach the fortified coasts of the southern shores of the European Union. These figures must be added to the 15,000 victims of the 'war against migrants' which reaches these days new peaks of inhumanity. According to information, a boat carrying over 600 people is lost in the high seas off the Libyan coast, amidst general indifference.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://mg.co.za/article/2011-05-11-close-to-600-may-be-dead-on-libyan-migrant-ship%20" style="color: red;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Close to 600 may be dead on Libyan migrant ship</b></span></a><br />
Frank Jordans, Geneva, Switzerland <br />
Mail & Guardian May 11, 2011<br />
<i>Almost everyone on an overcrowded ship carrying about 600 African migrants to Europe is believed to have died when the vessel broke apart within sight of the Libyan capital, the United Nations said. </i><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
The <a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/africanmigrantsnatomustbeinvestigaged/signatures" style="color: red;"><b>Petition against NATO</b> is up, sign</a> and pass on </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++</span><br />
<br />
<br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1970205328450584279.post-48028063422499831202011-05-09T15:00:00.000-07:002011-05-09T15:00:58.097-07:00Demand invistigation of NATO's failure which cost the lives of 61 African immigrants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">Please sign petition to demand an investigation of NATO on its failure to adhere to basic human rights; failure to respond to the cries of migrants stranded on sea. <a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/africanmigrantsnatomustbeinvestigaged/">See full petition here.</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"> May 9, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">Just when we think we have heard the most horrific news</span></b></span> about the difficulties African migrants face comes news of unimaginable inhumanity by NATO forces deliberately ignoring the cries for help from 72 African migrants fighting for their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The result, almost all died, with the exception of a handful who told of their harrowing experience.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cJhq8CZuJ8I/Tchi84gc1UI/AAAAAAAAMLU/YkzjCd68lsc/s1600/nato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cJhq8CZuJ8I/Tchi84gc1UI/AAAAAAAAMLU/YkzjCd68lsc/s320/nato.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/08/nato-ship-libyan-migrants">The full story was disclosed yesterday in the UK’s Guardian.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The facts as they appear are clear: A French ship, member of a NATO force acknowledged being in the area close to where the boat was. A helicopter labeled “ARMY” approached the boat and roped down emergency supplies of water and biscuits telling the migrants to hold off, help was on the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that? Nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">No attempt was made to rescue them, nor get additional supplies of food and water.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span> </span>They were left to starve and die of thirst, a harrowing death of anguish and suffering of the men, women and children.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">NATO has denied that distress signals were even received.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not a surprise, as they could be held accountable. <b><i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“International maritime law compels all vessels, including military units, to answer distress calls from nearby boats and to offer help where possible.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></b>Denial is the only way to avoid blame but it is a fact that their signals had been heard and the decision not to respond was made.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It is well known that NATO military forces are in Libya supposedly to guarantee the rights of Libyan people’s democracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The U.S. and European powers have invested enormous political will and military power for a regime change in the country though it has not been framed as such. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one really believes the agenda is democracy, it is clear that they would not be there but for the oil – not the people.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">NATO’s decision not to respond to the migrant’s call for rescue confirms the lack of value for human lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The migrants are caught between a collapsing nation of Gaddafi that is fighting for its last breath; and the new forces equally desperate to hold it together with the support of NATO allies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Caught in between are the migrants who have no shelter, no food, no security and in their desperation take a chance on small boats, attempting to leave for Europe under the most difficult circumstances.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ask yourself, had this boat been a cruise ship, full of European tourists, would the response have been the same?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you imagine a cruise ship of 72 tourists dying of hunger and trust because their distress signals were unheard or ignored?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, had this boat been carrying anyone other than desperate African migrants, would there have been a different outcome?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There has to be a demand for accountability and a full investigation of NATO’s actions (or in-actions in this case) in the death of 61 African migrants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This type of callus response to human life is unconscionable and cannot, should not be tolerated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inhumanity of such an action bears on all of us to take action to ensure nothing like this happens again, not to anyone and not to those least prepared and most vulnerable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Support a call for investigation into this matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We cannot let their deaths innocent men, women and children go unquestioned.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/africanmigrantsnatomustbeinvestigaged/">Please sign the petition to indicate your support.</a> We will send your signatures and statements to the appropriate authorities in the U.S., Europe and the United Nations.</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1970205328450584279.post-57352524515882749272011-04-08T09:05:00.000-07:002011-04-08T09:05:06.669-07:00Reflections on the Rwandan Genocide and African imgrants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.startribune.com/world/119314019.html"><span style="font-size: large;">An Iranian man set himself on fire in Amsterdam yesterday</span></a>.<span> </span>His reason for doing so? his request for asylum was denied and he could not face the prospect of being forcibly returned home.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal">A couple of years ago, during a trip to Italy where I interviewed Eritrean refugees in Italy, one young man told me of a horrifying tale of being stabbed and shot at while he made his way to a boat about to depart for Europe.<span> </span>He had paid the required money but they told him the boat was full, he would be left behind, yet again, to fend for himself or face forced deportation.<span> </span>He said he would rather die and drove into the water risking death by shots from the smugglers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It may seem inconceivable to readers that there are conditions of life considered worse than death; that individuals can transcend their basic instinct of survival to choose death over life of suffering and no dignity. But individual migrants make these choices daily as the navigate through some of the most difficult choices.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Such tales are not new to many of us who have families, relatives on the move, whose stories of abuse, detention, beatings and death reach us through different channels. Many from midnight calls from families desperate to raise a few dollars to help pay smugglers to get them out; out of jail, out of detention; out of the country.<span> </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ves5cH1K2P8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe>On April 6<sup>th</sup>, BBC reported a boat carrying 250 people sank off of the coast of Lampadusa in Italy. The news was reported in the US as carrying Libyan refugees escaping the conflict.<span> </span>But Italian and British news sources have confirmed that <i><b>the majority of those on the boats were in fact Eritrean and Somali refugees. </b></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Conditions for Libyans, Tunisians and Egyptians are desperate following the protests and ongoing conflict, but they are much worse for those who are refugees in these countries. Lawlessness and lack of basic resources, such as food, water and housing have made their lives living hell for most, who cannot count on any protection from the agencies in the countries, nor from the international community.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For details on conditions of Eritreans in Libya, check out this other blog <a href="http://eritrealibya.blogspot.com/2011/03/tragedy-of-eritrean-refugees-caught-up.html">http://eritrealibya.blogspot.com/2011/03/tragedy-of-eritrean-refugees-caught-up.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yesterday, a South African colleague sent me a link to a site marking April 7th as the "<b>Start of 100 days of Commemoration of the Genocide in Rwanda.</b>"<span> </span>It stated simply "<i>On this 17th commemoration we remember those who were murdered as well as those who survived. We commit to working towards a day when the pledge "Never Again" becomes a reality.”<span> </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It asks only that we take a moment to remember the day, the period and the senseless killings that resulted in so many deaths over a short period of time.<span> </span>The Rwandan genocide helps us remember the past in order to reflect on the reality of our present.<span> </span><i><span style="font-size: large;">The killings of hundreds and even thousands of migrants from around the world cannot be commemorated in a particular month or even a particular country; it is happening everywhere and every day.<span> </span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1970205328450584279.post-41218630120107215512011-03-03T09:55:00.000-08:002011-03-04T08:31:45.363-08:00African refugees in Libya - Whose responsibility?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9v73sfU3AqA/TW_DBMDYLfI/AAAAAAAALyc/sQF-zLQi6-M/s1600/globe+africa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-9v73sfU3AqA/TW_DBMDYLfI/AAAAAAAALyc/sQF-zLQi6-M/s200/globe+africa.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The way migration is discussed in this country one would think it is a problem of the U.S. alone and not a global phenomena about people’s movement, displacement and mis-treatment across national boundaries. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">People in the U.S. have always viewed historic events as if this country as the center of the world and those living outside, and particularly in the global south are of no consequence. But migrants, people who are not born in the U.S. make up over 10% of the U.S. population and do not share this view.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As an immigrant from Eritrea, when I hear of the continued unrest and resistance of the people of Libya – it fills me with hope for their struggle and fear and concern for what is happening to migrants and refugees there.<br />
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News reports change daily but the UN figures from today show nearly 200,000 refugees on the Libya-Egypt border alone; another 100,000 or so are across the eastern border to Tunisia.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fb-86B0b96o/TW-0ymRy3JI/AAAAAAAALyY/oRCtCgejewM/s1600/migrant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fb-86B0b96o/TW-0ymRy3JI/AAAAAAAALyY/oRCtCgejewM/s320/migrant.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Daily news bulletins of the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/africa/">BBC </a>and major newspapers like the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2011/mar/03/migrant-workers-libya-in-pictures">Guardian in the UK</a> or the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/world/africa/04refugee.html?_r=1&ref=africa">NY Times</a> also have some coverages that address the plight of refugees and displaced persons in these crisis areas of North Africa. As an Eritrean, I’m also plugged into various listserves and social media connections that have information on what is happening to Eritreans and Somali refugees in Libya.<br />
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The stories are heart wrenching; of individuals under siege, afraid to stay and afraid to leave. No government or institution is helping them (with the exception of the UNHCR and they are stretched beyond capacity.) These refugees are virtually ignored by all nations of the world as they try to rescue their respective nationals through air and sea.<br />
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A friend in Italy Seleba Welday, who had been in Libya as a refugee himself not too long ago, sent an urgent message on facebook about a group of young Eritrean men who are desperate to escape and in fear for their lives. The best he could do was give them the UNHCR hotline (UNHCR has established a hotline for refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya: the number is here for those in need +218 214777503). See also this report from <a href="http://www.hrc-eritrea.org/">Human Rights Concern Eritrea</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oXPSu_xyq0o/TW_EKkxakAI/AAAAAAAALyk/dnbW4lHP1BM/s1600/eritrean+refugees+in+Libya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-oXPSu_xyq0o/TW_EKkxakAI/AAAAAAAALyk/dnbW4lHP1BM/s200/eritrean+refugees+in+Libya.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The big papers of course focus their stories on Ghaddafi and the government of Libya - stories of those of power and influence – of oil and geopolitical considerations, whether to invade Libya or not, if a military intervention is a better option than economic sanctions, the role of the U.S. of European countries and those of the Arab sates. Lost in this shuffle are the lives of people who are migrant workers, refugees, displaced persons, poor and inconsequential in the eyes of the powerful.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.africafocus.org/">My friend Bill Minter, editor of one of the best electronic bulletin news, AfricaFocus</a> recently sent me this link from Al Jazeera English. "<i>Many African migrant workers report that they have been attacked by anti-government protesters, after having been mistaken for mercenaries hired by Gaddafi</i>" in this case, refugees from Sudan find their homes burned to the ground.<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Recently, a blog by <a href="http://nazret.com/blog/index.php/2011/02/25/racism-rears-its-ugly-face-in-libya-uprising-live-on-tv?blog=15">Tedla Asfaw on Nazareth.com speaks on racial identification of migrants in Libya. “Racism rears its ugly face in Libya uprising live on TV”</a> tells of the clash between Libyan nationalist activists and “African” mercenaries. The topic of race and identity between North Africa and Africa South of the Sarah is too long to cover on this blog but deserves some research and analysis.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Some readers may recall similar stories not too long ago about Darfur, Sudan where "Africans" were being attacked by the "Arabs". Concepts of race and ethnicity get misconstrued when read by audiences in the U.S. whose concept of race is profoundly framed by their own history and limited to the Black/White dichotomy. It is of course much more nuanced in Africa and other regions of the world. It is a subject that begs understanding of histories of movement of people from centuries ago. But, let's be honest, most Americans are not big fans of reading past history – what matters is what is happening now and if CNN does not cover it, it is obviously not important.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-f6n-cssDySI/TW-zI1PXjWI/AAAAAAAALyU/Ua5ezWeV3qo/s1600/Ferai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-f6n-cssDySI/TW-zI1PXjWI/AAAAAAAALyU/Ua5ezWeV3qo/s1600/Ferai.jpg" /></a></div><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12585395">For those interested in reading more in this topic, Farai Sevenzo attempts to put a historic perspective on Libya's ties with the rest of Africa for a commentary on BBC. </a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But, to get back to the issue of better coverage of news and analysis on what is happening to migrants and refugees in Libya – and especially to migrants and refugees from Sub Saharan African countries, one must ask the question <b>"who is responsible?"</b> Is it regional institutions from within Africa, like <a href="http://www.ecowas.int/">ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States)?</a> What are the leaders of West African countries doing to rescue their citizens and nationals? Who are these so-called mercenaries that Gaddafi has hired, are they mere individuals in it for the money, or trained military personnel with connections to power? We know they are largely from West African countries, what is ECOWAS responsibility in this regard? What about the <a href="http://www.arab.de/arabinfo/league.htm">Arab League ?</a> Their biggest concern seems to be the effect the crisis on the price of oil and how to prevent Western intervention and ensure an "Pan-Arab solution." There is virtually no discussion about the "responsibility to protect" either Arab nationals or all people regardless of ethnicity.<br />
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Then lastly and probably most important, what about <a href="http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/African-Union-Declines-Action-Against-Libya--117095183.html">African Union? </a> How is it possible that the biggest organization representing the continent should remain virtually silent on the issue of protection of Africans in times of crisis ? BBC asked this question <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/2011/03/110303_libya_mozambique_au.shtml">“Why has African response to the Libyan crisis been so muted?”</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JkRO1lX-dQo/TW-wjyZH8kI/AAAAAAAALyM/y7kUyCC0PXQ/s1600/Armando+Guebuza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JkRO1lX-dQo/TW-wjyZH8kI/AAAAAAAALyM/y7kUyCC0PXQ/s200/Armando+Guebuza.jpg" width="200" /></a>African heads of states (starting from the formation of the pre-AU body, the Organization of African Unity) make it clear that their priorities are perpetuating their stay power and securing their interests and territories. The citizenry, which is mentioned in the AU vision statement, is clearly not on top agenda now, it never has been.<br />
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<i>"Colonel Ghaddafi plays a prominent role in the African Union. Some say he bankrolls the organisation and has been known to pay the dues for many smaller, poorer countries. As a result, African presidents have been accused of staying silent on the situation in his country. "</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Mozambique's President Armando Guebuza (pictured) speaks on BBC Network Africa's about Libya."</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/2011/03/110303_libya_mozambique_au.shtml">In his interview, </a>President Guebuza is non committal and does not make clear the responsibility of African heads of state on this matter, only that military intervention is not advised.<br />
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I commend the United Nations in its effort to deal with the massive refugees who are crossing borders on a daily basis. The UNHCR in particular continues to be the voice of the hundreds of thousands who are fleeing across borders. The agency has limited resources (and even more limited mandate) and cannot be the only response to the crisis of displacement in the region. African governments, and especially the A.U needs to step up to this task.<br />
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1970205328450584279.post-7436060518884885662011-02-14T14:51:00.000-08:002011-02-14T14:51:01.146-08:00Another Africa is necessary - why there's a need for a migration-focused blog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if !mso]> <style>
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</style> <![endif]--> <b><i><span>News and Analysis on African experience in global migration - by Nunu Kidane</span></i></b><br />
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<span>According to the United Nations, an estimated 230 million people in the world today live outside their countries of birth.</span><br />
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<span>This may not seem like such high figure given that the world population is approaching 7 billion. What makes it significant is that the figure has doubled in the last 25 years; less than one generation. Equally important is that the level of movement is disproportionate across the world.</span><br />
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<span>The above figure from the U.N estimates approximately 2/3 of the people on the move around the world are Africans.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qSQwdjMB1v8/TVmwxJN8RXI/AAAAAAAALqA/F-a69Yij_TE/s1600/Key+migrant+routs+of+Africans+to+Europe.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qSQwdjMB1v8/TVmwxJN8RXI/AAAAAAAALqA/F-a69Yij_TE/s320/Key+migrant+routs+of+Africans+to+Europe.gif" width="320" /></a></div><span>We know that historically, starting from the period of forced removal of Africans from the continent during the slave trade to current day migration; the global African diaspora is the largest in the world.</span><br />
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<span>Depending on how far you look back, Eduard Galeano said it best that “we are all migrants from Africa” after all.</span><br />
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<span>Today’s migration of African however, begs for analysis from multiple approaches: the social, political, cultural and economic. This blog is partly a response to the gap that exists in academic and political discourse on the particular experiences and perspectives of migrants from Africa. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
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<div align="center" class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lFYppSHa4Zo/TVW--WWYk2I/AAAAAAAALpg/8EfYDYNMQjk/s1600/Key+migrant+routs+of+Africans+to+Europe.gif" style="float: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none;"><span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></div><span>There are intermittent news coverage by mass media about African migrants attempting to make it across the Mediterranean to Europe. Other stories include refugees from East Africa attempting to get across the Sahara desert in to Libya and other destinations in North Africa.</span><br />
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<span>For large populations who are on the move, there is unbelievable hardship and ordeal to endure. Most of the world has no idea on how bad conditions are for millions of refugees across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The intermittent news coverage do not even begin to address the issues to the degree they deserve.</span><br />
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<span>As an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrea">Eritrean</a> who was forced to leave home because of the war in the region; I have not only a personal experience with being a refugee but also a deep sense of responsibility to the new generation of migrants who are forced to leave their homes, their families, their loved ones, the familiarity and security of family and culture; the warmth of the sun and the enjoyment of being among one's people. Having the choice to leave home and being away is a difficult process; but being forced to flea for political and economic reasons makes the process even more arduous and challenging.</span><br />
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<span>This blog attempts to bring visibility to these stories, the individuals, their faces and testimonies; as well as some of the little known policies of the African Union, the European Union, multinational institutions, the United Nations and of course the U.S.</span><br />
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<span>It will site articles of interest, videos and images that contribute towards our knowledge and understanding; new studies and publications that are available electronically and in print. </span><br />
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<span>Whenever possible, I want to hear from you, the migrant and the person on the move. Particularly from women whose numbers in global migration are increasing at alarming rates and whose experiences are particularly distinct.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dAubRXHn6o/TVmvjmg6wNI/AAAAAAAALp8/jxCJ5t751EA/s1600/Lampedusa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dAubRXHn6o/TVmvjmg6wNI/AAAAAAAALp8/jxCJ5t751EA/s1600/Lampedusa.gif" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9dAubRXHn6o/TVmvjmg6wNI/AAAAAAAALp8/jxCJ5t751EA/s1600/Lampedusa.gif"><span style="font-size: 11pt; text-decoration: none;"><span></span></span></a><span>As I was in the process of preparing to send this out,<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12446555"> news from from BBC covered the current crisis of high numbers of Tunisian refugees entering the island of Lampedusa at the southern tip of Italy.</a> It is exactly this kind of news that this blog wants to cover offering analysis on the crisis of the Tunisian people. Major news media report now only of what is unfolding in Egypt's revolution and do not cover stories of the large numbers of Egyptians who are fleeing the country, trying to enter into Greece and the draconian policies of the European union through their militarized border control Frontex. More on this later. </span></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><i><span>To those who have useful information to share, please do so in the commentary space below or by contacting me directly. </span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
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</span></i><i><span>The issue of African migration is part of the work of <a href="http://www.priorityafrica.org/">Priority Africa Network</a> but all the views expressed below are not necessarily shared by the organization or its affiliates.</span></i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
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</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1