Sudan: Arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detentions of Dr Amin Mekki Medani, Mr Farouq Abu Eissa, and Dr Farah Ibrahim Mohamed Alagar(19 December 2014) Open Letter concerning the arbitrary arrest and incommunicado detentions of Dr Amin Mekki Medani, Mr Farouq Abu Eissa, and Dr Farah Ibrahim Mohamed Alagar by the Government of Just before midnight on 6 December 2014, the Government of Sudan’s NISS arrested two prominent The “Sudan Call” is a declaration that commits signatories to work towards the end of the conflicts Read the full letter here. |
IRRI Rights in Exile Newslettera monthly forum for news and discussion on refugee legal aid ARTICLES The secret urban refugees of Dar es Salaam LETTERS TO THE EDITORS Dr Barbara Harrell-Bond OBE: Working together across international borders to save refugees SHORT PIECES Sit-in in Morocco to protest against unfulfilled promises to regularise migrants and refugees status Eritrea COI report controversy CASE NOTES Detention of asylum seekers not at risk of absconding unlawful Read the full newsletter. |
With camps limiting many refugees, the UNHCR’s policy change is welcomePosted on 2 October 2014 by Lucy Hovil It is rare to witness a paradigm shift in refugee protection. But such a shift has just happened with the release of the new policy from the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) on alternatives to refugee camps. For refugees and their advocates, who have been shouting for years about the perils associated with camps, the policy is almost too good to be true. As it states: “From the perspective of refugees, alternatives to camps means being able to exercise rights and freedoms, make meaningful choices regarding their lives and have the possibility to live with greater dignity, independence and normality as members of communities.” It makes perfect sense. But why has it taken so long? For decades, the default response to refugee crises has been to set up camps or settlements and coerce refugees into them. Camps, it was argued, were best suited to meet the social, economic and political realities in which refugees are living. Yet a significant body of research has demonstrated the exact opposite, pointing to the fact that those refugees who have opted out of the camp system – even when that means forgoing any humanitarian assistance – have established an effective alternative approach to exile. Read more. |
Stop the Bombardment of Innocent Civilians in Darfur, Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan and Blue Nile“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” (Elie Wiesel)(8 September 2014) Expressing our alarm and concern with the ongoing bombardment, loss of innocent lives and destruction of properties and livelihood in Darfur, and Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan and Blue Nile, where the government of Sudan has dropped over 3,000 bombs since April 2012,Offering our deepest sympathies to those who lost their lives, those displaced and the millions of people in need of humanitarian assistance, Remembering that the Sudanese government has a history of genocide in the Darfur region,We concerned Sudanese and international civil society organizations working for Sudan, hereby issue the following statement:The Government of Sudan is continuously committing major atrocities in avoidable wars in Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur. These conflicts have now affected over six million people.Read the full letter.
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