News on Countries of Asylum
Published: 1 Jul 2016
Global
- Resettlement numbers will continue to fall well short of needs in 2017, according to UNHCR predictions
- LGTBQ refugees continue to face difficulty proving their cases
Africa
Cameroon
Government signs agreement with UNHCR to facilitate repatriation of 80,000 Nigerian refugees
Central African Republic
Unaccompanied children from South Sudan particularly vulnerable in overstretched host communities
Chad
Funding shortfalls for aid agencies leave refugees from Darfur neglected by the system
Egypt
- Egypt an increasingly popular route to Europe for Eritreans
- Authorities arrest 143 migrants and refugees, primarily from Egypt, near the border with Libya
- Government has approved a USD 20 million grant to fund education facilities for Syrians in Egypt
Ethiopia
Kenya
- Government announces all refugees, including those in urban areas, must leave by November 2016
- Prime Minister of Somalia calls for Kenyan government to delay closure of Dadaab until 2019
- UNHCR continues calls for more time and voluntary repatriation for Somali refugees
- The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and Kituo cha Sheria sue the government over lack of public participation in decision to close Dadaab
- Responsibility for refugee issues unclear after disbandment of the Department of Refugee Affairs
- Government bans “unlawful demonstrations” in response to political opposition protests
- UN warns Kenya should expect inflows of new refugees from South sudan, at the same time as the country is attempting to repatriate Somali refugees
- Government launches an exercise to establish the identity and nationality of refugees in Dadaab
Libya
- Violence and abuse increases in Libyan detention centers
- Libyan coast guard struggles to meet the needs of growing number of migrants apprehended en route to Europe
Niger
Boko Haram launches attack on refugee camp in south east of the country
Somaliland
Estimated 300 Syrian refugees find refuge as well as hardship in Somaliland
South Africa
- Proposed amendment to asylum law bans refugees from working and requires them to apply for asylum within five days of arriving in the country
- Department of Home Affairs challenged in court over closure of Cape Town Refugee Reception Office
- Court orders closed Cape Town Refugee Reception Office to review refugees’ permit renewal applications
- Home Affairs documentation database system down for several weeks, causing delays in processing claims and documentation for refugees
Sudan
- Severe water shortage reported in Zamzam camp in North Darfur
- Sudan’s role as both a source and transit country for forced migrants complicates EU relations with the government over migration
- At least 60,000 Syrians have settled in Sudan since the start of the Syrian civil war
Tanzania
- Government calls for refugees who served as security officers in their country of origin to register for status
- Tanzania overwhelmed by continued arrivals of Burundian refugees
Uganda
Influx of refugees from South Sudan may put Uganda’s open-door policy at risk
Zambia
Zambia to give Rwandan refugees special status following xenophobic attacks
Americas
Canada
Curaçao
Government prepares for potential influx of refugees from Venezuela as economic crisis there worsens
Guyana
Government on alert for potential arrival of Venezuelan refugees
Mexico
- Central American refugees and migrants at risk of abuse and kidnapping in Mexico
- US-funded border enforcement makes border with Guatemala more difficult and dangerous to cross
United States
- CARA Family Detention Pro-Bono Project finds Central American families are being deported before exhausting their options for legal remedy
- Asylum case approval rates for unaccompanied children vary substantially by region where application was heard
- Texas lawsuit to prevent resettlement of refugees in the state is dismissed by federal judge
- Lawsuit has the potential to provide access to counsel to thousands of children in deportation proceedings
Asia
Bangladesh
- Bangladeshi government to conduct its first census of undocumented Rohingya refugees
- Rohingya apprehended for illegal entry are detained indefinitely
Japan
Asylum approval rates remain below one percent
Pakistan
- Pakistan’s Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions plans to repatriate refugees from Afghanistan by the end of this year
- Government deports 500 Afghan refugees just before permit deadline expires
- Government extends permits of AFghan refugees for another six months to December 2016
Russia
North Korean refugee granted asylum on fourth request
Asia-Pacific
Australia
- Trauma expert declares conditions of detention on Manus Island and Nauru to be the worst he has ever seen
- Asylum seeker suffering from severe mental illness is held on Manus Island without treatment
- Manus Island detention center reportedly suffering from food shortages and power cuts as center nears closure
- New Australian Border Force Act includes possibility of jail time for journalists that violate the media blackout around detention centers on Nauru and Manus Island
Cambodia
- 200 Montagnard asylum seekers fear deportation to Vietnam
- Last of four refugees resettled from Nauru has returned to his country of origin
Indonesia
Papua New Guinea
Europe
- An estimated 10,000 unaccompanied children have gone missing in Europe after filing asylum claims, raising concerns that some may be the victims of trafficking
- Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announces it will no longer take funding from the European Union due to concerns about the EU-Turkey deal
- The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights has again raised concerns regarding the special risks of sexual and physical violence that women refugees face while in search of protection
- Court of Justice of the European Union rules EU countries cannot detain migrants solely for illegal entry
- Asylum seekers in Europe likely to struggle with post-traumatic stress and other mental health concerns for years
Bulgaria
Germany
Roma asylum seekers at risk of deportation under government’s “safe country of origin” policy
Greece
- Parliament votes to change the composition of the independent asylum appeals board which has blocked deportations to Turkey
- Delays in registration process and poor conditions on islands cause anger in refugee camps
- UNHCR expresses “serious concerns” about conditions in temporary camps in north of the country
- Network of Greek citizens seize an abandoned hotel to provide housing for stranded refugees
- Refugees take steps towards self-reliance and integration
- Female refugees at risk of sexual violence on Greek islands
Hungary
- Government adopts new rules allowing asylum seekers detected within eight kilometers of the border to be returned immediately without an assessment of protection needs
- Rising number of people held in transit zones as conditions in asylum centers deteriorates
Italy
Family claims alleged high-profile smuggler held by authorities is actually Eritrean refugee
United Kingdom
- Scotland takes in more than a third of all UK’s Syrian refugees
- For many refugees in the UK, bureaucratic barriers and delays are jeopardizing possibility of reuniting with family
- University of Bedfordshire’s Refugee Legal Aid Project reunites refugees with family abroad
- Upper tribunal immigration and asylum case decision announced for two citizens of Sudan seeking asylum in the UK on Article 3 grounds
- Refugee who walked through channel tunnel granted asylum but also given a 9-month prison term
Middle East
Iran
Israel
Authorities have granted asylum status to a Sudanese national for the first time
Lebannon
Syrian refugees struggle to find places to bury their dead