UN: Change inflammatory talk on migration

UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, François Crépeau, has urged the international community to embrace a new, balanced discourse on migration based on equal rights, non-discrimination and dignity, as well as on reality.

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Source: www.foreignersinuk.co.uk

DRC army accused of crimes against humanity

IRIN

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Returning Marjah IDPs promised help

IRIN – Hundreds of families who fled fighting in the Marjah area of Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, in February have started returning home; conditions are difficult but steps are being taken to help them, government officials say.

Over 4,000 families were displaced by a major anti-Taliban offensive by NATO and Afghan forces which began on 13 February, according to the provincial authorities.

“Over 600 displaced families have returned to Nad Ali and Marjah [both towns in Nad Ali District] from Lashkargah over the past four days,” Ghulam Farooq Noorzai, director of Helmand’s refugee affairs department, told IRIN, adding that more people would return in the days ahead.

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Darfur clashes worsen Humanitarian situation in the South

IRIN – Weeks of fighting in parts of Darfur have raised concern over the plight of civilians, as insecurity has prompted humanitarian agencies to suspend activities in some areas.

The clashes have led to displacements in eastern Jebel Marra in South Darfur and North Darfur states, and in western Jebel Marra and the Jebel Moon region in West Darfur state, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in an update on 2 March, stressing that accurate information from the ground was very scarce because of lack of access.

The rebel Sudan Liberation Army, Abdel Wahid Nour faction (SLA-Nour), which refuses to join peace talks with the Sudanese government until a full cessation of hostilities is implemented, has accused government forces of attacking its positions east of Jebel Marra.

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Nepal: Stalled government policy leaves IDPs in limbo

IRIN – Efforts to help thousands of families displaced during Nepal’s decade-long armed conflict (1996-2006) to return to their homes or resettle have stalled over government inaction, leaving many unassisted, aid agencies say.

There are an estimated 52,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) registered with the government, according to the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction (MOPR), although the UN estimates there could be up to 70,000.

In 2007, the government formulated a national IDP policy that allowed for the return, integration and resettlement of IDPs.

Crucial directives for implementing the policy on the ground were also submitted to the Cabinet at the end of 2007, but are still waiting to be approved.

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Myanmar’s refugees still on the run

IRIN

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Security Beefed up for North Kivu IDPs

IRIN – Internally displaced people (IDPs) are still being abducted by armed groups for forced labour in several territories in North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) even as authorities beef up security in IDP camps, officials said.

“Men often spend the day away from the [IDP] sites for fear of being abducted, but most abductions occur during the night,” states a 5 February update issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Rutshuru Territory, which has about 129,000 IDPs, is among the most affected.

In southern Walikale Territory, Rwandan Hutu Forces démocratiques pour la libération du Rwanda (FDLR) militia on 28 January attacked civilians in the village of Isuka and abducted seven people, who have yet to be released, to transport looted goods, added OCHA.

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‘They’ll go back Home in Coffins’

The Standard – More than 2 000 Zimbabwean immigrants are under siege again in the volatile farming area of De Doorns in South Africa’s Western Cape about 100 km outside Cape Town. The Zimbabweans are currently accommodated by United Nations and Red Cross at a local sports field after locals drove them out of their homes at the beginning of December last year.

South Africans from the local townships have publicly warned the traumatised Zimbabweans that if they return to the townships, they would go back to their country in coffins.

The authorities are taking the threats seriously. Zimbabweans are even afraid to go to the shops for fear of being attacked.

While the authorities are trying their best to make foreigners feel welcome, the locals have made it clear they are not wanted. Zimbabweans in Cape Town top the list of the most hated African immigrants.

In De Doorns the locals also accuse the Zimbabweans of depriving them of income by accepting to work for lower wages.

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Pakistan Braces for possible IDPs Influx

IRIN – Aid agencies are preparing for an influx of a possible further 150,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northwestern Pakistan in 2010, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other agencies.

Manuel Bessler, head of OCHA in Pakistan, told IRIN: “The moment we have the ‘Green Light’ from the government we will launch the Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan for 2010, which will help us to coordinate our humanitarian efforts and raise the necessary funds to finance our activities.”

He added: “The humanitarian community operating in Pakistan is well prepared to address the needs of the displaced and other vulnerable people.”

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UN gives $100 million to ‘Neglected Emergencies

IRIN – The UN on 18 January allotted US$100 million to 14 “neglected emergencies”, where significant humanitarian needs remain but funding is scarce.

It is the first round of 2010 allocations from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which was set up to redress gaps in global aid distribution.

The allocation includes $3 million for Haiti but the country’s full funding needs are being re-evaluated following the 12 January earthquake, according to an 18 January communiqué by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Since the earthquake CERF allocated an additional $25 million to aid agencies in Haiti.

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