Metro

African refugees stranded in Tunisia demand evacuation to other countries

Published

1 year ago

April 19, 2022

Faced with abuse, torture and discrimination, scores of African refugees and migrants currently trapped in Tunisia, have demanded the authorities to evacuate them to other countries.

The refugees who are mostly survivors of illegal immigration attempts to European countries by sea, have been staging a “sit-in” in front of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Tunis, the Tunisian capital since Saturday, and have also petitioned the United Nations to compel the Tunisian government to evacuate them.

The migrants and refugees, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa, have regularly complained of being subjected to verbal and physical abuse in Tunisia by security and government officials.

The migrants, many of whom are women and children, have been spending the night on cardboard boxes spread out on the grounds of the agency amid suitcases containing their personal belongings.

Denouncing the inaction of the UN in their plights, the refugees displayed banners with inscriptions such as “We need to be evacuated,” hung at the entrance to the building.

A spokesman for the migrants, Saleh Saeed, a Sudanese from Darfur, told reporters that the UN has refused to act accordingly, accusing the commission of abandoning them.

“The real problem is, the UN commission has abandoned its main role, which is our protection. Instead of doing that, it has left us on the street. We were living in Zarzis, and the UN commission demanded our evacuation from there, cut off all funds and stopped protecting us.”

A refugee from Chad, Mohamed Nour, who also spoke to journalists, claimed there have been instances of racism against them which makes life difficult.

“We have been attacked in our homes. We just want to be evacuated from this country.”

Related Topics:Featured migrants Refugees Tunisia

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Metro

South Africa slams 54 fraud, immigration charges on Rwandan genocide suspect

Published

20 hours ago

June 9, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

One of the most wanted Rwandan Genocide suspects, Fulgence Kayishema has been slammed with a 54-count charge by South African prosecutors, including fraud and immigration charges.

Kayishema, an ex-Rwandan police officer who is wanted internationally over his alleged role in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, was arraigned at a Cape Town court on Friday.

After being on the run for over two decades, Kayishema was arrested on May 24 on a grape farm in South Africa where he had been hiding under a false name, according to a prosecutor, who said refugees working in the farm gave him up.

Spokesperson of the South African prosecutors, Eric Ntabazalila, who addressed a press conference outside the court, said the fugitive now faced 54 separate charges relating to fraud and immigration offences, up from five previously preferred against him.

“Kayishema had been a fugitive from justice since 2001, when the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) indicted him for genocide for allegedly ordering the massacre of 2,000 people hiding in the Nyange Catholic Church,” Ntabazalila told journalists.

Some of the charges could see Kayishema imprisoned for up to 15 years, said Ntabazalila.

South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) also allege that Kayishema used a false identity to apply for asylum and refugee status in South Africa.

The case was adjourned to June 20 to allow Kayishema’s defence team to consult, at which point he could apply for bail, while he is also expected to face extradition to Rwanda to be tried over the ICTR genocide indictment.

With Kayishema’s arrest, there are only three indicted fugitives still on the run after a sweeping indictment by the international tribunal.

Metro

US, WFP, USAID suspend food aid to Ethiopia

Published

20 hours ago

June 9, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

The United States along with the World Food Program (WFP) and the USAID have suspended food aid to Ethiopia following allegations of theft and diversion by government officials.

The WFP and the USAID announced the suspension on Friday, a day after the US government announced that it was suspending the programme due to the same reasons.

WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain, who made the announcement early on Friday, said the suspension was temporary, until a full investigation was conducted by the Ethiopian government.

“We will temporarily cease food aid in Ethiopia, but nutritional assistance to children, pregnant and lactating women, school meals programs and activities to strengthen farmers and herders in the face of external shocks will continue without interruption,” McCain said in a press release.

“Diversion of food is absolutely unacceptable. The Ethiopian government’s commitment to investigate and hold those responsible accountable is welcomed.

“WFP is working closely with its UN partners, humanitarian organizations and local actors to reform the way aid is distributed across Ethiopia,” she added.

On Thursday, the US government’s international aid agency, USAID, had announced the suspension of its food aid to Ethiopia, while denouncing a “widespread and coordinated operation to divert.”

“USAID intends to immediately resume food aid as soon as we have confidence in the integrity of the distribution systems to get aid to its intended recipients,” the agency had said.

In a joint statement with the USAID, Ethiopian authorities assured that a joint investigation was underway “so that the perpetrators of these hijackings are accountable.”

According to the UN humanitarian agency (OCHA), more than 20 million people of the 120 million Ethiopian population, about 16%, depend on food aid due to conflicts or recurring drought in the region which has also displaced 4.6 million people in the country.