Musings From Abroad

Go on hunger strike, face faster deportation, UK threatens Rwanda-bound asylum seekers

Published

2 years ago

June 3, 2022

The UK Home Office on Thursday, threatened that asylum seekers scheduled for deportation to Rwanda who go on hunger strike to protest the relocation, will be deported faster than others who behave themselves.

On Wednesday, around 17 refugees mainly from Syria, Egypt and Sudan, had embarked on the hunger strike at the Brook House Immigration Removal Center where they are being held, by refusing to eat or drink in protest after they were told they would be sent to Rwanda on June 14 as part of a new scheme between the UK and the African country where they would be profiled.

In a warning letter that many rights activists say can be interpreted as a threat to, the Home Office said:

“Your refusal of food and/or fluids will not necessarily lead to your removal directions being deferred. In the interests of your health and safety, we may prioritize your removal from detention and the UK.”

Some of the asylum seekers who embarked on the hunger striker said they were being treated in the UK the same as they had been while being detained in Libya before they managed to escape to the UK through the English Channel.

“I just want to be safe and free. I’m not a criminal. Why did the UK put me in prison? I have no connection with Rwanda. Why would the UK send me there?” One of the refugees said.

A Syrian detainee at the Brook House Centre who also spoke on the situation, said he and 17 others had been on hunger strike for several days. He said they would rather die than be deported to Rwanda.

An Iranian asylum-seeker, who attempted suicide, told charity workers she believed she faced being offshored to Rwanda while a 40-year-old Yemeni asylum-seeker made a video addressed to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel stating that after he had arrived in the UK on April 13 and found out about the Rwanda offshoring plans he had “no other choice but to kill myself.”

Related Topics:Asylum Seekers Deportation Featured Rwanda

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Musings From Abroad

World Bank supports Kenyan central bank’s interest rate hike

Published

11 hours ago

April 15, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The World Bank has noted that the decision of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) to raise interest rates, and the partial payment of its Eurobond have contributed to the recent stability of the Kenyan Shilling.

Bank of Kenya’s (CBK) Monetary Policy Committee raised the policy rate by 50 basis points to 13.00% at its first meeting of 2024 on February 6, 2024. The policy rate then rose to its highest level in more than ten years. It was a big surprise to most market experts that the rate went up after being raised by 200 basis points in December.

The Central Bank Rate (CBR) was raised twice in a row by CBK in December and February, bringing it up from 10.5% to 13%. The main goal was to support the shilling by getting foreign investors to put their money into local investments like government bonds.

The international lender says that the Central Bank of Kenya’s move to raise the benchmark lending rate has helped protect the local currency. They also say that the demand for shilling has grown because Eurobond notes that mature in June are being partially repaid.

So far this year, the shilling has gained the most value compared to other currencies in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Zambian Kwacha has also gained some value, but not as much.

“The Kenyan shilling is the best-performing currency in the sub-continent, and it recorded an appreciation of 16% so far this year. After strengthening by 14% in mid-February, the Zambian Kwacha has lost some ground and recorded a year-to-date appreciation of 2.4% as of mid-March. In both cases, the monetary authority hiked interest rates to defend their currencies,” the World Bank notes in a new regional outlook report.

Musings From Abroad

WHO says Nigeria is the first country to use new meningitis vaccine

Published

19 hours ago

April 15, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that Nigeria is the first country in the world to give out the “revolutionary” new vaccine— Men5CV.

Nigeria is one of the places in Africa where the sickness is doing the most damage. The WHO says that the number of yearly cases rose by 50% in 26 African countries that are considered to have a high risk of meningitis.

Nigeria reported 1686 possible cases of meningitis between October 1, 2022, and April 16, 2023. Of these, 124 people died, giving the country a case fatality rate (CFR) of 7%.

Meningitis is a very bad illness of the meninges, which are the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. It is a terrible disease that poses a big threat to public health.

“Nigeria’s rollout brings us one step closer to our goal to eliminate meningitis by 2030,” Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, was quoted as saying in a statement.

The WHO says that from October of last year to the middle of March of this year, there were 1,742 probable cases and 153 deaths in seven states in Nigeria.

The WHO said that the new vaccine will protect against all five major types of the disease that are common in Nigeria. This is different from the first vaccine, which only protected against one strain.