Twenty one dead, 23 missing after boat capsizes off Djibouti coast, UN agency official says
Nairobi, Kenya Reuters Twenty-one migrants died and another 23 are missing after a boat carrying 77 people capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the second such incident in two weeks, the United Nations migration agency said on Tuesday. The boat’s occupants included children, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a post on social […]
More than 63,000 people dead or missing while migrating over last decade, IOM says
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters At least 63,285 people have perished or disappeared on migration routes around the world between 2014 and 2023, with most deaths caused by drowning, the UN migration agency said on Tuesday. A report published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on its Missing Migrants Project showed that the majority of deaths […]
Over 70 Rohingya dead or missing after boat capsizes off Indonesia’s Aceh
Jakarta, Indonesia Reuters More than 70 Rohingya are “presumed dead or missing” after a boat they were on capsized off the coast of Indonesia’s Aceh province, while 75 have been rescued, the UNHCR refugee agency said on Friday. The UNHCR said in a joint statement with the International Organization for Migration that if the death […]
Last year was deadliest year for migrants, UN agency says
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters At least 8,565 people died on migration routes across the world last year, making 2023 the deadliest year on record for migrants, according to the UN migration agency. A migrant gestures on the Geo Barents migrant rescue ship, operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), as it makes its way to […]
Updated: Haiti’s neighbours prepare for “drastic escalation” in violence after jailbreak
Updated 10:55am (AEDT) Port-au-Prince, Haiti Reuters Haiti’s neighbours on Monday began shoring up their defences and recalling embassy staff as a gang conflict in the Caribbean nation escalated and thousands fled fresh fighting. On Sunday, Haiti’s de facto government issued a 72-hour state of emergency and imposed nightly curfews after armed men busted thousands from […]
Charities turn on Italy’s government over rise in migrant sea deaths
Rome, Italy Reuters A group of charities accused Italy’s right-wing government on Thursday of obstructing life-saving sea missions and contributing to a sharp rise in migrant deaths, with tough immigration laws it adopted last year. More than 2,600 migrants died or went missing in the Central Mediterranean in the period from February, 2023, to February […]
Nearly 100 dead or missing migrants in Mediterranean so far in 2024 – IOM
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters Nearly 100 migrants have died or disappeared in the central and eastern Mediterranean since the beginning of 2024, more than double the toll recorded last year during the same period, the UN migration agency said on Monday. Handout image obtained by Reuters, on 12th October, 2023 shows a Medecins Sans Frontieres rescue […]
UN migration agency seeks $US7.9 billion for migrant support
Washington DC, US Reuters The United Nations migration agency aims to raise $US7.9 billion this year through a new funding push to bolster efforts to protect migrants, reduce displacement and expand avenues to migrate legally, it said on Monday. The Geneva-based International Organization for Migration is seeking funds from governments, private sector companies and individual […]
UN migration chief voices concern over Mediterranean deaths, pledges new solutions
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The new head of the UN migration agency on Monday voiced concern that the deaths of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean were being “normalised” and vowed to work with governments to provide options for economic migration to address the crisis. US former White House adviser Amy Pope started as head of […]
Libya floods sweep away migrants, and their hopes
Derna/Benghazi, LibyaReuters The small first-floor apartment in Derna became home away from home to Syrian migrant Ammar Kanaan, after the risk of drowning kept him from attempting the dangerous Mediterranean crossing to Europe that has cost the lives of so many. After fleeing Syria two years ago to avoid military service, Kanaan had found a […]