About 8 000 Nigerians have fled their homes around the troubled city of Jos following new sectarian attacks there over the weekend, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Wednesday. "The Nigerian Red Cross Society is distributing food and water to about 5 000 displaced people (IDPs) who have taken refuge in various police stations in the area and to about 300 detainees," the ICRC said in a statement. "An additional 3 000 people have fled from Jos to camps in the neighbouring state of Bauchi," it added.
The commissioner in the state of Plateau said on Wednesday that 109 people were killed in the attacks on Sunday morning in three Christian villages just outside Jos carried out by members of the mainly Muslim Fulani ethnic group.
The ICRC said Nigerian Red Cross volunteers evacuated 28 injured persons to Jos University Teaching Hospital and gave first aid to 137 wounded detainees at the city's police headquarters. Several hundreds of people were killed in Christian-Muslim clashes around Jos in January. Another 3 800 people displaced by clashes in January are still being sheltered in Bauchi, the ICRC said. Thousands have died in ethnic strife in recent years in Jos, which lies on the dividing line between Nigeria's mainly Muslim north and Christian-dominated south. Residents have said the killings on Sunday were part of a spiralling feud between the Fulani, who are nomadic herders, and the rival Berom clan, who are farmers, which was sparked by the theft of cattle.
Source: News 24
Showing posts with label Displacement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Displacement. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
‘We do not know where we belong’
ABDIRIZAK Abdullahi came to South Africa five years ago with only one dream – to live in peace away from the war, violence and terror in his homeland Somalia. But for the past 10 months Abdullahi and 179 fellow refugees have been living under “inhumane” conditions at the Riet Family Guidance Centre in Randfontein on the West Rand. They are forgotten refugees, displaced victims of the 2008 xenophobia attacks. Riet was supposed to provide temporary shelter for four months.
Their host, Ivan Kortje, the executive director of the centre, no longer wants them there but when he tried to have them removed last July he was stopped by a court interdict. He still does not know when they will leave. In the meantime, those who are supposed to be responsible are passing the buck.
Like thousands in his position, Abdullahi had to leave his home and belongings in Akasia, Pretoria, after the outbreak of xenophobic violence, which left 60 people dead and about 10000 foreigners displaced. He says: “When we were forced to run from our homes because of the violence, it reminded me of the time I left Somalia without my family. The war was raging and I left them there. I don’t know if they are still alive today.” The one thing he knows for sure, however, is that he wants to leave South Africa. Soon. In fact, he and a group of fellow Somali refugees attempted to do that last year but ended up in jail . Said Abdullahi: “We hired a few cars to cross into Botswana but when we arrived on the other side, we were arrested by Botswana police.” After unsuccessfully trying to negotiate with the Botswana and South African authorities, the group returned to South Africa and were shifted from one makeshift refugee camp to another.
Abdullahi spent 10 months in an Akasia camp. Then he and hundreds of others were moved to the Carroll Shaw Memorial Shelter in March last year. They stayed there for a month and were moved to Riet. Abdullahi says it has been a horrible experience since he fled his home in Pretoria. He reserves particularly harsh words for the United Nations high commissioner for refugees. “The UN brought us here but they have abandoned us. We have been sitting here hopeless. We can’t even leave the centre because we could get arrested for not having the proper papers,” he said. The conditions at the centre are atrocious. Their living quarters are in a squalid condition.
Sanitation is inadequate since all 179 people – including women and a number of new-born babies – have to share three toilets. There is one shower, without hot water. The sewerage system is dilapidated. Puddles of soapy water have formed in the entrance to the toilets. The refugees complain bitterly about the mosquitoes. Inside the sleeping quarters people are forced to sleep on the cold floor with a few blankets. Congolese refugee Mariah Mwala said Kortje took away the beds they were sleeping on seven months ago.
Kortje confirmed this. “They are not supposed to be here because they are not our responsibility,” he said. He said the government should take responsibility for the refugees because the centre was meant for abused women and children. Mwala showed us her tick- infested blankets. The centre does not provide any of the essentials because of what Kortje calls “budget constraints”. The saddest sight was seeing three new-born babies living under such harsh conditions. Their parents have not been able to access social grants for them because they do not have the correct refugee papers.
Jason Brickhill of the Legal Resources Centre, which blocked the removal of the refugees from the centre last year with a court interdict, said they were no closer to helping the refugees. The refugees are currently undergoing a series of interviews to assess their suitability for resettlement in other countries. Brickhill said the interviews would focus on the refugees’ personal details, skills, qualifications as well as to verify their status. Only after the interviews are completed will the UNHCR be able to approach countries willing to host them.
Abdi Farah, who also came to the country five years ago with Abdullahi, has almost lost hope. “We don’t know where we belong. Only God can help us now,” he says.
Source: The Sowetan
Their host, Ivan Kortje, the executive director of the centre, no longer wants them there but when he tried to have them removed last July he was stopped by a court interdict. He still does not know when they will leave. In the meantime, those who are supposed to be responsible are passing the buck.
Like thousands in his position, Abdullahi had to leave his home and belongings in Akasia, Pretoria, after the outbreak of xenophobic violence, which left 60 people dead and about 10000 foreigners displaced. He says: “When we were forced to run from our homes because of the violence, it reminded me of the time I left Somalia without my family. The war was raging and I left them there. I don’t know if they are still alive today.” The one thing he knows for sure, however, is that he wants to leave South Africa. Soon. In fact, he and a group of fellow Somali refugees attempted to do that last year but ended up in jail . Said Abdullahi: “We hired a few cars to cross into Botswana but when we arrived on the other side, we were arrested by Botswana police.” After unsuccessfully trying to negotiate with the Botswana and South African authorities, the group returned to South Africa and were shifted from one makeshift refugee camp to another.
Abdullahi spent 10 months in an Akasia camp. Then he and hundreds of others were moved to the Carroll Shaw Memorial Shelter in March last year. They stayed there for a month and were moved to Riet. Abdullahi says it has been a horrible experience since he fled his home in Pretoria. He reserves particularly harsh words for the United Nations high commissioner for refugees. “The UN brought us here but they have abandoned us. We have been sitting here hopeless. We can’t even leave the centre because we could get arrested for not having the proper papers,” he said. The conditions at the centre are atrocious. Their living quarters are in a squalid condition.
Sanitation is inadequate since all 179 people – including women and a number of new-born babies – have to share three toilets. There is one shower, without hot water. The sewerage system is dilapidated. Puddles of soapy water have formed in the entrance to the toilets. The refugees complain bitterly about the mosquitoes. Inside the sleeping quarters people are forced to sleep on the cold floor with a few blankets. Congolese refugee Mariah Mwala said Kortje took away the beds they were sleeping on seven months ago.
Kortje confirmed this. “They are not supposed to be here because they are not our responsibility,” he said. He said the government should take responsibility for the refugees because the centre was meant for abused women and children. Mwala showed us her tick- infested blankets. The centre does not provide any of the essentials because of what Kortje calls “budget constraints”. The saddest sight was seeing three new-born babies living under such harsh conditions. Their parents have not been able to access social grants for them because they do not have the correct refugee papers.
Jason Brickhill of the Legal Resources Centre, which blocked the removal of the refugees from the centre last year with a court interdict, said they were no closer to helping the refugees. The refugees are currently undergoing a series of interviews to assess their suitability for resettlement in other countries. Brickhill said the interviews would focus on the refugees’ personal details, skills, qualifications as well as to verify their status. Only after the interviews are completed will the UNHCR be able to approach countries willing to host them.
Abdi Farah, who also came to the country five years ago with Abdullahi, has almost lost hope. “We don’t know where we belong. Only God can help us now,” he says.
Source: The Sowetan
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Thousands of Somalis flee fighting in Mogadishu
More than 43 000 civilians have fled fierce fighting between insurgents and government forces in the Somali capital Mogadishu over the past 12 days, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Wednesday.
Civilians have been caught in the crossfire as the warring parties battle with mortars and automatic weapons in the north of the city. About 200 have died and more than 500 have been injured since the latest battles began.
The streets of north Mogadishu are empty, witnesses say, save for Islamist insurgents taking up positions to attack embattled pro-government militias.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Civilians have been caught in the crossfire as the warring parties battle with mortars and automatic weapons in the north of the city. About 200 have died and more than 500 have been injured since the latest battles began.
The streets of north Mogadishu are empty, witnesses say, save for Islamist insurgents taking up positions to attack embattled pro-government militias.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Cape Town takes down tents as storm clouds gather
With the weather bureau predicting the Cape’s first massive winter storm this weekend, the City of Cape Town has decided to start dismantling the last remaining tents still housing about 400 displaced foreign nationals in the Blue Waters refugee-camp outside Muizenberg.
More than a year after hundreds of thousands foreign nationals were displaced in the Cape, about 400 mainly Somali and Congolese nationals -- including about 150 children -- are still in tents and have refused to integrate back into Cape townships. They want to return to their countries of origin because they fear for their lives in South Africa.
These people have been living in tents for more than a year. Last week the city of Cape Town served orders on the camp saying that they will evict people still living in Blue Waters.
Source: Mail & Guardian
More than a year after hundreds of thousands foreign nationals were displaced in the Cape, about 400 mainly Somali and Congolese nationals -- including about 150 children -- are still in tents and have refused to integrate back into Cape townships. They want to return to their countries of origin because they fear for their lives in South Africa.
These people have been living in tents for more than a year. Last week the city of Cape Town served orders on the camp saying that they will evict people still living in Blue Waters.
Source: Mail & Guardian
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Another 11,000 people have been uprooted in the latest Lords Resistance Army (LRA) attack around the village of Banda in north-eastern DRC in mid-March, bringing the total number of people displaced by the militia group's repeated raids in the Haut Uele district of Oriental province to over 188,000 in the last six months.
Since September 2008, over 990 Congolese have been murdered by the LRA and 747 abducted, the vast majority of them children.
The displaced Congolese, whose homesteads were pillaged and burned by the LRA, now live with host families. Many of the internally displaced people (IDP) are scattered in Niangara, Bangadi, Ngilima, Mbengu, Ndedu and Dakwa in Haut-Uele district. An estimated 105,000 are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Source: UNHCR
Since September 2008, over 990 Congolese have been murdered by the LRA and 747 abducted, the vast majority of them children.
The displaced Congolese, whose homesteads were pillaged and burned by the LRA, now live with host families. Many of the internally displaced people (IDP) are scattered in Niangara, Bangadi, Ngilima, Mbengu, Ndedu and Dakwa in Haut-Uele district. An estimated 105,000 are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
Source: UNHCR
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
June 2007 marked the 40th anniversary of Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. During this entire period, Israel has denied millions of Palestinian residents their basic rights and has prevented them from taking part in decisions affecting their fate. The occupation permeates every aspect of Palestinians' daily lives, with violations of the right to life and bodily integrity, freedom of movement, employment, family life, housing, health, education, and human dignity forming an inescapable part of their reality.
In the field of human rights in the Occupied Territories, ACRI is a key player in the struggle to ensure the fundamental rights of the Palestinian population. ACRI's efforts are designed to redress the broad range of human rights violations while bringing pressure to bear on the Israeli government to fulfill its obligations under international law to ensure the protection and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under occupation.
Source: Association for Civil Rights in Israel
In the field of human rights in the Occupied Territories, ACRI is a key player in the struggle to ensure the fundamental rights of the Palestinian population. ACRI's efforts are designed to redress the broad range of human rights violations while bringing pressure to bear on the Israeli government to fulfill its obligations under international law to ensure the protection and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under occupation.
Source: Association for Civil Rights in Israel
Thursday, June 22, 1989
Disarmament and Development
Disarmament agreements between the Superpowers will do more than remove the threat of annihilation from the planet. With such agreements in place, many of the resources now wasted on thermonuclear, chemical, biological and conventional weapons could be released for investment in economic and social development programmes in the South. Disarmament between the East and West should be linked with programmes for justice between the North and South.
A proportion of the substantial funds which the highly industrialised countries of the West and the East would save as a result of negotiated disarmament should be utilised to create a multinational fund to promote a secure and sustainable development in the countries of the South.
Source: Socialist International
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES OF THE SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL
Adopted by the XVIII Congress, Stockholm, June 1989, para 54-55
A proportion of the substantial funds which the highly industrialised countries of the West and the East would save as a result of negotiated disarmament should be utilised to create a multinational fund to promote a secure and sustainable development in the countries of the South.
Source: Socialist International
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES OF THE SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL
Adopted by the XVIII Congress, Stockholm, June 1989, para 54-55
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