Articles

Pakistan announced in October that it would begin deporting “undocumented” foreign nationals starting on 1 November, affecting thousands of Afghans who have found refuge in the country. WFP said most families crossing the border are arriving hungry, desperate and in need of immediate support. The UN agency continues to supply them with fortified biscuits and cash to buy food or other basic necessities, and has assisted 250,000 people so far this month. Hsiao-Wei Lee, WFP Afghanistan...

Global perspective Human stories Refugees from Sudan wait to collect aid items in a border village in Chad (file). 21 November 2023Humanitarian Aid Funding constraints and rising humanitarian needs could force the World Food Programme (WFP) to halt assistance to more than a million people in Chad, including newly arrived refugees from Sudan, the UN agency said on Tuesday. The warning comes as aid agencies scramble to respond to a fresh wave of displacement sparked by the...

19 November 2023Migrants and Refugees A rising number of migrants are attempting the dangerous journey across the Darién jungle spanning the Colombia-Panama border. For Etzaida Rios, 35, the impact of providing hope and help runs deep. Migrants come ashore from the Chucunaque River after crossing the Darién jungle. A rising number of migrants are attempting the dangerous journey across the Darién jungle spanning the Colombia-Panama border. For Etzaida Rios, 35, the impact of...

The floods were caused by ongoing heavy rains and come in the wake of the longest and most severe drought on record, the impacts of which are still being felt by millions across the region. Among the greatest needs are food, emergency shelter, kitchen sets, blankets, clean water and hygiene services. Families living in flood-prone areas also require urgent support to relocate to higher ground. Damage, destruction and drownings More than 795,000 displacements have been recorded in Somalia...

10 November 2023Migrants and Refugees Escalating violence across the Darfur region in Sudan has sparked fears that atrocities committed two decades ago could be repeated, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday, voicing grave concern over the development. More than 800 people have been reportedly killed by armed groups in Ardamata, West Darfur, an area which has so far been less affected by the conflict that erupted in April. Ardamata also housed a camp for internally...

According to news reports, Pakistani security forces began detaining and deporting dozens of Afghans under the new policy this week after a Government deadline for them to leave ran out. The majority of undocumented refugees who have settled in Pakistan over decades are from neighbouring Afghanistan, and following the Taliban takeover, thousands more fled seeking sanctuary. The UN refugee agency UNHCR, migration agency IOM, together with children’s agency UNICEF, said they are “deeply...

Despite progress in clearing debris, the city still wears a haunting emptiness that is slowly returning to community life, thanks to support from the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM). Emel and her family were lucky to survive. Yet, their survival came at the heavy cost of losing everything they held dear. “My husband and I just bought a new house three years ago, after living with his parents for many years,” she said. “Our house was totally damaged. We couldn’t retrieve...

27 October 2023Human Rights Pakistan’s plan to deport “undocumented” foreign nationals will disproportionately affect more than 1.4 million Afghans in the country, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, said on Friday, expressing alarm. OHCHR is urging the authorities to halt deportations, which are set to begin on 1 November, Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told journalists in Geneva. Currently, more than two million undocumented Afghans are living in Pakistan, at least 600,000 of whom...

25 October 2023Migrants and Refugees More than 114 million people worldwide have been forced to flee their homes in the first nine months of this year due to conflict, persecution and human rights violations, UN refugee agency UNHCR said on Wednesday. War in Ukraine and conflicts in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Myanmar, drought, floods and insecurity in Somalia, as well as a prolonged humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan have been the main drivers of forced...

17 October 2023Migrants and Refugees Pakistan should immediately cancel plans to deport 1.4 million Afghan nationals back to their country, independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council urged on Tuesday. The Government of Pakistan, which has hosted millions of Afghans for decades, recently announced that all “undocumented” foreign nationals must leave the country by 1 November or face deportation to their countries of origin. These plans would impact many Afghans who...