Starvation in Somalia

DOLLO ADO, Ethiopia, September 30 (UNHCR) – When Hassen Ibrahim arrived recently in Ethiopia, the teenager had not seen his parents for more than two years. "As the eldest son, I stayed behind to take care of my grandmother, who was too sick to travel," explained the 15-year-old, shortly after crossing into eastern Ethiopia after fleeing drought-hit Somalia.

Hassen is one of an increasing number of unaccompanied children who are arriving at refugee camps set up in Ethiopia's Dollo Ado district. Most were obliged to stay behind to look after ailing or elderly relatives who could not make the arduous journey to Ethiopia from their homes in southern Somalia.

Many, like Hassen, made their own way to the border when the relative died or when it became too difficult to survive in their villages. But the journey to safety is fraught with danger, particularly for young males travelling on their own – unaccompanied minors are seen by UNHCR as highly vulnerable.

Those caught fleeing to Ethiopia are seen as traitors by the anti-government Al Shabaab militia and many newly arrived refugees have tales of seeing teenagers and young men being kidnapped, forcibly recruited or even executed.

Hassen was among the lucky ones who made it to Ethiopia unharmed and found their families. According to initial estimates, there could be as many as 2,500 unaccompanied children in Dollo Ado's four refugee camps. The number who failed to make it to safety is not known.

When his parents and siblings left for Ethiopia in mid-2000, Hassen stayed behind in their village to look after his grandmother. But she died last July, leaving Hassen alone and desperate to rejoin his family. "The goats had all died and there was no way for me to survive. I had to try to find my family," he recalled.

It took him three days to reach the border, traveling by donkey cart and foot, he said, adding that when he got to Dollo Ado, "I didn't know what to do. I knew that my family was here but there was no way for me to find them. I felt so distraught."

Within hours, UNHCR registration clerks managed to trace Hassen's parents and five siblings to Kobe camp. Two days later he was reunited with his family, who had been asking UNHCR staff every day if they knew of Hassen's whereabouts.

When he finally arrived in Kobe, the family was overjoyed to greet him, and his father wept with happiness. "I am so grateful to UNHCR for finding my family, I feel like I'm at home again," he told UNHCR staff.

Earlier this month, UNHCR, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Save the Children (USA) jointly carried out an extensive screening exercise to better determine the exact number of unaccompanied and separated children in the camps.

UNHCR's registration team plays a vital role in reuniting families by tracing relatives through a comprehensive database system which records every refugee's name, place of origin and clan ethnicity. Photographs and fingerprints are also taken to verify identity. For those children whose relatives cannot be traced, UNHCR will ensure that appropriate foster families are found so that no child is left alone.

"I hope that now I'm in Ethiopia, I can go to school. I've never been to school before," Hassen said as he played with the five-month-old sister he met for the first time after arriving in Dollo Ado. "I'm so happy to be back with my family. This is where I belong."

By Laura Padoan in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia

Visit UNHCR to learn more or donate

Abuse at the EU border

EU: Border Agency Exposes Migrants to Abusive Conditions
Frontex Sends Migrants to Inhuman and Degrading Treatment in Greek Detention Centers

September 21, 2011

Frontex has become a partner in exposing migrants to treatment that it knows is absolutely prohibited under human rights law. To end this complicity in inhuman treatment, the EU needs to tighten the rules for Frontex operations and make sure that Frontex is held to account if it breaks the rules in Greece or anywhere else.

Bill Frelick, Refugee Program director

(Brussels) – Frontex, the European Union’s external border enforcement agency, is exposing migrants to inhuman and degrading conditions, Human Rights Watch said in a report issued today. Migrants apprehended along Greece’s land border with Turkey are sent to overcrowded detention centers in Greece, Human Rights Watch said.

EU justice and interior ministers are expected to approve changes to the rules governing Frontex operations at a two-day meeting starting on September 22, 2011, but the changes do not go far enough to remedy the situation, Human Rights Watch said.

The 62-page report, “The EU’s Dirty Hands: Frontex Involvement in Ill-Treatment of Migrant Detainees in Greece,” assesses Frontex’s role in and responsibility for exposing migrants to inhuman and degrading detention conditions during four months beginning late in 2010 when its first rapid border intervention team (RABIT) was apprehending migrants and taking them to police stations and migrant detention centers in Greece’s Evros region. The RABIT deployment has been replaced by a permanent Frontex presence.

“Frontex has become a partner in exposing migrants to treatment that it knows is absolutely prohibited under human rights law,” said Bill Frelick, Refugee Program director at Human Rights Watch. “To end this complicity in inhuman treatment, the EU needs to tighten the rules for Frontex operations and make sure that Frontex is held to account if it breaks the rules in Greece or anywhere else.”

In November 2010, Frontex, the EU agency for the management of operational cooperation at external borders, began providing Greece with manpower and material support to patrol its borders along the Evros River with Turkey. Frontex sent175 border guards for Frontex’s first RABIT deployment from a pool provided by participating European states. Frontex calls the border guards “guest officers.”

The report is based on interviews with 65 migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Greece in November and December 2010 and February 2011, as well as with Frontex and Greek police officials. In December 2010, during the RABIT deployment, Human Rights Watch visited detention centers in the Evros region and found that the Greek authorities were holding migrants, including members of vulnerable groups, such as unaccompanied children, for weeks or months in conditions that amounted to inhuman and degrading treatment.

For example, the Feres police station held 97 detainees at the time of Human Rights Watch’s visit, though the police said its capacity was 30. A 50-year-old Georgian woman detained there said: “You cannot imagine how dirty and difficult it is for me here… It's not appropriate to be with these men. I don't sleep at night. I just sit on a mattress.”

In the Fylakio migrant detention center, Human Rights Watch found unaccompanied children mixed with unrelated adults in overcrowded cells. Sewage was running on the floors, and the smell was hard to bear. Greek guards wore surgical masks when they entered the passageway between the large barred cells.

“While the primary focus of this report is how Frontex has a responsibility not to be complicit in human rights violations, that doesn’t absolve the Greek authorities,” Frelick said. “The Greek government should take immediate steps to improve detention conditions and carry out the asylum system reforms it promised.”

During the RABIT deployment, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), a Council of Europe court that also binds EU states, issued a judgment, M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece, which found that conditions in Greek migrant detention centers were inhuman and degrading. The court said Belgium violated its human rights obligations by knowingly exposing an Afghan asylum seeker to such treatment when it transferred him back to Greece.

“It’s a disturbing contradiction that at the same time that the European Court of Human Rights was categorically ruling that sending migrants to detention in Greece violated their fundamental rights, Frontex, an EU executive agency, and border guards from EU states were knowingly sending them there,” Frelick said.

Frontex activities in Greece do not comply with the standards set out in the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, by which Frontex is bound, Human Rights Watch said. Since the obligation not toexpose people to inhuman and degrading treatment is absolute, the onus is on the EU to work with Greece to rectify detention conditions before it cooperates with Greece in activities that are intricately linked to the task of detaining migrants.

Frontex should immediately make its engagement in border enforcement operations in Greece contingent on placing apprehended migrants in facilities with decent conditions, Human Rights Watch said. This could be achieved by transferring them to other areas of Greece where detention standards meet human rights requirements or by making detention spaces available in other places in the EU where conditions meet international and EU standards.

Amendments to the Frontex regulation, expected to be adopted this week, recognize the need for enhanced human rights scrutiny of its operations. They create a position for a fundamental rights officer within Frontex and a consultative body on human rights with civil society representation.

These measures are a start, but insufficient because they don’t provide a mechanism to hold Frontex to account when its operations breach human rights and EU law, Human Rights Watch said. The fundamental rights officer should be given the mandate to refer breaches to the European Commission for investigation and enforcement.

“As new migration crises emerge in the Mediterranean basin and as Frontex’s responsibilities expand, there is an urgent need to shift EU asylum and migration policy from enforcement-first to protection-first.” Frelick said. “This is not only legally required, but the EU, its agencies, and member states can and should respect and meet the EU’s own standards.”

Somalia Famine- 10 ways you can help RIGHT NOW

Despite airlifting 300 metric tons of aid and counting, the situation in Somalia for tens of thousands of people remains precarious. Weakened by malnutrition and a perilous journey to safety, children are increasingly falling victim to measles and mortality rates remain high.


The famine now plaguing Somalia could quickly spread across the country and may affect other areas of the Horn of Africa if not addressed through rapid response. Please take steps now with some of all of these 10 simple actions:

1. Donate Online:

Donating online is the quickest and most direct way to ensure that your donations will support UNHCR's work in Somalia and the refugee camps where thousands of Somali famine victims arrive each day. It's fast, easy and secure.

Every day of delay in assistance is literally a matter of life or death for children and their families in the famine-affected areas.
 
2. Share This Video:


"Help the UN Refugee Agency Save Lives in Somalia"

In the last three months, 30,000 children have died from the effects of the famine in the Horn of Africa. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres has called the famine in this war-affected country "the worst humanitarian disaster in the world."

Please share this video to let Somalia know we will not stop helping until the famine has ended.

3. Let Your Friends Know:

Now that you know how to help fight the famine in Somalia, share the knowledge! With more people taking action, the UN Refugee Agency will be able to rush additional aid to those affected by the devastating famine in the Horn of Africa.

> Share These 10 Ways to Help on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn

> Forward this email to your friends

4. Text SOMALIA to 80000 to Donate $10 to USA for UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency.


Help fight famine and save lives in the Horn of Africa: Text SOMALIA to 80000 to donate $10 to USA for UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency. $10 will be charged to your phone bill, with the funds going to support our work in Somalia. Plus, you can donate up to two times for a total contribution of $20.

5. Get a Blue Key to Show Your Support.

The Blue Key is our icon to raise awareness of the plight of refugees and inspire action. Donate $5 to the Blue Key Campaign and receive the Blue Key (available as both a pin and a pendant), and become a member of our online community of refugee advocates and champions. $5 gets you a Key, but additional donations are appreciated! All funds raised through the campaign will go to support UNHCR’s life-saving operations in more than 125 countries around the world.

You can also get several Blue Keys as gifts for friends to let them know about what you're doing to help the UN Refugee Agency's work in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

6. Join the Emergency Response Team.


Regular monthly gifts to USA for UNHCR mean our Emergency Response Team gets the support it needs to go straight into action when a crisis arises. A monthly donation is easy, cost-efficient, and makes such a big difference to our work – so much so that we consider monthly supporters as truly one of the team. Join the Emergency Response Team today!

7. Host a Fundraiser in your Community.

There are many different types of fundraisers or events you can organize. Some ideas involve a single person encouraging friends, family, neighbors and colleagues to make a donation. Others are designed for a group, such as a classroom, office or sports team, to do together. Your fundraiser can be big or small, anywhere from a public concert to an intimate dinner party with friends.

No matter what you choose to do, remember that USA for UNHCR is behind you, ready to answer questions and provide materials. Learn more.

8. Subscribe to USA for UNHCR's free eNewsletter to receive updates.

Sign up online to become a UNHCR Insider and learn more about the refugee cause. You’ll receive weekly enewsletters with an on-the-ground view of refugee emergencies from Somalia, Libya, Darfur, Afghanistan, Iraq, and around the world.

9. Donate a Tweet a day to @UNRefugeeAgency.

JustCoz.org is an online relay system that lets you donate a tweet a day to help raise awareness for causes that matter to you. By donating a tweet a day to us, we'll be able to spread awareness together. And, it's completely free!

10. RSVP here to show your support on Twitter, then invite your friends by sharing the link.

Show you are supporting the UN Refugee Agency's work in on our Somalia Text-to-Give page. It's an online event - so you don't have to show up anywhere - but saying you're supporting our text-to-give campaign is free and helps raise awareness for others to give using their mobile phone.

Let's get this DONE!!! Thanks all!

Tell Congress to act- a letter from RI

Dear Supporter,

Today, Somalia is facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Nearly 25 percent of Somalia’s population has been displaced by ongoing conflict and a food crisis that has affected some 12 million people throughout the entire Horn of Africa. The drought has decimated crops and livestock, forcing millions of refugees to seek help in camps in neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya. Every day the situation worsens throughout the entire region.

Right now, Congress needs to act. Representative Donald Payne has sponsored a Resolution that promotes the U.S. Administration’s current efforts to respond to the crisis and calls on the U.S. government to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need. It also highlights the importance of sustainable agricultural assistance that will prevent this type of tragedy in the future.

We need your help! Please urge your Representative to co-sponsor this resolution.

More than 50 members of Congress have already supported the resolution, but we need your help to call on every Representative to speak out for the victims of this crisis. And if your member has already offered their support, please thank them for their efforts.

Tell Congress to take this important step to end this humanitarian disaster.

Thank you for your support.


Sincerely,

Ariela Blätter
Director of Policy and Advocacy
Refugees International

Somalia : A Man-Made Famine

Famine has been officially declared in parts of Somalia as the whole of the Horn of Africa deals with the worst drought in over half a century. Severe food shortages, armed conflict, and corruption plague Somalia – a country that for years has been the center stage of the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis.” RI continues to call attention to millions of Somalis who have been uprooted by violence and are now struggling to find food. Thousands stream daily into neighboring countries that are facing their own food shortages, and many of those Somalis arrive severely malnourished and dehydrated. This crisis is not going to end any time soon. RI is calling on the U.S. government to ease current administrative restrictions on aid agencies so that lifesaving assistance can reach those most in need in the coming months.
 
Go here to learn more

Somali Refugee Children; a report from UNHCR

50% of Somali Refugee Children Suffer from Malnutrition


Levels of malnutrition among refugee children are catastrophic. Up to 50% of Somali children arriving in Ethiopia and Kenya are seriously malnourished, utterly exhausted and sometimes dying within 24 hours of reaching safety.

Please support UNHCR’s existing refugee relief in Kenya and Ethiopia and help us establish new camps to provide shelter, food, water and protection for thousands of new refugees.

According to UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, 25% of Somalia’s 7.5 million people are now forcibly displaced. "The drought, compounded by prevailing violence in southern and central parts of the country, is turning one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises into a human tragedy of unimaginable proportions," says Guterres.

Overcrowding is a major problem. Originally built for 90,000 refugees, the Dadaab camps in Kenya are now home to 382,000 people. On average, 1,400 more refugees arrive every day.

We have already delivered 100 tons of aid to Ethiopia by air. Now, a land convoy of 20 trucks, loaded with thousands of tents, is on the way.

You can help multiply these efforts. Your generous contribution will help people who are streaming into our camps with nothing but the clothes they wear.

Any amount will make a difference:

•$200 will provide an all-weather tent to shelter a refugee family.
•$100 will provide a refugee with a survival kit containing a blanket, a mattress, a kitchen set, a stove and soap.
•$50 will provide a therapeutic feeding kit to help feed five children.


Thank you,

UNHCR

The Facts

More than 250,000 Afghans have fled their villages during the past two years of fighting, Refugees International says, in a report critical of U.S. Special Forces and other international and Afghan military operations for exacerbating the displacement of civilians.”

– Associated Press, June 27, 2011

“A harrowing new report from Refugees International shows that insurgent attacks in Afghanistan are on the rise and the number of displaced Afghan's has skyrocketed over the past year.”

– UN Dispatch, June 28, 2011

“Refugees International says that many of those critical [Afghan] local police units are now so corrupt that Congress should stop funding them until strict recruiting and discipline standards are met.”

– CNN, June 25, 2011

These are just a few quotes from the media stories this week highlighting Refugees International’s groundbreaking report on the growing displacement crisis in Afghanistan.

Can you please donate today?

Refugees International receives no government or UN funding, which allows us to speak truth to power.

We cannot do our work without your support.

 

Thank you.

Tragedy at Sea

“We are witnessing a humanitarian tragedy, with now more than one thousand people possibly dead.” - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres.

After weeks of airstrikes and bombings within civilian areas of Libya, the situation has taken a stark turn. Last Friday, May 7th, a boat carrying 600 refugees capsized while crossing the Mediterranean Sea in an effort to reach Europe. Although a few survived, it is believed most of these asylum-seekers have drowned.


As if this was not enough of a tragedy, UNHCR is receiving eyewitness reports from those who survived crossing the Mediterranean that African migrant workers are being forced onto overcrowded, unsafe vessels to face an uncertain fate on the sea.

“It is our shared obligation to be sensitive to the plight of these refugees and share the burden with Tunisia and Egypt," says Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Donate today. $350 will evacuate a stranded refugee to safety, away from the Libyan borders. Or, $100 provides a survival kit containing a blanket, a mattress, a kitchen set, a cooking stove and soap.

Honor Your Mother by Supporting Refugee Mothers from Around The World

With Mother's Day soon approaching, we hope that you'll consider all that your mother has provided for you.

Refugee mothers, who have often fled violence and persecution to save their family, struggle every day to ensure the care of their own children.

Donate in honor of your mother this week, and we'll send her a beautiful e-card notifying her of your contribution.

We hope you enjoy this opportunity to show your mother your appreciation for her hard work, and honor the refugee mothers who are still providing for their children in the midst of their hardship.

Angelina Jolie asks for more aid

Angelina Jolie, UN Refugee Agency Goodwill Ambassador Speaks Out: "More Aid for Libya & Ivory Coast"

One camp, many complexities. That’s what the UN Refugee Agency’s Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie encountered on Tuesday when she visited a camp near the Tunisian-Libyan border.

Jolie was on a two-day visit to Tunisia to highlight the plight of nearly 440,000 people who fled Libya into surrounding countries since early March. More than half of them are in Tunisia, most of them migrants who had been working in Libya and others from war-torn countries.

During her Tunisia visit, Jolie also called for more international support for the relief operation at Choucha transit camp, and led the way by donating an ambulance to transport the injured from the border and by sponsoring an evacuation flight for 177 people to return to their countries of origin.

While visiting the Choucha transit camp, Jolie met a family from Somalia that had been displaced repeatedly for 18 years. They first fled the conflict at home for the Middle East, but were sent back.

They then tried leaving by boat, but were arrested and detained in Libya for five months, even the five-year-old daughter. They arrived at Choucha camp two weeks ago.

"I hope this is the final place before you find the country where you can finally be at home and stop having to keep moving," she told them.

At the Ras Adjir border point, an average of 2,000 people continue to arrive daily from Libya. The Choucha transit camp remains a temporary home to more than 7,000 people who had recently fled the fighting in Libya.

UNHCR has airlifted massive amounts of aid, including tents for thousands of people at the borders and items such as kitchen sets, blankets, sleeping mats, jerry cans and tarpaulins. It has also set up a transit camp for 20,000 people near the border at the request of the Tunisian government.

The Goodwill Ambassador also spoke to an Ivorian woman who was listening to the radio for the latest developments in Ivory Coast. The woman had left her four-year-old daughter in Abidjan to find work in Libya, but had to leave for Tunisia amid the recent unrest. She was anxious because the last time they had spoken on the phone, the little girl had been without food and drink for days.

"Ivory Coast has seen unrest and poverty for years and the situation is complicated," said Jolie. "But if the fighting eases, it would be an important step. The first question would be – how quickly can the first influx of aid come? We have to get relief to them immediately."

Over 136,000 people have fled the Ivory Coast for neighboring countries since the post-election violence started in November. As many as 1 million others are believed to be displaced within the country.

To deal with this massive influx, UNHCR teams have set up a rapid emergency registration system. We are also distributing emergency aid across villages where refugees are sheltered and in the Bahn refugee camp.

However, the UN Refugee Agency needs donor help for its growing emergency response. Funding is needed for our operations in Liberia and Ivory Coast, including purchase and transportation of emergency aid supplies.

Follow Angelina's Lead. Support Humanitarian Aid in Libya and Ivory Coast.

On the Ground in Tunis- from Refugees International

Day One: Tunis
By Dara McLeod

We arrived in Tunisia yesterday evening – the place where it all started. It’s hard to imagine that the popular revolutions sweeping across the Arab world began with one Tunisian man and his modest fruit stand.

But driving in from the airport, you see signs that this country’s revolution is still fresh – military tanks and soldiers on the streets, barbed wire surrounding the central police station across from our hotel.

And it is the very newness of this country’s government that makes its response to the people fleeing across its eastern border with Libya remarkable. Today was our first and only full day in Tunis, and it was spent in meetings trying to better understand how Tunisia is coping with the recent influx of the tens of thousands of people fleeing the violence in Libya. And by all accounts, Tunisia’s transitional government has handled its first crisis professionally, and with a great deal of solidarity amongst the Tunisian people. The country’s military is keeping a solid control over the situation at the border. And we’re told stories of local communities in the area providing shelter and food – some 2000 – 3000 meals per day.

But in our meeting today with Radhouane Nouicer, Tunisia’s new Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, we are reminded that this is a difficult period for the fragile infrastructure in Tunisia. And this government in transition won’t be able to handle the burden of a large, unemployed population for too long. The international community must continue to pay attention to the problem of those leaving Libya. It is not going away. And if conditions within Libya continue to deteriorate, the world must be prepared for an influx of people seeking protection. Because it is too much to ask that this new government bears the burden alone.

Continue reading on RI's blog all this week for daily updates from Dara.

Refugees International says THANKS

To highlight just a few of our successes this year, which all of you have contributed to:


1. After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, our efforts have helped to expand and improve the humanitarian response in Haiti and more than doubled the number of policemen protecting women from gender-based violence. We also are successfully shaping the global debate over effective leadership of aid programs after natural disasters.

2. As the referendum for independence approaches in Sudan this coming January, we have worked at all levels to sound the alarm about the risk of violence between the north and south, prompting humanitarian agencies to launch more effective plans to respond to vulnerable communities. We were also the first to call attention to potential dangers faced by southern Sudanese living in the north, who could lose all citizenship rights and protections if the south opts for independence. Our call to guarantee their safety has been taken up by the U.S. Administration and other international organizations.

3. In Pakistan, we have successfully pressured the Obama administration to cut off funding, training and equipment to Pakistani army units that have committed gross human rights violations. And in response to the catastrophic floods, we issued a groundbreaking report outlining necessary steps the U.S. and international groups must take to prepare for and respond to climate disasters.

You are a critical part of our work. These are just a few of the significant accomplishments RI has achieved in 2010 for displaced people; and there are still so many opportunities for continued impact in 2011. Please support our efforts before December 31st by visiting www.refugeesinternational.org/donate.
 
THANK YOU!!!

In the words of a refugee...

"We're not sure what will happen in the future. . . My family fled when I was just a baby. I came back because this is my homeland."

These are the words of Abdul, who shared his fears with Refugees International in south Sudan. His family, village, and country are preparing for a vote for independence that may permanently split Sudan in two.  For twenty years he lived in exile. Today, he again faces the threat of violence.
"For some of us who have left before, we would rather die here than leave again."

We cannot let this be his choice. Over the past several months we have spoken to many like Abdul. We have heard a chorus of concerns for families caught in the complex web of the referendum while struggling to rebuild their lives.

Right now, your support is critical. Donate to Refugees International today.

Your funding gives us the important opportunity to carry forward our efforts to:

-Ensure the U.S. and international community do all they can to prevent a resumption of war between north and south;

-Protect people from the potential loss of citizenship and human rights abuses if the south votes to separate;

-Guarantee that communities have access to the basics -- water, education, health care, protection from harm and increase support for women's programs.

At the year's end, we must raise critical funds to sustain our work. Around the world -- from Sudan to Pakistan to Haiti -- powerful voices like Abdul's must be amplified into lifesaving action. We accept no government or UN funding and cannot accomplish our humanitarian mission without your support.

In the most challenging times, Refugees International has been successful because of the generous support of individuals like you.

Give today.

Thank you!

Today on GlobalGiving- Your donations will be matched 30%-50%!!!

WOEZO FOUNDATION MATCHING DAY!!!

Help 450+ repatriated refugee children attend FREE school in Liberia! Please use this link to make donations to the Educate Repatriated Refugee Children in Liberia Fund and GlobalGiving will match 30-50% until funds last!!! Thank you donors & GlobalGiving!!!

Such a great opportunity to make your giving go a little further- I know I am jumping on this today!

Repatriation of Congolese from Zambia reaches 40,000

Refugee Camps Closing
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo, September 24(UNHCR) –

The number of Congolese refugees repatriated from neighbouring Zambia by UNHCR since 2007 has topped the 40,000 mark.

Congolese refugees in the back of a truck after returning to Katanga province from Zambia.

The milestone was passed last Sunday when a UNHCR-chartered boat carrying 555 people arrived at Moba in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Katanga province after crossing LakeTanganyika from the north Zambian port of Mpulungu. On Wednesday, a further 527 refugees arrived in Moba from Zambia.  The refugees had been living in the Mwange and Kala refugee camps after fleeing their homeland to escape conflict. They now feel the security situation has improved enough for them to go home.

UNHCR plans to close Mwange camp on Tuesday and Kala camp next month, before the voluntary repatriation programme is wrapped up at the end of this year. Some 7,200 refugees were repatriated in 2007, when the programme began, and about 6,200 so far this year. A peak in returns was reached in 2009, when UNHCR helped almost 17,000 go back to the DRC by boat or vehicle.  The plan for 2010 is to repatriate 7,000. So we are way on target. The willingness of Congolese refugees at Kala and Mwange to repatriate is very high," Phillipe Creppy, head of UNHCR's sub-office in the Zambian town of Kawambwa, told journalists on Thursday. He said the milestone had been reached thanks to support from the two governments and donors.  Refugees who do not want to go home are being moved from Mwange to the Meheba Refugee Settlement in Zambia's North-Western Province.


Although other parts of the DRC remain volatile, especially the Kivu provinces to the north, Katanga has been relatively peaceful since the country's warring rivals signed a peace accord in 2003. Those arriving recently in Moba from Zambia have said they feel more confident about the situation in their vast province. 

"Even if I do not have a job in DRC, I have to go back home with my family. I have to go back because I am Congolese," Kibingwa Malinga, a 45-year-old doctor, told UNHCR after stepping off the boat that recently brought him and his family to Moba. Doctors will certainly be needed in Katanga's recovery.

On arrival at Moba, the boats carrying refugees home from Zambia are always greeted by a loud and cheerful crowd of happy relatives, government officials and aid workers, including UNHCR staff.

Some 20,000 Congolese refugees are still being hosted in Zambia, but most have expressed the wish to go home. Many have learned skills in Zambia's camps, including agriculture, fishing or carpentry. These will help them build a new life back home.

Indeed, some of the returnees are thriving in Katanga. Kasenge wa Kasenge, for example, came back from Zambia at the end of 2009 and opened a transportation company in Moba. He now owns three trucks and runs a general store. When he fled to Zambia, he had only US$250 in his pocket.  In Katanga, UNHCR and its partners also provide skills training for the returnees and support income-generation projects and micro-credit schemes. Returnees receive food and shelter assistance to get started and are offered transportation back to their home areas.

By Celine Schmitt in Moba, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kelvin Shimo in Kasama, Zambia

WORLD BRIDGE BLOG- The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Make it a Fair Fight- Establish Better Early Warning Systems

As the heinous details of the attack on a village in Livungu in the Democratic Republic of Congo continue to unfold, it is quite natural for one to ask themselves, “Who is at fault?” “What more could have been done?” “ Why didn’t the peacekeepers prevent this?” Pointing fingers is usually the most immediate and emotional response to a tragedy of this scale, but at the end of the day, only the perpetrators should be blamed. However, there is one question that I heard after the news broke, that I will never forget. “When will there be a fair fight?”
A “fair fight”. This is a concept that usually comes to mind during organized battles or even physical matches for entertainment. But in this instance we’re talking about strong, ruthless, and undisciplined rebel groups who have no clear agenda, no respect for humanitarian law, and obviously no regard for human lives pillaging defenseless groups of people for their personal gratification. So “fairness” in a “fight” with a sole aggressor is an elusive concept to say the least.

But time and time again, in similar situations, we’ve seen communities make their fights “fair” by developing self defense groups. Many of us remember how the Mai Mai and other rebel groups that we see today were initially formulated- young men and women who picked up arms in order to defend their villagers. But ten years later, disarming them became a challenge as they grew in size, scope, and influence. These self defense groups often transform into rebel groups or become increasingly difficult to disarm when conflicts end. You can’t blame communities for defending themselves when the there are no formal security forces capable of defending them. In the case of DRC, it’s a story we’ve heard before. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in DRC, MONUSCO, doesn’t have the resources or capacity. The Congolese national army, FARDC, is undisciplined, undertrained, and at times perpetrators. The Congolese landscape is too difficult to navigate. And in the meantime, what happens? When you hear of one month old baby boys and 110 year old great-great-grandmother’s being raped, how can you not demand a fair fight? How can you expect the young people in the village to sit back and allow the dignities of their mothers and children to be stripped without regard? But it also sets a very dangerous precedent to encourage communities to fight to defend themselves. So what do we do?

I would never advocate for supplying arms or any other type of weapons to vulnerable communities, but perhaps it is time for the international community to seek out more creative ways to provide civilians with protection through organizational and systemic support. Relying on existing systems and bodies to do more than they can is not enough. Community empowerment is a concept that is rarely approached from a protection point of view, but as the burdens and demands on security forces continue to grow, we should seek more ways to empower and help communities to defend themselves.

In Haiti, due to the rise in rape in camp, communities have organized and employed the use of whistles and flashlights to help prevent rapes and other violent attacks. The type and scale of violence in the DRC is obviously far more complicated for whistles and flashlights to prove effective, however the value of community leaders and their traditional communication systems can’t be underestimated. In most cases of attacks, like the one that happened in Livungu, community members often know before hand when perpetrators are in the area or close by. Donors should strive to invest in the telecommunications systems - so that communities can raise the alarm when attacked. The next step is to then give peacekeepers the power and ability to respond to these calls for help. If community leaders are equipped with the resources to alert peacekeepers or other forces in the area of impending dangers, perhaps instances like this would not happen as frequently. Of course there are times when security forces themselves are the perpetrators, but we have to start somewhere. By organizing communities and supporting their ideas and systems that they may already have in place, we can at least dissuade perpetrators from attacks for fear that they may be thwarted or decrease the number of victims.

RI has continually highlighted the importance of establishing early warning systems in vulnerable communities. Elaborate and detailed systems for evacuation and response have been designed for areas that are prone to natural disaster, but the same level of attention and community based investment is not dedicated to conflict prone areas. The Lack of early warning systems is not unique to the DRC, but the attention that this incident has received should be an impetus to find better ways of empowering communities , and making it a ‘fairer fight.”

Update from the Field: Democratic Republic of Congo, Refugees International

From DRC, Unfiltered: Notes from Kinshasa

Wed, 08/04/2010 - 11:59 I'm writing to you from our hotel lobby, running on three hours of sleep, with my second Nescafé of the afternoon in hand. So forgive me if I sound tired. Why only three hours of sleep, you ask? Well, my colleague, Erin, and I had to get to the airport by 5:00am this morning in order to attempt to board a UN flight to eastern Congo. Unfortunately, due to the limited number of outbound flights and the overwhelming demand for an extremely limited number of seats, we were unable to make it on board. However, we were lucky enough to get tickets for the flight out tomorrow. Although getting "lucky" means we'll have to endure another 4:00 am wakeup call. C'est la vie.

We've taken advantage of the extra time here in Kinshasa (we've now been here for five full days) to primarily meet with UN officials to discuss the latest changes to the UN's peacekeeping mandate here in DRC, and the impact of those changes on Congolese civilians. While I have enjoyed my time in Kinshasa, I have to admit, I am looking forward to heading east to carry out our meetings and field interviews with humanitarian organizations, displaced Congolese people, local NGOs, UN field staff, and other members of the so-called international community.

I should probably stop here and tell you that this is my first field mission with RI. In fact, it's my first time traveling to the African continent.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and promise that I'll be able to offer up any particularly astute observations during my time in DR Congo, but I can promise to share with you my unfiltered, un-spun experiences and impressions along the way. My expert colleague, RI's senior peacekeeping advocate, Erin Weir, is here to lead the mission, and to balance out our team's level of country-expertise (she has been to DRC several times.)

Like any other RI mission, the goal of our trip is to find ways to improve the situation on the ground for those Congolese civilians who have been displaced from their homes to due to conflict. We will return to Washington and New York in a few weeks, and compile our findings from our meetings and interviews here in DRC into a 4-page report, detailing key recommendations for policymakers in Washington, New York, and Kinshasa.

Given my congressional background, one of my priorities on this trip will be to examine and call attention to ongoing initiatives here in DR Congo - particularly in the areas of security and justice sector reform - that the U.S. should consider bolstering, alongside its support for the peacekeeping mission. Given the increasing likelihood that the roughly 20,000 strong peacekeeping force will be withdrawn in the next few years, it is critical that the U.S. start stepping up its commitment to the Congolese people now, working alongside the international community to ensure that Congolese security and judicial authorities and institutions are properly trained, equipped, and paid to best serve the population whom they are responsible for protecting.

Enough on our mission for now. I'll post from the east in the coming days.

For those interested, a few quick/fun (not necessarily mission-related) observations from our time in Kinshasa:

1) President Kabila is HUGE here. He may not have a political base in Kinshasa, but his presence in this city is literally enormous, in the form of 100-ft. posters and billboards, plastered all over the city.

2) 50 Cent, aka Curtis James Jackson, the NY rap artist, is playing a show in Kinshasa at the end of this month.

3) There is no doubt that China is investing heavily in roads here. The city's main transport artery, "Boulevard du 30 Juin," was recently renovated by the Chinese. It's now 8-lanes wide! See blogger Texas in Africa's recent post for more on this issue. Surprise, surprise, it's controversial.

4) When it comes to food, trust your well-traveled friends when they tell you to "Peel it, boil it, cook it, or forget it." It's for your own good.

RI's Congressional / Peacekeeping Associate Matt Pennington will be blogging regularly, when he has internet, as he embarks on his first Refugees International assessment in DR Congo with Senior Advocate for Peacekeeping Erin Weir. Follow Matt's posts and learn more about our work from the field.

The Girl's' Empowerment Project

My favorite project on GlobalGiving this week is The Girl's' Empowerment Project.  The Girl's’ Empowerment Project is an oasis of peace and hope where adolescent refugee girls regain their health, join a community of support, and gain life-long tools leading them to self-sufficiency.

Project Needs and Beneficiaries

Unaccompanied adolescent girls ages 13-19 in forced displacement, especially in urban areas such as Nairobi, are at particular risk of neglect, exploitation and abuse. Without guardians to protect them and an absence of fundamental services, such as health care and education, a desperate need exists to provide them with effective tools that protect them from rape, forced marriage, prostitution, discrimination, at-risk pregnancies, slavery and HIV/AIDS.

Activities

In addition receiving case management services, participants engage in a series of four holistic program components: basic education, life skills training, job skills training and income generation, leading to self-sufficiency and protection.

Funding Information

Total Funding Received to Date: $21,369
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $28,631
Total Funding Goal: $50,000

Latest Report From the Field, 7/28/10
By Sasha Feldstein - HK Volunteer

In our last report, we mentioned that Heshima Kenya had launched the Maisha Collective as the final transitional component of the Girl’s Empowerment Project. In just a few months, five graduates of our tailoring program have joined the Collective and have made hundreds of beautiful, unique, handmade tie & dye scarves. Members have also begun selling their scarves at a local Maasai Market in Nairobi and a store that promotes local Kenyan artisans and crafts. In addition to honing their scarf-making skills, members meet weekly to discuss important business and financial issues such as budgeting, wage payments, savings, and investing in the future of the Collective. I was impressed to learn that they had all agreed to use some of the money earned from selling their scarves to pay for childcare, as 4 out of the 5 Maisha members have small children that they must care for while working full-time.

In addition to the important skills gained in participating in the Maisha Collective, 15 girls from Heshima Kenya’s Girl’s Empowerment Program (including the Maisha members) have been meeting every Saturday morning for financial literacy trainings. Each training has been focused on different aspects of financial literacy ranging from budgeting to short term & long term savings plans. These trainings will help prepare all participants for their future independence.

Several girls at Heshima Kenya also created the most recent issue of Midnimo, where they explored what it means to be a leader and examined the important leaders in their lives. One girl, Zulekha Juma, a 15 year old refugee from Somalia, wrote beautifully about her mother, saying, “My mom is a good leader and she brought me to this world. Unfortunately, we are separated. She is good because she judges cases fairly and is kind to everyone… She has inspired me with many things like showing love to other people and helping those in need.” Other leaders that the authors wrote about included political figures, family members, and even our own Anne Sweeney and Talyn Good!

As we have said before, participants in the Girl’s Empowerment Project struggle daily with learning challenges, feelings of trauma and insecurity, and remembering a tumultuous past. Recognizing the daily stresses of these girls’ lives, we decided that it was important to give them mechanisms to deal with their stress. In addition to the one-on-one counseling that every girl receives at Heshima Kenya, we also had two life-skills trainings on stress management that focused on breathing exercises and practicing stress-release outlets such as writing and drawing. In addition, Heshima Kenya decided it was high time to take the girls out and have a little fun, so we planned an exciting trip for all of the GEP participants to visit the Giraffe Center at Nairobi National Park. The girls had a wonderful time learning about Rothchild giraffes and feeding them food pellets, but what was most important was that they got a chance to bond together and get their mind off of some of their daily challenges.

Without your support, none of what we mentioned above would be possible, so from the bottom of our hearts we thank you and look forward to sharing more of Heshima Kenya with you!


Go here to give to this awesome project!

Human Rights Watch Report, Darfur

A displaced Sudanese woman is seen at the Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced persons in Al Fasher, northern Darfur.

While international attention has focused on the Sudanese elections and the referendum on Southern Sudan, Darfur remains in shambles. The new fighting and rights abuses across Darfur show clearly that the war is far from over and that the UN needs to do more to protect civilians.

Rona Peligal, Africa director (New York) - Intensified fighting between the Sudanese government and rebel forces in 2010 has caused many hundreds of deaths and mass displacements in Darfur and should prompt the United Nations to ensure that international peacekeepers strengthen protection for civilians, Human Rights Watch said today. The UN Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of the Darfur peacekeeping mission in late July 2010.

Fighting among rebel groups and between rival armed ethnic groups has also contributed to the rise in the violence. In May alone, 600 people in Darfur died as a result of these various conflicts, according to the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).

"While international attention has focused on the Sudanese elections and the referendum on Southern Sudan, Darfur remains in shambles," said Rona Peligal, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The new fighting and rights abuses across Darfur show clearly that the war is far from over and that the UN needs to do more to protect civilians."

Fighting between government and rebel forces in Darfur intensified after the February peace agreement between the Sudanese government and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) unraveled. Government soldiers and allied militias targeted civilians, in violation of international humanitarian law, during clashes with rebel groups in the Jebel Mun and Jebel Mara areas of Darfur, which continued through June in some locations.

Witnesses and victims of attacks reported to Human Rights Watch that government forces killed and raped civilians, destroyed homes, and bombed water supplies, forcing the displacement of thousands of civilians.

The attacks included government aerial bombing in and around Jebel Mun in late April and early May. Accounts from witnesses suggest the bombs were directed at places near water where civilians gathered. In one incident on April 29, bombs reportedly killed nine civilians in Girgigirgi, a village 15 kilometers east of Jebel Mun.

One man, whose daughter was killed by one of the bombs, said: "I saw smoke coming from the water point following the bombing. I knew that my daughters, Zainab, age 13, and Magbula, age 9, were at the pump to collect water for the day. I ran to the pump and saw Zeinab was bleeding from several places in her body and Magbula was already dead. I could not even look at her burned body. I sat on the ground trying to hold my tears."

Armed clashes in other parts of Darfur and inter-ethnic fighting in South and West Darfur also caused civilian casualties, destruction of homes, and mass displacements this year, according to UN and local sources interviewed by Human Rights Watch. The full impact of the fighting on civilians has not been fully documented because the government and rebels have repeatedly denied peacekeepers and humanitarian aid groups access to affected areas.

"Hundreds of civilians are dying, and peacekeepers in many cases aren't even able to reach the populations at risk," Peligal said. "The Sudanese government needs to end attacks on civilians and take immediate steps to improve the peacekeepers' access to affected areas. The peacekeepers should make access to these areas a top priority."

Since the deployment of the hybrid peacekeeping force in January 2008, both government and rebel forces have repeatedly prevented its missions from assessing conditions. Under the Status of Forces Agreement, the Sudanese government is required to give peacekeepers unfettered freedom of movement in Darfur. Banditry and attacks on the peacekeepers and on humanitarian groups have also limited their movement, with three peacekeepers killed and two international humanitarian workers kidnapped in June alone. Sudanese authorities have failed to prosecute those responsible for such attacks.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is investigating and prosecuting crimes in Darfur and has issued arrest warrants for President Omar al-Bashir; Ahmed Haroun, the current governor of South Kordofan state; and Ali Kosheib, a "Janjaweed" militia leader whose real name is Ali Mohammed Ali. The Sudanese government has refused to cooperate with the ICC, and the suspects, who are wanted on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, remain at large. An additional warrant for genocide was issued on July 12 for al-Bashir. Three Darfuri rebel leaders have appeared voluntarily at the ICC in response to a summons in connection with an attack on an African Union base in Haskanita, Darfur.

The government dramatically reduced the presence of humanitarian aid groups in March 2009, when it expelled 13 organizations following the ICC's arrest warrant for al-Bashir. Since then, joint UN-government needs assessments have not been independent or comprehensive or included human rights concerns. On July 15, three days after the warrant for genocide against al-Bashir was issued, the government ordered staff members of another international aid organization to leave the country.

The expulsions, combined with access restrictions, have created an information vacuum about the security and human rights situation in Darfur. Although Human Rights Watch has documented attacks that occurred months ago, the UN has yet to report publicly about them. The peacekeeping force's human rights section in particular should increase the frequency of its public reporting through the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and evaluate government progress against the benchmarks established by the Human Rights Council's group of experts on Darfur in 2007.

Assistance to displaced people should be facilitated in a manner that maintains the neutrality of the peacekeeping mission and protects the right of displaced people to return voluntarily, and these efforts should not overshadow the peacekeepers' essential role of protecting civilians and providing security, Human Rights Watch said.

Human Rights Watch urged the UNAMID peacekeeping mission to intensify its patrols around displaced persons' camps and settlements of other vulnerable populations, to press for access to all conflict-affected areas, and to interpret its mandate robustly.

"Given ongoing attacks and constraints on access, the peacekeeping mission's focus needs to be on ratcheting up its efforts to protect civilians," Peligal said. "It's not the time to shift its focus to reconstruction and returning people home."

Cocktails For a Cause

For all of you in Washington D.C., write this on your calendars. And then tell me all about what Camilla Olson said in her speech on her experience in the Congo! I wish I could be there-I don't drink but I'd love to go and make a contribution and lean more about the difference Refugee International is making in the DRC.

RSVP here