Dear Deeply Readers,

Welcome to the archives of Refugees Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on April 1, 2019, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on refugees and migration. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors and contributors.

We continue to produce events and special projects while we explore where the on-site journalism goes next. If you’d like to reach us with feedback or ideas for collaboration you can do so at [email protected].

Executive Summary for July 11th

We review the latest issues related to refugees, including NATO’s new operation in the Mediterranean to curb migrant flows, the forced displacement of thousands in the Central African Republic, and employment is found for 30,000 refugees in Germany.

Published on July 11, 2016 Read time Approx. 2 minutes

NATO to Launch Mediterranean Military Operation Sea Guardian

NATO will launch the maritime security operation Sea Guardian in the Mediterranean in a joint effort with the E.U. to curb migrant flows, announced Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at a Warsaw summit on Saturday.

“It will have a broad scope, including situation awareness, counterterrorism and capacity building. We intend to work closely with the European Union’s Operation Sophia in the central Mediterranean,” said Stoltenberg, according to the E.U. Observer.

The Washington Post reported that the maritime patrols could include both sea and air deployments, as suggested by General Curtis Scaparrotti, who is both NATO’s top military commander and the chief of the U.S. European Command.

Some E.U. officials are concerned that NATO’s mission is a duplication of their own naval operation, already under way in the central Mediterranean.

Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, condemned the new operation. “NATO’s involvement in migration control signals a dangerous shift toward militarization of a humanitarian crisis,” said the organization’s Judith Sunderland.

Thousands Flee Violence in Central African Republic

More than 6,000 people from the Central African Republic (CAR) have fled to Chad and Cameroon following renewed violence in their country, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) reported on Friday.

“The exodus began on June 12 when clashes erupted between in and around the northwest town of Ngaoundaye, Ouham Pendé region,” said UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming at a press briefing in Geneva.

Refugees had witnessed “killings, kidnappings, looting and the torching of their homes,” she added.

Renewed fighting in CAR has already displaced 25,000–30,000 people this year, including internally displaced persons and those who have fled to Chad and Cameroon.

Before the recent exodus, the UNHCR and partners were already providing protection and assistance to over 67,000 CAR refugees in Chad and around 260,000 in Cameroon. There are also 415,000 internally displaced people within CAR.

30,000 Refugees Find Employment in Germany

Some 30,000 refugees have entered the workforce in Germany since spring 2015, though the government is struggling to help many more find employment.

At least a quarter of refugees were employed on temporary contracts, with many having menial jobs in cleaning and security.

“Refugees mostly go into sectors where there is a lack of suitable applicants,” Federal Employment Agency chief Frank-Jürgen Weise told a German newspaper on Monday.

Despite the promising figures, Weise also confirmed “on the other hand, we currently have, in terms of asylum seekers, 130,000 people who are unemployed and on benefits.”

The country’s parliament passed a new law last week that would restrict benefits for migrants who do not make progress integrating into German society.

Recommended Reads:

Suggest your story or issue.

Send

Share Your Story.

Have a story idea? Interested in adding your voice to our growing community?

Learn more
× Dismiss
We have updated our Privacy Policy with a few important changes specific to General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and our use of cookies. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. Read our full Privacy Policy here.