U.N. Resumes Aid to Syrians Stranded on Jordan Border
The United Nations has reached a deal with Jordan to deliver aid to thousands of Syrians stranded in a desert camp on the country’s border with Syria.
Jordan closed the border in June, cutting off aid to Syrians who had fled there – bar one delivery by crane in August. The U.N. says 85,000 Syrians, three-quarters of them women and children, are stranded at the “berm” area.
On November 22, the first delivery of food and other aid took place, and more aid and healthcare services are planned in the coming weeks, according to U.N. emergency relief coordinator Stephen O’Brien.
“The resumption of assistance comes at the start of the coldest period of the year, when temperatures can drop dangerously low,” a U.N. statement said.
The aid is being delivered through a newly constructed distribution point, and another facility that includes a health clinic, water tanks and pumping station is currently under construction, the statement said.
Nearly 70,000 Displaced by Mosul Fighting
More than 68,000 people have fled fighting in Mosul and surrounding areas in the month since Iraq launched an operation to recapture the city from the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) militant group.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said 8,300 people have been displaced from the area in the four days since November 18.
The group said 78 percent of people displaced from Mosul are sheltering in formal camps, 16 percent in private homes or with relatives and 6 percent in abandoned buildings or other informal settings.
U.S. coalition-backed Iraqi forces are battling ISIS forces for control of the city. Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said their advance has been slowed because the militant group is using civilians as human shields.
IOM: Most Migrants in Libya Do Not Plan to Go to Europe
The majority of migrants in Libya say they intend the country to be their final destination, rather than Europe, according to a survey by the International Organization for Migration.
The survey found 56 percent of migrants regard Libya as their destination, while 17 percent want to go to Italy, 7 percent to Germany and 5 percent to France.
There were some national variations. While most migrants from Egypt, Chad and Sudan plan to stay in Libya, migrants from Nigeria were more likely to head on to Europe.
Most migrants – 88 percent – said they had left their country for economic reasons. However, migrants from Sudan were more likely to have fled war and humanitarian crisis, with 30 percent of Sudanese leaving because of limited access to basic services and 16 percent because of conflict.
Migrants who come to Libya for economic reasons can end up later fleeing to Europe due to conflict, lack of opportunity and abuse by smugglers. IOM spokesman Joel Millman told the Associated Press that Libyan smugglers have sometimes forced migrants onto boats at gunpoint. More than 4,100 have died in the seas off Libya this year.
Recommended Reads:
- The Independent: How Economic Migrants Become Refugees as They Seek a New Life
- Human Rights Watch: E.U. Policies Put Refugees at Risk
- Reuters: Japan Forces a Harsh Choice on Children of Migrant Families
- The Guardian: ‘It’s a Crime to Be Young and Pretty’: Girls Flee Predatory Central America Gangs
- Al Jazeera: Displaced Refugees Fear More Loss as Lake Chad Shrinks
- Voice of America: Kismayo Under Pressure as Somali Refugees Return From Kenya