10 Migrants Deported From Greece to Turkey
Ten people were deported to Turkey from the Greek island of Lesbos on May 26 under the E.U.-Turkey deal.
The group included migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Morocco, Congo and Algeria, Greek authorities said in a statement.
The migrants were sent to the Dikili district in the western Izmir province of Turkey.
Some 1,081 migrants have been sent back to Turkey from the E.U. since the deal came into effect April 2016.
According to the terms of the deal, Turkish authorities will take back migrants who entered Europe from their country and in exchange the E.U. will resettle Syrian refugees. In practice, a fraction of the new arrivals have been returned.
Thousands of South Sudanese Refugees Reach Sudan
More than 28,000 South Sudanese refugees fled to Sudan during the first two weeks of May this year, according to the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR).
Nearly 137,000 people from South Sudan have sought refuge in Sudan in the first five months of 2017, exceeding the total number of people who arrived in 2016.
Some 417,000 refugees have fled to Sudan due to violence, famine and insecurity since conflict erupted in South Sudan in December 2013.
The majority of refugees from the conflict – more than 800,000 people – have sought shelter over the country’s southern border and crossed into Uganda.
The UNHCR warned that its South Sudanese refugee response plan is less than 10 percent funded, calling on donors to increase support for “the world’s fastest-growing refugee crisis.”
More Than 10,000 People Rescued at Sea Over Four Days
More than 10,000 people were rescued at sea between Libya and Italy over four days last week while at least 54 drowned, reports Agence France-Presse.
On May 27, the Tunisian army intercepted 126 people at sea off the eastern coastal town of Ben Gardane next to the Libyan border.
Some 2,200 people were rescued on May 26 by both the Italian coastguard and commercial boats and brought to Italy. Around 1,200 others were picked up by the Libyan coastguard and brought back to the country.
The Italian coastguard also recovered the bodies of 10 people who died at sea.
Over the previous three days, Libyan and Italian coastguards picked up 6,400 people from the Mediterranean sea passage. They also found at least 44 bodies, though officials warn that more people likely drowned.
Over 1,400 people have died attempting the crossing this year already.
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