Thousands of Ethiopians Displaced After Deadly Military Raid
Around 5,000 Ethiopians fled over the border to Kenya after a deadly military operation in the restive Oromia region.
Ethiopian state-run media said that nine civilians were killed in the operation due to faulty intelligence and that the military would investigate.
The Kenyan Red Cross said the 5,000 people who had poured over the border since March 10 were mostly women and children and included many who are pregnant, elderly or chronically ill. Tens of thousands of others fled their homes inside Ethiopia.
Years of protests and unrest in Oromia, home to the Oromo people, have left at least 1 million people displaced.
UNHCR: Venezuelans Need International Protection
The U.N. refugee agency issued new guidelines urging countries to make sure Venezuelans pouring out of their homeland have access to asylum or other forms of legal stay.
UNHCR acknowledged that Venezuelans are fleeing both violence and lack of food and medicine, and stated those who do not meet the international definition of a refugee still need protection.
“It is becoming increasingly clear that, while all may not be refugees, a significant number are in need of international protection,” UNHCR spokesperson Aikaterini Kitidi said. “In view of the situation in Venezuela, it is crucial that people are not deported or forcibly returned there.”
The agency welcomed Latin American initiatives to offer Venezuelans other forms of stay, including temporary residency, and urged that access be expanded in tandem with boosting refugee procedures for those who qualify.
“This could turn into an absolute disaster in unprecedented proportions for the Western Hemisphere,” David Beasley, director of the World Food Program, said after visiting Colombia’s border with Venezuela. “I don’t think people around the world realize how bad the situation is and how much worse it could very well be.”
Man Found Dead in Greece-Turkey Border River
Police said a body found in a river along the Greece-Turkey border is believed to be an African or Asian trying to reach Greece.
The Evros river, which runs along the land border between the two countries, is one route for migrants seeking to escape to Europe, in addition to the deadly Aegean Sea passage.
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