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Dispatches No. 237
Up | 15 May 2008
REFUGEE NEWS BRIEFINGS
UPDATES ON JRS PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
REFUGEE NEWS BRIEFINGS
Kenya: resettlement of internally displaced persons (IDPs) not entirely voluntary
Despite claims from the government that the repatriation process would be voluntary, on 14 May armed police were seen forcing thousands of Kenyans displaced by post-election violence to leave a camp. According to 'Doctors Without Borders', local officials accompanied by armed police officers were going from tent to tent in a camp housing 9,000 people in the western town of Kitale, and ordering people to leave in a matter of hours.
On 5 May, the government launched a programme to resettle thousands of IDPs in the western Rift Valley province. According to government sources, Operation Rudi Nyumbani, (go back home), began well as the military were on hand to transport those wishing to go home. Police statements assured all IDPs returning home that they would be protected, adding that it expected the initial phase of the operation to last one month.
In subsequent statements, government spokespersons reiterated commitments to resettling all IDPs who had fled their homes after post-election violence in January and February. Notwithstanding assurances that security had been boosted, many IDPs were reluctant to return home.
At least 1,200 people died and more than 350,000 were displaced when violence erupted in parts of the country, mostly in the western provinces of Rift Valley and Nyanza, following the announcement of the outcome of presidential elections held on 27 December.
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Eastern Africa: rise in food prices hurts refugees
On 22 April, the World Food Programme described the latest food-price surge as 'a silent tsunami'. JRS field staff from around the region are seriously worried about these latest rises.
Over the last three years, overall global food prices have increased by 83%. Wheat prices are at their highest ever levels; rice at its highest level for 34 years; and corn at its highest level for 11 years. The reasons for the rises are complex, including increased oil prices, costs of materials, water scarcity, shifts in agricultural production towards biofuels, changing food consumption patterns of the growing middle classes in India and China, etc. The latest rises could force an extra 100 million people into poverty.
"JRS is the only organisation which provides emergency food and non-food items to asylum seekers and refugees in Kampala. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the Ugandan government do not assist them. They are encouraged to remain in settlements. Food rises of 40% since last October have greatly affected our capacity to provide food assistance to refugees, putting them in extremely vulnerable situations", JRS Uganda Urban Programme Officer in Kampala, Stephen Kuteesa, told Dispatches on 10 May.
"Political instability in neighbouring countries has triggered increased refugee flows, further reducing food rations", Mr Kuteesa added.
The situation in Kenya is also critical. Irene Waweru, from the JRS Kenya Urban Emergency Programme, confirmed JRS has had to reduce the amount of emergency food it provides to vulnerable refugees.
"The decision to reduce food supplies was very unpopular with our beneficiaries, but it was a decision based on necessity", she said.
In Kakuma camp, food shortages have adversely affected the refugee and host communities. Kakuma is situated in northern Kenya in the arid Turkana district, occupied by a largely nomadic pastoralist community. Elizabeth Ogaye, JRS Kenya Kakuma Camp Director confirmed that refugees working for JRS at the Camp are finding it difficult to survive on reduced food supplies.
"Our refugee staff receive monthly food rations from WFP. However, the increased food prices have meant a reduction in their rations. They are finding it hard to survive now and are asking us to increase their monthly wages. Some refugees have also been attacked and robbed returning from food distribution centres", Ms Ogaye.
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South Africa: refugee children denied an education
On 5 May, the South African newspaper, the Mail & Guardian, reported that up to one third of refugee children in the country are denied the right to an education. An as yet unpublished research report found that children without the right documentation or sufficient funds were being turned away from schools.
Twenty-eight percent of the 1,190 refugee families interviewed by researchers, of the Forced Migration Studies Programme (FMSP) at the University of Witwatersrand, came to South Africa with their children, yet 35% of these children do not attend school. Therefore, there could be as many as 150,000 refugee children in the country who do not attend school, despite the fact that the South African legislation clearly guarantees all children the right to basic education.
Schools which refuse to enrol refugee and asylum-seeking children are acting unlawfully, even if many of them are not aware of their obligations to non-South African children, such as their eligibility for school fees exemptions. However, many schools lack resources and the arrival of significant non-national populations puts increasing pressure on their scarce resources.
JRS welcomes this latest study on the problems facing the children of refugees and asylum seekers in their quest to obtain an education in South Africa. The FMSP and JRS have enjoyed years of collaboration. The present study, as those done by FMSP director, Dr Loren Landau in the past, contribute greatly to the struggle to get rights recognised under South African law — such as that of free education for primary students implemented in the country.
According to the report, xenophobia is another 'big issue' at the school, and refugee children often become introverted. JRS Southern Africa Advocacy Officer, Michael Gallagher SJ, echoed these concerns.
"Since December 2007, there have been more than 13 systematic attacks in settlements and compounds aimed at 'foreigners' as a group in six of the country's nine provinces. Quite often, it is refugees and asylum seekers and their families who are the victims of these attacks", Fr Gallagher told Dispatches on 12 May.
"More disturbing are reports that South African police officials have stood by doing nothing when these instances of mob violence occured. There have been several deaths which resulted from the attacks but, to date, no arrests have been made from any of the 13 incidents", added Fr Gallagher.
JRS applauds the fact that, in recent attacks, senior home affairs officials have made strong statements against the mob violence and have visited the communities which have been displaced as a result of it. Nonetheless, it is evident that the South African government must be more vigorous in its efforts to secure the rights promised by law to refugees and asylum seekers.
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Chad: aid stoppage called to highlight insecurity and impunity
Aid agencies in Chad called a two-day aid stoppage on 2 and 3 May in protest at the murder of a French aid worker in the east of the country. All humanitarian activities, except for essential services, were suspended.
On 1 May, Save the Children Country Director, Pascal Marlinge, was killed by unidentified men at a roadblock in eastern Chad. According to a statement by the UN humanitarian coordinator in Chad, Kingsley Amaning, the two-day suspension was called to raise awareness of aid workers and the authorities of the security situation.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) described the stoppage as a message to the Chadian government and the parties involved in the perpetration of this crime that in the end the people who did this are not doing anybody any favours. UNHCR added that although many of its partners had suspended their activities, the refugee agency would not definitely stop providing assistance.
Aid agencies working in Chad had been warning for months that the conditions are so dangerous that aid operations for around 250,000 Sudanese refugees from Darfur and over 100,000 internally displaced Chadians were constantly threatened.
Another British NGO, Oxfam, in April temporarily suspended its operations around Goz Beida in southeastern Chad after armed men looted its office and the next day in a separate incident one of its cars was hijacked. In June 2007, Oxfam said in a statement that it had calculated at least 70 aid agency vehicles had been hijacked in eastern Chad over the two previous years.
In March, the UN and European Union deployed 2,200 EU troops of a total force expected to reach 3,700 in eastern Chad. The troops are mandated to protect the 12 refugee camps scattered around the vast, desert region.
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Burma: Nargis, devastation and the referendum
On Friday night, 2 May, the super cyclonic storm Nargis struck the Burmese capital Yangon. Early reports on 7 May described the capital as a wreck, as government officials were admitting that 60,000 people have died or are missing. The same officials acknowledge that several hundred thousands of people have been rendered homeless throughout the Irrawaddy delta, southwest end of Burma.
On 13 May, UN estimates put the number of people struggling to survive at 1.5 million and the number of dead or missing at 100,000. Foreign aid has only trickled into the devastated Irrawaddy Delta because the country's secretive military rulers have so far largely prevented the arrival of international relief operations. Despite the crisis, the government held a referendum to approve a new army-drafted constitution on 10 May.
Early reports stated that Yangon had been hit hardest, uprooting trees, toppling electricity and telephone poles and bursting water pipes, leaving millions without basic utilities. In addition, it has been reported that petrol stations are also running out of supply. Many shops and food stores have been destroyed along with hospitals and clinics. People were reported to be with no electricity, petrol, water, food or medical supplies.
On 8 May, JRS sources in Burma told Dispatches that there were no casualties in the area nearby their houses in Yangon, which suffered minor damages - mainly consisting of leaking roofs and broken windows. Nevertheless, trees had been knocked down and there was no electricity, phone line or running water.
However, in general, Yangon was devastated. The massive destruction of the environment is evident, given that there were so many trees in the capital before the cyclone, JRS sources said. They described how trees had collapsed on buildings and the wind had blown the zinc roofs off the homes of the most marginalised communities, if they had not already been destroyed by falling trees. Billboards, telephone poles, electricity cables were all over the place and most roads were inaccessible. There were no buses or taxis. Eventually, they said, the population started to help out, to cut and move trees to ensure the roads were open.
According to the reports on the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma website, a group of exiles in the US, a state of emergency has been declared in major rice producing regions, such as Irrawaddy, Pegu and Yangon, and in Mon and Karen states, all in the south of the country.
JRS Asia Pacific told Dispatches on 14 May that it was continuing to follow developments closely.
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Timor Leste: surrender of rebels raises hope of peace
On 29 April, the leader of a group of Timor Leste rebels accused of trying to assassinate President Jose Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão surrendered. JRS Timor Leste welcomed the surrender and expressed the hope that the authorities would focus on getting the 150,000 people, displaced by the violence in 2006, to return home.
Gastao Salsinha and 12 of his men surrendered to a priest in a Catholic mission in Ermera district in the west of the country. The rebels were subsequently accompanied by the priest to Dili, where they were received at the government buildings by President Ramos Horta Deputy Prime Minister, Jose Guterres and House Speaker Fernando Lasama.
According to local media reports, the rebels handed over guns and other military equipment, including camouflage uniforms and grenades after lengthy negotiations with the authorities.
The 58-year-old Nobel laureate, Jose Ramos-Horta, who was critically wounded during the 11 February attacks on his home, recently returned to the capital after recuperating for two months in Australia.
The president is believed to have said that as a Christian he forgave the rebels, but as the head of state they have to face a court to explain their actions and their motives behind the attacks.
Timor Leste Project Director, Isidoro V da Costa, described the events as historic, raising hopes for peace and stability. However, the state of emergency had still not been lifted in Ermera district, the coffee plantation region. Communities were complaining that restrictions on their freedom of movement prevented them from earning a living as the coffee needs to be harvested at this time of year, Mr da Costa added.
"Only women and children in Ermera district are being allowed to go to work on their farms during curfew hours. It is difficult to carry out normal harvesting activities if men are not allowed to work", Mr da Costa told Dispatches on 10 May.
"The rebel group and members of the police and military task force, previously responsible for the capture of the rebels, are all together in a friendly environment as if nothing had happened. The general public are still waiting to see what will be the next event when Salsinha and his group are brought to court to explain their actions. In the coming weeks, events will unfold and perhaps the truth will be revealed" Mr da Costa stated.
Lieutenant Gastão Salsinha, who took command of the rebels after their leader, Alfredo Reinado, was killed in the 11 February attack, had been negotiating with the authorities from a house in Ermera district, 75 km west of the capital. During the Indonesian occupation, from 1975 to 1999, he was a member of the Timorese Leste resistance force, FALINTIL. Following independence in 2002, he became a Lieutenant in the new Timor Leste Defence Force. He later deserted together with rebel leader Major Alfredo Reinado and others, claiming political discrimination within the armed forces.
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UK: bishop attacks immigrant policy
On 5 May, a senior Catholic bishop launched an attack on the government over a "shameful" and "unjust" failure to regularise the position of thousands of long-term irregular migrants in the country.
The Bishop of Brentwood, the Right Reverend Thomas McMahon, at a special Mass for migrants at London's Westminster Cathedral, called on Catholics to remain "resolute" and "steadfast" in backing a policy of a one-off amnesty for long-term illegal immigrants in the country.
The proposals put forward by the Strangers into Citizens campaign, of which JRS UK is a supporter, would mean irregular migrants who have lived and worked in the UK for four or more years would be granted a two-year work permit. At the end of this period, the migrants would be granted leave to remain in the country, subject to employer and character references.
The Bishop described government policy of doing nothing as irresponsible, adding that this leaves countless migrants vulnerable to exploitation and living in fear and in limbo.
These migrants are not entitled to work, to claim social welfare or housing benefits. This, the Bishop said, could only be described as shameful and unjust. Bishop McMahon, told a packed congregation that they have a duty, because of their common humanity and faith, to speak out wherever injustice is found.
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Europe: parliamentarians urged to block directive on returns
Opposition to European Commission proposals to fight irregular migration in the continent is gaining momentum.
On 7 May, hundreds of migrants marched in front of the European Parliament in Brussels calling on MEPs to reject the proposals, known as the Return Directive. They were joined by MEPs from the European United Left/ Nordic Green Left. Demonstrators carried placards against the directive calling it "outrageous". Pictures of detention centres where irregular migrants and asylum seekers are held were displayed.
The directive sanctions the extension of administrative or judicial detention of irregular migrants to 18 months and provides for a five-year ban from Europe for all people who have been expelled. It also establishes the possibility of deporting migrants to countries of transit, a principle that was condemned by the European Parliament some years ago on the occasion of deportations of migrants from Lampedusa Island, Italy, to Libya.
Philip Amaral, JRS Europe Policy and Advocacy Officer told Dispatches on 6 May that the draft directive has an air of criminalisation about it. He asserted the importance of highlighting the fact that crossing borders irregularly is an administrative breach, not a criminal offence.
However, amendments adopted by the Civil Liberties Committee in early May will mean that the directive will not apply to illegal immigrants crossing to Europe from North Africa. It will only apply to third-country nationals staying illegally in the territory of a member state and will not apply to illegal immigrants refused entry on attempt of irregular crossings.
The European Parliament is expected to vote on the proposals next month.
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Canada: authorities to provide cash, instead of food
On 5 May, Canada became the latest major donor country to break the link between foreign food aid and assisting domestic farmers. This latest move to 'untie' food aid leaves the US, the world's largest food donor, as the only developed country with tied food aid.
The Canadian authorities explained that rising food and fuel prices meant it made more sense to provide aid agencies with cash, giving them the flexibility to source cheaper food in the region or beneficiary country. For instance in the US, it is believed to cost two US dollars to deliver one dollar of food aid.
According to the World Bank, high food prices could push 100 million people into deeper poverty. Refugees and other displaced persons — many of whom are either dependent on food aid or at risk of poverty — are likely to be disproportionately affected by food price increases.
In-kind foreign food aid tends to displace local and regional production, destroying or damaging local markets that poor farmers depend on. Moreover, increasing volumes of food aid provided for refugees or development projects are sold directly into local markets to generate cash, reducing farm incomes and hurting countries domestic capacities to feed their populations.
According to the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the US administration proposed that 25 percent of food aid dispensed by the US government be in cash to buy food for recipient countries locally or regionally. However, few expect it will be approved by Congress.
Additional new aid proposed by the Bush administration, which includes US$395 million for emergency food aid, has come under criticism by Democrats who described it as too late to help countries already struggling with the food price crisis.
High food prices have been triggered by a host of factors, including dwindling stocks and a continuing strong demand for cereals, partly on account of an increased demand for meat and milk in India and China, and the increased cultivation of foodstuff for biofuels.
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UPDATES ON JRS PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES
Liberia: JRS projects close in Nimba and Lofa Counties
JRS officially handed over two newly constructed school houses to the rural Liberian communities of Korlay and Nyandemolahun.
In Korlay, in the central Liberian county of Nimba, there was much dancing and cheer as the JRS chief architect in Nimba, Ms Giovanna Ilardi, turned the school over to the leaders of Korlay on 28 March.
Liberia, especially in rural areas, such as these two villages, is still recovering from its protracted civil war in which most school buildings were either damaged or destroyed.
In the northern Liberian county of Lofa, JRS handed over a school to the community of Nyandemolahun on 8 April. Like the school in Korlay, it was built from scratch with the assistance of the local community and support from JRS.
Leaders in Liberia recognise that if peace is to last in the country, education is the key. Yet, the education sector will take time to reach full capacity. In addition to rebuilding schools, the country has begun to reconstruct its teacher training centres, also damaged during the war. The lack of qualified teachers - an estimated 60% of teachers are unqualified - is ultimately a liability to the future of the country. In the meantime, the government and its partners are conducting in-house teachers' training programmes throughout the country.
At the JRS ceremonies, the respective communities of Korlay and Nyandemolahun were congratulated and encouraged to continue the hard work of educating the population after the satisfaction of a job well done has worn off. The ceremonies marked the end of JRS' presence in these counties.
A small team will be maintained in the national office, located in Monrovia, until the end of May, after which time JRS Liberia will close.
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