AYS Digest 04/08/23: Refugees in Tunisia left stranded in the desert, dehydrated, exhausted, and in despair
45–50 asylum seeker stranded for 2 weeks on an islet in the Evros river//Urgent rescue call for more than 20 boats in the Mediterranean//1760 people confirmed dead or missing so far this year in the Central Mediterranean//Afghan families asked to leave temporary hotels are now facing homelessness in the UK
TUNISIA & LIBYA
Tunisian Interior Minister Kamel Fekih denies “collective expulsions” of refugees to the border with Libya and Algeria
As previously reported in AYS News Digest 28/07/23, in recent weeks, Tunisian authorities have taken refugees off the streets and brought them to the border with Libya and Algeria. They have left groups of people in the desert, with several individuals dying from exhaustion and dehydration.
In response to the UN condemning these actions, the Tunisian interior minister denied any involvement and called for in-depth and further evidence to prove the validity of these claims. He has confirmed that small groups of asylum seekers trying to enter Tunisia have been pushed back, but there are no operations that include rounding refugees up and sending them to the border.
GREECE
45–50 asylum seekers stranded for two weeks on an islet in the Evros river
Alarm Phone reports that the group had been stuck between Greece and Turkiye since mid-July. They were eventually provided food, water, and medical support after Alarm Phone asked ECHR to put pressure on the Greek authorities to do so.
After questioning the authorities and asking what has been done to support the group, it is clear now that they have been pushed back to Turkiye. The group have reported extreme violence, including the sexual assault of two women, by the Greek authorities during this process.
Greece: Reported pushbacks despite intervention of European court — InfoMigrants
SEA/SAR
Urgent rescue call for more than 20 boats in the Mediterranean
At the time of this article, Alarm Phone hasn’t posted any updates on these boats. They were, however, very concerned about the weather overnight and feared the individuals may not survive.
1760 people confirmed dead or missing so far this year in the Central Mediterranean
Alarm Phone reported on a boat in distress near Lampedusa
The most recent update is that they have been rescued and are now on Lampedusa.
Two men have sought asylum in Brazil after travelling across the Atlantic on the rudder of a ship
The men are from Nigeria and had fled, hoping to reach Europe. However, the ship they were on travelled all the way to Brazil. They have now sought asylum in Brazil, while another two men onboard asked to be repatriated to Nigeria.
GERMANY
Protest today in Berlin in front of the EU Commission
UK
Afghan families asked to leave temporary hotels are now facing homelessness
Councils say some families have already presented as homeless this week. The Local Government Association (LGA) said one in five Afghans leaving hotels were presenting to local authorities as homeless — Afghan refugees moved out of hotels facing homelessness — BBC News
Families were given three months’ notice to leave the hotels in April, and many have not been able to secure alternative forms of accommodation.
Councils have not received enough funding from the government to be able to find suitable accommodation for so many Afghans. Many are on low-paying salaries, and therefore are unable to pay rent. The majority of families have been in these hotels for two years, as councils have not been able to find them permanent accommodation. They are now being asked to leave and have nowhere to go.
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