All articles tagged with #refugees
Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing arrived in Kuala Lumpur on October 7 for a two-day visit with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The diplomatic engagement coincides with Malaysia’s repatriation of approximately 10,000 Myanmar nationals since January, a move criticized by the UN and rights groups due to safety risks in Myanmar’s civil war.
Malaysia deported nearly 1,500 Myanmar nationals on September 29, 2026, as part of a plan to repatriate 5,000 people. The move follows a surge in anti-refugee sentiment and raids, while UNHCR and rights groups warn that returns are unsafe due to ongoing conflict in Myanmar. Aid resources have shrunk significantly since the closure of USAID in 2025, leaving fewer protections for detainees.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced the immediate reopening of the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), which was effectively suspended in December 2024. The move prioritizes Afghan women and girls and Palestinian refugees, with approximately 25% of arrivals expected to come from these groups. While the government aims to provide 'safe and legal' routes to deter small boat crossings, critics argue the initial numbers are too small to have a significant impact. New sponsorship routes for communities, universities, and companies will also launch, though annual caps remain tight.
A 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen was arrested in southeastern Poland after stabbing five people at a Benedictine abbey in Jaroslaw, killing a priest and wounding four others. The incident has intensified diplomatic tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv, with Polish and Ukrainian leaders condemning the act while emphasizing the need for justice and stability in their alliance.
BBC reports from Djibouti’s Markazi refugee camp showing thousands of Yemenis crossing the Bab al-Mandab as fighting between the Houthis and Saudi‑backed forces escalates along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. More than 3,000 refugees have arrived recently, part of an estimated 120,000+ Yemenis displaced by the surge in the war, with families fleeing bombs, drones and air strikes to seek safety in Djibouti. The camp is jointly run by the government and the UN, and Djibouti—home to major foreign military bases—says it will stay out of the conflict while refugees pray for peace and a safe return for their children.
Afghan female medical students in Pakistan fear being sent home amid mass expulsions, as hundreds of thousands of Afghans have been deported and more than two million have left Pakistan since 2023.
The United States says it will broaden sanctions against South Africa in response to ongoing anti-white policies, warning of further measures to come. Past actions cited include visa restrictions, barring SA officials from meetings of the G20 in the U.S., and cutting HIV treatment aid, with the U.S. also launching a refugee program for Afrikaners—claims Washington says will intensify until SA changes its policies.
Around 1,400 Yemenis arrived in Djibouti within 24 hours as Houthi advances tighten control of the Bab al-Mandeb strait; about 500 of the latest arrivals reached Obock after sea rescues. The IOM notes vulnerable groups among arrivals, and Djibouti hosts tens of thousands of refugees while Yemen’s displacement has surged to about 76,000 since July.
Angelina Jolie discusses expanding Atelier Jolie into a global, nonprofit hub for artists and makers, planning new locations (Vienna and Cambodia) and a more nomadic life now that all six children are adults, while continuing post‑conflict storytelling with her film Without Blood and pursuing humanitarian work through the Maddox Foundation and refugee initiatives.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Berlin could share data on Ukrainian refugees with German residency permits to help Kyiv contact and potentially call back fighting-age men, as long as the process is voluntary. Germany hosts about 1 million Ukrainian refugees with temporary permits (roughly 450,000 men); across the EU, around 1.17 million adult Ukrainian men are under temporary protection. Ukraine has been under martial law since 2022, prohibiting men aged 25–60 from leaving, while the EU has banned new applicants of fighting-age from refugee schemes. The idea appears in the context of ongoing debates about returnees and fairness, with coordination among Kyiv, Brussels, and EU capitals.
Sweden, once renowned for generous asylum policies, has shifted to a highly restrictive migration regime after the 2015 refugee crisis, with a series of reforms from 2022–2026 under the Tidö Agreement that tightened asylum, family and labor migration, citizenship rules, and social benefits; asylum applications have plummeted and political consensus now supports maintaining restrictive policies ahead of the 2026 election.
Nearly six million Afghans have been forced to return from Pakistan and Iran to Afghanistan in under three years—the largest cross-border movement in recent history—arriving with little, and often having never lived in Afghanistan for decades. They restart lives at harsh frontier camps and shelters as the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s rights constrain opportunities and aid remains strained, with UNHCR warning of a vast humanitarian crisis.
Alisa and Sergei Sadovnikov, a Russian couple who deserted during the Ukraine conflict after witnessing the frontlines’ horrors, spent eight days at sea in a single kayak to reach Turkey. They had previously shown loyalty to Putin and Sergei had even served with Wagner; after crossing toward the Turkish border they were intercepted by the Greek Coast Guard, had their phones seized, and now risk deportation back to Russia where desertion can carry up to 10 years in prison.
Rohingya refugees in Malaysia face a renewed wave of hostility that includes police raids on community-run schools, evictions, and online scapegoating. With many children kept from Malaysia’s public schools and lacking citizenship, families fear violence and disruption as public sentiment and political rhetoric turn against them, despite past calls by leaders to protect the community. The UN and rights groups warn the situation has deteriorated, complicating chances for resettlement or safe return to Myanmar.
Malaysia confirmed a first phase of voluntary repatriation, with 1,500 Rohingya refugees set to return to Myanmar in September. Rights groups warn that conditions for a safe, dignified return do not currently exist, and Kuala Lumpur says it will halt if lives are at risk; the government also plans broader screening and registration of detainees amid ongoing tensions and concerns about safety of returns.