May 14, 2009
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Migration Policy Monitor: a selection of news on African Migration
African Migratrion Monitor is aimed to present on a regular basis a selection of news on African migration and relevant updates on related issues. It is open to external contributions. This first edition includes: a) updates on the on-going regional negotiations (in East and West Africa) with regards to people’s movements and labour circulation; b) news on cross border mobility and on some political initiatives at national/bilateral level.
It clearly emerges that, although the significant efforts of the regional and national policy making towards a better understanding and a more effective management of the migration question, the political response in each single case seems largely stuck into an approach based on arrest, detention and repatriation.
On the south European border, the recent Italian response of turning back to Tripoli about 200 migrants rescued in waters off of the island of Malta in the Mediterranean, raises serious concerns on the respect of human rights and migrant’s rights; puts pressures on the ongoing EU – Africa cooperation in this area; and call for the need to provide the migration subject with a comprehensive framework of political understanding that is multilateral rather than bilateral. Read below and share with us your opinion!
Cross-border
According to UNHCR source information, the number of people from Somalia crossing into Yemen raised from about 13.000 in 2008 to 18.000, as registered in the first quarter of 2009. Local governments argue they lack means and resources to patrol their coast, and they urge for international support in order to halt migration flows.
Niger – a major transit country for sub-Saharan migrants heading to northern Africa and Europe - has registered an increase in meningitis infections among migrants. According to the governor of Agadez “The increase of injections is due to the growing number of migrants crossing the Niger” and “These migrants come with their illnesses. Meningitis spreads in dense populations, which is not the case here where there is one resident per square kilometre.” This declaration sounds quite ambiguous and could led to dubious interpretations.
The United Nations announce successful results of United Nations return programs of thousands of Mauritanian in exile in Senegal (29 April 2009). Little is said, however, with regards to programmes and initiatives aimed to facilitate social reintegration, economic maintanance and psycological rehabilitation of these people, once they are back to their communities.
South Africa’s department of Home Affairs has introduced a permit that could regularize the status of thousands of undocumented migrants from Zimbabwe. Although this is a moratorium like measure granting a 6 months permit, it could contribute to stop the mass deportation of Zimbabweans and reduce the number of asylum seekers (April 2009). Nonetheless, Human Rights Watch has just denounced (30 April 2009) that South African police, at cross border area close to Zimbabwe, is continuing to detain and deport Zimbabweans citizens and calls the south African government for immediately halting detention and deportations in violation of the above mentioned moratorium measure.
The East African Community has hold negotiations at the end of April 2009 for the establishment of the East African Common Market Protocol, envisaged to be enforced in 2010. The overall objective of negotiations is to widen regional cooperation in economic, social and cultural fields. In relation to human mobility, crucial area of cooperation are “Movements of persons”, “Free movements of workers” and “Right to establishment and residence”. Cooperation in the social sector includes immigration and adoption of common labour standards, as planned in the EAC Development Strategy 2006-2010.
A growing attention to migration and labour circulation has been registered in the region, in the last few years. Kenya for instance has inserted the issue in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and the government of Rwanda has waived visa for East African citizens willing to enter the country. Although this measure is addressed mainly to professional and high skilled, it represents a first significant attempt of the national policy making towards an agreement on free circulation in the region.
Written by: Angela
Filed Under: Migration, Migration Policy Monitor
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