French village sets an example of how to welcome refugees
For four months, residents and volunteers in Pessat-Villeneuve in central France have been helping 60 evacuees from Africa build new lives. By Céline Schmitt and Joséphine Lebas-Joly in Pessat-Villeneuve, France It is nearly 5 pm on a cold January evening in...
Nomzamo Mbatha becomes UNHCR’s newest Goodwill Ambassador
South African actress joins a global team of Goodwill Ambassadors whose influence, commitment and compassion help amplify refugee voices around the world. By Catherine Wachiaya UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today announced the appointment of South African actress and...
Eritrean minors reunited with mother after eight-year odyssey
Kedija, 15, and Yonas, 12, survived kidnapping, detention, and a failed sea crossing before finally rejoining their mother in Switzerland. By Tarik Argaz in Tripoli, Libya Last March, as they languished in a detention centre in the Libyan city of Misrata, Kedija* and...
Thousands of Nigerian refugees seek safety in Chad
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Charlie Yaxley– to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. A new upsurge of violence in northeastern Nigeria has forced thousands of people –...
UNHCR appeals for urgent action as new Mediterranean mid-winter deaths reported
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Charlie Yaxley – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is watching with increasing alarm the situation on the...
Surging violence in Nigeria drives thousands across borders
Some 15,000 people have been forced to flee into neighbouring Chad and Cameroon as conflict in Nigeria’s restive Borno State escalates. By Simplice Kpandji in Dar es Salaam Camp, Chad, and Xavier Bourgois in Goura, Cameroon Aicha Moussa is lucky to be alive. Three...
Thousands fleeing fighting in northeast Syria
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is deeply concerned by reports of mounting civilian...
UNHCR welcomes Ethiopia law granting more rights to refugees
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes Ethiopia’s historic new refugee law which will now allow refugees to obtain work permits, access primary education, obtain drivers’ licenses, legally register life events such as births and marriages and open up access to...