Syrian student flees guns, earns study place in Turkey
Would-be chemical engineer Rawan Batal learned Turkish and gained a university place in the central Anatolia province of Konya. The armed men knocking at the door said they just wanted to talk about a problem. Rawan Batal, then 16, opened hesitantly. They pushed into...
UNHCR focuses on preparations for Mosul exodus
A military operation to retake Iraq’s second city has so far uprooted a few thousand people, allowing the UN Refugee Agency to focus on continued preparations ahead of the expected exodus. The unfolding Iraqi military assault on Mosul has so far uprooted only a few...
UNHCR delivers aid in Yemen, welcomes ceasefire
More than 125,000 displaced people in the embattled southern town of Taizz in Yemen have received emergency supplies as part of a new aid push, UNHCR said today. The UN Refugee Agency said the latest aid distributions were part of an on-going humanitarian response...
Rohingya refugee shines at Malaysia learning centre
At age 15, Ishak bears the weight of his family’s expectations. He’s overcome racial discrimination and the additional challenges of his refugee status to become a school football star, a straight-A student and possibly the first person in the family to complete his...
Mosul civilians flee for fear of violence in Mosul
Speaking with families who fled in fear from the Mosul assault, UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi stresses the need to protect civilians and prevent further displacement. DEBAGA CAMP 2, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – After fleeing her hometown near Mosul, which came under...
UN refugee chief says protecting Mosul civilians is key
Speaking in Baghdad, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi stresses civilian protection must be part of the military strategy for retaking Iraq’s second city Mosul. BAGHDAD, Iraq – UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said the protection of...
Art therapy helps a boy with PTSD from war
A bogeyman haunts the recurring nightmares of six-year-old Miguel,* who was born and spent his earliest years in a conflict-ravaged corner of Colombia. Now resettled in Canada, he picks up modeling clay at an art therapy session and makes a cage. With delicately...
UNHCR condemns violence against civilians in CAR
BANGUI, Central African Republic – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has condemned attacks on civilians in the Central African Republic, where clashes between rival groups have forced thousands of people to flee their homes and disrupted vital humanitarian aid operations....