In The News

NPR: Venezuelan Refugees Flee, Facing Violence, Closed Borders

Shannon Van Sant August 21, 2018
Venezuela’s politics and economy spiral into chaos and thousands of try to flee for other countries, but face protests, border closures and even attacks including a refugee camp set on fire in northern Brazil. The country of 31 million people borders Colombia, Brazil and Guyana. “The United Nations says more than 7 percent – 2.3 million refugees – of Venezuela's population have fled to other...

The Economist: Refugees as Pawn in the Struggle for Syria

August 14, 2018
Syria’s Assad regime seemed destined for collapse at the start of the rebellion that began seven years ago. However, the Syrian leader is on the verge of victory over the rebels that attempted to institute a change in governance. The Economist notes: “the only rebels left are boxed into a corner of Syria’s north-west, in Idlib province. Regime forces are mustering at its edge, having recently...

The Guardian: UN Calls for Access to Stranded Syrians

Kareem Shaheen July 25, 2018
The United Nations has requested access to nearly 250,000 stranded Syrians who fled rebel-controlled sectors of Deraa in the midst of an incursion by Syrian military forces. As Kareem Shaheen reports for the Guardian, “government forces are expected to turn to Idlib in the north, where Islamist militias and al-Qaida-linked militants control territory hosting more than two million internally...

Washington Post: Thousands of Syrians Fleeing Toward Israel’s Border

Ruth Eglash July 14, 2018
Israel’s hardline policy on entrance for refugees has drawn ire from the international community. As fighting in Syria draws closer to the Israeli border, Syrian refugees – an estimated 11,000 – plead for safe haven. A recent article for the Washington Post observes, “forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, backed by Russian airstrikes, are in the midst of a final push to recapture territory...

The Economist: UN Refugee Agency for Palestinians Running Out of Cash

July 13, 2018
The Trump administration’s decision to withhold $305 million of $365 million annually directed to the UN’s Relief and Works Agency is poised to cause further damage to the 2 million people of Gaza. Moreover, the crisis looms large against the backdrop of increased tension between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs Gaza. Since the end of March, a series of protests near the border...

The Guardian: Israel Deploys Border Reinforcements as Syrians Flee Strikes

Patrick Wintour July 13, 2018
Efforts to facilitate a broad ceasefire in southwest Syria broke down at the end of June, prompting the Syrian military to initiate a fresh round of air raids in the Daraa province – an area inside the de-escalation zone agreed on by the US president, the Russian president and the Jordanian government. The Syrian government claims to control of more than half of the province. The increase in...

The Guardian: Accountability Only Way to End Violence in Myanmar

Yanghee Lee and Georgia Drake July 11, 2018
Local and international organizations have reported serious violations and abuses in Myanmar for decades, and sexual violence cases overwhelmingly feature members of Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw. Yanghee Lee and Georgia Drake report for the Guardian: “Myanmar has faced civil war since shortly after independence in 1948, and there are countless instances of its peoples facing serious...