United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees
latest news & developments
Don’t call asylum seekers and refugees makwerekwere; make them feel at home
Talk to people to understand why they fled their home county and the difficulties they face in South Africa
We should be sceptical of climate loans
Government forges ahead with corporate-sponsored climate deals without relevant input
Refugees: The fallout of all wars
In World War I, millions of people fled Germany and millions fled when Germany occupied their countries; in Ukraine, it’s estimated four million will flee; and around the world…
Born in but stateless in South Africa
Many young people in Mpumalanga – most of them descendants of Mozambicans who fled the civil war – are in limbo because they don’t have identity documents and birth certificates
D-Day has arrived but refugees still remain in Cape Town’s temporary shelters
The home affairs department’s end game might just be the beginning. A hardcore few are still in one camp and about 600 remain in the second shelter
Backlog Project provides hope for Cape Town refugees, asylum seekers
Many people at the Wingfield site have left to settle locally or be repatriated, but about 360 still insist they want to be resettled in a third country
SA activist seeks asylum in Ireland
Former Khayelitsha resident Bulelani Mfaco is leading a campaign for the protection of refugee rights in that country
Coronavirus uncertainty affects asylum seekers
Some refugee reception offices in South Africa have stopped accepting new asylum applications as the government enforces stricter measures to deal with the Covid-19 crisis
Refugees going home to nowhere
Asylum seekers will leave the Cape Town church, but most do not have documents, a situation they blame on the home affairs department
Fear inside the church of refugees
Migrant leader accused of military-style tactics to influence people and push authorities for a chance to leave South Africa
Holistic approaches to ending violence
Gender-based violence and xenophobia need to be addressed through approaches that take account of people’s emotions and trauma
Police and migrants clash in downtown Cape Town
The migrants are calling on the United Nations to help them be repatriated to other countries, including Canada and Australia
Widespread torture and rape documented in Libya’s refugee camps
An increasing number of refugees are being tortured and raped in Libya, a new study has found.
Displaced Congolese find unlikely refuge in Angola
So far, an estimated 12 300 people have made the perilous journey to safety on foot, fleeing deepening conflict in Kasai province
UN praises Uganda’s treatment of refugees fleeing from neighbouring countries
More than 100 000 refugees arrived in in Uganda 2015 alone, making the country the third-largest refugee-hosting country in Africa.