Latest news with #OthmanBelbeisi
Zawya
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Urgent support needed as over 1.3 million war-displaced Sudanese begin to return home
While conflict persists across much of Sudan, pockets of relative safety have emerged, and to date over 1 million internally displaced Sudanese have made their way home. A further 320,000 people have crossed back into Sudan since last year, mainly from Egypt and South Sudan, some to assess the current situation in the country before deciding to return. People are mainly going back to Khartoum, Sennar and Al Jazirah States, where the impact of more than two years of war is immense. Regional Directors from UNHCR and IOM recently visited Khartoum and witnessed widespread devastation and a chronic lack of services for its remaining inhabitants. These include thousands of internally displaced Sudanese, as well as refugees and asylum-seekers hosted in Sudan, many of whom had been completely cut off from assistance since the war began. The visits followed an earlier mission to Sudan in February by the UNDP Regional Director aimed at developing long-term solutions for internally displaced people and refugees to secure livelihoods and basic services. With humanitarian operations massively underfunded both inside Sudan and across neighbouring countries hosting those who fled, an urgent increase in financial support is needed. Humanitarian partners stress that recovery efforts must begin in areas that are becoming accessible and relatively safer. At the same time, funds are desperately needed to improve conditions for refugees in host countries. 'More than evidence of people's desire to return to their homeland, these returns are a desperate call for an end to the war so that people can come back and rebuild their lives,' said Mamadou Dian Balde, Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Sudan crisis, who has just returned from Khartoum and Wadi Halfa at the border with Egypt. 'Not only do they mark a hopeful but fragile shift, they also indicate already stretched host countries under increasing strain. We urge stronger international solidarity with the Sudanese people uprooted by this horrifying war and with the countries that have opened their doors to them." While fighting has subsided in the areas to which people are returning, conditions remain perilous. Public infrastructure – power supply lines, roads and drainage systems – have been completely destroyed. Schools and hospitals have been ruined or turned into collective shelters hosting displaced families. Lost or destroyed civil documents and the inability to replace them means people cannot access existing services. In addition to the dangers posed by unexploded ordnances, sexual violence and child rights violations are widespread. Speaking from Port Sudan immediately after his visit to Khartoum, IOM Regional Director Othman Belbeisi underlined the need to support returnees in their voluntary choice to return: 'Those heading home are not passive survivors, they are vital to Sudan's recovery. Yes, the humanitarian situation is dire, but with the right support, returnees can revive local economies, restore community life, and foster hope where it's needed most. But they cannot do it alone. We must work alongside local partners to ensure that people return not to shattered systems, but to the foundations of peace, dignity, and opportunity. The thousands of people seeking to return home are driven by hope, resilience, and an enduring connection to their country. However, it is essential to emphasize that return must remain a voluntary, informed, and dignified choice.' 'Anyone who's been forced from home knows the overwhelming urge to return,' said UNDP Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States, Abdallah Al Dardari. 'But without urgent action, people will be coming back to cities that are in ruins. We are in a race against time to clear the rubble and provide water, power, and health care. We also need to offer longer-term support for jobs and businesses and to address the unseen damage of war, including with counselling and legal aid for women victims of violence.' Despite these returns, hundreds continue to flee both within Sudan and across its borders daily, due to ongoing conflict particularly in the Darfur and Kordofan regions. More than two years in, the people of Sudan have suffered enough and deserve an end to the fighting. A political solution to the crisis in Sudan must be found for a lasting peace that will allow people to fully return and rebuild their lives. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Arab News
19-06-2025
- General
- Arab News
At least 60 migrants, including Pakistanis and Egyptians, feared dead after Libya shipwrecks
TRIPOLI, Libya: At least 60 migrants including Pakistanis and Egyptians are feared dead after a pair of shipwrecks off the coast of Libya over the past week, according to the International Organization for Migration. The first ship went down on June 12 near a Libyan port in Tripoli, with 21 people, including women and children, reported missing and only five survivors found, the IOM said in a statement Tuesday. Those lost at sea included Eritrean, Pakistani, Egyptian and Sudanese nationals. The second wreck took place about 35 kilometers (20 miles) off the port city of Tobruk, with the sole survivor reporting 39 people lost at sea, according to the UN body. 'With dozens feared dead and entire families left in anguish, IOM is once again urging the international community to scale up search and rescue operations and guarantee safe, predictable disembarkation for survivors,' said Othman Belbeisi, the IOM's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. According to the statement, at least 743 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. The deadly route, it said, is 'marked by increasingly dangerous smuggling practices, limited rescue capacity and growing restrictions on humanitarian operations.' As of June 15, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, migrant landings on the Italian coast were up 15 percent year on year, with most originating in Libya.
Express Tribune
18-06-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
At least 60 feared dead in twin migrant shipwrecks off Libya
Listen to article At least 60 migrants are feared dead after a pair of shipwrecks off the coast of Libya over the past week, according to the International Organization for Migration. The first ship went down on June 12 near a Libyan port in Tripoli, with 21 people, including women and children, reported missing and only five survivors found, the IOM said in a statement Tuesday. Those lost at sea included Eritrean, Pakistani, Egyptian and Sudanese nationals. The second wreck took place about 35 kilometres (20 miles) off the port city of Tobruk, with the sole survivor reporting 39 people lost at sea, according to the UN body. Read More: UN says 427 Rohingya feared dead in May shipwrecks "With dozens feared dead and entire families left in anguish, IOM is once again urging the international community to scale up search and rescue operations and guarantee safe, predictable disembarkation for survivors," said Othman Belbeisi, the IOM's regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. According to the statement, at least 743 people have died so far this year trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. The deadly route, it said, is "marked by increasingly dangerous smuggling practices, limited rescue capacity and growing restrictions on humanitarian operations". As of June 15, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, migrant landings on the Italian coast were up 15 percent year on year, with most originating in Libya.
Business Recorder
18-06-2025
- Business Recorder
Five Pakistanis feared dead after shipwreck off the coast of Libya
At least five Pakistanis are feared dead in a shipwreck near Alshab port in Tripolitania, off the coast of Libya. As per the International Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 60 refugees and migrants are feared missing and drowned at sea after two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya, while six survived the wreck. Two more bodies of Libya boat tragedy arrive 'With dozens feared dead and entire families left in anguish, IOM is once again urging the international community to scale up search and rescue operations and guarantee safe, predictable disembarkation for survivors,' said Othman Belbeisi, Regional Director for Middle East and North Africa (MENA). 'We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and all those affected.' On 12 June, 21 people were reported missing after a shipwreck near Alshab port in Tripolitania, where only five survivors were found, said the press release. 'Among those feared dead are six Eritreans, including three women and three children, five Pakistanis, four Egyptians, and two Sudanese men. The identities of four others remain unknown.' The IOM added that the second tragedy occurred on June 13, approximately 35 kilometres west of Tobruk. 'According to the sole survivor, who was rescued by fishermen, 39 people were lost at sea. In the days that followed, three bodies washed ashore: two on Umm Aqiqih beach on 14 June and another on Elramla beach in downtown Tobruk on 15 June. Identification efforts are ongoing, with support from members of the Sudanese community.' So far in 2025, at least 743 people have died attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, including 538 on the Central Mediterranean route alone. On April 12, four Pakistani nationals died in a boat capsizing incident off the Harawa coast near Sirte City in eastern Libya. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to launch an all-out war on the shadowy underworld of human trafficker. The PM vowed to take decisive action to dismantle trafficking networks operating with alarming impunity.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Yahoo
At least 60 people ‘feared dead' after shipwrecks off the coast of Libya
At least 60 refugees and migrants are feared missing and drowned at sea after two shipwrecks off the coast of Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has said, after attempting the perilous crossing to Europe. 'With dozens feared dead and entire families left in anguish, IOM is once again urging the international community to scale up search and rescue operations and guarantee safe, predictable disembarkation for survivors,' Othman Belbeisi, the regional director for the Middle East and North Africa. One shipwreck occurred on June 12 near Alshab port in Tripolitania, the United Nations agency said. Only five survivors were found and 21 people were reported missing. Among those feared dead are six Eritreans, including three women and three children, five Pakistanis, four Egyptians and two Sudanese men. The identities of four others remain unknown. The second incident occurred on June 13, approximately 35km (22 miles) west of Libya's Tobruk. According to the sole survivor, who was rescued by fishermen, 39 people are missing. At least 743 people have died so far this year attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, including 538 on the Central Mediterranean route, which remains the deadliest known migration route in the world. In recent years, the European Union has increased efforts to reduce such migration, including by providing equipment and financial support to the Libyan coastguard, a quasi-military organisation linked to militias accused of abuses and other crimes. NGOs say the phasing out of state-run search and rescue operations has made journeys across the Mediterranean more dangerous. They have also denounced what they see as punitive action by states against charities operating in the Mediterranean. As a result, many people fleeing conflict and persecution have found themselves stranded in Libya, often held in detention in conditions that rights groups describe as inhumane. Libya, which is still struggling to recover from years of war and chaos after the 2011 NATO-backed overthrow of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi, has been criticised for its treatment of refugees and migrants. Accusations from rights groups range from extortion to slavery, while smugglers and human traffickers have also taken advantage of the climate of instability in the country.
