SIHMA Press Review for July 2025
International
30 July 2025
Rfi
UNICEF urges France to recognise exploited children as victims, not criminals
Unicef France’s recent report draws urgent attention to the plight of vulnerable minors who are criminally exploited yet treated as offenders instead of victims. Despite facing coercion through threats, addiction, and manipulation, thousands of children mostly unaccompanied boys from African and Eastern European countries are caught up in activities like pickpocketing and drug trafficking. The organization highlights France’s failure to recognize and protect these youths, noting glaring gaps in victim identification and legal accountability. By pushing for penal and civil code reforms, Unicef aims to ensure that exploited minors are shielded by justice rather than punished by it.
23 July 2025
EuroNews
Family reunification for migrants in Belgium in question in line with European trend
Belgium has introduced stricter conditions for family reunification among migrants, reflecting a broader European trend also seen in Portugal, Germany, and Austria. The new Belgian legislation reduces the time window for refugees to apply, extends the waiting period for those with subsidiary protection, significantly raises income thresholds, and multiplies costs for naturalisation. Critics, including human rights advocates, argue that these measures disproportionately disadvantage migrant families particularly refugees making legal reunification nearly unattainable and increasing reliance on dangerous alternatives like smuggling. The policy has sparked concerns over long-term social integration and echoes wider European efforts to curb migration through legal restrictions.
18 July 2025
France24
Afghan refugees in Pakistan live in fear amid mass expulsions
Pakistan has intensified the deportation of Afghan refugees under its “Plan for the Repatriation of Foreigners in an Illegal Situation,” citing national security concerns following a rise in terrorist attacks. Since October 2023, this policy has led to the forced expulsion of tens of thousands of Afghans, including many who are legally registered with the UN or have pending asylum claims. Despite hosting nearly 2.8 million Afghan refugees over the last three decades, the current crackdown marked by daily police raids has sown widespread fear and uncertainty, with even valid visa holders living in hiding to avoid deportation.
Africa
29 July 2025
Rfi
Protests erupt at Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya following aid cuts
The Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya has erupted in violent protests following deep cuts to humanitarian aid, leaving one person dead and two police officers injured. Tensions have been building for months as food rations were slashed due to the withdrawal of major donors like the United States, which previously contributed up to half of global humanitarian funding. The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed that its storage facility in the Kalobeyei Settlement was set ablaze during the unrest.
The protests were triggered by a new rationing system that prioritizes aid for the most vulnerable, leaving many refugees feeling excluded and discriminated against. Demonstrators clashed with police, throwing stones and setting fire to a store, prompting officers to open fire. Refugees expressed fears that Kenya’s plans to convert Kakuma into a permanent settlement could strip them of existing benefits.
Link: https://www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20250729-protests-erupt-at-kakuma-refugee-camp-in-kenya-because-of-cuts
28 July 2025
Africa News
Egypt says it has made "strenuous efforts" in tackling illegal migration, calls for European support
At the second ministerial meeting of the EU-Horn of Africa Migration Route Initiative (Khartoum Process), Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty emphasized the country’s proactive role in curbing irregular migration. He stated that no migrant boats have departed from Egypt’s coast since the implementation of its national migration strategy in 2016, underscoring Egypt’s commitment to migration governance. Abdelatty called for increased European support, particularly in healthcare, education, and job creation, noting that Egypt hosts around 10 million refugees who have access to the labor market but face limited employment opportunities. He warned that without sufficient investment, many may resort to dangerous Mediterranean crossings. The meeting also highlighted a major funding gap following the withdrawal of USAID, which had been the largest donor to humanitarian efforts along the Horn of Africa migration route. German Minister Katja Keul acknowledged the severity of the shortfall, calling it “a catastrophe” and admitting that no single donor can fully compensate for the loss. This funding vacuum threatens aid delivery in key transit and host countries including Sudan, South Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
11 July 2025
Africa news
Nearly 200 migrants intercepted off the coast of Senegal
The Senegalese navy intercepted 201 migrants in a coordinated operation in western Senegal, with “69 people arrested on land” and “132 others intercepted aboard a small wooden boat” in the Saloum Delta, as stated by the Senegalese army. The Atlantic crossing remains the “most popular – and deadliest – migration route from Africa to Europe,” with nearly 47,000 arrivals in Spain’s Canary Islands in 2024, a rise from 40,000 in 2023, according to the Spanish Interior Ministry. The Spanish migrant rights association Walking Borders estimates that “the victims [of the crossing] is in the thousands this year alone,” underscoring the route’s extreme risk. DIRPA reported that those apprehended included “several women and children” from various West African countries. Aid workers in the Canaries observe that “they are increasingly seeing women and children risking their lives,” marking a shift from the previously male-dominated migration pattern. Though the EU signed a €210 million deal with Mauritania to curb smuggling, “this agreement has had little impact on migrant arrivals.” The report also notes that vessels often “drift across the ocean for months until they are found in the Caribbean and Latin America, carrying only human remains.” Migrants now include individuals from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan, showing the route’s widening global reach.
Link: https://www.africanews.com/2025/07/11/nearly-200-migrants-intercepted-off-the-coast-of-senegal/
Southern Africa
25 July 2025
Newsbreak
Trump Administration Deports 5 Migrants To Small African Nation Of Eswatini – Where None Of Them Are From
In July 2025, the Trump Administration resumed its controversial “third country deportation” policy by sending five convicted migrants originally from Vietnam, Cuba, Laos, Jamaica, and Yemen to Eswatini, a small Southern African nation. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin described the deportees as “so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back,” citing charges ranging from murder to child rape. The move followed a Supreme Court ruling in late June that allowed the U.S. government to deport migrants to countries with which they have no affiliation, even without prior notice. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons formalized this approach in a July memo, permitting deportations with as little as six hours’ notice under “exigent circumstances,” provided the receiving country offers credible assurances against torture or persecution. The Eswatini government confirmed the men are being held in solitary confinement at a maximum-security facility and labeled them “in transit,” though no timeline for repatriation has been set. Critics, including human rights organizations and Eswatini’s opposition party PUDEMO, have condemned the arrangement as opaque and dangerous, warning of regional security risks and violations of international norms.
24 July 2025
The Herald
Immigration Department hosts charity sports tournament to combat human smuggling and raise awareness in Beitbridge
In the border town of Beitbridge, the Department of Immigration recently organized a lively sports tournament to promote safe migration and raise awareness about human smuggling and drug trafficking. Held under the theme “A fight against human smuggling and drug trafficking,” the event brought together eight soccer, and seven netball teams composed of law enforcement agencies and government departments from Zimbabwe and South Africa. Hosted at Mabidi Stadium, the initiative also served a charitable purpose, with all proceeds donated to Takalani Children’s Home, which supports vulnerable migrant children some unaccompanied and struggling to trace their families.
17 July 2025
OkayAfrica
Malawi’s Refugee Crisis Deepens as UNHCR Scales Back Support
The situation at Dzaleka Refugee Camp is heartbreaking and deeply complex. With over 57,000 residents crammed into a space originally designed for 10,000, the camp is now facing a humanitarian crisis fueled by severe funding shortages. UNHCR has received only 12% of the $26.3 million needed for 2025, leading to drastic cuts in food, healthcare, education, and livelihood programs. This isn’t just a funding crisis it’s a crisis of dignity. And yet, amid the hardship, people like SULLU and Bin Wakandwa continue to dream, create, and care for their families. Their resilience is extraordinary.
South Africa
25 July 2025
African News Agency
Turning Point in Xenophobia Crisis
South Africa faces a critical crisis as groups like March and March and Operation Dudula unlawfully block foreign nationals regardless of legal status from accessing healthcare, notably at Addington Hospital. This vigilantism has denied medical care to refugees, asylum seekers, and even undocumented South Africans, with incidents of violence reported. The police’s passive response highlights a failure in governance and law enforcement. Such actions mirror early signs of past xenophobic violence, wrongly blaming migrants for systemic failures like collapsing health services, unemployment, and political mismanagement. The article urgently calls on authorities to uphold constitutional rights and stop these illegal blockades before they fuel wider xenophobic extremism.
19 July 2025
AciAfrica
Catholic Bishop Links Woes of Migrants in South Africa’s Public Hospitals to U.S. President’s Aid Suspension
Bishop Joseph Mary Kizito of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) strongly condemned the rising xenophobic attacks in South Africa, emphasizing that foreign nationals are wrongly scapegoated for medication shortages in public healthcare. He attributed the crisis to broader economic challenges, including the suspension of U.S. foreign aid—particularly HIV and TB funding—under President Donald Trump, which has severely impacted health services. The Bishop criticized the protesters’ lack of global political awareness and highlighted that foreigners are not outnumbering locals or overwhelming clinics. Amid escalating tensions and calls for the exclusion and deportation of undocumented migrants, SACBC leaders warn that such behavior threatens social cohesion and undermines the moral foundation of the nation's healthcare system.
08 July 2025
ICJ
South Africa: ICJ urges high court to apply international law protecting migrants and refugees from discrimination and xenophobia in case involving vigilante attacks
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) intervened in a pivotal South African High Court case Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia v Operation Dudula highlighting the state’s failure to protect the rights of non-citizens amid rising xenophobic violence and discrimination. Acting as amicus curiae, the ICJ stressed South Africa’s constitutional and international obligations to uphold equality, non-discrimination, and protection from abuse, particularly in immigration enforcement. The case challenges the legality of warrantless searches under section 41 of the Immigration Act, arguing it enables discriminatory and unlawful practices. The ICJ cited multiple treaties, including the ICCPR and ICESCR, and called for the urgent implementation of the 2019 National Action Plan to Combat Racism and Xenophobia. Applicants seek interdicts against Operation Dudula, constitutional accountability from law enforcement, and a declaration that section 41 is unconstitutional.
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