Malawian Migrants Suffer Wrath of Tanzanians

Hundreds of Malawian migrants have fled to their country from Tanzania where they have become susceptible to xenophobic attacks from the natives. The attacks seem to have been sparked by the Tanzanian government’s crackdown on undocumented migrants.

Those who have returned home explain that Malawians have become targets of attacks by Tanzanians who have taken advantage of the government’s crackdown on undocumented migrants. “The locals criticise us for making life difficult for them because of our economic superiority. Since we do not bargain when buying things, prices of commodities have increased and become expensive for them,” one of the returnees said.

According to the Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), other foreigners have not been spared either but Malawians seem to have been affected the most. This is because they are perceived to be doing well than most locals. “Malawians are usually hard working and we invest the little that we get,” one of those affected told IRIN.

The border town of Songwe has been a common entry point for those returning home from Malawi’s northern neighbour. They then connect to the northern town of Mzuzu where many are stranded because they do not have enough money to complete their journey. 

Malawian migrants from Tanzania arrive in Northern Malawi after fleeing attacks by some Tanzanians (Photo Credit: www.nyasatimes.com)

In July, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete had ordered all illegal migrants to leave the country by 11 August 2013 or risk forceful deportation. Upon the expiry of the deadline, 15,000 Burundians and 7,000 Rwandese illegal migrants were expelled, an event that prompted relief agencies to warn of an impending humanitarian crisis. The operation, christened ‘Kimbunga,’ has also seen the arrest of over 1,000 Malawians.

Those who were apprehended were given a reprieve by Tanzanian authorities who gave them 6 months to apply for residency permits. However, the upsurge in xenophobic attacks has discouraged most of these nationals from pursuing this option.

The Malawian government has adopted a cautionary approach to the matter with Information and Civic Education Minister Moses Kunkuyu stating that the government was yet to receive official information about the situation of its nationals in Tanzania.

Malawian Vice-President Khumbo Kachali is the highest profile government official to speak on the issue. During a visit to the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia where some of the returnees are housed, he offered the sympathies of the Malawian government but did not make concrete promises of assistance. “The government acknowledges that you have suffered in Tanzania. The Head of State Joyce Banda sends her apologies and we say sorry,” he said.

Xenophobia has a long history in Africa, which dates back to the 1970s when Nigerians and Burkinabe nationals were brutally expelled from Ghana under the Aliens Compliance Order. The events were replicated in Nigeria in the 1980s when hundreds of Ghanaians in the country lost their lives in xenophobic attacks.

In Cote d’Ivoire, during the political tussle between Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Outtara, Malians living in the country were victims of xenophobia. In 2001, African immigrants residing in Libya had to contend with volatile treatment from locals who branded them as foreigners.

Most notably, South Africa has been in the spotlight for increased incidents of xenophobic attacks, which dates as far as 1994. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), significant steps have not been made towards addressing this problem in a country, which was hosting close to 3 million foreigners in 2012. 

Black racism: Such hostility against fellow Africans have earned xenophobia the tag of being apartheid's 'sibling' (Photo Credit: www.deesserudigan.blogspot.com)

An article by the Socialist Party of Great Britain in 2001 reveals that xenophobia is tied to the economic lives of the masses. The locals usually blame the foreigners—who are usually poor—for their economic woes instead of blaming the powers that be. “The rich people in the society create divisions among the poor by laying blame on foreigners to create nationalistic feelings and divert attention from mismanagement,” the article reads in part. 

The masses (often illiterate, sick and hungry) are easily duped by these tactics and hence direct their wrath towards poor foreigners.

However, IOM describes xenophobia as a two-way phenomenon in which foreigners can also propagate it. It cites the case of South Africa where it is commonplace for foreigners to describe the natives as ‘lazy,’ ‘diseased’ or ‘uneducated’—sentiments that are sometimes expressed in the presence of South Africans.  Respecting each others’ rights and dignity will be important in co-existing peacefully.

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IOM Report Offers Insight into Plight and Delight of Migrants

A new report released on Wednesday in Kenya by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has revealed the plight of migrants in their countries of destination. According to the 2013 World Migration Report (WMR 2013), people who migrate to the south (low/middle income countries, such as, Third World Countries) feel that their lives are worse off or similar to those of their counterparts in their countries of origin.

The report draws upon the findings of the Gallup World Poll data collected from 25,000 first generation migrants and over 440,000 natives from over 150 countries between 2009 and 2011. Generally, it shows that those who migrate to the North—these are high-income countries like the United States or the European Union— think that they are faring better than their counterparts back home in terms of financial, career, subjective, social, community and physical well-being. These include South-North and North-North migrants. This is the opposite for migrants in the south.

However, the WMR 2013 reveals that overall financial situation of migrants is not as good as that of the natives of their countries of destination. According to the report, North-North migrants are less likely to be experiencing problems in meeting their basic needs unlike South-North migrants.

Speaking at the launch of the report at the Southern Sun Hotel in Nairobi, Deputy Director for Immigration Services Joseph Munyoki said that the report highlighted the need for stakeholders to rethink about migration. “This report highlights the need for a rethink of migration. It is an important resource for the government to implement the implementable within Kenya,” Munyoki said.

Mr. J.P. Munyoki from Immigration Services, shares a light moment with, IOM Regional Director, Mr. Ashraf El Nour during the official launch of the World Migration Report 2013 at the Southern Sun Hotel, Nairobi on Wednesday. 

Munyoki, who was representing the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination Joseph Ole Lenku at the function, also announced that the government was working on a national migration policy with the assistance of IOM.

At the same launch, IOM Regional Director, Mr. Ashraf El Nour announced a new initiative by the organisation aimed at migration profiling in Kenya. “We are soon rolling out a new initiative that will concern migration profiling in Kenya. Migration profiling is important because Kenya is a central point for migrants moving to the Southern region of Africa,” Mr. El Nour stated. The initiative is expected to improve the country’s capacity for evidence-based policy making.

The WMR 2013 was originally released on 13 September 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland where IOM’s headquarters are situated. It is the 7^th report in a series that began in 2007; it focuses on migrants as individuals and their well-being.

Its release comes ahead of the United Nations High Level Dialogue (HLD) on international migration and development to be held in New York from 3-4 October this year. The meeting will provide a good opportunity for the international community to align migration and development policies.

Also present at the function were the Deputy Commissioner for Labour Joseph Yilda, Labour Export Officer from the Youth Enterprise Development Fund Chrispine Wanyahoro and several diplomatic corps among others.

The full report can be downloaded here

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New BBC Investigative Report Unearths Immigrant Rights Violations in Morocco

A new investigative report by BBC’s economic editor Paul Mason has unearthed the human rights violations that illegal immigrants in Morocco undergo at the hands of security authorities. It implicates the police and criminal gangs in violations ranging from physical violence, exploitation and sexual violence.

The documentary—which can be viewed here— was aired on Wednesday 4th September and features interviews with several migrants who are stuck in Morocco after being denied entrance into Europe. One of the interviewees, a Cameroonian only identified as Amadou, narrated his ordeal after he was caught along with others trying to scale the border fence at Melilla—a Spanish border town—into Spain. “They landed with a helicopter and started hurling stones at us; beating us with batons,” he explains.

Amadou and his friends were then deported to Algeria—an act, which was in contravention of the 1951 Geneva Convention that prohibits the deportation of people to countries where there is no guarantee of their safety as well as without considering their individual cases.

Another interviewee, a Gambian called Ibrahim, recounted to Mason how the Spanish coastguard handed him over to their Moroccan counterparts who subjected him to physical assault. “The 35 of us were handed over to Moroccan cops who beat us with batons before taking us to Oujda, across the border with Algeria,” he narrates. Now stuck in Morocco, Ibrahim depends on a nearby mosque for food.

Things are looking up: Illegal immigrants resting after arriving at Spain's Canary Island of Tenerife. Many more have had their journey into Europe cut short by Moroccan and Spanish authorities (Image courtesy of www.boston.com)

The investigative trip also brought Mason into contact with Mustapha and Josui, two Senegalese bricklayers who tried to gain entry into Spain, having transited through Algeria, Mali and Niger. “We tried to jump over the border fence into Melillia but the Spanish police arrested us,” they narrated.

Having made it into Spanish territory, they expected to be allowed to claim asylum but instead, they were turned over to the Moroccan authorities. “They beat us everywhere while handcuffed behind our backs and even shot at us,” Mustapha explains.

Mason’s investigative report also lays blame on the European Union (EU), which has provided Morocco with €1.6 billion to deter illegal immigrants from its territory. The financial support is part of its ‘Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy’ that aims to improve the capacity of the North African kingdom in handling migration issues, such as, border management. Morocco is a major source of migration into Europe with the city of Tangier being a chief transit route.

A report by Médecins Sans Frontiéres (MSF), titled Violence, Vulnerability and Migration: Trapped at the Gates of Europe documents the increasing incidences of degrading treatment, violence and abuse of migrants in Morocco. The report also reveals the high levels of sexual violence against the Sub-Saharan migrant community in the country.

The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has, however, reiterated that it adheres to the human rights of all immigrants while implementing its readmission procedures and border management. It states that the kingdom has become a country of destination for Sub-Saharan African migrants because of its joint border control efforts with European countries.

What are your thoughts? Is Morocco right to cooperate with EU in stopping illegal immigrants from entering Europe through it?

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Reprieve for 400 African Immigrants as Malta Cancels Repatriation Flights

The Maltese government has been forced to cancel its plans to repatriate 400 immigrants from Somalia and Eritrea after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) issued a temporary order halting the repatriation.

The court order came after a group of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) requested for a stop to the repatriation plans amidst media reports that the government had arranged two flights to send these migrants to Libya.

The NGOs argued that the government’s plan constituted ‘push-back’, which was a strategy outlawed by the ECHR last year after former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi used it persistently in 2009.

Malta Prime Minister John Muscat denied that plans to repatriate the immigrants amounted to push-back but acknowledged that he was in contact with Libya regarding the return of the migrants.

Malta's nightmare: Constant arrival of African immigrants is causing headaches to the island (Photo courtesy of www.haaretz.com)

The island, home to an estimated 40,000 people, has bore the brunt of African immigrants who use it as a gateway to other European countries. According to the Mail Online, the situation often worsens during the summer where boats ferrying migrants escaping war and poverty arrive on the shores of the island. 

The Italian island of Lampedusa has also been affected by the influx of African immigrants. In 2010, 63 immigrants lost their lives on the Mediterranean Sea after Spanish and French military ignored their distress—an action that has attracted a lawsuit from two surviving immigrants.

Muscat has criticised the European Union (EU) for not supporting Malta in its efforts to curtail the constant streaming of immigrants to the island. However, the EU, through its commissioner for home affairs Cecilia Malmstrom, reiterated the importance of obeying EU and international obligations by properly assessing the situation of all immigrants and allowing them to file an asylum request.

Considering Malta’s situation, do you think it is justified in its desire to repatriate the immigrants?

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Two African Migrants Sue France and Spain for Negligence

Two African migrants have sued the Spanish and French military for their failure to answer their distress calls while stranded in the Mediterranean Sea two years ago. The two were among 72 migrants who were marooned at sea while trying to reach the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Abu Kurke, one of the two complainants, gave an account of the harrowing ordeal, which claimed the lives of 63 people. “We waited for help but it wasn’t forthcoming. People started losing their lives after three days; others fell into the water and couldn’t climb back in,” he narrated.

Kurke, who was fleeing Ethiopia because of political violence, said that a helicopter that had provided them with water and biscuits never returned as its crew had promised. Indeed, The Council of Europe, Europe’s human rights body, conducted an investigation in 2012 that revealed the legal and institutional failures, which led to the incident. 

The indifference of the European military units was a contravention of international maritime law, which requires all vessels at sea, including military units, to offer help and answer distress calls. The units were then engaging in a military operation against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in Libya.

The new complaint comes hot on the heels of the first one, which was thrown out by the prosecutor’s office in Paris after the French military denied responsibility. Enjoined in the second complaint are four civil rights groups including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). It seeks a judicial inquiry into the incident by an investigating judge.

According to the Guardian newspaper, which first exposed the story in 2011, 61 people, including two newborns, died on board the tiny dinghy while two others passed away after the boat ended up in Zlitan, Misrata in Libya. It was carrying 47 Ethiopians, seven Eritreans, seven Nigerians, five Sudanese and six Ghanaians.

Stories of African migrants crossing the Mediterranean to reach Europe are not uncommon. The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports that 58,000 migrants used the route to reach Europe in 2011. The commission cited the Arab uprising as the main reason for the upsurge in migrants, which was the highest figure since 2008. 1, 500 people were not lucky and lost their lives within the same period.

The dangerous journey to Europe usually involves an energy-sapping trek across the Sahara desert where many migrants die from thirst. Crossing the Mediterranean brings with it the risk of drowning as was witnessed in the case of Abu Kurke and his companions. The risk is even greater when the boats are unworthy and are manned by the migrants themselves who may not be experienced in steering the vessels to safety.

Unaccompanied minors and pregnant women are often the most affected by the inhumane conditions, which characterise the journey across the Mediterranean into Europe.  The boats are often too small to accommodate the large number of passengers while basic necessities, such as, food and water are usually inadequate. Rape and beatings are also common occurrences during these harrowing trips.

As if that is not enough tribulation, there is the risk of being shot down by border guards. Simon Cheung, a Libyan-based UNHCR Senior Protection Officer reveals that cases of migrants reaching their destinations with gunshot wounds are common.

Organised criminal groups have been the main beneficiaries of African migrants’ desire to reach their destinations. Taking advantage of the latter’s problems, these groups charge a fee to ferry migrants across the sea into Europe. For example, a trip from West Africa through the Libyan coast en route to Europe costs between $2,000 and $3,000.

Some migrants end up as slaves of the criminals upon reaching their destination where they engage in various dangerous activities to pay off the debts owed to the groups. The fear of deportation to their homeland forces these migrants to toe the line of the criminal groups.

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