İsrail'den UNRWA karargahına askeri müze, bölgesel gelişmeler artıyor
İsrail, Doğu Kudüs'ün Şeyh Cerrah mahallesindeki UNRWA binasının yıkıntıları üzerine askeri bir 'müze', askerlik bürosu ve savunma bakanlığı ofisi inşa edeceğini duyurdu. Bu adım, uluslararası toplumun Filistinli mültecilere yönelik yardım kuruluşuna ilişkin hassasiyetine rağmen atıldı ve İsrail'in Kudüs'teki egemenlik iddialarını pekiştirme çabası olarak yorumlanıyor. Eş zamanlı olarak, Somaliland'ın İsrail'i tanıma ve Kudüs'te büyükelçilik açma kararı, İsrail'in Afrika Boynuzu'ndaki nüfuz arayışını ve bağımsızlık ilan eden bu bölgeyle ilişkisini derinleştirdi. Bölgede gerilimler çok boyutlu: Mısır'ın, Birleşik Arap Emirlikleri'nin baskısıyla El-Ezher'in İran karşıtı söylemini değiştirmesi, Körfez ülkelerindeki Mısırlı işçilerin durumuna dair ekonomik kaygıları yansıtırken; ABD ve Bahreyn öncülüğünde 137 ülkenin Hürmüz Boğazı'nda deniz güvenliğini sağlamaya yönelik BM karar tasarısına destek vermesi, İran ile bölgesel güçler arasındaki stratejik gerilimin tırmandığını gösteriyor. Gazze'de ise Yardım Kurulu'na yönelik eleştiriler, Trump planına rağmen İsrail'in engellemeleri nedeniyle insani yardımların ulaştırılamadığını ortaya koyuyor. Tüm bu gelişmeler, Orta Doğu ve Kuzey Afrika'da diplomatik saflaşmaların ve insani krizlerin derinleştiğine işaret ederken, Fas'ın Avrupa Birliği'nin yeni göç paktı doğrultusunda Sahraaltı Afrikalılara yönelik sınır dışı operasyonlarını hızlandırması, kıtanın kuzeyindeki baskıyı artırıyor.
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Israel to build military 'museum' on ruins of Unrwa HQ in Jerusalem
Israel to build military 'museum' on ruins of Unrwa HQ in Jerusalem Mera Aladam on Mon, 05/18/2026 - 07:35 The area will also house a military recruitment centre and an office for the defence minister Israeli forces demolish the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's (Unrwa) building in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, east Jerusalem, on 20 January 2026 (Ilia Yefimovich/AFP) Off Israeli authorities have approved the creation of a new military complex in place of where the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) headquarters in Jerusalem once stood. According to official statements on Sunday, 36 dunams of land (nearly 8.9 acres) will be allocated to the establishment of a military museum, a recruitment centre and an office for the defence minister. Israel Katz said in a post on X that the decision came in light of Jerusalem Day, a national holiday marking the start of the occupation of East Jerusalem by Israeli forces after the 1967 war. Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful under international law due to its permanence and the Israeli government’s de-facto annexation policies. "We outlawed this terror-supporting UN organisation and took the land, and now on its ruins we are building and strengthening Jerusalem - the eternal capital of the Jewish people," Katz added. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); In late January, the Unrwa compound in Sheikh Jarrah was demolished by Israeli forces in an escalating campaign to dismantle the agency’s presence in East Jerusalem. Israel's government has long been hostile towards Unrwa, partially because it upholds the refugee status of Palestinians who were expelled from their homes in the 1948 Nakba and their descendants. היום, ביום ירושלים, שחררנו אזור חדש בירושלים כאשר הממשלה בראשות רה"מ בנימין נתניהו אישרה את הצעתי להקמת מתחם של משרד הביטחון בסמוך לגבעת התחמושת, שיכלול לשכת גיוס, מוזיאון צה"ל ולשכת שר ביטחון - במקום מתחם אונר"א שנהרס. pic.twitter.com/QsZHV9VLVI May 17, 2026 In January 2024, Israel accused 12 Unrwa workers of involvement in the 7 October Hamas-led attacks, alleging they had distributed ammunition and assisted in kidnappings of civilians. A UN review published in April 2024 found no evidence of wrongdoing by Unrwa staff, noting that Israel had neither responded to requests for names and information nor "informed Unrwa of any concrete concerns relating to Unrwa staff since 2011". Similar statements by the Israeli government has been made against Unrwa, claiming it had ties to "terrorist" entities and individuals. However, no evidence has been found to back up such allegations. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The latest plan includes the transferring of the military induction centre to be relocated on the ruins of the Unrwa complex from Jerusalem's Romema neighbourhood. The transfer is especially due to the tension created among Israel's ultra-Orthodox community, who have long protested their recruitment into the military. Israel's assault on Unrwa will never erase Palestinian right of return Ghada Karmi Read More » Meanwhile, rights groups and experts have warned that the removal of Unrwa leaves Palestinian refugees in the occupied territory vulnerable. The agency is the primary source of humanitarian support for an estimated 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza and neighbouring countries. This includes the provision of basic services such as education, food, medical care and the distribution of fuel. Its closure could lead to the collapse of the primary lifeline for Palestinians. The Jerusalem Governorate stressed that the construction of Israeli army facilities in place of the agency is a "serious escalation and a blatant violation of international law". It added that the project constitutes a "serious breach" of the Fourth Geneva Convention and a violation of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations. The plan reflects an "escalating colonial trend to impose new Judaizing realities in occupied Jerusalem" the office said, adding that the decision strengthens the occupation's narrative, effectively eraseing Palestinian history in the area. Occupation News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
- Güvenlik19 May 19:31
Somaliland recognises Jerusalem as capital of Israel, will open embassy
Somaliland recognises Jerusalem as capital of Israel, will open embassy Sean Mathews on Tue, 05/19/2026 - 19:15 Somaliland and Israel are opening embassies, in a sign of Israel's deepening ties with the breakaway region in the Horn of Africa Special forces prepare for the 35th Independence Day celebrations near the presidential palace in Hargeisa's Shap neighbourhood in Somaliland, on 18 May 12026 (Kang-Chun Cheng/AFP) Off Somaliland is opening an embassy in Jerusalem, and Israel will reciprocate by opening one in the breakaway region of Somalia, in the latest sign that the two are deepening their ties. “I am pleased to announce that the Republic of Somaliland’s embassy will be located in Jerusalem - the embassy will be opened soon,” Mohamed Hagi, Somaliland’s ambassador to Israel, said on Tuesday. “Israel will also establish its embassy in Hargeisa, reflecting growing friendship, mutual respect, and strategic cooperation between our two peoples,” he added, referring to the capital of the internationally unrecognised territory. Somaliland is an autonomous region in northern Somalia that declared independence in 1991. Israel became the first United Nations member to recognise Somaliland as an independent state in December 2025. The move elicited a particularly strong response from Arab and Muslim states that are wary of Israel gaining a foothold in the strategic Horn of Africa through an unrecognised state. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); East Jerusalem is considered occupied under international law. Israel wrested control of the city from Jordan in the 1967 war. The only Muslim-majority state with an embassy in Jerusalem is Kosovo, which declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. The US recognises Kosovo, but China and Russia do not. A strategic node In return for Israeli recognition, Somaliland said it would sign up to the Abraham Accords, the US-led agreements in which Morocco, Bahrain, and the UAE established full diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020 and 2021. Sudan’s agreement to normalise remains unratified amid its civil war. Red Sea crisis: What do Israel and the UAE want from Somaliland? Read More » Somaliland is a strategic node in a wider struggle for influence playing out in the region. The unrecognised state is 30km south of the Bab el-Mandab Strait, the narrow waterway that connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea. Since Israel’s recognition, Somaliland officials have discussed building an Israeli military base in the territory, despite previous denials of such a plan from Hargeisa’s foreign ministry. A foothold in Somaliland would put Israel a short distance away from Yemen’s Houthis, who targeted shipping in the Red Sea, in what they said was retaliation for Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. Israel's support for the secessionist state comes as it deepens already close ties to the UAE, which also supports Somaliland. Israel sent Iron Dome air defence batteries to the UAE amid Iranian missile and drone attacks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said he visited the Gulf state during the war. Middle East Eye reported on Monday that the UAE and Israel have agreed to a fund for joint defence acquisitions. The UAE refused to join other Gulf states, notably Saudi Arabia and Qatar, in condemning Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. The UAE maintains a military base at the Somaliland port of Berbera. Somalia News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
- Siyasi20 May 09:46
Sources say Egypt pressing Al-Azhar 'to back UAE' against Iran
Sources say Egypt pressing Al-Azhar 'to back UAE' against Iran MEE correspondent on Tue, 05/19/2026 - 15:45 The Sunni world’s top Islamic body shifted its line after a presidential warning that Egyptian jobs in the Gulf were at stake UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (right) receiving Ahmed al-Tayeb, grand imam of al-Azhar, at al-Shati Palace in Abu Dhabi on 12 July 2024 (AFP/UAE Presidency/file photo) Off Egypt’s presidency has pressed Al-Azhar, the leading authority in Sunni Islam, to publicly back the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states in their confrontation with Iran, security sources and sources close to the institution’s grand imam said. The Cairo-based seat of Sunni learning has issued four statements since the start of the current war, including one that condemned Iranian strikes on the UAE as “the aggression of the Islamic Republic of Iran against its Muslim neighbour, the United Arab Emirates”. Al-Azhar has not condemned American or Israeli strikes on Iran in any of its statements, a shift from its position during last year’s war, when it described that conflict as “the aggression of the occupying entity against the Islamic Republic of Iran”. The earlier stance had angered the UAE, the sources said, although Gulf territory had not then come under attack. The Emirati newspaper Al-Khaleej criticised Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayeb’s position at the time. At the outset of the current war, state agencies demanded that Al-Azhar align unambiguously with Gulf states and avoid any mention of US and Israeli strikes, sources within the institution’s leadership told Middle East Eye. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); “It was stated plainly and directly by the presidential institution that there are major interests with the Gulf and the US that we cannot sacrifice under the current economic conditions, that what happened over Gaza cannot be repeated, and that Al-Azhar would bear the blame for the Egyptians who lose their jobs in the Gulf if it takes a contrary position,” one source said, citing the message delivered by the presidency. The same approach had been used last year, as reported by MEE, to force Al-Azhar to withdraw a statement urging global action on famine in Gaza. Then the state threatened to blame the institution for derailing a ceasefire and blocking the entry of aid, the sources said. Gulf officials had visited Tayeb and detailed the damage their countries had sustained, assessments which the sources said had been “greatly exaggerated”. The four statements issued by Al-Azhar are as follows: Al-Azhar issued its first statement on 2 March, calling for an immediate halt to the war, an end to further bloodshed and rejecting violations of Arab states’ sovereignty. It did not name Iran. A second statement on 17 March condemned what it called Iran’s “unjustified attacks” on the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman, as well as on Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and Azerbaijan. A third, on 9 April, warned against “the occupying entity” - Al-Azhar’s customary term for Israel - for what it described as attempts to inflame the region and breach the current truce, saying the absence of legal accountability had emboldened the occupier to commit further crimes. It did not address strikes on Iranian territory. The fourth, on 5 May, condemned “the aggression of the Islamic Republic of Iran against its Muslim neighbour, the UAE”. Sources close to the Egyptian presidency said Al-Azhar formed part of the state apparatus and that unifying its position was a necessity tied to national interests with the Gulf. Gulf states were watching Al-Azhar closely and had raised the matter directly in talks during the war, they said. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The close personal ties between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his Emirati counterpart, alongside Egypt’s economic interests in Abu Dhabi, made it essential for Al-Azhar to issue a statement specifically condemning the Iranian strikes, the sources said. Exclusive: Egypt presidency forced Al-Azhar to delete statement condemning Israel's starvation of Gaza Read More » MEE could not independently verify the accounts. Al-Azhar and the offices of the Egyptian and UAE presidents did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Previous pressure from the Egyptian state and Gulf governments, the UAE chief among them, had failed to shift Al-Azhar’s position on Palestinian armed factions or its expressions of support for them, the sources said. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had called Tayeb directly to argue that Al-Azhar’s stance served the interests of political organisations that fell outside the legitimate Palestinian decision-making framework. That was a characterisation the grand imam rejected during the call, the sources said. Abbas subsequently complained about Tayeb to Sisi. MEE asked the Palestinian Authority for comment but has not received a response. A 2019 constitutional crisis Sources close to Tayeb dismissed suggestions that UAE mediation during a 2019 dispute had any bearing on Al-Azhar’s current alignment. An Egyptian news outlet reported at the time that Sisi was moving to unseat the grand imam by amending the constitutional articles governing Al-Azhar, and that mediation by UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan resolved the crisis, preserving the constitutional articles in exchange for the removal of two figures close to Tayeb. The Al-Azhar sources, however, told MEE that Abu Dhabi’s role had been overstated. Egypt: The politics of reforming al-Azhar Read More » The UAE had not objected to Tayeb’s removal in principle, but was dissatisfied with the proposed successors, who it judged did not match his stature in countering extremism and projecting a moderate image of Islam, a field in which the two sides had been cooperating extensively at the time. Cooperation slowed sharply after Abu Dhabi normalised relations with Israel under the 2020 normalisation deal known as the Abraham Accords, and was now confined to specific files and conditional on keeping Al-Azhar away from any matter involving Israel, they added. Real support during the 2019 crisis had come from certain Egyptian state agencies, the sources said. Those agencies leaked news of the planned move at the moment Tayeb was signing the Document on Human Fraternity with Pope Francis, a timing that would have suggested he was being punished for his openness. Demonstrations followed in Luxor, Tayeb’s birthplace and the home of his family, where his image was raised by protesters. Objections from Southeast Asian countries, combined with messages Sisi received from African heads of state during a continental tour, led the Egyptian president to conclude that aides hostile to Tayeb had misled him, the sources said. Relations recovered after those advisers were removed, they added. Inside Egypt News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
- Ekonomik21 May 01:57
Report: 137 countries back draft resolution on Hormuz Strait at the UN
Report: 137 countries back draft resolution on Hormuz Strait at the UN In the most most widely backed proposal before the UN Security Council, 137 countries are supporting a draft resolution on the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported. According to Al Jazeera, the resolution - introduced by the US and Bahrain - seeks to "protect international waterways, commercial shipping and energy supplies, maintain global economic and trade stability, as well as ensure the safety and security of seafarers".
- Güvenlik21 May 20:49
Leading NGOs slam Board of Peace for 'failing' to deliver Gaza aid pledges
Leading NGOs slam Board of Peace for 'failing' to deliver Gaza aid pledges Yasmine El-Sabawi on Thu, 05/21/2026 - 19:33 Organisations say Israel is actively obstructing aid despite Trump's own 20-point plan calling for assistance to 'proceed without interference' A Palestinian woman sits amid the rubble from an Israeli strike in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, on 20 May 2026 (Mahmoud Issa/Reuters) Off A group of some of the world's leading aid organisations on Thursday said US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" for Gaza is "failing", precisely because Israel is still obstructing the vast majority of aid into the enclave. At a briefing for reporters at the United Nations in New York, Janti Soeripto, the CEO of Save the Children US, said her organisation, among several others, has reached out to the Board of Peace and offered meetings, expertise, and direct reporting from local staff on the ground. Little to nothing has come of it. "Six months on, children in Gaza are still not in school, malnourished, and not being treated for their wounds. The electricity grid and water infrastructure is 90 percent still unusable," she said. "The [UN] resolution and the peace plan called for immediate full aid, no interference of aid, and the immediate rehabilitation of infrastructure. By all metrics, this has not happened." (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The text of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza - upon which the October 2025 ceasefire was agreed, and which formed the basis for the Board of Peace - says that the "entry of distribution and aid in the Gaza Strip will proceed without interference" from Israel or Hamas, and that it will be facilitated by "the United Nations and its agencies, and the Red Crescent, in addition to other international institutions not associated in any manner with either party". But the aid groups at Thursday's briefing - Oxfam, Refugees International, and Save the Children US - which have longstanding projects in Gaza that predate the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel and the subsequent genocide in Gaza, said that at least 600 trucks filled with basic supplies were meant to enter Gaza every day since the ceasefire came into effect, and the current figure is nowhere close. Last week, the UN's office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs said that only one in every two aid trucks from Egypt was allowed to offload at Israeli-controlled crossings along Gaza’s perimeter in the first 11 days of this month. In addition, only 700 Palestinians have been medically evacuated since the ceasefire, when some 18,000 people require a critical level of care they cannot get inside Gaza, the aid organisations said. Israel is in charge of who is permitted to leave Gaza, and who is allowed to get back inside - even when those Palestinians are crossing into Egypt. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "The obstruction needs to stop, and this is one of the most vexing things about this. It's not a particularly complex or sophisticated negotiation," Jeremy Konyndyk, a former Obama and Biden administration official who is now the president of Refugees International, told reporters. "Other parts of the deal, the political and security elements, are hugely complex, and the implementation of those will be hugely complex. Not blocking humanitarian aid is not a complex proposition. All you have to do is not block humanitarian aid." 'Level of impunity' As of Thursday, the Gaza health ministry said 883 Palestinians have been killed during this ceasefire period, either from Israeli air strikes or live fire from soldiers. US lobbied Saudi Arabia to release funds for Gaza 'Board of Peace' amid cash crunch Read More » But a report put together by the Board of Peace itself earlier this month insisted that Hamas is "the principal obstacle" to the board's ability to take the ceasefire to the next stage, given its refusal to disarm fully without permanent security guarantees from Israel and its primary backer, the US. "The Board of Peace report, in my own view, did not read like an honest broker trying to hold all sides equally... It came across as more one-sided," Konyndyk said. "[It] talks in very oblique, roundabout terms about some of the continuing humanitarian struggles, but at no point does it actually ever acknowledge the reason for those - the principal reason being the continued pattern of obstruction by the Israeli government in direct contradiction of their obligations under the ceasefire deal," he added. "What is unique here...is just the level of impunity." What the Board of Peace needs, the aid groups agreed, is political will and accountability, because the framework - and even the funding - is all there for a project like this to succeed. The numbers Nine of the member nations of the Board of Peace have pledged a total of $7bn towards relief efforts in Gaza, US President Donald Trump announced at the group's inaugural meeting in Washington, DC, in February. The countries are Kazakhstan; Azerbaijan; the UAE; Morocco; Bahrain; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Uzbekistan; and Kuwait. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait are each contributing $1bn, per statements by their representatives at the meeting. Israel says ceasefire void if Hamas won't disarm, Board of Peace tells Palestinians Read More » Trump said the US is investing a further $10bn, but it was understood to be for the overall operations of the Board of Peace and not necessarily for Gaza. The UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs will also raise $2bn for Gaza, he added, and the international football body Fifa will be raising $75m for sports-related projects in the enclave. Japan has also committed to host an aid fundraiser, Trump announced, which will be attended by regional nations, including South Korea, the Philippines, and Singapore. "China is going to be involved, and I think Russia is going to be involved," the president said at the time. The Board of Peace charter makes no mention of the words "Gaza" or "Palestinian". (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The Trump administration has also broken from decades of precedent in no longer making a "two-state solution" a US policy goal. Trump has not hidden the fact that he wants to see the board - of which he is the chair for life - tackle other international crises, given, in his view, the UN's inability to do so. Spain has refused to join the board, along with most of Europe. Some European Union representatives attended the February meeting as "observers". The Vatican declined to attend, and Canada's invitation was rescinded by Trump. Israel's genocide in Gaza Washington News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0
- Güvenlik22 May 09:15
Morocco launches mass deportations to block Europe migration route
Morocco launches mass deportations to block Europe migration route Kate McMahon on Thu, 05/21/2026 - 10:24 As the EU rolls out its new, stricter migration pact, Morocco intensifies crackdown and interceptions of sub-Saharan Africans at Europe’s behest A man looks on while standing with other sub-Saharan migrants at a tramway rail construction site in Morocco's city of Casablanca on 19 January 2023 (Fadel Senna/AFP) Off Since 14 April, Morocco has been conducting large-scale deportation operations targeting sub-Saharan Africans migrating to Europe, reportedly arresting over 100 per day, local sources told Middle East Eye. According to Moroccan human rights groups, around 800 people were detained during coordinated raids in the forests between Fnideq and Belyounech, in the northern tip of the North African state, where many were sheltering before attempting to reach Europe. The operation is still ongoing, with authorities then moving their focus to operations in and around Tangier. Witnesses have described mass arrests, beatings, racist abuse and forced transfers toward the Algerian border. Sudanese and Chadian detainees were bused south and abandoned near border zones, while people from countries including Senegal, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Guinea were deported on flights departing Casablanca. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The crackdown comes as the European Union has intensified its cooperation with Morocco as part of its border externalisation strategy, which is a key component of the bloc’s new Pact on Migration and Asylum set to take effect in June. The EU increasingly outsources immigration enforcement to North African nations with poor human rights records, designating over €900 million within the bloc's Global Europe development instrument to fund stricter migration control, border management and surveillance initiatives across the region. “The EU wants to restrict people’s mobility as far down the route as possible - what officials describe as stopping migration downstream,” Frey Lindsay, a journalist on Statewatch's Outsourcing Borders project, which tracks how the EU outsources migration control, told Middle East Eye. “It’s about exerting border control without getting your hands dirty, basically.” ‘Humiliation, insults and mistreatment’ Morocco is a key transit country for sub-Saharan Africans en route to Europe. They sail across the Strait of Gibraltar or climb the towering razor wire fence that separates Morocco from Ceuta and Melilla, Spanish enclaves within the kingdom. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Over the years, Morocco has increased cooperation with Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, to prevent migrants from departing the North African coast. In 2025, Moroccan authorities thwarted 73,640 irregular migration attempts toward Europe, according to a report from the interior ministry, a slight decline from 2024 - attributed to alternative migration routes. ‘According to migrants we have been in contact with, they were subjected to various forms of humiliation, insults and mistreatment by authorities’ - Chad Boukhari, Border Resistance In recent weeks, Moroccan security forces have stepped up their role as Europe’s de facto border enforcer, carrying out regular raids on makeshift forest camps and key transit points used by people trying to reach Spain. Attacks on migrant camps have long been pervasive, but have escalated since 14 April, with operations concentrated in the north of the country. People who are not deported are typically exiled to the south in an effort to disrupt migration routes. “According to migrants we have been in contact with, they were subjected to various forms of humiliation, insults and mistreatment by authorities,” Chad Boukhari, a journalist and member of Border Resistance, a grassroots collective that supports migrants across the Mediterranean, told MEE. Some were abandoned near the Algerian border without food or water, where they were detained by Algerian forces. “The Algerian army allegedly tortured many of them. Some individuals also found the bodies of other migrants in the desert,” Boukhari added. In 2025, Algeria expelled more than 30,000 migrants to Niger, abandoning many “deportation convoys” in the Sahara desert. Testimonies of abuse, torture and enslavement have been reported. MEE contacted the Algerian, Moroccan and EU authorities for comment but had not received a reply by the time of publication. Moroccan security forces forcibly clear a migrant camp in April 2026 (courtesy of Border Resistance) Sub-Sahara Africans often reach Morocco by crossing the Sahel, the arid perilous land belt stretching across the continent. They typically cross through Niger into Algeria or via Mauritania to enter Morocco. Many of the countries along these routes are plagued by chronic instability and rank among the lowest on the Human Development Index. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Once in Morocco, migrants can spend months to years sleeping in the country’s dense, dry woodlands. Humanitarian groups tend to know the whereabouts of informal encampments and provide modest assistance, but even these efforts are often thwarted by authorities. Boarding pass of a Mauritanian man forcibly deported from Morocco on 17 April 2026 (courtesy of Border Resistance) Since 2014, Human Rights Watch has documented repeated incidents where Moroccan police beat migrants, deprived them of their few possessions, burned their shelters and expelled them from the country without due process. “Oftentimes, the Red Cross would enter the forest and provide us with blankets and clothing. But we knew that was always a bad sign. Shortly after the Red Cross visits, Moroccan security forces would appear, as if they were watching,” Ousman Sow, a Guinean man who spent a year in Morocco before he was able to cross into Spain, told MEE. “They burned all of our belongings before driving us far away and dropping us off in remote areas without any possessions," added Sow, who now lives in Germany. The goal is to prevent migrants from reaching Ceuta and Melilla, the only European territories with a land border in Africa. On 24 June 2022, at least 37 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were killed under unclear circumstances while attempting to climb the fence into Melilla. Another 70 people from that day remain missing, amid reports that Moroccan authorities were burying bodies in unmarked graves. Externalising control Despite stricter enforcement, crossings from North Africa continue amid the war in Sudan and worsening instability across the Sahel. For many, the promise of Europe is still worth the risk. Tunisia: Sub-Saharan Africans suffer in EU-fuelled migrant crackdown Read More » “The more borders and walls you put up, the more dangerous ways people go around them,” Lindsay told MEE. “Securitisation doesn't change the reason why people want to leave; it just means more people will die.” Rights groups also say the latest crackdown is a consequence of the EU’s new migration pact, which seeks to overhaul the bloc’s current immigration system, expediting asylum case proceedings and deportations. The new system expands biometric surveillance and increases rejections on the grounds that people passed through a designated “safe third country” before reaching the EU. Morocco is included in the list of safe countries alongside other nations accused of human rights abuses, such as Egypt and Turkey. If migrants passed through any of these nations on the way to Europe, their deportation will be expedited. Over 50 NGOs formally objected to the pact, arguing the new expedited procedures deny the right to a fair and thorough review of asylum cases. The EU has progressively blocked migrants before their asylum case can be filed by externalising immigration enforcement, collaborating with countries outside of Europe to prevent migrants from reaching EU soil. ‘Whenever the political climate changes in Europe, you can feel it in Morocco. If Europe wants immigrants, Morocco is okay. If not, it’s hostile there’ - Ousman Sow, Guinean who spent a year in Morocco Under the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, it has poured hundreds of millions of euros into strengthening migration enforcement in Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria. The adoption of the Pact on Migration and Asylum has put political pressure on the European Commission, which must secure member state backing for a politically contentious overhaul of EU asylum rules. “The new migration pact is a really critical legislative package for [European Commission President] Ursula von der Leyen and her cabinet. They need this to be a success politically, and will do everything to ensure the pact doesn’t fall apart,” said Lindsay. “Member states have made it very clear that they are unwilling to go along with the pact if the European Commission doesn’t do everything it can to make sure people don’t arrive - and to deport as many people as possible,” he added. The new approach has drawn particular scrutiny in Libya, where EU-backed groups have been linked to systemic abuses. The EU directly funds, trains and equips Libya’s coastal authorities, which have been accused of collaborating with human trafficking networks to capture migrants, subjecting them to exploitation, physical and sexual violence, and even enslavement. EU drone helping Libya return migrants to 'torture and exploitation' Read More » The EU is now in the process of funding a maritime control centre in Benghazi aimed at intercepting migrants at sea and forcibly returning them to Libya. This requires cooperation with General Khalifa Haftar, who controls eastern Libya in opposition to the UN-recognised government in the west and has been accused of war crimes. Similar patterns of violent pushbacks have emerged across Europe’s eastern borders. Along the Balkans route, Croatian authorities have been documented violently pushing people back into Bosnia, effectively preventing them from accessing asylum procedures on EU territory. The new pact also introduces the concept of “return hubs”, nations where rejected asylum seekers may be transferred to and detained while awaiting deportation to their home countries. Migrants will likely have no connections to the designated countries they are deported to; the EU has proposed options everywhere from Bangladesh to Rwanda. Rights groups say the Pact on Migration and Asylum embodies a broader hardening of attitudes and policies toward migrants across the EU member states, with detrimental consequences for those trying to reach Europe. “Whenever the political climate changes in Europe, you can feel it in Morocco,” Sow told MEE. “If Europe wants immigrants, Morocco is okay. If not, it’s hostile there.” Migration ‘Stopping migration downstream’: Morocco launches mass deportations to block route to Europe News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0