Opinon: The EU struggles to place Syrian refugees

By Ines Kagubare     

It’s been more than five years since the Civil War in Syria began during the Arab Spring uprisings. Unlike other countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Libya who successfully overthrew their dictators, Syria has been unable to depose its current leader, Bashar al-Assad. Instead the revolt has led to a refugee crisis that’s now spreading throughout the region and across Europe.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

More than 1,000,000 refugees and migrants are currently seeking asylum in the European Union. Before I go on, let’s make a distinction between refugees and migrants. Refugees are fleeing their country of origin usually because of war or a natural disaster whereas migrants are choosing to settle in another country for economic opportunities.

Syrians make up one of the largest populations of refugees seeking asylum. Most of them are fleeing their country to escape the Assad regime and the ongoing violence caused by Muslim extremist groups like ISIS. According to Eurostat, “Syrians accounted for almost a third [of refugees] with 362,775 people seeking shelter in Europe, followed by Afghans and Iraqis.” According to the IOM, roughly 1,011,700 migrants arrived by sea while 34,900 arrived by land in 2015. Those arriving by sea usually cross the Mediterranean from Africa to Italy or Greece. While those arriving by land usually pass through Turkey from the Middle East to Europe. More than 3,770 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea in 2015, according to IOM.

Syrian refugees strike in front of Budapest Keleti railway station. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

The European Union has tried to implement refugee-friendly policies that would make it easier for refugees to receive asylums. According to the BBC and Eurostat data, “Germany received the highest amount of new asylum applications (higher than any other EU nation) in 2015, with more than 476,000”. They were closely followed by Hungary and Sweden in numbers.

Although it seems that the EU is taking a step in the right direction in terms of helping refugees find new homes, they haven’t taken as many migrants as countries such as Italy, Greece, and Hungary. Since these  are the first nations where migrants arrive by sea and land, they have incurred more people hoping to find refuge than other countries. The EU is planning to relocate 160,000 migrants to some of its nations that have fewer refugees in order to lessen the burden of countries that have an abundance of them.

The new EU refugee policy hasn’t come without controversy or backlash from far-right groups across Europe such as Pegida, Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West, who portray refugees and migrants as “invaders.” They believe that refugees settling in Germany will take over and destroy their culture. They have been very critical of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision of granting asylum to more than 100,000 refugees.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

As of 2015, the EU has granted 292,540 asylums to refugees mostly coming from Syria, Eritrea, Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

Global News Roundup Feb. 14- 21

Pope speaks out about drug trafficking in Mexico

Pope Francis spoke against the “moral’ harm that selling and using drugs are having on the Mexican community. His speech took place at the Mexico City cathedral on Feb. 14 in front of church leaders. He stressed the significance of showing care for every Mexican citizen as opposed to only the upper class.

Pope Francis. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

Rate of civilian deaths in Afghanistan growing

The United Nations announced on Feb. 14  that 3,545 people were killed due to war in Afghanistan in 2015. The number marks a 4% increase of civilian deaths since the U.N. released their last report. Another 7,457 people have been injured due to warfare in the country. Most of these injuries and deaths can be attributed to attacks by Muslim extremist groups like the Taliban.

 

There has been a 9% increase in injuries of Afghani citizens due to war. Courtesy of Pixabay.

Doctors Without Borders hit – again

Eight Doctors Without Borders staff members are missing after an airstrike hit the facility they were working in on  Feb. 15 in Syria. The attack comes in the wake of a series of airstrikes being aided by Russian officials in the country. In other middle eastern provinces like Aleppo and Azaz, there were two separate attacks, one on a chilren’s hospital, which left a total of 24 people dead.

A Doctors Without Borders center. The organization also frequently goes by its French name Medicins Sans Frontieres or MSF. Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Australian authorities find $900 million worth of liquid meth

In Australia, police recovered $900 million worth of liquid methamphetamine on Feb. 15. The drugs were found in boxes of silicon bra inserts, painting sets and glue bottles. The event marked the biggest drug bust in the country’s history. The multi-million dollar find could have created 1,100 pounds of crystal meth.

Australian police recently made the country’s largest drug bust in history. Courtesy of Wikimedia

South Africa confirms the Zika virus has reached the country

South African health officials announced their first case of the Zika virus on Sunday. A man from Colombia had the illness while visiting South Africa but has since then recovered. The Zika virus has been most prevalent in Central and South America among expecting mothers. It has been linked to brain deformities in newborn infants.

The Zika virus is thought to be spread largely through mosquito bites. Courtesy of Wikimedia.