GEM Sites Bi-Weekly Updates

                                                                  June 6th- June 14th, 2024

Lebanon

Some Syrian refugees risk returning to opposition-held areas as hostility in host Lebanon grows

For more than a decade, a steady flow of Syrians have crossed the border from their war-torn country into Lebanon. But anti-refugee sentiment is rising there, and in the past two months, hundreds of Syrian refugees have gone the other way.

They’re taking a smugglers’ route home across remote mountainous terrain, on motorcycle or on foot, then traveling by car on a risky drive through government-held territory into opposition-held northwestern Syria, avoiding checkpoints or bribing their way through.

Until this year, the numbers returning from Lebanon were so low that the local government in Idlib run by the insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al Sham had not formally tracked them. Now it has recorded 1,041 people arriving from Lebanon in May, up from 446 the month before. A Turkish-backed local administration overseeing other parts of northwest Syria said arrivals from Lebanon have increased there, too.

The EU's 1 billion-euro gift will hurt Lebanon and its people

Last month, the European Union (EU) unveiled a 1 billion-euro ($1.07bn) aid package for the Lebanese state. During a visit to Beirut, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared that the EU seeks “to contribute to Lebanon’s socioeconomic stability”.

The funds will go towards strengthening basic services, enacting financial reforms, supporting Lebanese security forces and managing migration, she said.

Anyone who has been paying attention to the abuses committed by, or with the direct knowledge of, the EU’s border agency Frontex against desperate refugees and migrants seeking to enter the union would have cause for concern. Sea-Watch, a search and rescue organisation operating in the Mediterranean Sea, described the deal as “another cash-for-border-violence deal” wherein Europe is “exchanging money for border violence and death”.

Israel's white phosphorous attacks on Lebanon Harming people and ecosystem null

As Al Jazeera reported in March, Israel continues to use white phosphorus munitions in south Lebanon, causing lasting damage and driving villagers away even as Israeli officials threaten a war across their northern border.

A new report released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch (HRW) concurs, showing that white phosphorus attacks are “putting civilians at grave risk” and “contributing to displacement”. More than 92,600 people have been displaced from their villages in south Lebanon since October 6, according to the International Organization for Migration. “Israel’s use of airburst white phosphorus munitions in populated areas indiscriminately harms civilians and has led many to leave their homes,” Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at HRW, said in the report.

Kenya

Despair as refugee food rations in Kenya slashed by 60%

This month, 630,000 people in the Dadaab, Kakuma, and Kalobeyei refugee camps will receive only 40% of the recommended minimum calorie intake needed to stay healthy. The cuts began in May.

WFP has also stopped its “bamba chakula'' e-voucher system, a key initiative augmenting the regimented monthly rations that are typically made up of sorghum, rice, lentils, and cooking oil. The voucher allows refugees to buy more nutritious fresh produce like vegetables and milk from designated shops. The cuts to both food and vouchers were imposed with little warning, people in Dadaab – Kenya’s largest refugee settlement – told The New Humanitarian. They also came on the heels of heavy flooding in April, which displaced 20,000 people and drove up prices in local markets, deepening everyone’s despair.

“We were all in shock. We couldn’t believe they’d done the cuts,” said Mohammed Jamal, a Dadaab refugee youth leader. “It has affected everybody. Shop-owners in the market depend on the vouchers and borrow against sales – they’re affected as well.”

Firm targets to train 1000 entrepreneurs and students on AI

Africa Cyber Security and the AI Foundation (ACAIF) is targeting to train 1,000 entrepreneurs across Africa, including 200 from Kenya, in the cyber challenge as they aim to increase the uptake of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in small, medium, and large business enterprises.

This was revealed by ACAIF chairperson Evalyn Oloo during the Acyberschool Advanced Cybersecurity Fellowship (AACF) and Cybersecurity and AI Acceleration Program (CAAP) seminar at the University of  Nairobi’s Chiromo Campus on Wednesday. According to Oloo, who is also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Acyberschool, the initiative is a game-changer for both entrepreneurs and students. As part of the programme, students pursuing cybersecurity and AI will get a one-year fellowship grant to enhance their skills and create more jobs in the sector.

Lawmakers Criticize New University Funding Model Members of Parliament have raised concerns about the new university funding model, arguing that it may prevent students from poor households from accessing tertiary education. The National Assembly Education Committee scrutinized the parameters of the Measuring Testing Instrument (MTI), which is used to scientifically determine students' need levels for scholarships and government loans.

MPs questioned the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), led by Charles Ringera, demanding an explanation of the MTI system and highlighting significant discrepancies in student grading. "MTI is crucial to both teachers and students. We must address the gaps in this system. This is a national issue that cannot be ignored; the agency must maintain transparency until these problems are resolved," said committee chair Julius Melly (MP, Tinderet). Students who are set to join tertiary institutions in September will be able to apply for loans from Saturday. Issues with the MTI system became evident when it classified an MP's child as vulnerable, thereby guaranteeing a full scholarship, while a widow's household was denied the same, being classified as less needy.

Rwanda

Rwanda accuses UN refugee agency of lying in British asylum policy case

Rwanda has accused the United Nations refugee agency of lying after the body told a British court this week that asylum seekers sent to the East African country could be moved on to states where they risked torture or death.

The British plan to deport refugees to Rwanda has been mired in legal challenges. But Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government has insisted it will proceed if his Conservative Party wins a July 4 general election.

Lawyers representing the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Monday said Rwanda’s asylum system was inadequate, as part of a challenge to the British government’s policy to deport asylum seekers there.

Fleeing Conflict, Congolese asylum seekers Find Hope in Nkamira Transit site

Yvonne, 24, and her 5-year-old daughter recently arrived at Nkamira transit centre located in northwestern Rwanda after spending a year at an Internally Displaced Camp (IDP) in Goma, DRC.

“There were rumors that armed groups would burn down the camp, so fearing for our lives, we decided to come to Rwanda since it was no longer safe for us,” says Yvonne. Back home, Yvonne managed a small retail shop selling beans and potatoes. Despite the modest income, she managed to make ends meet. However, when fighting intensified in 2023, Yvonne was forced to abandon her home. Her journey began at an IDP camp in Eastern DRC, where she stayed with her cousin until his tragic death forced her to move again, ultimately leading her to cross the border into Rwanda.

By mid-May 2024, over 14,000 asylum seekers like Yvonne have fled from DRC to Rwanda since early 2023. Initially asylum seekers are received at Nkamira transit centre, located just 20km from the border with Goma, before being relocated to existing refugee camps in Rwanda.

Malawi

Malawi Vice President feared dead in plane crash

Fears are mounting that Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima has died in a crash landing in Chikangawa forest. This after his chopper failed to land at Mzuzu Airport this morning.

Information that Malawi24 has sourced indicated that Chilima was aboard a Malawi Defence Force chopper to attend a funeral of lawyer Ralph Kasambara. However, the plane failed to land at the airport due to bad weather. It was on return that the plane is feared to have crashed. According to sources, a crash was eyewitnessed in the Chikangawa forest area. It is believed that it is the plane carrying Chilima. Government has confirmed that authorities have lost contact with the place since 10am. “The Office of the President and Cabinet wishes to inform the general public that the Malawi Defense Force Aircraft that left Lilongie today, Monday 10th June 2024 at 09:17 Hours, carrying the Vice President, the Right Honourable Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, and nine others, failed to make its scheduled landing at Mzuzu International Airport at 10:02.

African Education Ministers Vow to Address Learning Crisis

At a meeting organized by Human Capital Africa in London, Malawi’s Minister of Education, Madalitso Kambauwa-Wirima, emphasized the need for development partners to adopt a cohesive approach to foundational learning reform. She urged moving away from fragmented strategies towards a more unified approach.

Kambauwa-Wirima highlighted Malawi’s comprehensive five-strand foundational learning strategy, aimed at improving foundational learning outcomes to 79 percent by 2030. This strategy focuses on supporting teachers in Standards 1-4, enhancing teacher training and deployment, curriculum redesign, expanding school feeding coverage, and integrating educational technologies into the digitalization of education. To ensure accountability and track progress, Malawi has established a national foundation learning steering committee. However, Kambauwa-Wirima noted challenges such as inadequate teacher training, resources, and incentives, particularly in rural areas.

South Africa

Warning as South Africa reports two more deaths from mpox this week

South African health authorities have said two people have died this week after contracting mpox, and it appears there is local transmission of the disease.

The health ministry said on Thursday that a 38-year-old man died in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, the same day a laboratory test confirmed that he had contracted the virus. Another man died Monday in a hospital near Johannesburg, the ministry said. Health Minister Joe Phaahla said the two deaths were among six recent confirmed cases of mpox in South Africa, all of them in men in their 30s. Some had multiple sexual partners, including men and women. Genetic tests for the first three cases showed the men had the less severe version of mpox, which spread globally in an outbreak that began in 2022.

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