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At the Mexican border | African refugee survival strategies

Posted by: The Conversation Global

Date: Tuesday, 18 June 2019

 

Editor's note

Every year, thousands of people come to the US seeking safety from persecution in their home countries. But now thousands are delayed in Mexican border towns like Tijuana and Nogales, waiting for as long as four months for their chance to enter the U.S. Shelters are overcrowded and civil society organizations are struggling to organize hopeful asylees. Some people have reportedly paid bribes of several hundred dollars to get their names onto asylum waitlists. Savitri Arvey at the University of California, San Diego and Steph Leutert at the University of Texas at Austin, and the rest of their team, have spent months sorting through the chaos to figure out just how many people are stuck in this situation.

The number of people displaced within their country of birth because of violence and civil conflict has grown exponentially over the past few decades. Nigeria is one of the worst affected countries as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency which has forced millions of people to seek refuge from their homes. These displaced people are desperately in need of help. But, argues Seun Kolade, the kind of assistance offered by development agencies often misses the mark. They could do better learning from the steps the refugees themselves are taking to rebuild their lives.

Fears are growing that the Ebola virus is spreading from the Democratic Republic of Congo to other East African countries following reports of two deaths in Uganda and one potential case in Kenya. This is despite the best efforts of the World Health Organisation as well as dedicated teams in the affected countries. Janusz Paweska explains why the virus is incredibly difficult to contain.

Aviva Rutkin

Big Data + Applied Mathematics Editor

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The U.S.-Mexico border, between San Diego and Calexico, California. Savitri Arvey

Thousands of asylum seekers left waiting at the US-Mexico border

Savitri Arvey, University of California San Diego; Steph Leutert, University of Texas at Austin

As part of a new 'metering' policy, US officials are turning asylum seekers away at ports of entry along the southern border. Thousands wait, straining the resources of Mexican border towns.

Refugees from the Boko Haram insurgency in Northeast Nigeria are rebuilding their lives one stitch at a time. Author

Aid agencies should take note of how displaced people in Nigeria survive

Seun Kolade, De Montfort University

Displaced by the terrorist insurgency in Northeast Nigeria, refugees aren't wallowing in self-pity. They're mobilising whatever resources they can to rebuild livelihoods.

Health + Medicine

Why it’s hard to stop Ebola spreading – between people and across borders

Janusz Paweska, National Institute for Communicable Diseases

Borders are porous between North Kivu province of the DRC and neighbouring countries, so the potential for spread is highly likely.

Africa needs to up its research game to fight non-communicable diseases

Andre Pascal Kengne, University of Cape Town; Elvis Banboye Kidzeru, University of Cape Town; Muki Shey, University of Cape Town

There's a lack of locally relevant knowledge to prevent and control non-communicable diseases in African countries.

Politics + Society

Saudi and Iran: how our two countries could make peace and bring stability to the Middle East

Samira Nasirzadeh, Lancaster University; Eyad Alrefai, Lancaster University

Recent speeches suggest there may be an appetite for closer relations, but it won't be easy. A Saudi and an Iranian explain.

How Twitter has been used in Cameroon’s Anglophone crisis

Julius T. Nganji, University of Toronto; Lynn Cockburn, University of Toronto

In many instances, social media appears to be amplifying violence, creating a culture of impunity when perpetrators are not held accountable, and increasing insecurity and suspicion.

En français

Au Burkina Faso, l’affaiblissement de l’État fait le lit du terrorisme

Ismaila Kane, University of Ottawa

La montée des attaques au Burkina Faso est en grande partie imputable à l’affaiblissement de l’État, lui-même provoqué par un contexte politique très instable depuis le début de la décennie.

Une brève histoire des dockers au Sénégal

Daniel Castillo Hidalgo, Universidad De Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

L’émergence militaire du Sénégal et l’importance du port de Dakar engendrèrent de nombreuses opérations de manutention des marchandises. Les dockers ont joué un rôle central dans ce processus.

 
 
 
 
 
 

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