Zuwara, Libya’s Deadly Refugee Port

By Tyler Campbell

Impunity Watch Reporter, Africa

TRIPOLI, Libya – Two Hundred people are feared dead off the coast of Libya this week after a refugee boat sank while taking the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea toward Italy. This was the second refugee boat to sink this last week. Another boat, also full of refugees had gone down the day before.  This is one of the most heavily traveled refugee routes out of Africa toward Europe and it has seen an increase in the number of refugees that never make it when compared to last year. According to the International Organization for Migration approximately 2,373 people have died trying to reach Europe this year. This is compared to the 3,281 people that died all of last year trying to make the same trip.

Location of Zuwara in relation to Sicily (Photo Curtsey BBC)

The first boat that capsized was a smaller fishing vessel believed to be carrying 100 people. The second larger boat was said to be carrying nearly 400 passengers when it sank the next day. Some sources reported that people were trapped in the cargo hold of the larger vessel when it went down on Thursday.

As of August 29th, 105 people had been declared dead with hundreds of others still missing. Rescue efforts have been working since the boats went down and have successfully recovered 200 people.  Heading the rescue efforts is Libya’s Red Crescent Society, a disaster relief group in Zuwara. The LRCS is an organization that relies primarily on volunteers for its mission. Many of these volunteers are not trained or prepared to handle human remains. However, with little to no involvement from the Liberian government they have had to head the continuing rescue mission of saving these refugees.

The city of Zuwara is a popular port for refugee boats to begin the trip toward Italy. It is one of Libya’s most northern cities and lies just over 300 miles away from the tip of Italy. Separating these two is the unpredictable Mediterranean Sea. The unseaworthy and overcrowded boats along with this dangerous section of the Sea make it an extremely perilous journey for refugees.

Even though it is a dangerous trip the number of people willing to take it has continued to climb. In the first nine months of this year 300,000 people had attempted to cross the Mediterranean into Europe. The total number of people who attempted to cross in 2014 was only 219,000.

The reason for the increasing number of refugees is long and growing. The main drivers are the escape from war, persecution and poverty. The three nations with ties to the greatest number of refugees fleeing to this section of the Mediterranean are Syria, Nigeria, and Eritrea.

 

For More Information, Please See:

Al Jazeera – About 200 feared dead in Libya refugee boat disaster – 29 August 2015

CNN – Dozens of Migrants die as boat capsize off Libya – 29 August 2015

BBC News – Migrant crisis: Libya boats sink off Zuwara carrying hundreds – 28 August 2015

CNN – Tide of Death: Migrants’ bodies wash ashore in Libya – 27 August 2015

Argentinian Abuelas work to find “Stolen Children”

By Kaitlyn Degnan
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — The Argentinian organization Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo (Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo) have found their 117th grandchild. DNA testing confirmed the identification of the daughter of Walter Dominguez and Gladys Castro, who was born in police custody in 1978. The couple had been arrested in the dead of night when Gladys was six months pregnant.

Grandmothers hold pictures of their “disappeared” children, the parents of Grandchild #117. (Photo courtesy of UPI)

The child was given to civilians with close ties to the military. There were reports of a child “mysteriously appearing” in the home of the couple at the height of the dictatorship.

The woman is one of the “stolen children”, who were taken from their parents (usually communists and other dissidents) during Argentina’s “Dirty War.” During the period from 1976 to 1983, as many as 30,000 people were “disappeared” by the military dictatorship.

Many of the children taken were born to parents while they were imprisoned or disappeared. A number of the children were born after their mothers were raped in prison.

After the children were taken, they were adopted by military families, members of the police forces and wealthy families that supported the dictatorship. The policy was part of the official “Process of National Reorganization.”

It is thought that over 400 children were taken from their parents during the implementation of the policy.

The Abuelas were founded in 1977 by a group of grandmothers searching for their stolen grandchildren and they are well respected for their work and determination in Argentina. They work to identify children by combing through adoption records and tracking families who suddenly adopted a child during the dictatorship. Much of their success is due to their work with Mary-Claire King, an American geneticist. King uses mitochondrial DNA, which is passed on by the mother, to match missing children to maternal grandmothers in situations where the mother is no longer living.

 

For more information, please see:

BBC – Argentina ‘stolen child’ abducted in 1978 found – 1 September 2015

TeleSur – Argentina’s Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo Identify Grandchild Number 117 – 1 September 2015

UPI – Child stolen during Argentina’s military dictatorship found – 1 September 2015

Smithsonian – Argentina Grandmothers are using DNA to track down stolen children – 3 September 2015

Syria Deeply: Weekly Update September 4, 2015

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We’ve rounded up the most important stories and developments about Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you on-the-ground reporting and valuable analysis.

Syrian Chef Finds Unlikely Fame and Love in Gaza Strip

When Wareef Kaseem Hamdeo fled from Aleppo back in 2012, he never imagined that he would end up in the besieged Gaza Strip. Yet, after a series of unexpected life turns, he found himself in another war zone. Eventually he achieved local fame after opening a Syrian restaurant that has become a hit with Palestinians. Syria Deeply met him at Syriana, his new restaurant, in Gaza City.

Palestinians in Yarmouk Enduring Typhoid Outbreak

The Yarmouk refugee camp – situated in southern Damascus – has been hit by a typhoid outbreak that has affected dozens of Palestinian refugees from the local population. After years of siege by the Syrian government and a recent attack by ISIS, residents told Syria Deeply that they are dying slowly as the international community fails to stop the ongoing killing in Syria.

‘Door to Hell’ Opened in Syria as Chemical Weapons Attacks Suspected

ISIS militants have been accused of using a chemical weapon during a recent attack on the Aleppo-area town of Marea, where victims displayed symptoms consistent with the use of mustard gas. Syria Deeply spoke to Médecins Sans Frontières about allegations of chemical weapons use and the broader condition for medical workers as the bloodshed presses on in Syria.

More recent stories to look out for at Syria Deeply:

Find our new reporting and analysis every weekday at www.syriadeeply.org. You can reach our team with any comments or suggestions at info@newsdeeply.org.

Image credits: Top photo courtesy of Suwar Magazine. Photo of Wareef Kaseem Hamdeo courtesy of Lara Abu Ramadan. Photo of Yarmouk refugee camp courtesy of Associated Press/UNRWA. The photo of militants overlooking a crowd by Manu Brabo/Associated Press.