53 migrants die in latest shipwreck tragedy off Libya coast

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the boat overturned in the perishingly cold waters of the central Mediterranean Sea, north of the coastal town of Zuwara last Friday.  It is just the latest deadly incident involving vulnerable people on the move who are frequently mistreated and trafficked by smuggling gangs that have flourished […]

UN rights chief decries US treatment of migrants, as deaths in ICE custody rise

In a news release on Friday, High Commissioner Volker Türk said individuals suspected of being undocumented migrants are being surveilled, arrested and detained – sometimes violently – in locations ranging from hospitals and places of worship to courthouses, schools, markets and private homes. The UN rights chief said he was “astounded by the now-routine abuse […]

World News in Brief: Food insecurity in Lebanon, Libya migrants freed, UNHCR tackles multiple emergencies – despite cuts

According to the latest UN-backed IPC Food Security Phase Classification report, around 874,000 people are facing crisis or emergency levels of acute food insecurity between November 2025 and March 2026.  Certain districts and areas have been more severely affected, particularly parts of Baalbek and El Hermel, Akkar, Baabda, Zahle, Saida, Bint Jbeil, Marjayoun, El Nabatieh, Tyre, […]

Dozens more migrants die after boat capsizes off the coast of Yemen

Dozens more migrants die after boat capsizes off the coast of Yemen

With many victims believed to be Ethiopian nationals, this heartbreaking incident highlights the “urgent need to address the dangers of irregular migration along the Eastern Route,” one of the busiest and riskiest migration routes in the world mainly used by people from the Horn of Africa, said the IOM in a statement on Tuesday. “Every life […]

At least eight drown in Red Sea as smugglers force migrants overboard

At least eight drown in Red Sea as smugglers force migrants overboard

At least eight people are feared dead and 22 others are missing after smugglers stopped a boat carrying around 150 passengers likely bound for Yemen on 5 June. “These young people were forced into impossible choices by smugglers who show no regard for human life,” said Celestine Frantz, the UN migration agency’s Regional Director for […]

UN migration agency helping migrants in the US return home voluntarily

UN migration agency helping migrants in the US return home voluntarily

In a statement on Monday, the UN agency said it is supporting Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) – not deportation – for those who decide to leave the US. At the request of the US Government, IOM is helping people who register to go back to their countries of origin voluntarily. “AVR is a well-established, rights-based […]