Tag Archives: Agence France-Presse

Mar 20 2016

Drought in Somalia’s Shabelle region

Women carry jerry cans of water from shallow wells dug from the sand along the Shabelle River bed, which is dry due to drought in Somalia’s Shabelle region.

People collect water from shallow wells dug along the Shabelle River bed, which is dry due to drought in Somalia’s Shabelle region,

Mar 8 2016

Closed borders and razor-wire fences fail to deter desperate refugees

In an open field that stops abruptly at a barbed wire fence, a contemporary tragedy is unfolding. The majestic landscape on the Greece-Macedonia border presents a sharp contrast to the heartbreaking stories of the thousands of refugees left in limbo on these roads. As they await for the borders to reopen so that they can continue their long journey towards central and northern Europe, the refugees dream of making a fresh start, away from the war, the famine, the bombings and the fear that plague their homelands. 
Thousands arrive at the camp daily, but few are allowed to cross to Macedonia, which has been creating a bottleneck effect on the refugee flow to the North. In the last week of February, the number of registered refugees in the camp increased from 7,000 on Wednesday to 12,000 by Friday, as Macedonia began allowing a trickle of people through the border. The atmosphere of sick and exhausted travellers and crying children strikes visitors to the camp of Idomeni. Despite the relatively mild winter, the number of refugees who suffer from various illnesses increases each day as they camp out on damp, muddy fields along the way. 
Some refugees tried to breach the fence but the Macedonian police forced them back using tear gas. This kind of response doesn’t help to calm tensions among the camp refugees. “There are people here changing the numbers on their priority sheets in order to go first,” says Ibrahim, 35, a computer engineer from Damascus, “but I can understand that. Everyone wants to escape from this open prison by any means.”

Feb 29 2016

Messi sends signed shirts to young Afghan boy

Argentine football star Lionel Messi has sent not one but two jerseys to the five-year-old Afghan boy who became an Internet sensation last month when he was pictured wearing a plastic bag with “Messi” scrawled on it in marker (bottom right). Murtaza Ahmadi travelled with his family from Taliban-infested eastern Ghazni province to Kabul to receive the gifts sent by Messi through Unicef, where he is a goodwill ambassador.
Feb 29 2016

Syrian refugees mass at Turkish border

Time stands frozen for thousands of Syrian refugees running from war. They have fled Aleppo and are desperately trying to enter Turkey, which has shut its border, claiming it is unable to absorb any more refugees. Only ambulances and some special vehicles are allowed to make the Bab al-Salam crossing. The humanitarian crisis in Syria, which has been in the throes of war for nearly five years, has reached a peak. A Syrian government offensive in Aleppo has displaced tens of thousands of people, many of whom are now massing in camps at the Turkish border.

 From time to time, the silence at the border is broken by the sounds of ambulances and explosions within Syria. A queue of aid trucks snakes towards the crossing, preparing to deliver items such as food, water and blankets. Thousands of other internally displaced Syrians have been seeking shelter in the border town of Azaz. “The situation in Azaz is miserable. People sleep on the ground. A 40-year-old man died during a cold snap on the streets. [Aid agencies are] sending more tents each day, but there are a lot of people,” activist Abu Mohamed told Al Jazeera. “This current situation demands urgent international intervention … The world has abandoned us.”