According to information from the Greek coast guard, a boat was detected by a patrolling coast guard vessel at about 2 am, north east of Skala Sikamineas, Lesvos north.

At some point after 2 am, according to information from the coast guard, a rescue operation was initiated, no specific time has been published.

23 people have been rescued, while seven bodies have been located in the sea, one, a child, is reported missing.

Search and rescue operations have been ongoing in the sea area outside Kagia, east of the village of Skala Sikamineas, in an effort to locate the missing child.

We have been informed that the passengers onboard were Afghans and Syrians, and the bodies recovered from the sea were 3 women, a man and 3 children, one boy and two girls, a fourth child is missing, believed to be drowned. No information on the gender of the missing child has been released.

We have no knowledge of the nationality of those found dead, nor the missing child.

The survivors were taken to the reception facility in Kara Tepe, Lesvos south.

According to survivors, the boat had started out from the opposite Turkish shore before midnight, and was carrying 31 people.

According to footage published by local press, it’s clear that the bottom of the boat has for some reason been torn apart, what caused this damage is on the other hand not clear.

Greek authorities states, as they always do, that the responsibility lies on the ruthless smugglers in Turkey, who placed these people in a “floating Coffin”. Even before an investigation has taken place,they have already made up their conclusions, also not unusual, since these shipwrecks are never properly investigated by independent bodies.

We register that one of the vessels involved in the rescue operation, a Lambro 57, ID number ΛΣ-602, its crew notoriously known for its extreme violent behaviour towards refugees, involved in numerous documented violent pushbacks in the area for years, ramming rubber boats, shooting towards people, towing boats back to Turkey, and forcing people violently into life rafts at sea. Perhaps this was the vessel “on patrol” and “detected” the boat last night?

From the footage published of the rubber boat, the bottom is torn off from the front and all the way to the back on the right side, could this damage have been the result of something other than poor quality of the boat, like a heavy impact caused by a collision?

This will we most likely never get any answers to, because, as mentioned, these cases are for some reason never properly investigated, other than by the coast guard themselves.

Greek coast guard is known to use deadly force, in their efforts to “intercept” boats at sea, trying to reach the Greek Aegean islands. Like the killing of 8 people, one of them a child, on December 20 last year outside Rhodes.

This shipwreck can of course be just another accident, nobody other than those involved, would know if the coast guard was trying to stop the boat before it reached Lesvos by ramming it, or if the bottom just caved in by the sheer pressure from an overloaded boat.

We know the boat had been traveling for hours in fairly good weather conditions, and that something suddenly happened close to the shores of Lesvos north. One way for the coast guard and the Greek authorities to prove that they had nothing to do with it, this time, is to give immediate access for journalists and independent investigators to the survivors for statements.

Greek authorities are very eager to “protect” survivors from these shipwrecks, so that they are shielded from any contact with the outside world. They are locked up, their phones taken away, not allowed to even contact their families to inform that they are alive, and absolutely no contact with journalists.

We call on the Greek ombudsman to start independent investigations into all shipwrecks in Greek waters where refugees have been killed.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is appealing for USD 17.3 million to respond to the devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake that struck Myanmar on 28 March, leaving hundreds of thousands of people in critical need of humanitarian assistance.   

“The immediate needs of those affected include shelter, food, health services, water, sanitation, and mental health and psychosocial support. Vulnerable populations, including children, women, the elderly and persons with disabilities, are at heightened risk of family separation, trafficking, abuse, and gender-based violence,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope.  

IOM and local partners are working around the clock to collect information on the impact of the earthquake through the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) to help assess the critical needs of the affected communities, in coordination with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).  

The earthquake and subsequent aftershocks are the largest to hit Myanmar in over a century and have caused widespread destruction across central Myanmar, including Mandalay, Sagaing and Bago regions, along with Nay Pyi Taw and parts of Shan State. More than 3,000 people are confirmed dead so far, with thousands more injured. As rescue efforts continue and the full extent of the devastation becomes clearer, the death toll is expected to rise. About 10.4 million people live in areas hardest hit by the earthquake.  

In coordination with local authorities and other humanitarian partners, IOM is prioritizing the delivery of emergency shelter kits, multipurpose cash assistance, essential healthcare, safe drinking water, hygiene kits, and psychosocial support for affected families. IOM also aims to support local authorities in managing displacement sites, ensuring displaced communities have access to essential services and protection.  

While IOM is urgently appealing for support to address immediate emergency needs, the aftermath of the earthquake is expected to require extensive long-term recovery and rehabilitation efforts. This disaster further exacerbates already critical humanitarian needs, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.  

Even before the earthquake, nearly 20 million people in Myanmar (one third of the population) needed humanitarian aid, because of conflict, hunger, curtailed access to public services, and economic upheaval. More than 3.5 million people are estimated to have been forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing conflict.   

Refugees In Niger, Sudanese refugees who have been abandoned in Agadez, Niger,  has accused UNHCR partners of  detaining  eight refugees and  asylum seekers.  

The group made the allegation in a document titled  ‘Statement on the detention and arrest of refugees in the Agadez camp in Niger’.

The statement reads: “There is a clear and flagrant violation of refugees in the Agadez camp in Niger. The National Commission for the Status of Refugees (CEN) and the national organization ADKOUL, partners of UNHCR, have detained eight refugees and asylum seekers, four women and four young men, from inside the camp. They are now in the police station without any charges against them.”

In light of this detention, the refugees in the Agadez camp in Niger strongly condemned the detention and arrest. They hold UNHCR and its partners responsible for the safety of the refugees who have been detained, and “we demand their immediate and unconditional release.We in the Agadez camp in Niger reject the unethical behavior of UNHCR partners

in detaining and arresting refugees

We, in the Agadez camp in Niger, confirm that we are still ruminating over many bitter memories that will never leave our minds, in addition to the practices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and its partners, which they repeatedly practice against refugees in the Agadez camp, exploiting the fragile situation that refugees are experiencing without support from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.”

Concluding, the group said “we confirm that we are dealing with this situation peacefully until all our demands are met.

This is a detention and arrest whose objectives we do not realize, but we reserve the right to act normally.”