Over 250,000 people across northern Chad are set to benefit from a new EUR 13.3 million European Union and IOM programme that will support national priorities and efforts to strengthen stability, create economic opportunities and improve migration governance along one of Africa’s busiest migration corridors.

Over the next three years, the programme will directly support 1,500 young people, with particular attention to women and youths, through vocational training, income-generating activities and cash-for-work initiatives, while expanding access to essential services, strengthening local governance and promoting peaceful coexistence in some of the Sahel’s most vulnerable communities.

“This programme reflects our shared belief that long-term investment in stabilization, through stronger services, sustainable livelihoods and effective local governance, is essential to lasting development,” said Giovanni Cassani, IOM’s Chief of Mission in Chad. “When communities have the opportunity to thrive, they are better equipped to shape their own future and contribute to lasting peace and stability.”

Northern Chad sits at the crossroads of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Sahel and North Africa, making it one of the continent’s busiest migration corridors. Faya, the region’s largest town, is home to communities facing economic, environmental and mobility challenges. The town has become a key transit hub for thousands of migrants travelling in the Sahel in search of economic opportunities.

In 2025 alone, IOM recorded more than 225,000 migrant movements through Chad, many along remote desert routes that offer little protection and limited access to assistance. At the same time, the region receives large numbers of migrants returned from Libya, many with acute protection needs, including survivors of violence, exploitation and detention.

The programme will support national efforts to strengthen Chad’s capacity to manage migration in a safe, orderly and dignified manner by expanding access to legal documentation and essential social and protection services for migrants and host communities. It will also strengthen efforts to prevent trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling by supporting migration data collection, analysis and management.

By investing in livelihoods, local governance and social cohesion, the initiative aims to address some of the underlying drivers of irregular migration while helping communities become more resilient to future shocks.

The initiative builds on previous investments by IOM and its partners to strengthen resilience in northern Chad, including the Germany-funded Balke project (2021-2023) and the World Bank-supported RESITCHAD programme (2024-2026). Together, these efforts form part of a long-term strategy to address the structural drivers of fragility and irregular migration across Chad and the wider Sahel.

“This intervention represents an opportunity to foster stability in a region of Chad facing significant migratory pressure within a fragile context shaped by cross-border dynamics with Libya,” said Amador Sanchez Rico, European Union Ambassador to Chad. “The project will show that promoting dialogue and inclusive action can bring tangible benefits to communities, regardless of origin, while strengthening the country’s overall stability.”

The programme is funded by the European Union and will be implemented by IOM in close partnership with the Government of Chad, decentralized authorities and local organizations, in line with national priorities for stabilization, development and migration governance.

Initial estimates by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reveal that up to 6.76 million people could be affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24th June.

The projections, based on the available population and damage analysis, include up to 2 million people in Caracas alone and highlight the potentially vast humanitarian impact of the disaster as assessments continue.

Early damage assessments are beginning to reveal the scale of the destruction. Working with Microsoft AI for Good Lab, IOM has received initial satellite mapping analysis showing that 31.5 per cent of buildings in Catia La Mar have been damaged. These assessments are helping humanitarian responders identify the communities most affected and to prioritize the delivery of life-saving assistance while ground assessments continue.

“The first hours and days after a disaster are decisive. They shape everything that follows,” said Amy Pope, IOM Director General. “IOM is scaling up rapidly: prepositioned relief items are already being deployed, and we are working with the Government and partners to deliver emergency shelter, essential supplies, and protection.

“It is already clear that displacement will increase, as people seek safety. A swift response is essential as we deliver life-saving assistance and support the people of Venezuela through the difficult days and months ahead.”

The humanitarian needs are both immediate and significant. Families who have lost everything require emergency shelter, safe water, sanitation and hygiene services, health care, protection support and essential relief items. As the emergency response evolves, sustained assistance will also be needed to help affected communities rebuild homes, restore livelihoods and recover with dignity.

IOM is working closely with the Government of Venezuela, the United Nations and humanitarian partners to coordinate the response. The Organization has prepositioned emergency relief supplies in Caracas, which are now being prepared for distribution to communities with the greatest needs.

While search and rescue operations remain the immediate priority, the humanitarian consequences of this disaster will extend well beyond the coming days. Recovery will require sustained investment to help families rebuild their lives, restore essential services and strengthen community resilience.

IOM calls on the international community to act swiftly in support of the response. Timely humanitarian assistance will save lives, alleviate suffering and help affected communities begin the long road to recovery.

A new report by the West Bank Protection Consortium (WBPC) has revealed that Palestinians forced out of their homes and communities by Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank face poverty, insecurity, uncertainty, and little prospect of returning home, 

Israeli settler violence is making life impossible for families and helping drive their forcible transfer. Eighty-six per cent of displaced families said their living conditions are worse than before displacement. The findings show that displacement is not a one-off event, but one phase of a protracted crisis.

Families continue to face threats of eviction, loss of livelihoods, inadequate housing, and restricted access to essential services, after displacement. Half of households reported they believed that they were at risk of being re-displaced within the next six months. Most attributed this risk to informal threats from Israeli authorities or settlers, or to formal eviction or demolition orders.

“With the loss of land, families are not only losing their homes and communities. They are losing the livelihoods that kept them alive,” said WBPC Chief of Party Allegra Pacheco. “Displacement means families can no longer farm their land, graze their livestock or earn the income they need to survive.”

Three quarters of families said they could no longer earn enough to meet basic needs, mainly because Israeli authorities, settlers, or both had blocked access to their land or livestock.

The findings come amid escalating settler attacks, tighter movement restrictions, increasing demolitions and other coercive measures that are intensifying pressure on Palestinian communities. The report assesses 233 Palestinian households forcibly displaced in Area C, which makes up 62 per cent of the West Bank and remains under full Israeli control. Since January 2023, Israeli settler violence and access restrictions have displaced 6,200 Palestinians across the West Bank, more than a third of them in the first half of this year.

The report also finds that settler violence remains the main reason families cannot return home. Only six per cent of households said they expect to return to their land within the next year, with most citing continued settler violence and harassment, alongside blocked access to land or property, as the reasons they cannot go back.

“Under international law – and even according to several Israeli Supreme Court decisions – Palestinians displaced from Area C should be able return to their communities, but they cannot as long as the settler violence continues. To ensure effective protection for Palestinian communities, Israeli authorities must prevent and stop settler violence, including barring settlers from entering Palestinian residential and agricultural areas,” said Pacheco. “Forcible transfer is a grave breach – one of the most serious violations of international humanitarian law. The Israeli government must also cease all policies and practices that contribute to forcible transfer and immediately facilitate the return of displaced Palestinians.” 

The report also warns that support for displaced families is falling far short. Many received assistance immediately after being forced from their homes, but most said it covered only part of what they needed. As displacement drags on, families urgently need livelihood support, safe shelter, water, electricity and protection services. Without sustained funding, families already forced from their homes are being pushed deeper into poverty and insecurity.

“Forced displacement is protracted and increasing in the West Bank. It must not become a permanent reality for Palestinians,” said Pacheco. “The international community must take concrete steps to hold Israel accountable and stop the drivers of displacement. Without meaningful action, more communities will be uprooted, and those already displaced will see any real prospect of return slip further away.”