Sea-Watch International has announced that its rescue vessel, Sea-Watch 5, has returned to operations in the central Mediterranean after what it described as an attack by Libyan militias in May, saying it has already rescued 52 people in two separate operations.

In a post published on its verified X account, @seawatch_intl, the humanitarian organisation said 40 people were rescued on the first day of operations, followed by another 12 the next day. It added that one of the survivors, a pregnant woman, requires urgent medical care.

Sea-Watch also claimed that an average of eight people die every day while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea, renewing its criticism of European migration policies and rescue coordination.

The organisation accused the Italian government of assigning its rescue vessel to the northern port of Marina di Carrara, which it said is more than four days away from the rescue zone. According to Sea-Watch, the practice keeps humanitarian rescue ships away from areas where migrants are most at risk.

“To ensure that as few rescue ships as possible are in the rescue area, Italy sends us to the northern port Marina di Carrara, 4+ days away,” the group wrote, describing the decision as “cruel and irresponsible.”

Sea-Watch argued that the lengthy journey delays the disembarkation of rescued migrants and reduces the number of rescue vessels available to respond to emergencies at sea.

The organisation also directly criticised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over the country’s migration policies, questioning the government’s approach to search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean.

Italian authorities have previously defended the assignment of distant ports to humanitarian vessels, saying the measure is part of efforts to manage migrant arrivals and coordinate disembarkation procedures.

Solomon Okoduwa, Executive Director of the Initiative for Youth Awareness on Migration, Immigration, Development and Reintegration (IYAMIDR), is one of Nigeria’s leading advocates for migration reform, returnee reintegration and diaspora engagement, with more than a decade of experience in the sector.

Okoduwa heads IYAMIDR, a Benin City-based non-governmental organisation established in 2017 and registered under CAC RC No. 147593. The organisation focuses on promoting safe migration, supporting returnees and encouraging policies that transform what is commonly described as “brain drain” into “brain circulation.”

Under his leadership, IYAMIDR has expanded its activities across advocacy, research, policy engagement and community development while forging partnerships with local and international organisations.

Between 2020 and 2024, the organisation partnered with Germany’s DWTV on a migration awareness campaign led by journalist Jan Phillips Scholz. The initiative produced English and German television content examining the drivers of migration and reached audiences through the broadcaster’s global platforms.

In October 2019, Okoduwa led advocacy missions to Palermo and Genoa, Italy, where discussions were held with Palermo Mayor Leoluca Orlando and the President of Italy’s Liguria Region on creating legal migration pathways and improving documentation systems for Nigerian migrants.

The organisation also collaborated with the German Ethnological Museum at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin in 2019 to document the migration experiences of Nigerians in the diaspora. The project, undertaken with Prof. Christian Kosh and Prof. Dr. Alexis von Poser, contributed to the museum’s archival collections.

On anti-human trafficking, IYAMIDR partnered with Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPH) on a ₦3.2 million education campaign across Uhumwode, Egor and Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Areas of Edo State. The programme sensitised more than 3,000 students on the dangers of irregular migration and human trafficking while distributing educational materials.

The organisation also implemented a ₦5 million agribusiness empowerment programme in 2017, in collaboration with the Edo State Government, providing training and seed grants to 150 returnees to support sustainable livelihoods.

Between 2017 and 2020, IYAMIDR worked with Mater Africa International, Italy, to distribute medical supplies to more than 200 survivors of human trafficking in Orhion Community, Edo State.

The organisation says its sustained advocacy also contributed to the establishment of the Edo State Task Force Against Human Trafficking and Irregular Migration, regarded as Nigeria’s first state-level structure dedicated to tackling the challenge.

Okoduwa’s work centres on migration research, behavioural change communication, policy advocacy and building partnerships among government agencies, development organisations, academic institutions and diaspora communities. IYAMIDR has collaborated with institutions including the Edo State Government, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Nigeria, DWTV Germany, Mater Africa International and the German Ethnological Museum.

Speaking on his vision, Okoduwa said migration should be viewed as a development opportunity rather than solely a security concern.

“Migration is not the problem. The problem is when talent leaves and never returns value. Our work is to create the pathways, data, and dignity that make migration a choice, not a trap—and that make Nigeria a destination for expertise, not just a point of departure,” he said.

IYAMIDR is governed by a board of professionals drawn from public health, migration and community development, and continues to work with government institutions, media organisations, academia and international partners to promote safe migration, reintegration and sustainable development in Nigeria.

UN agency, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said it’s deeply alarmed by the rapidly worsening humanitarian situation in Sudan’s Kordofan region, where escalating violence has driven a sharp surge in displacement.

The number of newly displaced people since the start of the escalation in October 2025 has increased by 65 per cent, rising from over 132,000 in February 2026 to more than 219,000 by late June, underscoring the accelerating impact of the conflict on civilians.

Since conflict erupted in April 2023, Kordofan has remained one of Sudan’s principal displacement epicentres. According to the latest available data, nearly one million IDPs, representing 11 per cent of Sudan’s total displaced population, were living across the region.

“Families have run out of safe options to protect themselves. Many have already been displaced before and are once again forced to leave behind their homes, livelihoods and support networks,” said Mohammed Refaat, IOM Chief of Mission in Sudan. “As violence continues to spread, safe access for humanitarian partners is essential to reach people whose needs are growing by the day.”

The surge has been driven by escalating insecurity. More than 100 displacement-triggering incidents have been recorded in less than nine months, averaging one major incident every two to three days. The scale and frequency of these incidents highlight a rapidly deteriorating protection environment in which families are repeatedly forced to flee in search of safety. El Obeid has become a key refuge for people escaping violence in surrounding areas, now it faces a looming threat of a full-scale invasion putting civilians further at risk.

El Obeid now hosts around 500,000 people, including more than 83,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). Repeated arrivals are placing mounting pressure on already overstretched shelter, basic services and humanitarian assistance, further straining the city’s capacity to support those seeking safety.

Humanitarian access remains severely constrained by active fighting, widespread insecurity and the growing threat of drone attacks across parts of Kordofan. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people, including communities in and around El Obeid, remain beyond the reach of life-saving assistance.

North Kordofan continues to serve as both a place of origin and a destination for displaced families. More than 288,000 displaced Sudanese originally come from the state, while it currently hosts over 234,000 IDPs across 667 displacement locations in eight localities.

Since violence intensified in October 2025, people fleeing Kordofan have sought refuge in more than 1,000 locations across 89 localities in 14 states, illustrating how the crisis has spread far beyond the region itself. North Kordofan remains among the principal destinations, currently hosting 33,465 people newly displaced by the recent escalation.

Together with humanitarian partners, IOM has pre-positioned essential household items, hygiene kits and 600 emergency tents to enable a rapid response as soon as access allows. However, escalating insecurity and severe funding shortfalls continue to limit the scale of humanitarian operations.

Across Sudan, more than 30 million people are expected to require humanitarian assistance in 2026. Yet humanitarian operations remain critically underfunded, with nearly USD 90 million still needed to sustain life-saving assistance, and early recovery efforts as needs continue to grow.

IOM remains deeply concerned by the escalating violence in Kordofan and its devastating impact on civilians. The Organization calls for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers with safe, sustained, and unimpeded humanitarian access so that life-saving assistance can reach communities in need.