Latest news with #Sudanese
The Star
3 hours ago
- General
- The Star
Roundup: On World Refugee Day, Sudanese still taking perilous routes in search of safety
KHARTOUM, June 20 (Xinhua) -- As the world observes World Refugee Day on Friday, thousands of Sudanese continue to embark on dangerous and uncertain journeys to escape a war that has shattered their country and made safety an increasingly distant prospect. For Ekhlas Abdul-Rahim, a 41-year-old widow and mother of four, the flight from Sudan's conflict has become an exhausting odyssey across borders and continents. After months of hardship, she and her children reached Egypt. "The plan was to stay in Egypt and find work to support my children, but I encountered major difficulties," Abdul-Rahim told Xinhua. Without legal residency or stable employment, they spent days sleeping on the streets before finding shelter with acquaintances. Unable to secure a future in Egypt, Abdul-Rahim decided to press on, setting her sights on Libya. But the journey grew even more perilous. After four months in Libya, she secured passage on an overcrowded rubber boat headed for a Greek island. "That was the biggest risk, the most dangerous part of our escape from Sudan," she said. "I feared for my children in the rough seas." Now living in a refugee camp outside Athens, Abdul-Rahim remains uncertain about what lies ahead. "We don't ask for much - only to live in peace, safety, and dignity, and for my children to grow up in a nurturing environment," she said. Others fleeing Sudan have taken different routes. Abdel-Aal Siddiq traveled east to Ethiopia's Metema region, where he spent more than 18 months in a refugee camp. "It was a painful experience, relying on meager aid. I'll never forget it," Siddiq said. Eventually, as security in Khartoum improved slightly, he returned home, but concerns remain. "Clean drinking water is scarce, electricity is mostly out, and diseases like malaria, fevers, and cholera are widespread. It's still tough, but we persevere," he said. Yahya Abdalla, a Sudanese journalist living in exile in Kampala, Uganda, for nearly two years, described being a refugee as "a fate imposed by war." "Being a refugee is not a choice; it is a destiny forced upon us by conflict and the collapse of livelihoods," Abdalla said. He warned that the world is losing sight of Sudan's crisis. "Sudan's crisis has become a forgotten one," he said, adding that even basic refugee registration often meets obstacles and assistance is minimal. Abdalla has no plans to return. "There is nothing left for us to return to," he said. "Everything was looted -- our homes, our offices. We lost everything." Despite limited improvements in security in parts of Sudan, migration and asylum expert Ahmed Abdel-Halim expects the exodus to continue. "Even before the war, Sudan struggled with poor services and limited livelihoods. Since the war, the suffering has only deepened," he said. "Anyone who finds a chance to migrate won't hesitate. All the conditions for migration are still there." According to the United Nations, one in three Sudanese have been displaced. Of those, 3.8 million have crossed into neighboring countries, primarily Egypt, Chad, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and South Sudan. Sudan has been locked in a brutal war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023. The conflict has killed tens of thousands and forced millions to flee their homes.
Mada
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Mada
Sudan Nashra: PM Kamel Idris yet to form govt, pledges nonpartisan cabinet RSF launches major assault on Babanusa, West Kordofan Military airstrikes on Nyala continue
A month after his appointment, Prime Minister Kamel Idris, whose selection drew regional and international support and expression of hope that he could steer Sudan toward a new political phase, has yet to form a government. Now tasked with leading a country worn down by two years of war, Idris is facing serious obstacles. Chief among them are the competing demands of political and armed groups aligned with the military and who believe their share of power is secured under the Juba Peace Agreement. At the same time, Idris is grappling with the difficult task of apportioning political power among Sudan's diverse geographic and social communities. The war has only deepened the role of ethnic and regional identity as a basis for political representation. On top of all this, Idris is trying to govern a country already mired in poverty amid an economic crisis brought on by the ongoing war. On the combat front, the military has stepped up its drone strikes on Nyala — the capital of South Darfur and the main stronghold of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) — after weeks of sustained attacks, suggesting it may now have gained air dominance over the city. Meanwhile, the RSF continues to gain ground in Kordofan. Its forces mobilized on the outskirts of Babanusa, attacking the last major military-held city in West Kordofan — a region bordering South Sudan and home to the majority of Sudan's oil fields. The RSF's campaign comes as the military's 22nd Division, based in Babanusa, remains cut off from supply lines following the paramilitary group's recent takeover of surrounding cities and towns. On Friday, the RSF launched an attack on Babanusa, which the military was able to repel. The border triangle between Egypt, Sudan and Libya continues to be a hotbed for military action. Earlier this week, the RSF seized the Karb al-Toum area in Northern State. Inside the triangle on the Libyan side, Military units loyal to Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar stepped up their presence, securing further arms shipments to the RSF via the Kufra airport. The RSF is coming under airstrikes, however, in an effort to dislodge them from their newly opened supply route. In North Darfur, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate rapidly, particularly in the city of Fasher, which has been under RSF siege for over a year. Hundreds of thousands of residents are living amid acute shortages of food, water, medicine and other basic necessities, as fears grow over a possible cholera outbreak. Thousands of Sudanese people in Fasher and neighboring displacement camps have fled to nearby areas such as Tawila, which has become a central hub for the displaced across the state. But with resources overstretched and infrastructure deteriorating, these destinations are struggling to meet the rising demand for essential services, particularly healthcare, food and shelter. *** A month after his appointment, Prime Minister Kamel Idris has yet to form a government, as political infighting in the administrative capital of Port Sudan continues over power sharing in the upcoming administration. In a speech addressing the Sudanese people on Thursday night, Idris unveiled the broad outlines of what he called the 'government of hope' — a civilian technocratic administration. A former UN official, lawyer and past presidential hopeful, Idris was chosen for his nonpartisan background — unlike Ambassador Dafallah al-Hajj Ali, who had initially been tapped for the post by Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC) Chair and military Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. Concerns over Ali's ties to the former regime and the sweeping powers attached to the premiership ultimately led the TSC to favor Idris instead. Idris said his cabinet would be composed of technocrats with no political party affiliations, describing it as a government that 'represents the voice of the silent majority' with a mandate to deliver prosperity and improved living conditions for the Sudanese people. But according to a former ministerial official who spoke to Mada Masr, Idris faces four major challenges in forming his cabinet. The first is balancing Sudan's complex web of political and social blocs. Idris, according to the source, wants to correct the lack of representation from certain regions in previous governments and insists on appointing ministers based on merit and professionalism — criteria that may rule out several candidates favored by political blocs, the source said. Secondly, Idris aims to fill most cabinet posts with younger figures, a goal that proves difficult, according to the source, given youth underrepresentation across Sudan's political and social structures. The third obstacle concerns Idris's stance toward Islamist factions. While groups such as the former ruling National Congress Party and other Islamist-aligned forces welcomed his appointment, two high-level TSC sources told Mada Masr that Idris has since kept his distance from any Islamist entities — an approach they said reassures the TSC leadership. The final hurdle is the Juba Peace Agreement. Armed movements that signed the 2020 deal are insisting on their full share of cabinet positions as stipulated by the agreement. In his Thursday speech, Idris stressed that he retains the right as prime minister to independently select members of his cabinet using a range of selection methods. Membership in the 'government of hope,' he said, would be open to Sudanese citizens regardless of race or religion, provided they have no party affiliation. A senior source in the Justice and Equality Movement, led by Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim, told Mada Masr that Idris is bound by the terms of the Juba agreement. The constitutional amendments passed in February did not override the peace deal, the source said, and would not do so until the 39-month transitional period concludes. Idris announced that he would begin forming the government immediately and incrementally, pledging not to betray the public trust and to lay the foundation for a state governed by the rule of law. *** A week after capturing border triangle, RSF advances in Northern State, Haftar-aligned forces expand border deployment Just over a week after the RSF took control of the border triangle between Sudan, Egypt and Libya, the paramilitary group continued its advance into Northern State while military units loyal to Libyan National Army (LNA) Commander Khalifa Haftar stepped up their presence on the Libyan side of the border. On Tuesday, RSF fighters took control of the Karb al-Toum area in Northern State, following the withdrawal of the military toward the Atrun military base, a source from the Sudanese Armed Forces told Mada Masr. Located near the border triangle, Karb al-Toum is considered a key military and commercial gateway in Sudan's northern desert. A former Sudanese military officer told Mada Mar that the RSF's continued advance is backed by newly opened supply routes through Libyan territory. The officer warned that unless the military intervenes with ground and air forces, the group is likely to target the Atrun base and the Khandaq area in the Dongola locality next. The RSF seized the strategic border triangle on June 18, just hours after the military said it had vacated the area. The military accused the Haftar-aligned Subul al-Salam Battalion of aiding the RSF's takeover, which the LNA denied. The Subul al-Salam Battalion, which has controlled the border area since 2011, expanded its military deployment around Jebel Uweinat in the triangle earlier this week, a source close to the battalion told Mada Masr. Backed by the 87th special operations unit — under the LNA's ground forces command led by Saddam Haftar, son of Khalifa Haftar — the battalion launched additional patrols aimed at tracking a group suspected of ties to the Sudanese military-aligned joint force of the armed movement, the source said. The 87th unit dispatched reinforcements to Libya's far southeast on Sunday, deploying around Jebel Uweinat with surveillance aircraft overhead, the source said. The Subul al-Salam forces, meanwhile, remain stationed on the Libyan side of the border triangle as part of a broader plan to prevent infiltration or potential cross-border attacks. According to the source, the Subul al-Salam Battalion received what is believed to be a military shipment delivered earlier this week aboard two Emirati cargo planes. The cargo was heavily secured and transferred to private storage facilities in the nearby city of Kufra. Another military source told Mada Masr that three aircraft were spotted at the Kufra airport on Tuesday, amid what the source described as a significant uptick in logistical movements from Libya into RSF-held areas in Sudan's northern desert. A military source told Mada Masr last week that the border tensions stemmed from the RSF's attempts to establish alternative logistics routes via Libya after Chadian generals pressured President Mahamat Deby to halt the use of the Um Jaras base, which has served as a major RSF supply hub over the past year. Civilians fleeing the border triangle into Dongola, the capital of Northern State, told Mada Masr that RSF positions near the area have come under heavy airstrikes in recent days. A military source said that RSF fighters were hit by three strikes throughout Monday and Tuesday, two of which took place inside Sudanese territory. The strikes were intended to destroy the RSF drone platforms operating in Karb al-Toum, a source from the military's 19th Infantry Division said, warning that the paramilitary's presence in the area poses a direct threat to towns west of the Nile in Northern State. On Thursday morning, the military's air defenses intercepted three RSF drones carrying explosives launched toward the division's base in Merowe, eyewitnesses told Mada Masr. They described hearing loud blasts over the city as all drones were downed. The Sudan's Doctors Network warned on Monday of deteriorating humanitarian conditions among civilians fleeing the border area. The network said nearly 2,000 displaced people have arrived in safer areas of Northern State but lack basic necessities such as shelter, food, clean water and healthcare. After capturing Nuhud and Khawi in West Kordofan in recent weeks, the RSF launched a major attack on the military's largest stronghold in the state, the city of Babanusa, on Friday, following two days of artillery exchanges and military drone strikes targeting RSF positions in the city's outskirts. Throughout Monday and Wednesday, the RSF deployed reinforcements to the north and east of the city in a bid to encircle it from the two directions. They then began shelling the military's 22nd Infantry Division over two consecutive days, a military source in the division's command told Mada Masr. The 22nd Division responded with airstrikes and artillery shelling on Wednesday and Thursday, killing over 60 RSF fighters and destroying 13 of their combat vehicles, according to statements from the military unit. On Friday, the RSF launched a large-scale assault, with heavy fighting breaking out around the 89th Infantry Brigade command near the division's camp, a field source told Mada Masr. The military repelled the initial wave of the attack, but the source warned that Babanusa is likely to face more RSF offensives in the coming days. Located near the South Sudanese border, Babanusa is a strategic city home to the majority of Sudan's oil fields. According to the military source, the terrain surrounding the 22nd Infantry Division camp — characterized by hills and rocky plateaus — presents significant challenges to a full encirclement. Following the RSF's recent takeovers of Nuhud and Khawi in West Kordofan and Dubeibat in South Kordofan, the RSF leadership now believes the military's 22nd Division may struggle to hold out for as long as it did over the past year, RSF military sources in the West Kordofan sector told Mada Masr. According to RSF field commanders who spoke to Mada Masr, new fighters arrived in the city earlier this week with the goal of launching renewed attacks on the military division — after several failed attempts to seize it last year. Witnesses in Babanusa confirmed seeing large-scale reinforcements near the city. Local sources warned that the situation in Babanusa is becoming increasingly precarious, especially as the military appears ill-prepared for a full-scale confrontation, they said. Disruption to supply lines, the city's geographic isolation and the suspension of military air drops have left military forces exposed to what could be a decisive RSF offensive, they said. Babanusa entered the frontlines of the war between the military and the RSF in early January 2024. Operations in the area were initially delayed as local leaders from the Messiria tribe sought to broker an agreement between the two sides to spare the military's camp in the city, given its role in protecting the southern borders against cross-border raids by gangs from South Sudan. However, the initiative ultimately failed after RSF Deputy Commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo insisted on capturing the 22nd Division camp. Renewed clashes between military, SPLM-N in South Kordofan Fighting resumed between the military and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, in South Kordofan on Tuesday in the town of Dashoul, near Korgol, south of the capital, Kadugli. Forces of the SPLM-N, which holds significant territory in South Kordofan, launched an attack on military positions in the area, attempting to cut the main road linking Kadugli and Dalang, a field source told Mada Masr. The military repelled the assault. Military spokesperson Nabil Abdallah confirmed that the 14th Infantry Division in Kadugli pushed back the SPLM-N offensive on the Dashoul outpost, adding that their forces seized weapons, combat vehicles and three tanks during the operation. Fighting between the military and the SPLM-N has escalated in recent weeks along the Um Deheilib and Korgol fronts. In May, the military captured the town of Um Deheilib, located about 45 km east of Kauda, the SPLM-N (al-Hilu)'s stronghold. The armed group had long maintained a camp there, using the village as a forward defensive position for its main base in Kauda. Military cooperation between the SPLM-N (al-Hilu) and the RSF has been steadily growing since the signing of the Nairobi charter in February. Endorsed by over 40 civilian, political and armed groups, the agreement established a military-political alliance and laid the foundation for a parallel government in Sudan. The charter quickly translated into military cooperation between the RSF and SPLM-N leaderships in terms of troop mobilization and training in SPLM-N-held territories in South Kordofan and the southern Blue Nile State — where the rebel group has been in conflict with the military since 2011. Following the ouster of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and in the years leading up to the outbreak of the war in 2023, the military and SPLM-N (al-Hilu) continued to renew a ceasefire agreement on an annual basis. Since the war, however, fighting has resumed between the two. *** Military drones continue to strike RSF strongholds in Nyala, South Darfur For the third consecutive week, the military carried out drone strikes on RSF positions in South Darfur's Nyala, the group's largest stronghold. On Wednesday, the military launched a surprise attack on the Rahman neighborhood, where RSF Deputy Commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo was attending the funeral of one of his commanders who was recently killed in the Kordofan battles, a senior military source in the General Staff told Mada Masr. The strike killed several of the attendees, who comprised fighters and field commanders engaged in logistical operations, according to the source. On Saturday morning, residents heard loud explosions and saw smoke rising near the city's international airport — the RSF's primary logistical and military base. Later that evening, drone strikes resumed, hitting multiple locations across Nyala, local sources told Mada Masr. At least three powerful blasts were heard across the city's central, southern and eastern neighborhoods. Among the sites targeted was Nyala University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, which the RSF had repurposed as a military base, one of the local sources said. According to eyewitnesses, the strikes killed and wounded around 25 RSF fighters. The injured were taken to the Turkish Hospital in southern Nyala — a facility that the RSF has recently reopened. Earlier this year, the RSF developed a military airbase and strategic cargo facilities at the Nyala International Airport, a senior military officer had previously told Mada Masr. RSF Deputy Commander Abdel Rahim Dagalo had also moved the group's command to Nyala and has been working to designate the city as the administrative capital for the paramilitary group, according to an RSF military source who spoke to Mada Masr in April. *** Direct clashes resumed in Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, with the military repelling a major assault by elite RSF units on Sunday. The two sides exchanged heavy artillery fire again on Tuesday and Wednesday. A field source told Mada Masr that the RSF deployed elite units — which they said recently trained in Nyala — in an attempt to storm Fasher and seize the military's Sixth Infantry Division command, along with the rest of the city. The assault began in the early morning hours from the eastern side and was preceded by heavy shelling and drone strikes on military defenses, as well as those of the armed movements' joint force and locally mobilized fighters. According to the source, the joint force repelled the assault and inflicted heavy losses on RSF fighters. In a statement, the joint force said it had foiled the 214th RSF attack on Fasher, destroying six Emirati-made armored vehicles and 10 combat trucks along with their crews. The statement added that dozens of RSF fighters were killed or dispersed, with the remainder pursued to the city's outskirts. On Tuesday, the military launched heavy artillery strikes on RSF positions east of the city, prompting retaliatory fire from the RSF, another field source told Mada Masr. The same exchange continued the following day, with RSF surveillance and combat drones flying overhead, according to the source. *** Health official: Nearly 30,000 dead or wounded in North Darfur since war broke out Since May 2024, North Darfur's Fasher has grappled with daily bombardments and a tight siege that has deprived hundreds of thousands of residents of essential supplies. North Darfur Health Ministry General Director Ibrahim al-Khater told Mada Masr that nearly 30,000 people across the state have died or been wounded — whether through direct attacks or illnesses and injuries exacerbated and caused by the RSF's siege and the attacks on healthcare facilities — since the outbreak of war in April 2023. According to Khater, the toll has been heaviest in Fasher and its surrounding areas, as well as in the localities of Kutum, Malit, Um Kadada, Tawila and Dar al-Salam. On the medical front, only three hospitals remain operational across North Darfur. Khater pointed to critical shortages of medicine, medical supplies and food. The ongoing siege has cut off all humanitarian aid, while daily bombardments of health facilities and civilian shelters have led to mounting casualties, he said. Most of those sheltering in these facilities, he added, are elderly people, women, children or already in poor health. The collapse of humanitarian conditions in Fasher was echoed by Adam Regal, the spokesperson for Fasher's General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees. Regal told Mada Masr that the destruction of key health facilities — most notably the clinic at the Abu Shouk displacement camp, north of Fasher — due to RSF artillery shelling has led to a total breakdown of healthcare services. He estimated that dozens of displaced people are wounded everyday in the ongoing artillery attacks. The destruction, compounded by a shortage of medicines and deteriorating living conditions, has driven many to flee the camp, according to Regal. As the situation in Fasher worsens, the areas of Tawila and Kurma have become the destination for thousands fleeing the violence. But these areas are now overwhelmed by the influx and are equally lacking in basic and healthcare services, he said. Regal called on international organizations and donors to scale up aid to Sudan in general — and to Darfur in particular — warning that a cholera outbreak may be imminent if swift containment measures are not taken.
Telegraph
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
French police ‘will never stop us', say Channel migrants
Channel migrants have vowed that they will 'never give up' on trying to reach Britain despite a looming French crackdown on illegal crossings. French ministers are set to change maritime rules to allow border police, gendarmes and coastguard vessels to stop boats from leaving waters within 300 metres of their coastline. The new strategy will see 'taxi boats' packed with migrants intercepted in shallow waters off Channel beaches. It will probably mean that migrants trying to clamber aboard are pushed back onto dry land by officers armed with shields and batons. However, migrants told The Telegraph that they would 'never give up' trying to reach the UK on small boats. Young men, teenagers and families with small children said they would try to find a way through to Britain, whatever new methods were adopted by the French. Waiting at a makeshift migrant camp on the edge of Loon-Plage, near the port of Dunkirk, was Jamal, a 24-year-old Sudanese man. He had made the two-month journey from North Africa to northern France by any method he could, including boat and horseback. 'If the police stop us in the water when we try to reach the boats, then we will go back to the beach the next day or the next week,' he said. 'We'll never give up.' Ali, a 27-year-old nursing assistant from Afghanistan, had a similar message for the French and British governments. 'Me and my friends are seeking asylum. As Azeris, we cannot express our ethnic identity in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over. It is terrible,' he said. 'That is why I hope the British will give us asylum. That's why we travelled here from Afghanistan. 'I agree people shouldn't be able to cross illegally – only refugees who really need asylum should be protected.' Ali and Jamal, along with their fellow migrants at the Grand-Synthe camp, have faced a heavier than normal police presence on the beach at nearby Gravelines. The beach, which is more than 1,000 yards long, has been a favourite pick-up point for people-smugglers operating 'taxi boats' over the past week. But early morning, patrols of the sands and surrounding dunes by French riot police ensured that no migrant boats left Gravelines on Friday. From before dawn, foot patrols with powerful torches swept the dunes for migrants who might be hidden. As the sun rose, officers patrolled the surrounding paths and roads leading to the beach through holiday homes and children's playgrounds. Detritus left behind by migrants who had recently managed to board boats could be seen piled high on the edge of the beach – trainers, bags, clothes and some identity documents. There was even a crutch left behind by one migrant who was seen earlier in the week using his remaining crutch to clamber into a boat with the help of fellow passengers. There are signs at Gravelines and elsewhere that French police are taking a more interventionist approach in the migrant crisis, in response to criticism by the British Government. In the past week, migrants emerging from the dunes have been sprayed with tear gas. All vehicles approaching Gravelines beach were searched by early morning police patrols on Thursday, with officers checking for any signs of hidden migrants or inflatable boats. Police are also using drones and light aircraft to spot boats along a 75-mile stretch of coastline. At one stage, a patrol van could be seen parked next to a memorial honouring the sacrifice of French and British marines who took part in repeated attempts to reconnoitre German coastal defences in the run up to D-Day – an echo of previous Anglo-French co-operation. But migrant aid charities have warned that the French and British governments will have 'blood on their hands' if police adopt new tactics of intercepting migrants in the waters off the coast. In the past seven days, 2,066 people have crossed the Channel using 33 small boats, with traffickers taking advantage of good weather to make the crossing. Last Friday alone, 919 made the crossing using 14 boats. That was followed by 489 on Tuesday and 244 on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, six French coastguard vessels took part in the rescue of a small group of migrants whose overladen dinghy had run into difficulties mid-way across the Channel. The dinghy had set off unnoticed from a beach close to the port of Calais. The people on board were handed over to the British authorities after being plucked from their boat. A Home Office spokesman said: 'We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. 'The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay, and we will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.'
Euronews
11 hours ago
- Euronews
Over 600 migrants rescued from two fishing boats off southern Greece
More than 600 migrants were rescued overnight and into Friday morning from two overcrowded wooden fishing vessels found adrift off the southernmost part of Greece, the Greek coast guard has said. The first vessel, carrying 352 people, was located around 55 kilometres (35 miles) south of Gavdos, a small Greek island. The passengers were rescued by a vessel from the EU's border agency Frontex, supported by a coast guard patrol boat and four additional ships. A further 278 people were discovered on a second boat approximately 90 kilometres (60 miles) south of Crete. Those aboard were transferred onto a passing Portuguese-flagged cargo ship. In both instances, the migrants were taken to Crete for processing. The authorities have not yet disclosed the nationalities of the rescued individuals. Two additional migrant boats were located in the same parts of the Mediterranean on Thursday. One was discovered carrying 73 men south of Gavdos, while the other, found near Crete's southern coast, had 26 people on board, including a woman and three children. Passengers from the smaller of these two vessels said they had departed from Tobruk, Libya, the night before, each reportedly paying smugglers €4,000 for the perilous journey, according to the Greek coast guard. Two Sudanese teenagers, aged 16 and 19, were arrested on suspicion of migrant trafficking after passengers identified them as the boat's operators. Greece continues to be a key entry point to the EU for people escaping conflict and hardship in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Arrivals surged last year, with over 60,000 migrants landing in Greece — the majority by sea — compared to around 48,000 in 2023, according to UN refugee agency data. By mid-June 2025, Greece had recorded 16,290 arrivals, over 14,600 of which were by sea. With Greek authorities stepping up patrols along the eastern maritime border with Turkey, traffickers appear to be increasingly choosing the longer and more dangerous route across the Mediterranean from North Africa, using larger boats capable of carrying more people. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Wednesday announced the use of a super-heavy Sejil missile as part of what it said was the 12th wave of strikes on Israel. Despite its frequent appearance in the Tehran regime's military parades since it was reportedly brought into service in 2012, the Sejil missile's launch against Israel marks the first time one of its prized assets was used in direct confrontation. Its real-world application also reveals a shift in gears in Tehran's deterrence calculations and response. The Sejil, or "Brimstone", is classified as a surface-to-surface ballistic missile and was developed entirely inside Iran by the Ministry of Defence-run Aerospace Industries Organisation. Although some reports claimed that Tehran used similar Chinese-made missiles as a technical basis for the Sejil, its size and other features suggest it is entirely designed and produced in Iran. The missile, developed to replace the Shabab class of rockets in service since the late 1980s, has a range of about 2,000 kilometres and uses solid fuel as propellant, making it quicker to launch compared to liquid-fueled equivalents. The Sejil is manoeuvrable in all stages of flight, making it difficult to intercept by conventional air defence systems. Although details on its speed are unclear, Tehran reportedly stated that it is capable of reaching Tel Aviv in approximately seven minutes if launched from central Iran. In terms of technical specifications, reports say it measures 25 metres in length, 1.25 metres in diameter, and weighs approximately 2.3 metric tonnes. It can carry warheads weighing up to 700 kilograms and is believed to be capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The Sejil first appeared in a field test in 2008, before its improved version, the Sejil-2, was developed in 2009. In this version, the warhead design was modified, and guidance wings were added to enhance accuracy. However, some reports claim that Sejil-2 might not be a separate model, but rather a test name for the same rocket. Yet footage from 2021 military exercises featuring the Sejil shows updates to earlier missiles of the same model have been made, notably to its jet vanes. Furthermore, rumours of another updated model, the Sejil-3, say that a more modern version was developed with a maximum range of 4,000 kilometres, meaning that in theory it could almost reach Brussels from Tehran. Israeli authorities said on Thursday that the Sejil was successfully intercepted, with debris causing damage to a vehicle.
Hamilton Spectator
12 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Greek coast guard says over 600 migrants rescued from 2 fishing boats
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — More than 600 migrants were rescued overnight and early Friday from two wooden fishing boats found sailing miles (kilometers) from the southernmost part of Greece, the country's coast guard said. The first fishing boat, carrying 352 people, was spotted overnight about 30 nautical miles (35 miles, 55 kilometers) south of the tiny island of Gavdos, the coast guard said. Passengers were rescued by a ship from the European border patrol agency FRONTEX, aided by a coast guard patrol boat and four other vessels. The second was found 50 nautical miles (about 60 miles, 90 kilometers) south of the island of Crete with 278 people on board. The passengers were picked up by a passing Portuguese-flagged cargo ship. In both cases, the migrants were transported to Crete. There was no immediate information on the nationalities of those on board the two fishing boats. Another two boats carrying migrants were located in the same area on Thursday, the coast guard said. One, carrying 73 men, was found south of Gavdos and another with 26 people, including one woman and three minors, was found near the coast of southern Crete. The coast guard said those on the smaller boat told authorities they had set sail the previous evening from Tobruk in Libya , and had each paid smugglers either 4,000 euros ($5,500) for their passage to Greece. Two Sudanese teenagers, one aged 16 and the other 19, were arrested on suspicion of migrant smuggling after other passengers identified them as having been operating the boat. Greece has been on one of the preferred routes into the European Union for people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia for decades. Arrivals from neighboring Turkey to the east and the Libyan coast to the south spiked last year, with Greece recording more than 60,000 people arriving — the vast majority by sea — in 2024, compared to just over 48,000 the previous year, according to figures from the U.N. refugee agency. As of June 15 this year, a total of 16,290 arrivals were recorded, with more than 14,600 of those by sea. With authorities closely patrolling the eastern sea border with Turkey to prevent migrant boats reaching nearby Greek islands, smugglers appear to be increasingly opting for the much longer and riskier Mediterranean Sea crossing from the north African coast to the southern tip of Greece, using larger boats into which they can cram more people. ___ Follow AP's coverage of migration issues at Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
