Refugee

As humanitarian support to refugees from Ukraine enters its third year, 19 humanitarian organizations and the UN in Bulgaria are appealing for US$ 38.6 million to support 70,000 refugees from Ukraine in Bulgaria in 2024.

Three people had to be rushed to hospital while a paramedic called to the scene was injured during a violent brawl between residents at a migrant and refugee camp in Serres, northern Greece, on Monday night.

A deal allowing Italy to build reception camps in Albania for thousands of migrants arriving by sea raises concerns about arbitrary detention and living conditions, the UN human rights chief said on Thursday.

In a move aligned with the European Commission's decision, the Council of Ministers announced the extension of temporary protection for displaced Ukrainians on Bulgarian soil. The extension, effective from March 4, 2024, spans a year, reflecting the ongoing commitment to support refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.

In a move to bolster support for Ukrainian refugees, the Bulgarian government is considering a one-year extension of the residence status for individuals who have sought temporary protection in the country.

The United Nations said yesterday it will need $4.2 billion to provide humanitarian aid in Ukraine in 2024, and to help millions of refugees who have fled the war-torn country.

While the Gaza war has dominated headlines in recent months, Russia's war in Ukraine is set to enter its third year in February.

Head of the State Agency for Refugees, Mariana Tosheva, disclosed that 590 refugees were repatriated to Bulgaria from various EU nations in 2023. She highlighted the challenge of managing return procedures under the Dublin Regulation, emphasizing the complexity of the migration flow.

As record numbers of Syrian refugees reach the shores of Cyprus, the Nicosia government wants the European Union to consider declaring parts of their war-torn homeland safe to repatriate them to, the Cypriot interior minister said.

"Starting a discussion to re-evaluate the issue of Syria is crucial for us," Minister Constantinos Ioannou told Reuters in an interview.

Greece's coastguard rescued 18 migrants and recovered the body of one dead woman on Friday after their boat capsized off an island in the Aegean Sea.

Coastguard vessels and a military helicopter carried out the rescue operation off the island of Agathonissi after the migrants sent a distress signal earlier on Friday, a coastguard official said.

Children living in a center for refugees and asylum seekers performed at the Athens Conservatoire on Friday, under the direction of Dee Isaacs, professor of music at the University of Edinburgh.

The children, who reside at the in Ritsona camp, north of Athens, were accompanied by the Cellos for Change band.