Turning the US Refugee Program on Its Head

The Washington Post published on 21 September 2026 an exclusive analysis titled "How Trump Turned a Refugee Bureau into a $410 Million Deportation Operation" by David Nakamura and Adam Taylor. 

The State Department's new Office of Remigration reverses a long-standing policy of resettling refugees in the United States to a focus on expelling them.  The State Department implements the policy by bribing governments in Africa and Latin America to accept the deportees.  

The United States has suspended accepting almost all refugees except for White South Africans.  So far, the Trump administration has deported under this program more than 25,000 people, most of them to Mexico and the others to Africa and Latin America.  This is a tiny percentage of the 985,000 deportations conducted by the Department of Homeland Security during Trump's second term.  

Blue Nile State Location of Recent Fighting in Sudan

 The Middle East Monitor published on 12 May 2026 an article titled "Nearly 50,000 Displaced in Sudan's Blue Nile State Since Start of 2026."

The International Organization for Migration reported that almost 50,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of 2026 in Sudan's Blue Nile State as a result of fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.  Blue Nile State borders both Ethiopia and South Sudan.

USAID Dismantlement Causes Painful Cuts in Humanitarian Aid

 The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace published on 10 December 2025 a report titled "The Painful, Seismic Shift in Humanitarian Aid -- And What's Next" by Allison Lombardo and Stewart Patrick.  

For decades the United States was by far the world's largest humanitarian aid donor.  In 2024, it provided 38 percent of total emergency assistance tracked by the United Nations.  The dismantlement of the US Agency for International Development by the Trump administration changed all of this.

The Trump administration's proposed FY2026 budget cuts funding for humanitarian aid by 70 percent.  It cut funding for the World Food Program by more than 90 percent and made huge cuts in funding for UNICEF and the International Organization for migration.  

Africa is the biggest loser in these US cutbacks.  The continent accounts for 10 of the 13 hardest hit countries.  

China-Africa Legal Ties

 The China Global South Project published on 14 November 2025 an article titled "China Moves from Infrastructure to Legal Influence in Africa" by Christian Geraud Neema Byamungu.  

Representatives from Ethiopia, Algeria, DRC, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe met in China to align legal and institutional practices related to cross-border crimes and commercial disputes.  The driver of this action is China's growing physical presence in Africa.  

The Trump Administration Reverses Course and Reinstates Food Aid Programs in Six Countries

 Reuters published on 8 April 2025 an article titled "Trump Administration Moves to Restore Some Terminated Foreign Aid Programs, Sources Say" by Jonathan Landay, Daphne Psaledakis, and Humeyra Pamuk.  

The Trump administration reinstated at least 6 recently cancelled US foreign aid programs for emergency food assistance following pressure from inside the administration and from Congress.  The reversal allows food aid programs to continue in Somalia, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Ecuador.

Solar Power and Environmental Peacebuilding in Somalia

 The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute published in February 2025 a policy brief titled "Solar Power and Environmental Peacebuilding in South-Central Somalia" by Ann-Sophie Bohle and Kheira Tarif.  

The policy brief explores how the International Organization for Migration's approach to solar power and the facilitation of local public-private partnerships can support environmental peacebuilding at three levels: the community level, the local business level, and the district council level.  

One-third of Sudan's Population Has Deen Displaced

 The Associated Press published on 29 October 2024 an article titled "Sudan Has Displaced over 14 Million, or about 30% of the Population, UN Says."  

The International Organization for Migration says the civil war in Sudan has displaced about 30 percent of the population since conflict broke out more than a year ago.  Some 11 million people are internally displaced and 3.1 million are refugees in neighboring countries, making Sudan the world's largest displacement crisis.  

Environmental Peacebuilding in Somalia

 The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute published in September 2024 a policy brief titled "From Conflict to Collaboration: Co-funding Environmental Peacebuilding in South-central Somalia" by Kheira Tarif.  

The policy brief explores how the International Organization for Migration uses a co-funding mechanism for facilitating collaboration between groups in conflict on addressing shared local priorities in south-central Somalia.  

Sudan is World's Largest Human Displacement Problem

 The International Organization for Migration published on 11 June 2024 its updated Displacement Tracking Matrix for Sudan.

Prior to the onset of the most recent civil war that began on 15 April 2023, Sudan hosted an estimated 2.83 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). Since 15 April 2023, an estimated additional 7.26 million persons became internally displaced.  The total number of IDPs in Sudan now exceeds 10 million or more than one-fifth of Sudan's population of about 50 million, making it the world's largest internal displacement challenge.

Almost 2.2 million persons (62 percent Sudanese nationals and 38 percent foreign nationals) fled to neighboring countries since 15 April 2023.  The majority crossed into Chad (36 percent), South Sudan (32 percent), and Egypt (24 percent).  Smaller numbers fled to Ethiopia, Central African Republic, and Libya.

Sudan's Displaced Number Almost 10 Million

 Aljazeera published on 7 June 2024 an article titled "Dozens Killed Near Sudan's Capital as UN Warns of Soaring Displacement."

An official with the International Organization of Migration said 9.9 million people are now displaced across Sudan.  An official with the World Food Program added that Sudan is "on the verge of collapse."

Displaced Sudanese Number Almost 3 Million

 The International Organization for Migration published on 7 July 2023 an update titled "Nearly 3 Million Displaced by Conflict in Sudan."

More than 2.2 million Sudanese have been displaced internally and another 700,000 have fled to neighboring countries.  Most of the refugees have gone to Egypt (40 percent), Chad (28 percent), and South Sudan (21 percent).  Smaller numbers have gone to Ethiopia and the Central African Republic.  

The State of Migration in East and Horn of Africa

 The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with the East African Community (EAC) and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) recently published the 172 page report titled "The State of Migration in East and Horn of Africa" for 2022.   

The focus of the report, written by 50 authors and contributors from the region, is the mobility dimensions of regional integration.  It takes stock of achievements and challenges in advancing regional integration and human mobility in East Africa and the Horn of Africa,

The report concludes that while several bottlenecks to advancing regional integration and mobility persist including unequal socio-economic conditions in and between states, fear and misperceptions of opening borders, infrastructural and border management capacity gaps, the benefits of regional integration and human mobility far outweigh the costs.

Rise in Sudan's Internally Displaced

 CNN published on 28 June 2023 an article titled "Steep Rise in Numbers of Sudanese Refugees Fleeing Violence" by Ingrid Formanek.

About 2.8 million Sudanese are now internally displaced and another 650,000 have crossed international borders as refugees.  Most of the refugees have fled to Egypt and Chad with smaller numbers going to South Sudan, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, and Libya.

Fleeing Conflict in Sudan

 National Public Radio published on 30 May 2023 an article titled "People Fleeing Sudan Face Uncertain Futures in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Beyond" by Aya Batrawy.

Based on interviews in Sudan, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, this article looks at the challenges facing thousands of Sudanese fleeing the country for Egypt and Saudi Arabia.