RefugeesU.K. to spend £100 million to control immigration from Africa
British prime minister Theresa May said in New York that more than £100 million of the U.K. foreign aid budget will be spent on returning Somali and other African refugees to their countries, and encouraging people escaping war zones not to cross the Mediterranean. May said that the principle guiding the government’s new approach to the refugee problem also applies to the question of Syrian refugees: It would be better to help a greater number of refugees at camps in countries bordering Syria than to resettle a smaller number in the United Kingdom.
British prime minister Theresa May said in New York that more than £100 million of the U.K. foreign aid budget will be spent on returning Somali and other African refugees to their countries, and encouraging people escaping war zones not to cross the Mediterranean.
In her first speech to the UN General Assembly, May said that her proposal aimed at stopping “mass uncontrolled population movement.” May’s proposal had been criticized when first presented at a European summit two weeks ago, especially her suggestion that refugees fleeing war zones should stay and claim asylum in the first safe country they reach, rather than seek sanctuary in European nations such as Britain.
The Guardian reports that on TuesdayMay expanded on her proposal in her address to the general assembly, stressing the need of North African nations to take action to stop migrants from crossing the Mediterranean.
May said that one example of her approach to solving the refugee problems was her decision to send more British troops to Somalia to train the military and local police, so they can fight the Islamist al Shabaab more effectively.
“The UK is now going to increase further our security support and we will be calling on others to do the same, hosting an international conference on Somalia in 2017 to maintain this vital momentum,” May said.
The government also said it would contribute £20 million from the aid budget to encourage Somali refugees, currently in refugee camps in Kenya, to return home – even though the security problems in Somalia remain serious.
“We will invest £16 million in Somalia to help do things around food, education, shelter and sustainable livelihoods and then £4 million to Kenya to help support the process of returning these people,” a U.K. official said.
At a meeting of world leaders to deal with the refugee problem, convened by President Barack Obama, May said another £80 million from the aid budget will be aimed at helping migrants, largely Eritreans, stay in Ethiopia through the financial support for the construction of new industrial parks offering 100,000 new jobs, including 30,000 for refugees.
The Guardian notes that this is an expansion of the program used in Jordan, Turkey, and Lebanon which aimed to encourage refugees to settle in the region rather than try to make it to Europe.
Between January and September this year, 12 percent of the 124,000 refugees who crossed the Mediterranean to Italy were Eritrean – Nigerians made up 20 percent.
A U.K. official said £1.5 billion this year would be going to help refugees and others in need — an increase of 10 percent on the aid budget. About £2.5 million will go to an international fund to help resettle refugees in other countries.
May said that the principle guiding the government’s new approach to the refugee problem also applies to the question of Syrian refugees: It would be better to help a greater number of refugees at camps in countries bordering Syria than to resettle a smaller number in the United Kingdom.
