2023 Global Refugee Forum Stories

IOM, UNHCR launch ‘train-to-hire’ scheme to boost refugee employment
Mary Wambui  |  Jul 23, 2025

Data shows that between 2019 and 2023, around 183,000 skilled refugees from eight nationalities were granted job visas in wealthier countries.

Egypt begins free train rides for Sudanese refugees returning to Khartoum
Bashir Mbuthia  |  Jul 22, 2025

Many of the refugees carried their belongings in small suitcases and plastic bags, with some visibly emotional as they prepared to leave Egypt after m...

Refugees to gain access to mobile, banking services under new regulations
Mary Wambui  |  Jul 18, 2025

The new regulations under the Kenya Information and Communications Act officially allow refugees to access SIM cards and mobile money services, which...

Refugees win big as High Court orders citizenship, immigration law reforms
Issa Hussein  |  Jul 18, 2025

The High Court declared that all children born of a Kenyan citizen and a refugee or persons seeking refugee status are Kenyan by birth pursuant to art...

Violence in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado cripples access to healthcare, MSF warns
Bashir Mbuthia  |  Jul 16, 2025

MSF revealed that over 43,000 people have been newly displaced in Mozambique in 2025 following violent insurgent attacks in the districts of Macomia,...

WFP receives Korean rice donation to feed 720,000 refugees in Kenya
Mary Wambui  |  Jul 12, 2025

The organisation said the contribution is the largest from Korea since the country began supporting refugees in Kenya in 2018.

Police probe shooting of trader found dead in stalled car in Dadaab
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 11, 2025

Investigators suspect the victim may have been stopped by gunmen and shot after failing to comply with their demands.

Cabinet shake-up in Sudan as transitional PM Kamil Tayyib Idris seeks stability amid civil war
Mwangi Maina  |  Jul 11, 2025

The appointments, announced by state-run 'Sudan News Agency', are seen as an attempt to fill key governance gaps and build momentum behind a technocra...

Third suspect charged with murder of Gaala Adan, 17, killed after rejecting forced marriage in Wajir
Lucy Mumbi  |  Jul 10, 2025

The DPP had earlier charged Tiffow—identified as the deceased’s 40-year-old husband—and Ahmed with Gaala’s murder.

700,000 refugees in Kenya face severe hunger crisis after aid cuts
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jul 01, 2025

The group blamed the crisis on recent funding shortfalls following the withdrawal of vital humanitarian assistance by the United States and other dono...

Funding shortages threaten relief for millions of Sudanese refugees: WFP
UN News  |  Jul 01, 2025

WFP noted that the situation for many Sudanese refugees is already dire, more than two years since war erupted between Sudan’s national army and param...

Sudan: Foreign interests are deepening a devastating war – only regional diplomacy can stop them
The Conversation  |  Jun 30, 2025

A peaceful and democratically governed Sudan can contribute to peace not just in the region, but also in many other parts of the world.

Chad’s border towns overwhelmed by influx of Sudanese refugees
Bashir Mbuthia  |  Jun 30, 2025

Food aid, once a lifeline for many, is now hard to come by. The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has warned that funding cuts, largely driven b...

UN: Don't allow Israel-Iran conflict to spark new refugee crisis
DW News  |  Jun 21, 2025

Grandi said, "The time to de-escalate is right now. Once people are forced to flee, there's no quick way back and all too often, the consequences last...

World Refugee Day: Urgent calls made for rights and health of displaced populations
Rachael Mutabasi  |  Jun 20, 2025

In a statement, IGAD described the region as the largest refugee-hosting area in the world, currently sheltering over six million refugees and asylum...

UNHCR reports record displacement in West and Central Africa
DW News  |  Jun 20, 2025

Nearly 13 million people have been uprooted from their homes in West and Central Africa. The UN Refugee Agency blames migration trends and conflict fo...

Kenya commits to Shirika Plan on World Refugee Day amid mounting refugee hunger crisis
Mary Wambui  |  Jun 20, 2025

The day is marked under the theme "Solidarity with refugees" with Kenya hosting an event at the Kenya Christian Industrial Training Institute, Eastlei...

What happens when aid is cut to a large refugee camp? Kenyan study paints a bleak picture
The Conversation  |  Jun 19, 2025

Notably, the US recently slashed billions of US dollars from global relief efforts. The slashed contributions once made up to half of all public human...

UN warns of looming famine in East Africa as conflict, climate shocks deepen hunger crisis
Alfred Onyango  |  Jun 17, 2025

Notably, Sudan and South Sudan have been marked among the five hotspots facing an immediate risk of famine in the coming four months.

Refugees allowed to use refugee IDs for SIM cards registration
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jun 13, 2025

The department clarified that registering a SIM card under someone else’s name is illegal and amounts to proxy registration, which is expressly prohib...

Cholera claims one life in Kakuma Refugee Camp as 30 cases confirmed since May 18
Bashir Mbuthia  |  Jun 11, 2025

So far, a total of 30 individuals have tested positive for the disease, with 74 tests conducted on individuals exhibiting cholera-like symptoms.

Refugees in Kenya to access SIM cards, mobile money under new regulations
Mary Wambui  |  Jun 06, 2025

This change gives refugees greater access to more services in line with the government-led Shirika Plan that seeks to foster socioeconomic inclusion o...

Kenya’s refugee integration plan criticised over poor public involvement
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  Jun 06, 2025

Other committee members expressed concern over environmental degradation linked to refugee settlements and the uneven distribution o

70,000 refugees arrive in Chad from Sudan amid escalating violence in North Darfur
Bashir Mbuthia  |  Jun 03, 2025

MSF added that the Tine Camp is currently housing over 18,000 people, with many sleeping on the ground, amid shelter, water and food shortages despite...

Doctors Without Borders relocate services to Ethiopia as violence at South Sudan border escalates
Mary Wambui  |  May 24, 2025

The surge in violence was triggered by clashes at the border and exchanges of fire between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and an opposition g...

Kenya refugee camps face hunger crisis as WFP warns food aid could drop to 28pc
Rachael Mutabasi  |  May 22, 2025

This alarming development comes amid a surge in refugee numbers, driven by escalating conflict and drought in neighbouring Somalia and South Sudan, le...

Rwandan refugees return home as M23 offensive escalates in eastern Congo, says UNHCR
Bashir Mbuthia  |  May 18, 2025

The three-year M23 insurgency in the eastern DRC intensified in January with the M23 rebels, largely made up of Tutsi fighters, seizing control of mor...

Chad struggles to cope as over 47,000 refugees arrive amid Sudan conflict
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 17, 2025

With the conflict in Sudan worsening, the number of refugees is expected to rise, according to UNICEF.

Global internal displacement reaches record 83.4 million by end of 2024
Maureen Kinyanjui  |  May 14, 2025

Sudan, devastated by ongoing violence, saw the largest number of IDPs, with a record-breaking 11.6 million individuals now displaced within its border...

Stay ahead of the news! Click ‘Yes, Thanks’ to receive breaking stories and exclusive updates directly to your device. Be the first to know what’s happening.