The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has said that its troops have rescued a British oil engineer being held hostage by al-Qaeda fighters in Yemen. UAE troops rescued Douglas Semple from an undisclosed location in Yemen, the official Emirates News Agency reported on Sunday. Semple, 64, was brought b...

As if Somalia wasn’t faced with enough challenges as of late, a new crisis is brewing on the horizon. Some brief background: The fragile country of 10 million continues to be plagued by the terrorism of the Islamist group al-Shabab, is facing a serious threat to its financial lifeline due to bank...

The first, which occurred around 22:30 (19:30 GMT) on Monday, hit part of the facility in Saada province that was not being used, according to the charity. All staff and patients had been evacuated by the time the second strike hit about 10 minutes later. However, the Saudi-led coalition battling ...

A suicide bomber has killed at least 25 people and injured 54 others by his explosives to target police recruits at a security compound in the southern Yemen city of Mukalla, security officials say. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity on Sunday because they are not authorised to speak t...

A year ago this June, desperate Somali refugees began pouring into neighbouring countries, driven from their homes by conflict, human rights abuses and the worst drought in decades. This latest chapter has been another stark reminder of the Somali population’s tragic and prolonged suffering spanning...

The flow of refugees and migrants from the Horn of Africa across the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea towards Yemen continues to exceed previous records. In the first seven of 2012, more than 63,800 people made this perilous journey compared to 48,700 during the same period last year - a 30 per cent inc...

Conditions in South Sudan’s refugee camps have continued to worsen over the past few days under the strain of continuing large refugee inflows and flooding from torrential rains. The health situation has at this point become UNHCR’s priority concern, and we are watching closely for possible outbreak...

We are very concerned about reports we are receiving concerning the tense and fragile security situation in the areas affected by the recent violence in Rakhine State. Even though the situation appears calm, we are still getting reports of violence and new displacements. In the days ahead, anyone...

UNHCR welcomes a decision by the Dominican Republic to reactivate its refugee eligibility commission that reviews asylum applications. Known as the CONARE - Comision Nacional para Refugiados - the commission held its first meeting since 2005 on June 13, reviewing some 19 asylum cases. This breakthro...

In summary, close to 9,000 civilians were displaced during the reporting period (almost the double of last week's figure of new IDPs). Marka and the outskirts of Mogadishu are now major places of new displacement. IDPs in these locations are in need of assistance.