EU EXTERNAL PARTNERS: UN expresses alarm over violations against people on the move in Egypt ― Israeli court suspends government’s ban on NGOs operating in Gaza and West Bank ― UN reports almost 700,000 people displaced in Lebanon ― NGO raises concerns…

• A group of experts from the United Nations (UN) has expressed alarm over violations against people on the move in Egypt.
• The Supreme Court of Israel has suspended the government’s recent decision to order a large number of NGOs to halt their operations in Gaza and the West Bank.
• The UN has reported that almost 700,000 people are currently displaced in Lebanon amid the ongoing conflict with Israel.
• An NGO in Morocco has raised concerns about the lack of integration of people on the move in the country following a violent incident in Casablanca.
• Two European Commissioners have travelled to Senegal with a view to negotiating a new agreement between the EU and the West African country.

A group of experts from the United Nations (UN) has expressed alarm over violations against people on the move in Egypt. In a press release published on 6 March, the UN Special Rapporteur (SR) on the human rights of migrants, Gehad Madi; the UNSR on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Siobhán Mullally; the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Graeme Reid, and the five members of the UN Working Group on discrimination against women and girls highlighted several serious violations, including deportation campaigns, arbitrary detentions and human rights abuses. They stated that they remained “deeply concerned about the situation of refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt” and that “practices of arbitrary arrest and deportations continue, with refugee communities being targeted in their homes, workplaces and even in refugee led service centres”. They also expressed alarm over the risk of refoulement for both “documented” and “undocumented” people in the country and reminded the Egyptian authorities that any return or deportation orders had to be “based on an individual assessment of protection needs and human rights obligations”. They also urged strict adherence to “the principle of non-refoulement, the best interests of the child, non-discrimination, and the right to family life”. The latest UN intervention follows a call for action from ECRE member organisation Amnesty International in mid-February and the publication of the UN experts’ own joint communication on the issue in October 2025.

The Supreme Court of Israel has suspended the government’s recent decision to order a large number of NGOs to halt their operations in Gaza and the West Bank. On 27 February, the Court ruled that the ban, which the government had imposed on 37 INGOs at the end of December 2025 with a 60-day delay, should be temporarily frozen “pending a final decision”. The ruling came after 17 NGOs and the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) filed a petition in which they warned of the “devastating humanitarian consequences” of the imminent ban on their work. Commenting on the ruling, ECRE member organisation the Danish Refugee Council, which was one of the INGOs covered by the ban, posted on social media: “This decision creates space for constructive dialogue and, most importantly, helps ensure life-saving aid can scale up in a predictable and principled way for civilians in Gaza and the West Bank”. AIDA Executive Director Athena Rayburn said the INGOs were “still waiting to see how the injunction will be interpreted by the state and whether or not this will mean an increase in our ability to operate”.

The UN has reported that almost 700,000 people are currently displaced in Lebanon amid the ongoing conflict with Israel. According to briefing notes published by the UN Refugee Agency (UNCHR) on 10 March, Lebanese authorities reported that “as of today, more than 667,000 people in Lebanon have now registered on the government’s online displacement platform – an increase of over 100,000 in just one day – and numbers continue to rise”. UNHCR also noted that approximately 120,000 displaced people were “sheltering in government-designated collective sites” while many others were “staying with relatives or friends, or are still searching for accommodation”. The UNHCR’s bleak assessment was echoed by ECRE member organisation the International Rescue Committee which also issued two overarching recommendations for protecting civilians and ensuring that humanitarian aid can reach those most affected by the escalating violence: “Restore respect for international humanitarian law” and “Prioritize aid funding and delivery to maximize impact and sustainability”.

An NGO in Morocco has raised concerns about the lack of integration of people on the move in the country following a violent incident in Casablanca. According to the Hespress media outlet, “riots and acts of vandalism” involving people from Sub-Saharan Africa took place during the weekend of 1-2 March in the coastal town. Hespress cited the online migration-focused platform Migrapress which stated that the incidents “between irregular migrants and local residents” were more than “ordinary neighborhood disputes” and revealed “deeper tensions linked to cross-border migration” and “inadequate local management”. Migrapress also described “tensions largely involving vulnerable irregular migrants living in marginalized neighborhoods already grappling with unemployment, overcrowding and social strain” and stated that “local authorities and civil society groups are often left to manage these pressures without sufficient financial, institutional or security support”. On a broader level, it also suggested that Morocco was bearing “part of the domestic cost of a European migration system that seeks to control flows south of the Mediterranean”. According to data published by UNHCR, there are currently approximately 29,500 refugees and people seeking asylum in Morocco.

Two European Commissioners have travelled to Senegal with a view to negotiating a new agreement between the EU and the West African country. According to a press release published by the EU Delegation to Senegal, meetings between Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner, Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela, Senegalese President Diomaye Diakhar Faye and Minister of African Integration, Foreign Affairs and Senegalese Abroad Cheikh Niang, which took place 2-3 March, marked “a significant step forward in the dialogue between the EU and Senegal on a strengthened partnership addressing shared challenges such as promoting investment through the Global Gateway initiative, closer cooperation on security and defense, and migration and mobility”. During the visit, the two commissioners participated in a ceremony to mark the handing over of 11 new and six re-engined patrol boats to the National Police and Gendarmerie, as well as the inauguration of the Maritime Maintenance Centre at the Port of Dakar. In a statement, the European Commission noted that these assets would “reinforce maritime security and coastal surveillance capacities, improve the joint management of migration flows, and strengthen efforts to dismantle migrant smuggling and organised crime networks, while also contributing to the protection of human life at sea”.

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