EU EXTERNAL PARTNERS: Migration commissioner discusses co-operation with Guinean minister ― EU to provide €500 million to Jordan ― Increased violence against Syrians in Lebanon ― Libyan Coast Guard attacks NGO rescue vessel ― More deaths of people on t…

• European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner has discussed strengthening co-operation on migration with Guinean Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, African Integration and Guineans Abroad Morissanda Kouyaté.
• The EU has signed a memorandum of understanding to provide €500 million in macro-financial assistance to Jordan.
• An NGO has raised concerns about a sharp rise in rights violations against Syrian refugees by authorities in Lebanon.
• The so‑called Libyan Coast Guard has fired on an NGO rescue ship in the Mediterranean.
• There have been more deaths of people on the move in Niger.
• A significant number of Syrians are returning from Türkiye to their home country.

European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner has discussed strengthening co-operation on migration with Guinean Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, African Integration and Guineans Abroad Morissanda Kouyaté. Following the meeting, which took place on 25 August in Brussels, Brunner posted on social media that the talks had been “open” and “constructive”, and that both sides had agreed to join forces to “counter” irregular migration and to “combat the smuggling of migrants”.

The EU has signed a memorandum of understanding with Jordan. On 26 August, the European Commission (EC) announced that it would provide €500 million in macro-financial assistance (MFA) to Jordan as part of the Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership that the two sides agreed in January. According to a press release, the funds will be disbursed over a period of up to two and a half years with the aim of stabilising Jordan’s economy and building long-term resilience. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas emphasised the importance to the EU of supporting Jordan and highlighted the role that the Middle Eastern country was playing in hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees and facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza.

An NGO has raised concerns about a sharp rise in rights violations against Syrian refugees by authorities in Lebanon. In a statement published on 1 August, the Access Center for Human Rights (ACHR) described the abuses as systematic, citing forced deportations, mass arrests, forced evictions, security raids and an escalation in hostile rhetoric aimed at Syrians. ACHR also reported that Lebanese security forces had carried out raids that resulted in widespread arrests, along with evictions that had left many refugees displaced from their shelters. These incidents have coincided with the announcement by the Lebanese government of a voluntary return plan for Syrians residing in the country. According to ACHR, although the plan is described as “voluntary”, the conditions under which it is being implemented suggest that people are being pressured to return to Syria.

The so‑called Libyan Coast Guard has fired on an NGO rescue ship in the Mediterranean. According to the search and rescue (SAR) NGO SOS MEDITERRANEE, its Ocean Viking vessel was deliberately attacked by a Libyan patrol boat on 24 August. In a statement issued on 25 August, the organisation said that while none of the crew members or 87 rescued people who were on board were physically injured, the incident had left them traumatised and the ship had sustained significant damage. The NGO also posted photos showing armed men on the EU-supplied coastguard vessel pointing weapons at the Ocean Viking as well as of windows that had been shattered by bullets. Angelo Selim from SOS MEDITERRANEE told the Associated Press news agency that Libyan Coast Guard personnel had continued to threaten the Ocean Viking crew even after the shooting had ended. According to Selim, a radio transmission in Arabic threatened: “If you don’t leave the area, we will come and kill you all”.

Commenting on the incident, SOS MEDITERRANEE said that the attack was “far from isolated” and cited the Libyan Coast Guard’s “long history of reckless behaviour” that has repeatedly put lives at risk, violated human rights and disregarded international maritime law. The NGO also called for an immediate end to European co-operation with Libyan authorities and an end to the criminalisation of rescue operations. Speaking to journalists in Brussels on 26 August, EC spokesperson Markus Lammert said that the attack was “an obviously worrying development.” However, he avoided any discussion of consequences while stressing that the EC’s main priority was to establish the facts by talking to all parties. Lammert also ignored questions about the EU’s confidence in the Libyan government to conduct a credible investigation. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) described the incident as “deeply concerning” and called for a proper investigation of the events. The Libyan Coast guard has not commented on the incident.

There have been more deaths of people on the move in Niger. The NGO Alarm Phone Sahara (APS) has estimated that at least 35 people have died in the desert in the North African country in 2025 as they try to make their way to Europe via Algeria or Libya. The organisation has also condemned what it describes as the “inhumane and brutal” systematic practices carried out by the Algerian authorities who they accuse of pushing people back into Niger. APS has estimated that approximately 16,000 people were victims of Algerian pushbacks in the first half of 2025.

A significant number of Syrians are returning from Türkiye to their home country. According to the Turkish Ministry of the Interior, 411,649 people have returned to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The Turkish Immigration Service has reported that approximately 140,000 of these returns have taken place since mid-June 2025. According to the updated Asylum Information Database (AIDA) country report on Türkiye that was published by ECRE in July,  although Turkish authorities have described all returns as “voluntary, safe, dignified and regular”, many national stakeholders have expressed doubts about their voluntary nature. The report also noted a number of contributing factors to either onward movement or return, including increasing deportations (141,000 recorded in 2024), a lack of long-term prospects, ongoing legal uncertainty and rising anti-migrant sentiment.

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