The war continues to rage in Ukraine, on the 111th day of clashes. In Normandy, the question of the fate of the eight Armenian refugees residing in Ukraine for more than 30 years arises. The administrative court of Rouen ordered the prefect of Seine-Maritime to rule on their situation, under the threat of a deportation to the border. Meanwhile, the UN is trying to stem a global food crisis by calling on WTO member countries not to impose restrictions on food exports.
Information to remember:
- In Normandy, justice must re-examine the situation of eight Armenian refugees from Ukraine
- The UN is trying to stem the risk of a food crisis
- In Donetsk, massive shelling caused several casualties
The prefect of Seine-Maritime re-examines the situation of Armenians in Ukraine
Eight Armenians living in Ukraine and refugees in France won their case on Monday before the Rouen administrative court. The urgent applications judge at the Rouen administrative court issued eight separate orders on Monday, in which he ordered the prefect to rule again on the situation of these Armenians living in Ukraine “within three weeks” with the provision of a temporary residence permit until their situation is re-examined.
Refugees in Normandy, these Armenians from Ukraine were threatened with deportation, after being refused temporary protection by order of the prefect of Seine-Maritime. Until then, they benefited from the support set up within the framework of the reception of refugees from Ukraine.
One of the applicants argued in particular that he could not “reintegrate his country of origin in lasting conditions”, having returned only “once to Armenia in 32 years”, where he has no family. “It was up to the prefect of Seine-Maritime to verify (…) that a return to Armenia could be envisaged under safe and lasting conditions”, considers in particular the court, in an order. “It was up to the prefect of Seine-Maritime to verify (…) that a return to Armenia could be envisaged under safe and lasting conditions”, considers in particular the court, in an order.
In another, the court considers that the fact that the prefect of Seine-Maritime did not carry out “a personalized examination of the applicant’s situation” is “likely to give rise to serious doubt as to the legality” of its stopped.
UN calls for no food export restrictions
Two UN leaders on Monday called on WTO member countries not to impose restrictions on food exports to avert the risk of a global food crisis posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This open letter is signed by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary General of UNCTAD, the UN trade and development body.
“The war in Ukraine is inflicting terrible suffering on the Ukrainian people and has increased the risk of hunger and starvation for tens of millions of people who are on the verge of becoming or are already food insecure,” they said. written for the Ministers of the member countries of the World Trade Organization meeting this week in Geneva.
They ask them to “refrain from imposing export restrictions on essential foodstuffs purchased by the least developed countries and by net food-importing developing countries, as well as on those purchased by the World Food Program from humanitarian purposes”.
EU extends set-aside derogations in 2023
Brussels plans to extend derogations on environmental rules concerning fallow land in 2023, in order to allow the Twenty-Seven to strengthen their cereal production in the face of the impact of the war in Ukraine, Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said on Monday. .
To compensate for the lack of Russian and Ukrainian cereals, the Commission had validated in March a “temporary” derogation for the year 2022 from its rules on fallow land, authorizing “any crop intended for human and animal consumption”, i.e. a potential of 4 million additional hectares.
In the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), farms larger than 15 hectares must have at least 5% of “areas of ecological interest” (meadows, hedges, trees, fallow land) to benefit from European funds. The requirement will be at least 4% fallow (uncultivated land) in the new CAP starting in January 2023, in order to strengthen biodiversity and soil enrichment.
Victims in the bombings in Donetsk
Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine claimed on Monday that four people had been killed and 22 injured in “massive” shelling by Kyiv forces on the city of Donetsk, their self-declared capital. “Four people were killed, including a child, and 22 other civilians were injured in the shelling” by Ukrainian forces, separatist authorities said in a statement.
According to them, the city of Donetsk was subjected on Monday to a “massive bombardment” by kyiv forces, “of unprecedented power, intensity and duration” since the start of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine, end of February. In the space of two hours, “nearly 300 rockets and artillery shells” were fired at several residential areas, they said in the early evening.
The separatists claimed in particular that a maternity hospital in Donetsk had been hit by gunfire, without however reporting any casualties in this specific incident. They posted photos showing broken windows and pregnant women sheltering in a hallway.