Highlights
- During the reporting period, the Turkish Coast Guard in Kucukkuyu rescued and assisted 400 migrants and refugees (157 Syrians, 216 Afghans, 25 Pakistanis, 1 Indian, and 1 Burmese). IOM supported the TCG by distributing water, food and non-food items including blankets and shoes to all those rescued.
- As a continuation of its humanitarian repatriation assistance, IOM has finalized the interviews, medical checks and secured the exit visas for a group of 180 Malian migrants who have been stranded in Libya. This group will be provided with transportation back to Mali and their departure flight is scheduled for 2 February.
- As the number of deaths at sea and migrants reported missing increase, IOM encourages, at the national level, governments to take greater responsibility for collecting data on migrant deaths, in partnership with civil society organizations to ensure transparency and accountability. Behind all the numbers and statistics, it is critical to remember that these are stories of human tragedy involving extremely vulnerable people, including young children.
- By 26 January, IOM’s DTM team in Croatia reported more than 2,000 successfully completed questionnaires from the Slavonski Brod and Opatovac centres.
- To help the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia adjust their reception assistance to cope with winter conditions, IOM has provided 2,000 blankets, 2,000 pillows and 1,000 bed linens to the country’s reception facilities. IOM is also donating an ambulance to help transport people with health conditions to hospitals and medical institutions in support of Ministry of Health.
- In addition to providing assisted voluntary return assistance to those migrants who have expressed a desire to return to their country of origin, IOM Greece has provided humanitarian relocation services to a total of 157 refugees who were relocated to other EU Member States as part of the EU relocation programme.
Situation Overview
Between 1—27 January 2016, at least 55,652 migrants and refugees have arrived to Europe by land and sea routes. Since January 2015, a total of 1,103,496 migrants and refugees have reached Europe by land and sea. The vast majority of this number arrived to Greece (910,663) and Italy (157,083).
Despite the harsh winter weather, migrants and refugees continue to make the dangerous journey to cross the Aegean Sea. Since the start of the year, IOM estimates that 45,361 migrants and refugees have already crossed into Greece through the blue borders. According to the Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG), on 25 January there were more than five incidents off the coast of Lesvos that required search and rescue missions. The HCG rescued a total of 185 migrants and refugees and transferred them to the port of Lesvos. On 26 January, the HCG rescued an additional 377 migrants and refugees of the coasts of Lesvos, Chios, and Kos.
In Bulgaria, a total 31,530 migrants and refugees were registered as of 21 January. According to the Ministry of Interior, the top three nationalities are Afghans, Syrians, and Iraqis.
According to the Ministry of Interior, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has registered a total of 436,607 migrants and refugees between 19 June 2015 – 27 January 2016.
As of 27 January, a total of 619,847 migrants and refugees have been registered in Serbia with the top three nationalities coming from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Between 13 – 26 January 2016, the average number of people arriving per day was 1,628.
In Croatia, a total of 611,972 migrants and refugees have crossed into the country between 16 September 2015 and 27 January 2016. During the reporting period, more than 24,790 migrants and refugees were registered with an average of 1,770 people per day. Since its opening in early November 2015, the Slavonski Brod reception transit centre has accommodated a total of 295,390 migrants and refugees.
Between 13 – 26 January 2016, the number of migrants and refugees entering into Slovenia has declined compared to the previous reporting period, showing a daily average of approximately 1,563 persons. In the last few days, Sentilj, one of the known exit points out of Slovenia, has seen more women and children leaving, compared to the number of male arrivals. IOM’s flow monitoring exercise indicates that the majority of these women’s spouses are already in Europe and that they wish to join their husbands. As of 27 January, Slovenia has registered a total of 431,449 migrants and refugees.