Attachments
Highlights
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During the reporting period, IOM assisted the Turkish Coast Guard in Çeşme by providing food, water and non-food items (including blankets, clothing and shoes) to 151 migrants and refugees who were rescued at sea. The majority of those rescued at sea in Çeşme were from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
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In order to meet the immediate needs of arriving migrants and refugees in Greece, IOM distributed 2,000 non-food items (NFIs) to those staying in Malakasa and Ritsona camps in the Attica region. The NFIs included a hygiene kit that contained a toothbrush and toothpaste, hand soap, shower gel and shampoo, two sanitary rolls, and wet/dry wipes.
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In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, IOM has deployed two mobile teams to the reception centres in Tabanovce and Gevgelija. Each team consists of three staff members (a translator, social worker and medical officer) who can help to address the needs of vulnerable populations among the remaining group of migrants and refugees.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
As of 20 April 2016, 184,599 migrants and refugees have arrived to Europe by land and sea routes since the start of 2016, the majority of whom have entered by sea (180,245) through Greece and Italy.
Due to the EU-Turkey agreement daily arrivals onto the Greek shores have significantly decreased and based on current IOM data, more than 54,000 migrants and refugees remain stranded in Greece.
According to the IOM Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) first quarter report on Mixed Migration Flows in the Mediterranean and Beyond, the total number of arrivals to Europe in the first quarter of 2016 was 174,395, compared to 21,018 in the same period of 2015. The report highlighted that migration flows in the first three months of 2016 have seen a decrease due to the policy decisions made in February and March. In particular the agreement between the European Union and Turkey have brought migration flows through the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western Balkans route to a standstill.
In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the number of migrants and refugees who remain at the reception centre in Gevgelija is currently 130, the majority of whom are from Syria (84) and Iraq (31). In Tabanovce centre, approximately 1,000 people remain stranded.
Following the closure of the Western Balkans route, the Slavonski Brod reception centre in Croatia was closed on 15 April. At the time of closure, the remaining 62 people who had been accommodated at the centre were transferred to reception centres for asylum seekers in the cities of Zagreb and Kutina, while single men were transferred to a detention centre in Ježevo.