Highlights
- As of 30 December, IOM has established a permanent presence in Kucukkuyu-Canakkale where IOM Turkey staff are supporting the TCG through the provision of relief items to rescued migrants and refugees. On 11 January, the TCG rescued 13 Afghanis (3 women, 7 men and 3 children). IOM provided blankets to all rescued migrants.
- In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, from 19 June 2015 to 10 January 2016, IOM’s registration teams, together with the Border Police and the NGO Young Lawyers Association have registered a total of 407,775 migrants and refugees. IOM has also provided two vehicles to the social service authorities to facilitate the referral and transportation of vulnerable cases .
- 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.
- As a continuation of its humanitarian repatriation assistance, IOM Libya, on 6 and 7 January, facilitated the safe and dignified return of 154 stranded Senegalese and 133 Burkinabe migrants, respectively.
- As of 12 January, IOM, in close cooperation with the Asylum Service in Greece, has provided return assistance to a total of 88 migrants, the majority, 65 per cent (57) to Morocco. Currently, IOM has registered nationals from Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Egypt who are seeking to return to their country of origin.
- Since the opening of the Slavonski Brod reception transit centre, IOM’s DTM team have been present and consistently involved in the gathering of data. By 12 January, the team reported more than 1,100 successfully completed questionnaires from Slavonski Brod. Input and data from the questionnaires are analysed and summarized in a weekly report that is then further disseminated to interested partners and stakeholders.