Throughout January cold temperatures and winter conditions put thousands of refugees and other migrants in the Middle East and Europe at risk.
At least five fatalities at Europe’s borders with Turkey were reported due to temperatures as low as -14 degrees Celsius, and snowstorms throughout the region.
Only 413 Syrians arrived by sea in Greece in January, a significant decrease from the more than 30,000 who arrived in January 2016. Notably, 41.4% of sea arrivals to Greece in January were recorded as non-specified, ‘other’ nationalities, a trend consistent with recent months. Additionally, a reported 131 Iraqis arrived by sea in Italy in January, more than the number who arrived in Greece.
In Jordan, at least 500 Syrians reportedly ‘spontaneously returned’ to Syria or left for third countries, while in Iraq, ongoing fighting in and around Mosul resulted in more than 160,000 Iraqis being displaced from their homes by the end of January.
Despite ongoing displacement, in January the number of IDPs in Iraq dropped below three million for the first time since April 2015.
The following sections of this report describe monthly developments related to mixed migration by country, including reported arrivals, departures, internal displacement relevant to cross-border movement, and discussion of relevant policy changes.