INTRODUCTION
Ongoing conflict in Iraq resulted in the continued flight of Iraqis into both Syria and Turkey in May, with the number of Iraqis received at Syria’s Al-Hol camp increasing by more than 1,800, while more than 1,000 Iraqis were apprehended attempting to cross the border into Turkey. Meanwhile the number of Syrian refugees in Iraq increased by 0.7% in May compared to April figures. Internal displacement in Iraq, where more than 3.02 million are displaced, led UNHCR to open its twelfth Iraqi camp in May. Internal displacement similarly continued in Syria, with 166,000 people newly displaced in the northern governorates, and more than 14,000 in the southern governorates in May alone. The number of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries continued to grow in May, reaching 5,057,499 by the end of May. More than 2,110 people travelled from Turkey to Greece by sea in May. While Syrians and Iraqis comprised the largest percentage of arrivals, diversity continues to increase compared to 2016. People from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Algeria have made up 6.3% and 6.1% of arrivals in 2017, respectively. Turkish citizens are also continuing to seek asylum in Europe following the attempted coup in July 2016, though reports indicate that Turks attempting to cross the Evros river into Greece are being ‘pushed back’. As the number of people and shelters along Syria’s southern border with Jordan reportedly grew in May, conditions continued to deteriorate. Reports of Syrians being deported from Jordan also continued in May, alongside an increase of more than 3,000 persons of concern in the country. As of 1 May some 8,000 to 12,000 Syrians in Lebanon had been forcibly evicted from informal settlements in the Bekaa Valley, without plans for relocation. Roughly 4,300 had resettled elsewhere in the Bekaa Valley as of mid-May, though thousands more are unaccounted for or struggling to relocate.
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.