“The spike in arrivals in Greece is sharply increasing reception pressures on the islands,” said UNHCR spokesperson Melissa Fleming at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva. “Many of the refugees and migrants are desperate to quickly move onwards, fearing that borders ahead of them will close.”
“As of this morning, there were more than 27,500 people on the islands – either awaiting registration or onward transport to the mainland,” she continued.
“Additional police had to be called in on Sunday and yesterday to control the chaotic situation,” she said referring to an incident in which frustration amongst refugees and migrants boiled over at a reception centre on Lesvos, leading to the evacuation of UNHCR staff and the temporary suspension of processing.
Ms. Fleming emphasized that it was important that reception centres in Greece and other parts of Europe be up to the task. “Without this essential element, the relocation programme agreed by Europe in September is in serious peril and may fail,” she cautioned.
She also noted that Balkan routes for refugees and migrants had reopened after “chaotic and miserable scenes.”
“On the Serbian border with Croatia, some 3,000 people were left waiting amid uncertainty in the rain from Sunday until late Monday afternoon without shelter, and with minimal assistance on hand,” said Ms. Fleming.
“UNHCR staff and staff of our partner organizations provided what support they could at such short notice including food, water, and blankets. But many people, including the elderly, pregnant women and several physically handicapped people, were soaked through and instances of hypothermia were reported. There was similar misery on the Croatia-Slovenia border.”
An additional 4,300 people had arrived in Austria from Slovenia Monday and, in Austria and Germany, Ms. Fleming noted that tens of thousands of refugees and migrants were sleeping in tents and temporary shelters because of accommodation shortages.
She also spoke about the number of deaths at sea of refugees and migrants, noting that19 people, including infants and children, had died in the past nine days in five separate incidents, almost half of these over the weekend. In total, at least 3,135 people have died in the Mediterranean in 2015, she added.
To address the situation, UNHCR recommends that various measures of stabilization are needed in countries of first asylum and all countries of secondary movements.
These measures include support to countries hosting the majority of Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan refugees; an information campaign informing of the dangers of the sea journey; and the development of legal pathways to seek protection in Europe. In countries of secondary movement, significant efforts must be made to develop a robust reception and registration capacity.
un.org
20/10/15
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Il pensait même très joliment autrefois, je pouvais l'écouter pendant des heures. (EL Ethnos, EL Ethos)
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Migrant crisis: Arrivals to Greece top 500,000...
ReplyDeleteThe number of migrants who have arrived in Greece this year has topped half a million, the United Nations said.
The rate of people arriving has risen to 8,000 a day, the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees said, with many hoping to beat winter weather.
Most migrants then head north from Greece, but bottlenecks are forming in some Balkan states.
Slovenia is to deploy its army to its border after being overwhelmed by numbers entering from Croatia.
The number of migrants reaching Europe has reached record levels in 2015:
The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says more than 650,000 arrived so far this year, compared with 280,000 last year
The UNHCR says the number of migrants arriving by sea this month is already more than five times higher than the total for October last year
At least 3,135 have died making the journey - compared with 3,279 throughout 2014
Most travel from Turkey to Greece, and while summer months usually see the most arrivals, the number of people reaching Greece increased in October.....BBC