Number of refugees reaching Europe dips
FIGURE FOR 2015 COULD HIT 1M, UN SAYS, AS MORE PEOPLE CROSS
An estimated 140,000 and refugees reached Europe by sea in November, a big drop from October, although the numbers crossing remain very high and could reach one million for the year, the UN refugee agency said yesterday.
After a brief lull due to rough seas, the numbers have picked up again, with approximately 5,201 landing on the Greek islands on Monday, it said.
“The monthly figure for November is the first one this year that actually shows a decrease compared to the previous one,” William Spindler of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told a news briefing. Some 220,000 were recorded in October.
“The reasons for the slowdown in the number of arrivals have to do with fluctuating climate conditions in the Aegean but also a crackdown on smuggling by Turkish authorities.” So far, 886,662 people seeking safety have reached European shores this year, about four times the total in 2014, he said.
Half are Syrians
Half of those arriving are Syrians fleeing war. The vast majority reaching Europe arrive by sea. “It is not unrealistic to say we could reach one million by the end of the year,” Spindler said.
Women and children now form just over half of the refugees on the move, or 52 per cent, the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the International Organisation for Migration said.
On Saturday, police in Macedonia fired teargas and stun grenades at desperate refugees stranded for days at the Greek border and who are demanding passage to western Europe, as soldiers began erecting a metal fence to keep them out.
Only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans are allowed through.
Hundreds of children are among those trapped, including nationals of Lebanon, Pakistan, Iran and Bangladesh, Unicef spokesman Christopher Tidey, on a tour of the region, said by telephone.