Syria Situation Bi-Monthly Update No.33, 26 December - 8 January 2013
1 . Overview
There are now 69,282 Syrian refugees registered in Iraq. The population in Al Qa’im, Anbar governorate, remains stable at 9,036 and the total number of Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region (KR), Dohuk governorate, is 60,151. The Domiz camp in the KR is hosting an estimated 35,000 people. There are an additional 95 registered Syrian refugees in other governorates.
The Al-Qa'im border crossing remains closed with exceptions being made related to medical emergencies and family reunification, for which there were five and seven cases respectively during the reporting period. While mild weather was reported through the New Year, nightly temperatures are reaching the freezing mark, further exacerbating the precarious conditions the refugee community is facing. Advocacy efforts continue with the Ministry of Migration and Displacement (MOMD) to facilitate the re-opening of the Al Qa’im border crossing.
Similarly, in the KR and particularly in border areas with Syria, extreme climatic conditions with heavy rain and low temperatures are impacting the number of refugees arriving into the KR. In the last two weeks the number of arrivals decreased significantly to approximately 155 per day with the previous average in December 400-500 daily arrivals. There may be a co-relation between the worsening winter conditions and the decrease in new arrivals. A total of 2,164 new arrivals in the KR were recorded during the reported period.