The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) registered the arrival of 3,479 migrants on the Italian coasts during the month of January. That's a 13 percent increase compared to the previous month, they say.
According to data from the UNHCR, Libya was the principal country of departure for arrivals to Italy in January. At least 99 percent of those arriving had departed from Libya, stated the agency. The remaining one percent departed from Algeria, stated UNHCR.
At least 3,479 people arrived over the course of January. That is a 13 percent increase compared to December, when the number of registered arrivals totaled 3,080. It is also a 54 percent increase compared to arrival numbers for January 2024.
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Over one third of migrants arriving in Italy come from Bangladesh
Approximately 83 percent of the people who arrived in January disembarked on Lampedusa. Other ports of arrival include: Ancona, Taranto, Catania, Pozzallo, Reggio di Calabria, Genoa, Olbia, Porto Empedocle, Porto Pino, Teulada, and Brindisi.
In terms of the nationality of the migrants arriving, UNHCR specifies that 35 percent were from Bangladesh, 22 percent from Pakistan, 13 percent from Syria, 8 percent from Egypt, 5 percent from Ethiopia, 4 percent from Eritrea, 2 percent from Algeria, 2 percent from Morocco, 2 percent from Somalia, and 1 percent from Sudan.
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Dead and missing
UNHCR staff also collected testimonies about some of the shipwrecks that took place in January:
"Based on witness accounts collected by our staff in one of the shipwrecks that took place in January at least two newborns were dead and one went missing," UNHCR noted, referring to a ship they believe left Sabratha in Libya with approximately 20 people on board, mainly from Nigeria.
According to testimony, the ship capsized due to high waves, after one day and two nights of navigation. UNHCR data shows that since the beginning of the year, and up until February 5, eight people have died on the central Mediterranean route towards Italy.
UNHCR staff support the Italian authorities, as well as national and European agencies during the disembarkation process. One of the roles of the UNHCR on disembarkation, the agency stated, is to provide information to those newly arrived, and to quickly identify and care for minors and the most vulnerable people that may be on board a ship.