SITUATION REPORT V2. Location: Edirne, Pazarkule Border, Turkey Report date 5th March 2020 STL Contact details Volkan Pirinççi, Operations Coordinator, [email protected] Pınar Emine Gökgün, Program Development and Quality Co- ordinator, [email protected] Mahmut Can İsal, Legal Sector Manager, [email protected] Photo Credit: Kerem Uzel, Edirne, 2020 1. Overview 34 Turkish soldiers were killed and more than 30 were wounded in Syria's Idlib prov- ince on Thursday night in an aerial attack by Russian-backed Syrian regime forces. The same night, a security summit chaired by the Turkish president held in the presidential complex in An- kara and Turkey's communica- tions director said “The migrants were now also Europe and the world's problem”. He said “Tur- key had "no choice" but to relax border controls because it had not received enough support in hosting about 3.7 million Syrian refugees.” Turkish police, coastguard and border guards were ordered to stand down. Thousands of refugees in Turkey began arriving at the country’s borders with Greece and Bulgaria on Friday after Ankara suddenly indicated it would no longer block their passage to Europe. According to Turkish Interior Minister, latest number of people crossed border is 135.844. According to local media reports and field observations, refugees continue to come to Edirne province to cross the border, as of March 4. Estimated number of the refugees at the border crossing area is above 15,000. Majority of the refu- gees are Afghans, Iranians and Pakistanis followed by Syrians. Refugees from African countries have also been observed. 2. STL team in the Area A rapid assessment team of STL has moved to Edirne on Sunday, March 1st. STL team has observed Pazarkule border crossing area, spoke to humanitarian actors and interviewed refugees in the area. In 1 the following days, the STL team also visited several border villages by Meriç River including Doyran, Üyüklütatar, Elçili, Sığırcılı and Saçlımüsellin. As of 2nd of March, STL teams have started to facilitate the distribution of relief items and supported the installation of portable toilets and water supply system in the area. 3. Humanitarian Needs and Gaps by Sector 3.1. Shelter Due to expected rain and cold weather, people began building makeshift shelters by using plastic sheets, branches obtained from nearby trees or watering pipes collected from agricultural fields nearby. Some people sell plastic sheets outside of the border gate area. More camping tents have been ob- served. It is still unknown how long people are going stay. Thousands of people stay the night under the open sky, if not sleeping in makeshift shelters. 3.2. NFIs More blanket distributions have been observed in the area. Humanitarian actors reported that number of the blankets distributed would be sufficient for the time being. People reported that they need clean underwear and socks. Occasionally, female hygiene products, baby diapers and blankets are distributed at the distribution point. 3.3. Food Security NGOs and Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) distribute food all day long from 10 AM to 6.00PM Ready-to-eat baby food is also reported as one of the important needs on the ground. Some locals sell bread and bagels to refugees, charging at least double normal the price. Government officials are trying to take precautions against this type of commercial activity. 3.4. Health Some injured people with bandages has been observed in the area. They have reported that they were hit by the gas capsules fired by Greek forces during pushback. People reported that one person has a serious injury and taken to hospital in Edirne center. Ambulances and UMKE provide emergency service, one mobile clinic has been observed while being set up. Due to rain, cold weather and poor hygiene conditions, there is high risk of infectious diseases. 3.5. WASH 50 portable toilets and 25 hand washing units have been set up during Tuesday and Wednesday. The municipality also set up more water taps close to toilets. Hygiene products such as diapers, feminine products and wet wipes are also being provided for people. Separate toilets are available for men and women. There are no child-size toilets available in the area. Lighting has been provided in the toilet area for the night. 2 People are not able to take shower, since there are no shower facilities. There is risk of spread of lice. 3.6. Protection Although majority of the persons waiting at the border area are adult males, approximately 50% of the total population is estimated to be adult females and children. Observations suggest that around 50% of children are toddlers and infants. There are pregnant and lactating women observed in the area. Their access to food and other basic assistance is more difficult because they cannot wait long queues that quickly form during distribution. People have risk of losing their lives by drowning, cold weather or getting shot by tear gas or other means of ammunition during pushback. If people manage to cross the border, they have risk of losing their refugee IDs along with their rights in Turkey, in case they are sent back to Turkey. People also have risk of administrative detention, jail time in Greece and deportation to their country of origin. Tensions escalating between different migrant groups from different countries of origin was also reported by the people interviewed. Different migrant groups blame each other for any unrest amongst the soci- ety. People have been subject to pushback. Refugees who are able to reach the Greek border crossing through gates are faced with forceful response of the border police. Police intervention is in the form of tear gas, smoke bombs, stun grenades, water cannons and also rubber bullets. As reported by benefi- ciaries, refugees who crossed the border and reached Greek soils are beaten by Greek Police and they are subject to pushback to Turkey after being stripped naked and their personal belongings are confis- cated. Those who are not persecuted by police are sentenced to jail time because of illegal entry. Refugees are still struggling in the hands of smugglers and profiteers. It is stated in the field that smug- glers are getting around 200 USD from refugees and profiteers are in the field with exceptionally high prices for basic needs like bread and water. As of 5 March, weather conditions worsened and is expected to continue, putting persons at further risk, especially babies and children. People do not have any clear information on what is going to happen or how long they are going to stay in the border area. They have expectations that Greece will open the borders, which is why they keep waiting at the border. However, since the Greek Government officially declared that there will not be any asylum applications for at least 1 month, the borders are highly unlikely to be opened. The risks of staying at the border, as well as the information that Greece will not take asylum applications must be continually to the population at the border. 4. Coordination A coordination group was established with the leadership of Directorate General of Migration Manage- ment (DGMM), PDMM Manager is in charge of coordination. 5. Safety and Security There are many check points of police and military police. Vehicles are stopped in each check point and given access to area for humanitarian organization. Access need to be followed closely. 3 Observations indicate that there are occasional rumors that Greece opened the border and people im- mediately rush to border gate. The stampede that follows leads to high risks of injury for refugees and responders. There is also risk of exposure to tear gas. One of the major risks for responders is poor hygiene conditions. Lack of masks observed in the area. Some small theft cases during the night have been reported by refugees. Every now and then unrest occurs in the area when people are tired of waiting in long lines for nutrition and other distribution. 6. Photographs from the Area 4 5 .