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Executive Summary for March 6th

We review the latest issues related to refugees, including a record number of migrant boats to Italy, reports that Merkel planned to close Germany’s borders in 2015 and growing displacement from west Mosul.

Published on March 6, 2017 Read time Approx. 2 minutes

Nearly 1,300 Rescued at Sea Amid Record Number of Refugee Boats

Rescuers saved around 1,300 people in the Mediterranean Sea this weekend and brought them to Italy, Reuters reported.

Among them were more than 500 people rescued by the Norwegian ship Siem Pilot, the Associated Press reported. The survivors included 116 children, including babies, Norwegian police said. Many of them had gunshot wounds, burn injuries or head wounds, and one 16-year-old boy died on board the rescue vessel.

Italy’s interior ministry said the number of migrants taking boats to Europe who are brought to Italy has hit a three-year high this year, compared to the same period in previous years. The number of migrant boat arrivals has increased by more than 57 percent compared to the same period last year.

Nearly half a million refugees and migrants fleeing to Europe by boat have arrived in Italy since 2014.

Report: Plan to Close German Border in 2015 Revoked at Last Minute

German chancellor Angela Merkel planned to close her country’s border with Austria in September 2015, but revoked the order at the last minute due to concerns over legality, according to a German newspaper.

Merkel had opened the German border on September 4 as thousands tried to cross the Balkans to reach northern Europe and amid a wave of public sympathy after the drowning of toddler Aylan Kurdi.

Citing unnamed high-ranking officials, Welt am Sonntag reported that Merkel and senior German ministers agreed to shut the border on September 13 and turn away all migrants, including asylum seekers, who did not have documents to enter Germany.

The newspaper says that German interior officials questioned the legality of the move, and Merkel sought assurances from the interior minister that the plan would not face a legal challenge. She was also concerned about bad press that would come from images of German border guards turning back refugees.

The plan was revoked hours before it was due to take effect when Merkel did not get guarantees of its legality.

Germany’s interior ministry told the Associated Press it could “neither confirm nor deny” the Welt am Sonntag report.

Displacement Increases Amid Battle for West Mosul

Around 4,000 people are fleeing Mosul every day as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces battled to recapture the west of the city from so-called Islamic State militants.

“We have noted a significant increase in displacement in [the] last week,” UNHCR spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh told reporters.

UNHCR says more than 50,000 people have been displaced since Iraq launched the west Mosul offensive on February 19.

Iraqi forces recaptured the east of the city in January and are now trying to regain control over the rest of Mosul, which was Iraq’s second-largest city.

Since the battle for Mosul began in October, around 200,000 people have been displaced, including more than 100,000 children, among them 874 unaccompanied minors, according to UNICEF.

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