As many as a million people are expected to flee the Iraqi region of Mosul in the next few months as Iraqi troops prepare to wrestle the territory away from Islamic State. Thousands have already fled and are seeking refuge in Kurdish held areas, further exacerbating the refugee crisis in the Middle East and beyond. 2015 was characterised by the flow of Syrian migrants northwards into Europe, as European leaders sought to exploit the Syrian situation to argue for free passage for all migrants, regardless of provinence. But the new cause this year could be Iraqi refugees, as moves by the Iraqi authorities to reclaim territory gained by Islamic State is causing potentially millions to flee northwards from Mosul, the largest city within Islamic State, and its surrounding areas. Nearly 2,000 people have already left the area around Mosul, where Iraqi soldiers have so far captured a handful of villages. When Mosul itself is targeted, the trickle of people is expected to turn into a flood. “As we look at the likely scenario facing us in the coming months, we know we don’t have the capacity or the funding to deal with this. We are deeply worried,” Lise Grande, the