Fires erupt at Greece’s largest refugee camp

Firefighters on Wednesday fought to contain multiple fires at Greece’s largest migrant camp located on the island of Lesbos.

Some of the firefighters said they “met resistance” from the camp’s residents as they worked to suppress the blazes.

Greek authorities said the cause of the fires remain unknown. Local media reports suggested the fires may have been started deliberately to protest lockdown measures imposed on the camp earlier this week.

A Somali refugee residing in Moria tested positive for the novel coronavirus earlier this week, triggering a host of lockdown measures in a bid to contain the outbreak.

At least 35 people have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday.

Read more: Europe’s largest refugee camp braces for COVID-19 outbreak

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  Moria refugee camp: A new kind of hell awaits

  A view from above

  Moria refugee camp has a capacity of 3,000. Currently, some 14,500 refugees are squeezed into the infamous refugee camp, Greece’s largest reception and identification center.

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  Moria refugee camp: A new kind of hell awaits

  Deep wounds

  A large majority of those who live in Moria have been deemed as vulnerable and are in need of immediate medical assistance. This girl from Gaza, who lives with her family in a tent in the olive grove outside Moria, was severely injured when an Israeli rocket hit her home.

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  Moria refugee camp: A new kind of hell awaits

  A false dawn?

  In August more than 2,800 people arrived in dinghies on the island of Lesbos. A boat carrying 40 people was brought into the port of Skala Sikamineas after it was intercepted by Frontex, the EU’s border agency. Eight women and 18 children, including five unaccompanied minors, were on board along with 14 men, all from Afghanistan.

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  Moria refugee camp: A new kind of hell awaits

  The wait begins

  After the women and children have been transferred to a transit camp, 18 men wait to be taken away to the same camp by the authorities. Volunteers with the NGO Lighthouse relief assist the authorities in providing food and water to those who have recently arrived.

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  Moria refugee camp: A new kind of hell awaits

  Keeping the tradition alive

  An Afghan woman makes bread in a makeshift underground oven which she then sells for €1 ($1.10) to other refugees. Due to deteriorating conditions and food provisions that are below standard quality many refugees who remain for long in the camp of Moria have found new ways to pass the day and remember home.

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  Moria refugee camp: A new kind of hell awaits

  A soothing hand

  Countless refugees need urgent medical attention. Doctors without Borders operate an emergency clinic opposite Moria for the most urgent cases, as the main camp currently only has one doctor and the hospital of Mytilene is overwhelmed and in some cases unwilling to treat refugees.

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  Moria refugee camp: A new kind of hell awaits

  Discarded dreams

  A “graveyard” of life jackets and boats on the island’s north is a stark reminder of the last huge influx of refugees in 2015/16. Lesbos has been at the center of the refugee crisis for years as thousands of people have landed on its shores. Currently there are more than 11,000 refugees spread across the islands. That number is expected to rise sharply by the end of the year.

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  Moria refugee camp: A new kind of hell awaits

  Monotonous routine

  Waiting in line has become the main daily activity for those stuck in Moria limbo — even for children. Some wait for hours in order to receive food and water.

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  Moria refugee camp: A new kind of hell awaits

  From the frying pan into the fire

  A group of refugees prepares to board a ship which will take them to mainland Greece. After the sudden arrival of 600 people in one night, the Greek government decided to transfer 1,400 people to the mainland. Most were taken to the camp of Nea Kavala in a remote village in northern Greece.

  Author: Dimitris Tosidis (Moira refugee camp)

‘Severely overcrowded camps’

Moria is home to more than 12,000 asylum seekers, many of whom arrived in 2015 and 2016 after fleeing their homes in Iraq and Syria.

Human rights organizations have urged Athens to transfer migrants from overcrowded centers on Greek islands to mainland centers, which are considered far less crowded.

Eva Cosse, Greece researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the conditions on the islands make it impossible to adhere to the appropriate public health guidelines designed to curb the outbreak.

“Restricting thousands of women, men and children in severely overcrowded camps, where living conditions are unacceptable, makes it impossible to isolate people exposed to COVID-19 or to comply with minimum preventive and protective measures,” Cosse said.

German MEP Erik Marquardt, of the Greens, said Europe has failed politically for not better tackling overcrowded camps such as Moria.

“There were always fires, but this is different,” he said in a tweet. “Moria is burning.”

Read more: Germany sees political controversy over rescuing refugees from Greece

ls/msh (Reuters, AFP)

Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/fires-erupt-at-greece-s-largest-refugee-camp/a-54861061?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf