On the island of Lesvos, at a army coaching floor the place the maneuvers used to happen, the Greek authorities, along with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is urgently constructing new momentary housing for refugees from the burned-out Moriah camp. It was dwelling to about 12,600 folks. After the hearth, which on the evening of September 9, nearly fully destroyed the biggest refugee camp within the EU, hundreds of individuals have been left homeless and compelled to spend the evening on the perimeters of roads or within the fields close to the previous camp.
For a number of days, close to the village of Panagiuda, situated in a picturesque bay on the coast, tents have been arrange, the place 300 folks have already settled. “I really feel safer right here,” admits the Syrian, who was one of many first to voluntarily settle within the new camp. In truth, because the Greek authorities promise, there must be sufficient house for everybody who was left homeless after the hearth. But not everybody needs to proceed to remain in Lesvos whereas ready for his or her probability to be in one of many international locations of Western Europe.
Many Moriah refugees don’t wish to keep in Lesvos
“I don’t want to go to any other camp! I want to finally leave Lesbos!” Says a younger Afghan named Reza in English. After the hearth, Reza, like many different refugees who misplaced their properties, went on foot to Mytilene, the biggest metropolis on the island. From there, he intends to get to Germany or one other affluent nation in Western Europe by any means.
At the location of the burned down Moriah refugee camp on Lesvos
“I haven’t eaten anything in two days,” he says, laughing nervously. The hope of getting out of Lesbos is stronger than starvation and worry of the longer term. Other refugees, like Reza, rejected the provide of the Greek authorities to maneuver to a brand new camp and constructed momentary shelters fabricated from cardboard, tree branches and different materials alongside the street main from Panagiuda to Mytilene. Here, in distinction to the brand new camp being constructed, full chaos reigns.
How volunteers assist in Lesvos
The Greek army, in an emergency declared on the island after the hearth, let in representatives of assorted non-governmental organizations, disliked by the authorities, who distribute water and meals to the refugees. Sometimes it ends with dramatic scenes. In small buses, volunteers ship water. People who spend hours within the warmth rush to a stopped bus, there’s a crush. Volunteers are attempting to name refugees to order, throwing bottles of water into the gang. People are preventing, one girl falls unconscious to the bottom. The man breaks his arm.
In conditions like this, volunteers typically do not know methods to behave. They have neither the required means nor the suitable information. But they be taught on the go. The subsequent day, they already grow to be a human chain when distributing meals and water to refugees, with the intention to stop chaos and crush. The subsequent day, they pack bread and greens, in addition to bottles of water, in baggage and distribute them to the refugees in an organized method.
Nobody pays volunteers for this work. But it’s they who assist to appropriate the errors made by the EU in its migration coverage, and in a state of affairs of chaos, they assist Greek officers to deal with refugees extra humanely. These are motivated younger individuals who voluntarily got here right here from totally different international locations. They pay for their very own journey and keep in Lesvos.
“The first days after the fire were very tough. The refugees were everywhere. They blocked the streets. It was very difficult to get anywhere,” says Henk Dinkelman, a volunteer with Euro Relief, which was already answerable for putting refugees in Moriah. and after the hearth offered them with all the things they wanted.
“In Moriah, we had everything to supply people with food. But in the new conditions we need time to rebuild everything,” the volunteer provides. “While we use vehicles to ship meals. But, after all, sure infrastructure is required to arrange all the things “.
New refugee camp underneath development in Lesvos
Five days after the hearth, Greek authorities arrange the primary tents within the momentary camp, geared up sleeping locations and organized meals supply for refugees from the burned-out Moriah. But the sanitary circumstances are nonetheless poor.
New momentary refugee camp for burned-out Moriah
Since Sunday, September 13, journalists have restricted entry to locations the place refugees are in giant numbers. These streets are closed. There is nearly no approach to get there. One route was opened for the press to point out the progress of the development of the camp and to stop the media from speaking with the refugees within the open air. Then the Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarakis, made an official assertion.
“In the early days, our precedence was to make sure the protection of the refugees themselves and the native inhabitants. After we managed to arrange an uninterrupted provide of meals and water, in addition to the availability of medical care, we created a number of thousand sleeping locations in a brand new momentary camp,” the minister mentioned.
After this assertion, one would possibly get the impression {that a} miracle has occurred and the state of affairs is underneath management. But journalists who have been capable of enter the closed space report that just about nothing has modified. Refugees at times present indignation, generally they intentionally provoke officers, as a result of scenes of violence throughout clashes with the police draw essentially the most public consideration to their state of affairs.
What the EU fears
After the Moriah fireplace, Brussels and Athens introduced the development of a brand new camp on the Greek island of Lesvos. Nobody needs that in Lesvos itself. But Western European governments do not appear to care a lot. Few expressed a need to host refugees. Now everybody within the European Union is anxious that what occurred in Lesvos might repeat itself on different Greek islands – fires will get away in different camps in order that refugees can ultimately transfer to these EU international locations the place they see a perspective for themselves.
But with the intention to stop this and discover the optimum resolution to the issue, all deadlines have already handed. Words alone will not assist now. And the geographical location of Greece is not going to enable ignoring the issue. Only one factor is evident: refugees will once more rush to the international locations of Western Europe. And one new camp is unlikely to assist hold everybody who needs to get there.
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