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Refugees finally moved after fire - 28th September 2020

After a week of sleeping rough, migrants and refugees on Lesbos, Greece, are finally being taken to a new camp after the destruction of Moria camp by fire last week.

Seventy female police officers have been flown in to coordinate the relocation of thousands of women and children. As refugees arrive at camp Kara Tepe, near the Lesbos capital, Mytilene, they will be tested for coronavirus. Authorities intend to keep those testing positive isolated from other refugees.

The previous camp was totally destroyed after three fires, fanned by strong winds, swept through the site. Many people then attempted to seek refuge in a nearby town only to find the roads had been blocked by police. Displaced men, women and children have been sleeping on roads and in fields and car parks for over a week, surviving with few supplies.

With conditions in Moria camp unsanitary and overcrowded, many migrants are keen to escape Lesbos. At the time of the blaze, over twelve thousand people were being held at Moria although it had originally been intended to accommodate just three thousand.

Despite a decline in refugee arrivals in Europe since its peak in 2015, camps in both Greece and Italy operate well over capacity and with poor living conditions. Both countries feel that wealthy northern European countries are not shouldering a fair share of the load. These refugees have fled their war-torn homelands for a new life in Europe, yet only Germany has agreed to help out so far. Provided they have refugee status, the German government will take in over 1,500 migrants from 408 families along with over a 100 unaccompanied minors.

However, the rest of Europe is unwilling to take such large numbers of people. Many European Union members have firmly rejected proposals to each accept a set quota of migrants. This issue will be discussed by the EU commission later this month.