Jordan2  Series Peoples and Nations

THE WORLD:

Geography, History and Something More

Jordan: a Kingdom specially made (by the United Kingdom)

Part 2

Chapter 2

Danilo Anton

Historically the territory of what is now Jordan is closely linked to countries that are located to the West of the Jordan river, Palestine and Israel.   Its area is 89,000 km2 with a population of 10,000,000 inhabitants, including 2.1 million Palestinians and 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

More than 4 million people live in Amman, the capital.

                                                                            View of Amman

Traditionally it was said that "Jordan was Palestine desert" but when the history of the region is analyzed recognizes that it is more than that. For thousands of years the lands east of the Jordan River, formed by fertile valleys and oases interspersed in a vast desert have been home to many peoples, kingdoms and cultures, from the distant times of the Moabites, Ammonites and Edomites to Jordan overpopulated and current tourism.

However,  it should be remembered that  the creation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was a geopolitical maneuver of the European powers, especially Britain and France, to maintain economic and strategic control of the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean. The fall of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, allowed the Great Arab Revolt which wanted to unite the countries of Arab culture taking advantage of the feeling of pan-Arabism that reigned in all the Arab countries that once was dominated by the Ottomans.

                                                         Hussein, King of Hejaz

Britain and France would not allow a strong and difficult to master Arab state, so they sought to maintain politically fragmented the region transforming the old Ottoman provinces in "Protectorates"

Thus, through mandates of the League of Nations, Britain received the protectorates of Palestine, Iraq and Transjordan.

In the case of Transjordan the British were to find a monarch who could handle and had some kind of legitimacy. We should remember that in Muslim culture, lineages are fundamental, the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, the descendants from Abraham, those belonging to the oldest and tribes and clans provide the political and religious legitimacy that is used by the economic and social elites to control the countries. .

For that the Britain found an ideal character in Hussein bin Ali, who they  had supported when he got his title of Sharif of Mecca, then under Turkish rule, and who, in 1916, when the rebellion spread, proclaimed himself king of Hejaz with British imperial complacency.

In its strategy of regional domination, Britain imposed the second son of King Hussein of Hejaz, Hussein bin Abdulla, who was appointed as Emir of the British Protectorate of Transjordan. Abdulla, who was born in Mecca and had never lived in the territory of Transjordan, had antededentes as a combatant in the Arab Revolt against the Ottomans (fighting alongside Lawrence of Arabia) something the British were well aware. To Muslim eyes, he had the legitimacy of being « sharif »  (descendant of Muhammad) and belonged to the tribe of the Hashemites with Abrahamic traditions.

During his reign, first under British orders, and then as their unofficial trustee when the country was granted independence, Abdulla acted on the facts as defender of the interests of the UK.

In 1946 Transjordan declared its independence and Abdulla became monarch of the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan.

Two years later (1948) took place the war in Palestine which ended with the creation of the State of Israel. Abdullah took advantage of the confusion to occupy the West Bank which became part of the Jordan, which changed its name to "Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan ".

The formal annexation of the West Bank took place in 1950 with the general condemnation of international public opinion and from most of the governments in the Arab world.

                                                      Death of King Abdulla

In 1951 the King Abdulla was killed and briefly succeeded by his son Talal I bin Abdullah. He was forced to abdicate for health reasons (apparently for psychiatric problems) taking his lace Abdulla’s young grandson: Hussein bin al-Talat (who was very young with 17 years of age).. Hussein continued his grandfather pro-Western policies, and maintaining a relatively friendly relationship with Israel.

In 1967, in the Six-Day War, unexpectedly Israel attacked Egypt, and at same time invaded Syria and Jordan, taking control of the Sinai Peninsula (which later would be reintegrated to Egypt), occupying Gaza, the Golan Heights in Syria and the West Bank. The Golan Heights and the entire West Bank remain under Israeli control while Gaza is completely surrounded and blocked by Israel.

After the war, Jordan returned to the old borders of Transjordan. His policy remained largely unchanged, continued to be an ally of Western powers.

When the king died Hussein of Jordan was succeeded by his son Abdulla, whose full name would be "Abdulla bin al-Hussein, bin al-Talat al-Abdullah bin. bin al-Hussein "summarizing the monarchical genealogy of the Hashemite Kingdom.

Policies Jordanian monarchs today as yesterday remain pro-Western, maintaining good relations with Israel.

Of course presently the situation in Jordan today is far from idyllic. with 10 million inhabitants in a largely desertic country, with 2,100,000 Palestinian refugees (of whom 400,000 live in refugee camps), 1.5 million Syrian refugees, and tens of thousands of Iraqis and Lebanese refugees.

 Jordan is having enormous difficulties to sustain a large population in a country with limited resources.

It should be clarified that the majority of the Jordanian population is in fact Palestinian of origin but many Palestinians in Jordan prefer not to be identified as such for obvious reasons.

                                             Palestinian refugees in 1948

For now an unstable equilibrium is maintained, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has been saved from the wars that have plagued its neighbors and has sought to take advantage of some unmentionable alliances, but if something teaches Middle East history is, that sooner or later, waters return to their course. Greater Syria, which involves the bloodied Syria proper, Lebanon, Palestine (in spite of Israel) and, of course Jordan will be what the fighters of pan-Arabism sought in the great revolution of the early twentieth century, a country of tolerance and respect for diversity that unfortunately have been lost in the explosions, deaths and ruins caused by war.

'Worse than an oven': Saudi-funded camp won't be liveable soon

Yemenis fear they could suffocate due to intermittent electricity and soaring temperatures in new housing units.

Markazi refugee camp, Djibouti – He survived Saudi-led air raids, Houthi snipers and a perilous boat journey from Yemen to Djibouti. But for Ahmad Muhammed Ali, the next few months could be the toughest of his life.

For three years, he says he merely "existed" at one of the UN-funded tents in the Markazi refugee camp.

Surviving on meagre portions of food and routinely being stung by scorpions and bitten by snakes; he prayed for his family's circumstances to change.

The eldest of four children, Ali said it was his "duty" to look after his siblings and mother after their father passed away.

So, in November, when Saudi Arabia inaugurated 300 shipping-container style housing units, he thought his prayers had finally been answered.

A Ywmwni’s harrowing journey through the “ate of Tears”

In a ceremony marked with pomp and celebration, the Saudi and Djiboutian governments unveiled the units to accommodate around 1,200 Yemeni refugees

 at Markazi, along with a mosque, a school, and two medical centres.

Costing a reported $6.5m, less than the price of five Raytheon Tomahawk cruise missiles, Ali, like many of the camps residents rejoiced, hopeful that the project would generate more funding and development from the oil-rich kingdom.

But only three months in, temperatures inside Ali's unit are already exceeding 35 degrees, raising fears that intermittent supplies of electricity could make the steel units "worse than ovens," and potentially death traps.

"We get about four hours of electricity in the morning, and then another four hours in the evening," the 24-year-old told Al Jazeera, his brow dripping with sweat.

"The authorities switch off the power at around 1pm because of fears the generators might get hot and damaged.

"So we stay in indoors for about an hour after lunch, but once it gets really unbearable, we head outside. It's cooler outside than it is inside". 

Each air-conditioned residential unit includes a toilet, bedroom, living room and kitchen, along with cooking facilities [Faisal Edroos/Al Jazeera]

'I want to be resettled in Mexico or Brazil'

A tiny nation of around 800,000 people, Djibouti became a haven for Yemeni refugees in March 2015 after the country's civil war embroiled the region.

At the time, Saudi Arabia, alarmed that a Shia group with ties to Iran had taken over parts of their southern neighbour, intervened at the request of Yemen's President Abu-Rabby Manour Hadi

Expectations were high that a coalition assembled by Saudi Arabia, with all its military might, would crush the rag-tag alliance of Houthi fighters and army forces loyal to former President  Ali Abdullah Saleh within a matter of weeks.

Hyenas, wolver and disease “welcomñe” Yemenis fleeing war.

But after nearly four years of fighting, and an estimated 60,000 deaths, the coalition has failed to pave the way for the recapture of the capital Sanaa.

Instead, tens of thousands of Yemenis have fled on small rickety boats across the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, known as the Gate of Tears - a name derived from the long history of people perishing when trying to cross it.

At least 37,248 people have arrived in Djibouti, which sits just 32km from Yemen, with around 2,200 Yemenis currently registered at the Markazi camp.

For its part, the Djiboutian government has tried to welcome the Yemenis, introducing new laws making it easier for them to find work.

But with the unemployment rate hovering at around 45 percent, and few Yemenis speaking French, the local lingua franca, most have opted to either head to other countries or return home. 

With wind speeds as high as 60kph, this year's Khamsin dust storm coincides with the start of Ramadan [Faisal Edroos/Al Jazeera]

In an attempt to make the best of their situation, Ali said his mother sold all of her jewellery to start up a small business in their living room.

Sitting on a thin mattress in a bedroom that he shares with his younger brother, he signalled towards his mother Hayfa who was trying to sell cold drinks, cigarettes, and lollypops in their living room as the warm air carrying sand swept in through the door, lashing her face.

"She sacrificed everything to make our lives tolerable," he said, as his eyes drifted to a damaged TV playing a dance scene in Shah Rukh Khan's 2004 blockbuster Bollywood flick, Kal Hoh Naa Ho.

"She sold all her jewellery to start this shop and make it work. But I've had enough. I don't want to live here. "I want to be resettled in Mexico, Brazil or Canada. Somewhere where I'm free to do what I want. Or somewhere where it's cold".'Ramadan will be very bad'

Many of the residents told Al Jazeera they were dreading the summer months which are accompanied by the "khamsin", a ferociously hot sandstorm.

With temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius and wind speeds as high as 60kph, this year's dust storm coincides with the start of Ramadan, the daily fasting period that begins in May.

Refugees such as Ali will be hungry, hot and have little to do.

"When Ramadan comes it will be very bad," said Ali's mother Hayfa, as she served a customer two individual cigarettes.

"We started buying ice from the capital (two half hours away by boat), so God willing, the chocolates and cakes won't melt". The entire project cost a reported $6.5m, less than the price of five Raytheon Tomahawk cruise missiles [Faisal Edroos/Al Jazeera]

"We hope that there will be continuity and the people will stay in the units, and that there will be funding for electricity in the summer," Vanessa Panaligan, the UN's media relations officer in Djibouti told Al Jazeera. "But if the refugees head back to the tents they will have to contend with the Khamsin winds and the camps are not built to withstand that.

"The sand gets everywhere, so they should be better protected with the housing units against the hot winds, the sand and the elements".

Trying to keep a brave face, Hayfa said she hoped sustained media coverage would help shed a light on what was happening at the camp.

"I've spent a fortune starting this business, but for many reasons, I couldn't go forward. I was subject to harassment and people have tried to take advantage of me.

"I wanted to buy a house here, a car, to settle down with my children, But we can't because we're foreigners and refugees.

"Now, our only hope is that the war ends and some of the Arab countries take us in.

"We don't want to go to the West, we want our Arab and Muslim brothers to let us in."

by Faisal Edroos

https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/oven-saudi-funded-camp-won-liveable-190301121224205.html

Inhuman treatment of children by the Australian government

Children on Nauru in desperate need of help

Australian advocates and opposition politicians are campaigning to free 119 children from forced detention on a tiny isolated Pacific Island, only 21 km2 in area, amid warnings that the health of several young refugees is quickly deteriorating.

One 12-year-old boy, detained on Nauru under the Australian government's strict border policies, is seriously ill after refusing to eat for at least two weeks and needs to be transferred to the mainland for treatment, doctors say.

Doctors for Refugees President Barri Phatarfod told CNN the 12-year-old boy was one of several young children on Nauru whose health was progressively deteriorating.

"We can only assume (he has) depression because of his progressive withdrawal from different aspects of life ... We know he refuses to eat and refuses to drink," Phatarfod said.

There are 119 children still living on Nauru after being transferred there under Australia's immigration policy, which bans asylum seekers who arrive by boat from being settled on the mainland.

The Australian government insists the children are no longer in detention, but they and their parents are not allowed to leave. The Australian Border Force was contacted by CNN for comment but did not respond.

More than 30 non-government organizations in Australia came together on Monday to demand the government release the children by Universal Children's Day, November 20.

Roze, 2, is a sociable little girl and likes to play outside, but there is no place for children to play in Nauru, World Vision says.

As part of their campaign, they released images of three children who are living on the tiny island, including two-year-old Roze who has spent her entire life there.

"There are children here suffering. We don't know what our future holds. Our children are like any other little children around the world -- but they are not allowed to be free," their parents said in a statement.

World Vision Chief Executive Claire Rogers told CNN the young people marooned on Nauru had less hope than children she'd seen in refugee camps around the world.

"I never thought I'd have to fight this in my own country, but the things that are going on Nauru have just caught my heart," she said.

George likes to play with his toy car and he loves to write. He was born in Nauru -- the family have been on the island for 5 years.

'Acts of self-harm and depression'

The Australian government started moving hundreds of asylum seekers and refugees, including children, to Nauru after reopening its detention center in 2012. Since then there have been regular reports of physical and psychological damagessuffered by the new arrivals.

A 2016 UN report found many cases of attempted sucide, self immolations, acts of self-harm and depression among children detained on Nauru.

According to Phatarfod, the only way for someone to be transferred from Nauru to Australia for medical treatment is to be at risk of imminent death.

She told CNN a number of children on Nauru were regressing developmentally, showing less ability at their current age than a few years ago.

"There are at least 10 children on Nauru that have been referred to us who display this, and at least seven who are actively suicidal," Phatarfod said, adding that if they'd been in Australia these children would have received "urgent" medical attention.

A second detention center for male asylum seekers on Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, was closed by order of a local court at the end of 2017. The majority of the detainees were moved to a new center and have not been allowed to leave Papua New Guinea.

The Australian government maintains that its tough border protection policies are necessary to avoid deaths at sea at the hands of people smugglers. Under the policy, people who arrive in Australian waters by boat are sent to offshore processing centers, and told they'll never be settled on the mainland.

'Stop playing politics'

"(This) is a test of the courage of our political leaders to resolve this situation. If they fail this test, we will not drop the baton in championing these children to be put in a situation where they can grow up as normal, healthy children," Rogers said.

Some members of the Australian Parliament have attempted to speak out to gain help for the detainees trapped on Nauru, including the opposition Labor Party Immigration Spokesman Shayne Neumann.

Neumann wrote to Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on August 20, calling on the minister to accept an offer by New Zealand to resettle some of the refugees as quickly as possible

Speaking in the House of Representatives on August 13, Independent politician Andrew Wilkie called on the government to "stop playing politics with people's lives," listing a dozen cases of detainees in severe need of medical treatment.

"A 12-year-old boy who has overdosed twice in the past fortnight, an 11-year-old girl who is suicidal, an eight-year-old boy with autism in need of substantial support, a 27-year-old woman (who) was sexually assaulted on Nauru and is so afraid to leave her accommodation she has felt forced to urinate in a bucket," he said in a speech.

So far there has been no indication the Australian Government will listen to the latest plea for the refugees, but Rogers said they will keep trying no matter what.

"No one's saying this isn't a complex problem, but locking up children is not the solution," she said.

By Ben Westcott and Jo Shelley, CNN

How to totally destroy a country

D.Anton

Syria's population was 21 million before the war in an area of 185,000 km2 of which less than half are arable. Because of the war the population declined to 17 million. As a result of the war, economic losses are greater than 200,000 billion since the beginning of the conflict. Unemployment rose from 14.9 to 57.7%. 12 million people lost their main source of income, 80% of the inhabitants live in poverty.

There are almost 7,000,000 refugees in Syrian territory and 3,300,000 in neighboring countries plus 1,550,000 emigrants. 

A total of almost 12,000,000 people have lost or are out of their homes.

To that it should be added that 200,000 people were killed and nearly 1 million wounded.

And the war continues ...

                

Geography, History and other issues

                                            Lebanon

Danilo Antón

Geography

Lebanon is a small country with coast on the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its area is 10,452 km2 and the population approximately 4,500,000 inhabitants. The Lebanese geographical environment is heterogeneous. It consists of a coastal plain on the Mediterranean Sea that has more than 3 kilometers wide and is very densely populated.  Abruptly the relief climbs to a humid mountain range parallel to the coast  averaging 2,000 meters high with forests of cedars and pines called Mount Lebanon. The highest peak is Qumat as Sawda at 3.088 meters.

East of Mount Lebanon is the Beqaa, an elongated valley 120 kilometers long and about 18 wide average which is the main agricultural region. Finally, in the easternmost region there is another more arid mountain range called Anti-Lebanon, which marks the border with Syria. This chain peaks exceed 2,500 meters, the highest is Mount Hermon at 2,814 meters and Ta'la't Musa at 2.669 meters.

Despite its smallness, historical and geopolitical importance of the country far exceeds its size and population. First, it is worth remembering that the Lebanese diaspora in the world is much larger than the country's own population. It is estimated that there are more than 14 million Lebanese descendants distributed worldwide. Only in Brazil there are estimated 6 million Lebanese, there are more than 1 million in Argentina, 500,000 in the United States, 200,000 in Canada and over 50,000 in Uruguay. Figure 1 Beirut
                               

                                         

History

The Lebanese territory was populated by Semitic peoples 3,500 years ago who came from the South and founded cities on the coast: Byblos, Sidon, Tyre (now Beirut). They were commercial societies who were called Phoenicians by the Greeks.

It was in Byblos, around 2000 BC, that the first alphabet, composed exclusively of consonants, was created. From the shores of Phoenicia came out commercial expeditions and several cities were founded along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea :  Carthage, Genoa, Venice, Marseille, Cadiz, Cagliari, Palermo, Malaga. Huelva, Tarragona and Tangier among others.

Phoenicia fell under Assyrian domination (IX-VII centuries BC).  It was conquered by the Babylonian Kingdom (VII-VI centuries), by Persia (VI-IV centuries B.C.), by Macedonian ( IV centuries BC) and in 54 B.C. It became part of the Roman province of Syria. The Arab period began in 636 A.D. until 1516 when the Lebanese territory (Phoenicia) was dominated by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans granted Lebanon a semi-autonomy under the rule of the Maans, a feudal family Druze and Shibabs, a Sunni family that had converted to Christianity.

After World War Lebanon and Syria became part of a mandate from the League of Nations under French colonial control until 1943 when unilaterally declared its independence. Figure 2 Mount Lebanon

                                                                                                                  

From the religious point of view the country is divided into numerous religions and churches. The percentages have varied due to emigration and presence of refugees, but in recent years Muslims have constituted almost 60% of the population, of which which 27% are Shi'a and Sunni the rest. There are also Alawite and Ismaili minorities. Christians belonging to the Maronite Catholic church represent 30% of the population. This church, which was founded by St. Maron in the late fourth century, is an Eastern Rite church that is in full communion with the Apostolic See of Rome, without giving up their own structures.

In addition to Muslims and Christians there are 5% Druzes (a monotheistic religion that does not practice neither the five pillars of Islam nor the Christian Eucharist).

These various religions confrontation each other for a long time. In order to solve that problem in 1943, when independence was declared, an unwritten agreement was established to distribute the power between the different ethnic and religious communities. It was agreed that the president would be a Maronite, the Spokesperson of Parliament, a Shiite, the Prime Minister a Sunni and the Deputy Minister a representative of the Greek Orthodox faith.

After the war the region Lebanon became very unstable due to the decolonization processes that resulted in the separation of Syria and Lebanon which became independent countries, and the withdrawal of the British from Palestine. The latter coincided with the creation of the state of Israel due to Jewish settlements that were gradually established on Palestinian land. Conflicts between Arabs and Jews in Israel were reflected in Lebanon who was forced to receive a very large contingent of Palestinians. Moreover, the successive wars between Israel and Arab countries, indirectly involving the various Lebanese groups, alternately supported or fought against Israel.

From 1976 to 2005, Lebanon was occupied by the Syrian army, who only retired following an impressive demonstration of 1 million people who demanded the withdrawal of these troops. The withdrawal became effective on March 14, 2005.  Figure 3 Beqaa Valley

                                                                                                                         

In Lebanon there are various political movements that generally have religious connotations.

The Amal Movement (abbreviation for Afwaj al-Mouqawma Al-Lubnaniyya) or Movement of Hope, is a Shiite political party founded in the early 1970s, from the Movement of the Disinherited, vindicating the rights of all religious groups to be respected in their rights and, in particular, denouncing the poverty in which the Shiite communities were living.

Hezbollah (Party of Allah) is a Lebanese Shiite militant Islamic group with its paramilitary wing, the Jihad Council. It emerged from the Amal Movement, but with an Islamic fundamentalist approach. It has had political support from Iran and Syria. It has developed an important military force, which is said to be more powerful than the Lebanese army itself. It has been described as a state within the state. It has parliamentary seats, a radio station and television, social services and even deployment beyond the country's borders. In the 2006 war Israel fought Hezbollah.

The Lebanese Phalangist or Kataeb party is the main movement of Christian denomination in the country. As Hezbollah has its own militia and has been involved in most of the internal conflicts since 1936.

Sunnis are generally integrated into the traditional institutional life. An example of this is the Jamaa Islamiya movement which left aside the claims of building an Islamic state in the country and participates in parliamentary activity. Another group with similar trends is Jam'iyat al-Mashari 'al-Khayriya, also known as Al Ahbash.

Other Sunni organizations seeking to create an Islamic state but without the use of violence, are Tabligh wa Dawa, also known as Tablighi Jamaat.

All Shiite, Christians and Sunni organizations that do not advocate violence are now faced with the radical group Al Qaeda and ISIS and many of them have suffered several attacks that have costed the lives of several leaders of these groups.

refugees

Some 450,000 Palestinian refugees are registered in the United Nations World Refugee Agency (UNRWA) in Lebanon of which 53% live in 12 refugee camps. Because they are not citizens of another state they do not have the same rights as foreigners living and working in Lebanon.  Palestinian refugees in the Lebanese refugees are living in abject poverty. Recently, due to the war in Syria, many Palestinian refugees who lived there moved to Lebanon in search of security by adding their social, economic and demographic weight in the country. Figure 4 Palestinian refugee camp

                                                          Since the war began in Syria in 2011 refugees have arrived from that country to settle in Lebanon. There are an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon of which 1,050,000 are registered with UNRWA. 53% of them are children . they have not been established in refugee camps but rather they were distributed nationwide.

Many of them (18%) live in makeshift camps concentrated in the border provinces. Currently only 29% have residence permits. Most Syrian refugees (89%) live below the poverty line.

Because of the war in Syria and the crisis of refugees, Lebanon has faced a humanitarian crisis, economic instability and increased sectarian violence. In general, Lebanon has maintained an open-door policy, however, because the influx of refugees has increased exponentially since August 2013 the economic and social impact has been very important. Reduced economic growth, rising poverty and unemployment, pressure on public services have increased social fragmentation and political tensions. There has also been a resurgence of sectarian violence with numerous reports of bombings, assassinations and isolated battles between the army and militias. Figure 5 Syrian refugees camp

                                                                          

The immediate future and stability of Lebanon rely heavily on the evolution of the Syrian conflict, on the will of the international community to provide adequate humanitarian assistance, and on a proper balance of sectarian tensions. In the long term, the problems of Lebanon are the problems of the region. They have been getting worse in most of the countries, and it will not be easy for a multi-denominational small country, which has been historically conflictual, inserted in an area of ​​great geopolitical instability, to stay apart from the influences of geopolitical tensions.

The plight of refugees on the Greek island of Leros
Danilo Anton
Leros is a small island of 53 km2 Greek 11 kilometers from the coast of Turkey with 8,000 inhabitants. While it is  culturally and historically Greek it had been under the domain of many empires and conquerors. Romans, Crusaders, Byzantines, Turks and more recently Italiens dominated Leros until 1948 when finally passed into the hands of the Republic of Greece.

At the beginning of its integration into Greece it was intended to house political prisoners. At a later date the prison was transformed into a psychiatric hospital. However, in practice it continued to operate as a prison. The violence was the only mean of communication between the "guards '' and patients. For years, patients lived naked or dressed in blankets. When Greece became part of European Community in 1981, Leros was one of the problems that had to be faced. In 1990, the EU funded a project to close the hospital, bringing psychiatrists and health workers. The hospital was finally closed in 1997. Patients were gradually relocated in some island apartments.
When it seemed that the situation had stabilized, the issue of refugees was triggered. More than 2,000 refugees arrived in less than three weeks. Without the support of the Greek government or Europe the overburdened local authorities, based on a committed team of local volunteers were unable to avoid chaos and humanitarian crisis. But as the number of refugees increased the situation became truly critical.

Some refugee Yazidi families from Iraq, about 150 people, escaping isolation and uncertainty went to the small towns of the leading to the reaction of some locals.
The problem remains unresolved. Hundreds of refugees are still in Leros island and the people can not cope with the load imposed from outside. This time, like before, Leros was the victim of foreign responsibilities and wars. The Iraq war imposed by the US and its allies, the emergence of Islamic fundamentalists, the reluctance of Europe and Greece to take charge, were all factors that helped to perpetuate this situation of anguish and suffering.