Lesbos: a drama that does not stop and even increases every day

Overcrowding in Moria refugee camp has reached breaking point |

News (8/9/2020)

A fire ripped through the Moria migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, devouring tents that housed some 13,000 people. Migrants who have been protesting the Covid-19 measures reportedly resisted attempts to put out the fire.

The fire broke out around 2 a.m. Wednesday and quickly spread through the camp. Images have surfaced online showing fires burning ramshackle structures from the inside out and plumes of smoke rising from hell.

The fire caused an exodus from the camp, which is filled up to four times its capacity, and thousands of inhabitants left the area with their belongings. 

The drama of the refugees on Lesbos

On the Greek island of Lesbos is the Moria refugee camp, built for 3,100 people but now with a population of more than 20,000 men, women and children. It has become a place of violence, deprivation, suffering and despair.

The camp clinic

People line up outside the wire-fenced hut for hours before the clinic opens at four, hoping they can talk to a doctor about their son's rash, pregnancy-related abdominal pain, hallucinations and memories of witnessed violence, her sleep disturbances, her itching from having to wear diapers at night for fear of having to go to the bathroom in the dark camp. There has been no reliable electricity in the camp for over two and a half months (with 20,000 people trying to use a grid made for 3,000, it is constantly going off and cannot be trusted for any length of time), and the threat of violence and sexual violence is incredibly high. Women and children largely choose to wear diapers to avoid having to get out of their tents after the sun goes down.

Lesbos geography

Lesbos is a Greek island with a long history. It has 1632 km2 of surface and about 85 410 inhabitants. It is located only 5.5 km from the coast of Turkey and that is why a large part of the refugees from the Middle East arrive when they escape to Europe. The capital is Mytilene with about 30,000 inhabitants,

It is a mountainous island, crowned by Mount Lepetymos, 968 m high, and Olimpos of similar height, which dominate the north and center of the island. Its volcanic origin is manifested in many parts. Olive trees cover 40% of the island, with a total of 11 million units, along with other fruit trees. Forests occupy 20% and the rest is farmland and urban land. Its economy is based on agriculture. Tourism in Mytilene, thanks to its international airport, and the beaches of Plomari. Molyvos and Ereso contribute substantially to the wealth of its economy. The field of Moria was established in stark contrast to the resorts and tourist areas of the island.

Background

Since the conflicts in the Middle East that began in 2014, especially the civil war in Syria against the Islamic state without being limited to these, hundreds of thousands of people have fled their native territories to Europe. One of the access doors to the continent has been the island of Lesbos 5.5 km off the coast of Turkey, from where they have crossed the Aegean Sea in launches and boats often provided by smugglers, often perishing on the way. The situation has been addressed by different international humanitarian organizations that have denounced the lack of interest of governments to help immigrants, especially after the deportation agreements signed between Turkey and the European Union.