Lesvos: fire destroyed Europe’s largest migrant camp

Firefighters are trying to contain a fire in a refugee camp, home to some 13,000 people, more than six times the maximum capacity 2200 people. According to the UN Refugee Agency, over 4,000 children live in the camp, including 407 unaccompanied minors.

Migrants in the field also report that the fires were started by refugee protesters when a demonstration broke out over isolation measures.

“Last night, some people living in the camp were unhappy with the quarantine. They started a small fire. So, the police came and used tear gas. And then the fire intensified and we had to flee, ”said a camp resident who refused to reveal his full name for security reasons.

“The whole camp was burned down. There’s nothing there. I am standing on the street, near the camp, there are many people here. There is also the police, but they do not tell us where to go, ”said the resident. “We have no food or water. They say wait here. It’s very hot today, there are women and babies. ”

Congolese camp resident Paul Kadima Muzangueno told CNN that a group of minors “started a fire.”

“They set fires everywhere,” said Muzangueno. “Everything quickly deteriorated. The police did not contain the situation. ”

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held an emergency meeting on the fires. In an interview with the state public broadcaster, government spokesman Stelio Petsas said a state of emergency was being declared on the island and that Moria residents would be banned from leaving the island due to concerns about the coronavirus.

Petsias said reports of arson and other possible causes are being investigated.

“In the evening, the anger and despair of the refugees interned in Moria flared up,” the German charity group Mission Lifeline said in a statement.

“First, at the Covid19 station in the camp, there was a dispute, which spread throughout the entire territory at night. The security forces used tear gas, ”the statement said. “Most of the houses burned down. The homeless fled to the surrounding olive groves. ”

Axel Steier, co-founder of Mission Life, said he had warned that the situation would “escalate” due to poor conditions in the camp, calling the isolation measures “the last straw.”

“People in Moria are under intense psychological stress. The closure of the camp was the last straw, ”Steier said. “Refugees in Moria are not treated like human beings.

“Among other things, we have asked the (German) federal government over and over again to evacuate all people from the Greek camps. But almost nothing happened, ”Steier added.

Camp Moria stretches from the main UN camp to the olive groves, where thousands of people live in makeshift wooden huts, which they have built from wooden pellets and tarps hammered in with nails. Residents say they wait for hours to use the toilet and sometimes queue up for food all day.

Moria’s migrant residents said Wednesday that they were in a state of uncertainty, awaiting instructions from the authorities among their charred belongings. “We weren’t told anything. Nobody showed up, ”said Muzangueno. “We are here and waiting.”

In a statement Wednesday, the UN refugee agency said they sent their personnel to the ground and offered assistance to the Greek authorities.

“UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, regrets the fire that largely destroyed the Registration and Identification Center (RIC) of Moria last night and thanks the local authorities, including the fire and emergency services, who helped contain the fire and helped people “, The statement said.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called the fire that devastated Moria “a humanitarian disaster.”

“What is happening in Moria is a humanitarian disaster,” Maas tweeted. “As soon as possible, we must clarify with the EU Commission and other EU countries wishing to help how we can support Greece. This includes the distribution of the runners among those who are ready to receive them in the EU. ”