New Fire in Refugee Camp; Europe Mobilizes for Aid

Scattered fires have broken out in the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, burning what remains of refugees’ lives. Thousands of camp residents are displaced; coronavirus is also mercilessly pressing down on their lives.

Germany’s Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development has proposed that the federal government accept 2,000 refugees from the Greek island of Lesbos as soon as possible. Gerd Müller said on Wednesday evening, May 19 (September 9), that his country should demonstrate human solidarity.

The German government had previously said nothing about accepting refugees and had only spoken of aiding the Greek government, but now various states are announcing their capacity and readiness to accept some of the refugees living on Lesbos.

Müller also emphasized: “This problem will be solved with the aid of strong European countries. France and other countries must help as soon as possible. We cannot allow people to be destroyed in the forest.”

He criticized the inaction and ineffectiveness of the European Commission in addressing the problem of overcrowded camps and said: “It was clear that such a disaster would happen.” He warned that similar disasters are not far from possibility in places like the Balkans, Lebanon, and other crisis areas.

Germany’s Social Democratic Party has asked Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government to immediately open the way for accepting more refugees.

Various states are pressuring Horst Seehofer, the Interior Minister, to present a plan for accepting some refugees.

There is no unified approach across various German states. Armin Laschet, Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, intends to transfer 1,000 refugees from the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos to his state. This is while Rhineland-Palatinate calls for accepting 1,000 refugees for all of Germany.

Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on Wednesday evening that his country prefers to help refugees in place rather than accept them; because according to him, if refugees are transferred from Moria, more will certainly take their place, and this flow will never end. He warned against a “emotional and sentimental” approach to the refugee crisis.

The French government has said that it is aware of its responsibility and will soon announce its solidarity program to help refugees living in Lesbos.

The Dutch government has announced it is ready to cooperate but will not accept any new refugees.

Scattered Fires

New fires broke out around the Moria camp on Wednesday evening. According to Greek media reports, two areas south and east of the Moria camp that had been spared from the Tuesday night fire were consumed by fire. On Wednesday afternoon, Greece’s Migration and Refugee Minister had announced that the government intends to set up new tents for those who have become homeless in these two areas.

A colleague from the “Doctors Without Borders” organization confirmed new fires in and around the camp in a Twitter message. “After the major fire subsided, some residents returned to the camp, but now fire has broken out again.” He emphasized: “This place is not safe. The camp must be evacuated immediately and residents transferred to Greece or other European countries.”

He also expressed regret that the European Union has so far been unable to adopt a unified policy regarding the refugee crisis.

More than 12,000 refugees who became homeless as a result of the fires are currently to be housed in ships and tents. Notis Mitarachi, Greece’s Migration Minister, who went to Lesbos to assess the situation, asked refugees to respect the law.

Some political officials in Athens believe that some refugees deliberately set the fires themselves. They are anxious due to fear of coronavirus infection and want to leave the camp as soon as possible. In a camp that has a maximum capacity of 2,500 people, more than 15,000 people are residing. According to some reports, conflicts have arisen between some refugees and local islanders.

Greece’s first decision after extinguishing the fire was to transfer approximately 400 unaccompanied children from the island of Lesbos to mainland Greece. This program will begin soon.

According to officials in Athens, no one was harmed during the fire in the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos. The “Doctors Without Borders” organization reported a few minor outpatient treatments.

Source: DW