New fire in refugee camp; Europe mobilizes for help

Scattered fires have broken out in the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, burning away what remains of the lives of refugees. Thousands of camp residents are displaced; the coronavirus is also ruthlessly attacking 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 (September 9) that his country must show human solidarity.

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

Muller also emphasized: "This problem will be solved with the help of strong European countries. France and other countries must come to help as soon as possible. We cannot allow humans to perish in the forest."

He criticized the European Commission's inaction in dealing with the problem of overcrowded camps, saying, "It was obvious that such a disaster would happen." He warned that similar disasters were not out of the question in places like the Balkans, Lebanon, and other crisis zones.

Germany's Social Democratic Party has called on Angela Merkel's government to take immediate action to open the way to accepting as many refugees as possible.

Various states are pressuring Interior Minister Horst Seehofer to come up with a plan to accept a number of refugees.

There is no uniform approach in the various German states. North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Armin Laschet plans to transfer 1,000 refugees from the Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos to his state, while the state of Rhineland-Palatinate wants to accept 1,000 refugees for the whole of Germany.

Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said on Wednesday evening that his country would rather help refugees on the ground than take them in, saying that if they were transferred from Moria, more people would inevitably take their place and that the process would never end. He warned against an “emotional” approach to the refugee crisis.

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

The Dutch government has announced that 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, two areas to the south and east of the Moria camp, which had been spared from the fire the previous night (Tuesday), were burned down. On Wednesday afternoon, the Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum announced that the government plans to set up new tents in the two areas for people who have been made homeless.

A colleague from Doctors Without Borders confirmed the new fires in and around the camp in a tweet. “After the big fire was extinguished, some residents returned to the camp, but now the fire has flared up again,” he stressed. “This place is not safe. The camp must be evacuated immediately and the residents transferred to Greece or other European countries.”

He also expressed regret that the European Union has so far failed to adopt a unified policy on the refugee crisis.

More than 12,000 refugees made homeless by the fires are currently being housed in boats and tents. Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis, who visited Lesbos to assess the situation, urged refugees to respect the law.

Some political leaders in Athens believe that some of their own refugees have deliberately set fires. They are eager to leave the camp as soon as possible for fear of contracting the coronavirus. More than 15,000 people are staying in the camp, which has a maximum capacity of 2,500. According to some reports, there have been clashes between some refugees and the island's indigenous people.

The Greek government's first decision after the fire was extinguished was to transfer about 400 unaccompanied children from the island of Lesbos to Greek territory. This program will begin soon.

No one was injured in the fire at the Moria camp on the island of Lesbos, according to Athens authorities. Doctors Without Borders reported a few minor outpatient treatments.

Source: DW