CEPED-MIGRINTER-IC MIGRATIONS-Balkans

AYS Daily Digest 15/04/20

GREECE

Luxembourg welcomed 12 children from Greece camps on Wednesday.
Nine of the children were from Lesvos, two from Chios, and one from Samos who was transferred to the Grand Duchy. Fifty other children are expected to fly from Athens to Germany on Saturday the 18th, in an effort to move the 1,600 people EU countries have promised to relocate from Greece’s camps. France, Portugal, Finland, Lithuania, Croatia and Ireland have also said that they will participate.

As Sea-Watch reminds us, the number of children who have been evacuated so far still only represents about 0.1% of the people trapped on the Greek islands.

Almost 1000 vulnerable people will be transferred to hotels in Greece.
This is in an effort to ease the camps, Ylva Johansson, the EU commissioner for home affairs, announced on Tuesday. AYS will continue to follow closely.

Authorities in Greece are very worried that potentially 2,000 people are entering coastal Turkish towns and are going to try and cross over to the islands. During the quarantine, the Turkish government closed the camps along the northern Greek border and transferred a lot of people to coastal cities like Izmir. Many were transferred beyond their control. L

Katie Emm provides a comprehensive Lesvos update:
“GOOD NEWS!
1) People are generally respecting the movement restrictions…and some transfers have been made.
2) According to data released yesterday, there have been no new confirmed cases for two weeks on Lesvos. This is a major milestone, as it suggests that there are no new infections here and Lesvos has contained COVID-19. Of course, there are still possibilities of infection emerging, and we still have to remain vigilant, but it sure feels nice to have hit this point. According to public data, there have been eight cases, and one death. In Greece overall, there are approximately 100 deaths, and about 2200 cases (as of today). There have been no confirmed cases in Moria, Kara Tepe, or Pikpa.
3) No new fascist attacks — there have so far been no recent reports of attacks on NGO workers or refugees or locals.

HARD NEWS!
1) There are reports of Turkey planning to send refugees en masse to the Aegean Islands. This falls somewhere on the spectrum between propaganda and something legitimate. There’s no way to know what will happen, but it does raise some major questions, notably: Where will people go if they reach the shores, especially with a mandatory 14-day quarantine? Will there be a repeat of what happened the last time Turkey sent people en masse? Will rights be respected? Will lives be put in (further) danger?
2) Greece voted to extend the lock down. While originally things were going to open back up on 6 April (maybe), the government extended the restriction of movement until at least 27 April. (Perspective: that is less than two weeks away, and we’ve already successfully navigated this for three weeks).
3) Most NGOs remain working with a bare-bones team, as they are unable to get new volunteers to the island. (This is also likely a major reason why Lesvos has been able to keep numbers of infections down though, so while difficult, there is definitely an upside to this!)”

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

In an update from No Name Kitchen on their current food services in Velika Kladuša:
“No Name Kitchen continues to be present daily in Velika Kladuša. Our main objectives are to give people food and clean clothes….In order to meet the needs of many people with the few available hands, we have been working on a new plan that is already paying off.
We started last week, associating NNK to a bakery. Money is given to this bakery and people who live in the abandoned houses are given vouchers. Each of these squats has a representative and is also connected, thanks to social networks, to an international volunteer who has previously been in Velika Kladuša. Twelve volunteers are currently involved in this task, being the ones who send the vouchers to the squats. On those vouchers, there is a code that is also registered at the bakery so that the workers know how many breads and bureks they have to give. This also allows us to have a better view of the situation and the needs to be covered.
One day a week, the representative of each squat must go to the bakery to collect food for everyone. This project covers, from Monday to Saturday, 70 people with a large piece of bread and a burek (typical Bosnian food with meat or cheese). This project is more expensive than what we did before when we used to only give food for people to cook (something that also continues), but evaluating the options with the local volunteers, we found that this solution is the most convenient. We are working on getting more financial support so that each person can receive this meal twice a week.”

BALKANS
Transbalkan Solidarity Group provide this update on the Balkan route and need for solidarity:
“Tens of thousands of refugees and other migrants in the Balkans are only partially accommodated in official collective centers, while a large number of people fall outside the system, surviving through the help of the local population. With the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the already difficult situation is becoming detrimental and demands urgent action of local and international actors — and solidarity from all of us.
The state of emergency now in force in many countries of the region reinforces social inequalities…
We, therefore, call for an end to all official and unofficial discriminatory and dehumanizing practices, for the legalization of everyone’s existence, for the closure of all forms of detention and collective centers that restrict freedom of movement and fail to secure humane and hygienic conditions…
More, we demand of the member governments of the European Union, the states of the region, and all relevant institutions and international organizations…that all people be equally afforded critical information on pandemic and unrestricted access to the health care system, that refugees and migrants are treated without discrimination, and that concrete measures for their protection are made part of all measures for the protection of the population as a whole.”

▻https://medium.com/are-you-syrious/ays-daily-digest-15-04-20-controversy-when-italy-orders-people-rescued-at-se

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Bosnie-Herzégovine #Camp #Velikakladusa #Chios #Samos #Lesbos #Transfert #Mineursnonaccompagnés #Enfant #Luxembourg #Hôtel

AYS Daily Digest 14/04/20

GREECE
#Kos
Two days ago, people finally received their cash card top up. Normally, they receive financial assistance at the beginning of the month, as do most people in Greece, but due to the Corona restrictions, it was late this month. A lot of people needed to go shopping as they were running out of food, but only 65 people are currently allowed to go out at one time. There are currently over a thousand people in the camp, which has become more crowded since they moved the people camping outside to within the walls of the hotspot. As a result the situation escalated and the police beat both the women and the men to separate the groups.

#Ritsona
With 14 more days of quarantine, the people in Ritsona have no way to protect themselves. Seven out of ninety have already tested positive in the community.

#Thessaloniki
Mobile Info Team has recorded information from 30 homeless people on the move in Thessaloniki who were fined by the police under the “movement restrictions.” One person has been fined as often as 5 times, another two people, 4 times each. These people have nowhere to live, nowhere to go and the government who refuses to assist them sends its law enforcement officers to fine them?

#Lesbos
Fascist violence has been escalating over the past few weeks and on April 8th they burned down the home of refugees living outside Moria. Mare Liberum spoke with two of the men who were living there.
The latest fire in #Moria caused a lot of devastating destruction.
Luckily, the White Helmets have begun cleaning up the area, trying to make conditions better and cleaner for residents.
Seawatch is working to send 1000 masks to Lesvos to try to curb the outbreak.
#Incendie #Xenophobie

#Chios
The Ministry of Immigration and Asylum signed a contract today to lease a property in the ALITHEIA complex, in #Lefkonia-Kontari area of ​​Chios, for the creation of a space for the stay of the newcomers.
The rent for a period of seven months amounts to 46,200 EURO, with the possibility of extending the lease, and the property will operate as a place of residence for newly arrived immigrants. This is supposedly all done in an effort to disperse the impact of the Corona pandemic. The impetus for the decision was stated as:
“For reasons of urgency and unpredictability that are not the fault of the Greek State, as well as for reasons of security, public order and public interest, with attention to the need to take the necessary measures to protect public health and society as a whole.”

#Samos
Some good news out of Samos today. A young Syrian boy’s family reunification case was accepted! Hassan* will be able to join his older brother in the UK. The pictures below were taken by Hassan himself and demonstrate the dire conditions in the camps.

#Transfert #Mineurs #Enfants
This afternoon 20 minors were taken from Moria Camp to the harbor of Piraeus (Athens). They should reach Germany by the 18th.

Human Rights Watch is calling for hundreds of migrant children who are in Greece without parents or relatives and in immigration detention to be moved to child friendly housing. HRW say they are currently at a heightened risk for contracting COVID-19.

Human rights violations including illegal pushbacks continue occurring at the Greece-Turkey border. Read MIT’s report co-authored with No Name Kitchen and Border Violence Monitoring Network for more information on the update situation.

BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA

The changing weather has just added to the number of difficulties people on the move face while stuck in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As there is no public transport at their disposal and no freedom of movement for them, getting from one place to another is extremely difficult. Most of the people are left out on their own (if they are not forced into provisional campsite like #Lipa near #Bihac), only some have managed to stay in private accommodation under different conditions and circumstances, while many are stuck in different hardships of the official camps run by international organisations, and German Civil Protection (Technisches Hilfswerk) in the case of recently infamous #Blazuj camp. Those who bother to go the extra step and show humane treatment to these people in transit through Bosnia and Herzegovina more than often see images of despair among these people who now also often carry the stigma of potential health risk in the context of coronavirus, although no infected people have been reported among all those people throughout the country.

▻https://medium.com/are-you-syrious/ays-14-04-2020-left-to-fend-for-themselves-europes-unspoken-migration-policy

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Bosnie-Herzégovine #Camp

AYS Daily Digest 13/04/20

GREECE
Coronavirus Hysteria Continues, So Does Inhumane Treatment

The Greek minister of immigration, Notis Mitarakis, formally denied a rumor that Turkey was planning to send groups of people on the move that were carriers of COVID-19 to Greece. The rumor, which has no basis in truth, was spread by several pro-government newspapers and even government officials, including Deputy Minister George Koumoutsakos. The rumor was clearly designed to justify illegal pushbacks and violent treatment of people on the move.
Instead of spreading lies, government officials should be more occupied with helping the vulnerable people they have abandoned to their fates. Over a hundred people who have arrived on Lesvos since 14th March have been kept in makeshift camps on the beach since then. They do not have adequate housing, any toilets, showers, or protective equipment. People who are already in Moria cannot withdraw cash with their government-issued money cards anymore, forcing them to shop in only two shops that accept these cards. Not only will this increase crowding, it hurts independent shops organized in the camp that can only accept cash.
The IOM did announce that over 2,000 vulnerable people, including everybody over the age of 65, will be transferred away from the hotspots and housed in hotel rooms. However, much more needs to be done for people still stuck in these unsanitary camps before it is too late.

►https://medium.com/are-you-syrious/ays-daily-digest-13-04-20-no-protection-or-information-for-those-tested-nega

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Ilesgrecques #Camp #Lesbos #Moria #Campimprovisé #Plage #Transfert #Hôtel #Hotspot

AYS Weekend Digest 11–12/04/20

GREECE

Coast guard ordered to prevent any crossing from Turkey
Following news from Turkey (see above), Greek media went into a frenzy on a possible second wave of what they like to call “the Turkish invasion”. According to these racist and colonial rhetorics, people on the move are nothing more than pawns used by Turkey to destroy Greek and European civilisation. The Greek coastguard has received orders to stay alert, “prevent any vessel carrying migrants from entering Greek territorial waters” and avoid any crossing from Turkey “on grounds of national security and public health”, Giorgos Christides reports.
Since early February, Greek media have embraced war-like rhetoric and fake news in their coverage of people on the move in the country. Not only have they been described as ‘biological weapons’ armed by Turkey, but the number of positive Covid-19 tests are constantly given in separate figures for “citizens” and “non-citizens”. A racist attitude that is expanding to other groups:

Criminal complaint filed against Greek coast guard for push-backs from Samos coast

Greece: CHIOS
No running water in Vial camp, Chios
From Jenny Zinovia Kali, in the Solidarity in Chios group:
Μessages keep coming from the residents of Vial about the unacceptable conditions they are experiencing in the camp despite the pandemic.
As of yesterday, VIAL does not have running water. People can neither shower nor wash their hands. The mothers have no water to clean the little ones.
Even worse, the administration has also banned the distribution of basic necessities to voluntary groups outside Vial, but no distributions have taken place since the pandemic started from Vial’s first reception. So the residents do not have any sanitary ware, diapers, sanitary napkins, etc.
How do you ask 6000 people — roughly — to follow the protection measures when they don’t provide them with the basics ??????

Greece: LESVOS
Hunger strike in Moria’s PRO.KE.KA carries on
As reported by Deportation Monitoring Aegean, the prisoners detained in Moria pre-removal detention centre (PRO.KE.K.A) in Lesvos have been on hunger strike since 5th April 2020. The PRO.KE.K.A hunger strikers demand their immediate release to avoid the disastrous consequences of a virus outbreak in the prison.

As we previously reported, this week one boy was killed in Moria camp. Violence and fights erupted in the following hours. Nonetheless, the self-organised Moria White Helmets and the Moria Corona Awareness team are continuing to do what they can to improve the conditions in the camp. People are reportedly scared to line in queues for food and water and on Friday they held a large peaceful protest demanding safety, protection and the evacuation of everybody.

While UNHCR is reportedly looking for hotels and ships on the eastern Greek islands to house vulnerable people from RICs, it is also reported that West Lesvos Municipality “grudgingly” accepted to restore and reopen the “old” Stage-2 transit camp in Skala Sykamnias as a quarantine facility to house new arrivals. This was used until the beginning of the year, but it was closed following a decision of the same municipality. It was later attacked by arsonists in March.

GREECE: Samos
Med’EqualiTeam is looking for doctors and nurses on Samos
We need your help!
Med’EqualiTeam is the only medical NGO on the Greek island of Samos offering primary healthcare to the 7000+ refugee population. Focusing on triage, treatment and wound care, the team sees currently up to 100 patients per day.
The team are urgently looking for doctors and nurses who can stay 1 month or more.
(All new team members must self-isolate for 2 weeks upon arrival to ensure safety of patients.)
Please apply on ▻https://www.medequali.team/de/volunteer/application

GREECE: Athens
More reports of racial profiling and police violence during so-called Covid-19 checks
One young man was stopped, beaten, humiliated and had his papers destroyed in Athens. Read the full report (in Greek and English) HERE

SERBIA
People are once again being placed in Miratovac and Krnjača camps.

A local solidarity group reports that the situation in Serbia is increasingly tense. Corona virus has allowed the Government to close the camps, turning them into jails. The army is stationed outside while inside there are the Comisariat, a department of the police. There are reports that a child was hit by one of the workers this week, which was followed by the presence of armed police using tear gas as we reported last week. Local activists are calling on people to spread the news of what is happening.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Violence Continues in camps and at borders
Local groups report that workers from the private security agency that is involved in the camp Blažuj have physically attacked people staying at the camp. When they stood up against this violence, the police were brought in.
When people try to leave these conditions and cross over into Croatia, further violence awaits for them.

▻https://medium.com/are-you-syrious/ays-weekend-digest-11-12-04-2020-how-many-have-to-die-for-europe-sins-7157f1

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Xénophobie #Chios #Vial #Camp #Lesbos #Moria #Grèvedelafaim #Révolte #Violence #Quarantaine #Skalasykamnias #Samos #Athènes #Miratovac #Krnjaca #Serbie #Bosnie-Herzégovine #Blažuj

AYS Daily Digest 10/04/2020: Police violence in Serbian refugee camp

Feature
The Asylum Protection Center in Serbia reports that a 14-year-old boy from Syria approached camp administrators at the Krajaca refugee camp, located 10km from Belgrade, to request his pyjamas but was then physically assaulted by the employee.
The news of the young boy’s assault by the staff at the refugee camp angered many of the camp’s residents, who headed to the gate of the camp to complain and wait for the police under the belief that the police would assist them in seeking justice.
At 3 pm a large group of police officers arrived at the camp entrance, with initial reports indicating the arrival of 10 police cars. An announcement rang out across the camp demanding that everyone return back to their rooms.
The police marched through the camp and started to arrest people. It is believed they were using a list provided by the camp officials to find and locate individuals. Reports from inside the camp indicate the police used gas and excessive violence resulting in multiple injuries including a suspected broken arm. The videos show people including women and children running from their buildings coughing and covering their faces because of the gas, with one woman fainting outside the building.
The Asylum Protection Center reports the camp residents did not get an explanation of what the gas was and why the use of this gas and violence was necessary. Two buses of people were taken from the camp, but it is unclear as to why or where they were taken.

Greece
After placing two refugee and migrant camps into lockdown, the Greek health authorities have additionally placed quarantine measures onto a Roma settlement in Larissa. The Roma settlement houses an estimated 3,000 people of which 18 people have so far tested positive.
Speaking to the state-run Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Mayor Apostolos Kalogiannis said this incident “confirms the worst-case scenario”.
Info migrants have recently published a list of helpful services, NGOs and aid groups that migrants and refugees can turn to in times of need. The full list includes organisations that can assist unaccompanied minors, help facilitate medical care for people without documents, provide food distribution and general outreach.
Caritas Greece: The Catholic charity provides social support services to migrants and refugees. Their activities include the distribution of food and clothes as well as educational and psychological support services. The main office is in Athens, and 10 additional regional offices are spread throughout Greece. Contact them on Facebook — CaritasHellas — or call +30 210 52 47879.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has expanded its activities in Greece in response to COVID-19. The organization is active on Lesbos and Samos as well as in Athens. Their activities include “vaccinating migrant children against common childhood diseases, providing sexual and reproductive healthcare, treating chronic diseases and providing care for victims of torture and sexual violence.” Contact MSF on Facebook or call +30 21 0520 0500
Solidarity Clinics (KIFA): The solidarity clinics operate throughout Greece and are funded by NGOs and private donations. They offer free treatment and medicines to undocumented migrants as well as to people who have insurance but still cannot afford medication.
For a full list of organisations please follow the link:
Help for refugees and undocumented migrants in Greece
Many migrants and refugees are struggling to get by in Greece. The coronavirus pandemic has made things even worse, as…

Following the death of a young boy in the Moria camp, hundreds of people have decided to peacefully protest against the camp’s current security situation. Demonstrators held banners saying “Moria is not safe for Hazara people” and “We want rights and security”. The anger and frustration of the camp residents come after a continuing deterioration of the situation within the camp, with three tents having caught fire and one young boy tragically dying within the last 24 hours.
Videos uploaded by the Moria Corona Awareness team show people peacefully sitting on the ground. One participant of the protest explains:
“We are here together to make a peaceful demonstration, as there are a lot of problems inside the camp. So we don’t want any more fighting, war and anarchism inside the camp. So our demand from the Greek organizations, the Greek government, from UNICEF and other organizations that are all working for the refugees, our demand is that Moria is not safe for every refugee from every camp. Last night we lost a young boy, a minor aged 16 because we didn’t have good medical care here, the boy was bleeding a lot. Because of the bleeding, he died.”

▻https://medium.com/are-you-syrious/ays-daily-digest-10-04-2020-police-violence-in-serbian-refugee-camp-71f045fa

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Serbie #Krnjaca #Incident #Révolte #Grèce #Roms #Larissa #Moria #ilesgrecques

AYS Daily Digest 09/04/2020

GREECE
Greece Asks for Help to Manage COVID-19 Crisis
Camp residents and NGOs such as MSF have been warning that an epidemic of COVID-19 in Greek camps would be a catastrophe and that the Greek government by itself is unprepared. The Greek government asked other European governments for support in creating medical isolation facilities to manage crowded camps among other things. Austria committed to sending 181 shipping containers, which will become housing and healthcare centers.
Austria is one of the richest countries in Europe yet is notoriously unwilling to grant asylum. Accepting asylum seekers so they do not have to live in crowded camps would be far more helpful than sending shipping containers, but hopefully this can make conditions in the camps a little bit more bearable.
Other European countries are gradually accepting people held in camps. Plans to resettle unaccompanied minors are set to begin next week. This week, five minors won their family reunification cases. However, even after children receive a positive answer, it often takes months for them to actually be reunited with their family. We hope these children will be able to leave Moria soon.

SERBIA
Strict Quarantine Makes Life Difficult For People on the Move
All of Serbia has been under strict quarantine measures for almost a month to try and stop the spread of COVID-19. However, these measures are hitting the most vulnerable, such as people on the move, the hardest. They are isolated and denied freedom of movement while housed in conditions that make stopping the spread of disease almost impossible.
There is an almost complete ban on movement in and out of refugee centers, which makes it impossible for NGOs to provide basic services or even accurate information to those trapped inside. The confinement has increased tensions within the camps, especially since people no longer have access to mental health support, and violent clashes have broken out. The camps are so crowded that proper social distancing measures are impossible to implement.
The situation in neighboring Bosnia & Herzegovina is similar — people on the move are confined completely to overcrowded camps. So far, there haven’t even been any cases of coronavirus among people on the move in Bosnia, so locking people in camps has no clear medical benefit. Limiting freedom of movement in such extreme ways is unfortunately motivated by xenophobia.

▻https://medium.com/are-you-syrious/ays-daily-digest-09-04-2020-yazidi-teenager-stabbed-to-death-in-germany-f2e7

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Camp #Serbie

Coronavirus : pourquoi la Grèce résiste mieux à l’épidémie ?

La Grèce fait partie des pays d’Europe qui ont été les moins touchés par l’épidémie de Covid-19. Pourtant, ce pays, lourdement affaibli par la crise économique, a l’un des systèmes de santé les plus fragiles du continent.

Une population plus âgée et plus en surpoids que la moyenne européenne : en théorie, la Grèce est l’un des pays les plus facilement exposés au Covid-19. Pourtant, en proportion, c’est l’un des pays de l’Union européenne les moins touchés par l’épidémie qui frappe le monde entier : on y compte un peu plus de 2 000 cas détectés et une centaine de morts, pour un pays de 10,8 millions d’habitants.

La Grèce s’en sort donc mieux qu’une bonne partie de ses voisins européens. Et notamment grâce à un confinement intervenu plus tôt qu’ailleurs : dès février, une partie des rassemblements ont été interdits. Plusieurs villages qui avaient accueilli des personnes revenant d’Israël et d’Italie ont été totalement confinés (avec interdiction totale de sortir, les forces de l’ordre déposant de la nourriture devant les habitations), et le confinement de toute la population a été décidé le 23 mars. Les commerces et les lieux culturels avaient été fermés une semaine plus tôt.

Un système de santé affaibli
Ces mesures plus strictes qu’en France notamment ont été prises pour éviter l’engorgement d’un système de santé extrêmement affaibli par la crise économique de ces dernières années et par l’austérité qui a suivi : selon Libération, les dépenses étatiques pour la santé ont baissé de 23,2 milliards d’euros en 2009 à 14,5 milliards en 2017, avec une moyenne de 4,2 lits d’hôpital pour 1000 habitants… et seulement 567 lits de réanimation. Fin mars, la Grèce a recommencé à produire des médicaments dérivés de la chloroquine de l’hydroxychloroquine pour traiter les personnes présentant des symptômes. « Nous avons appliqué ce protocole à partir de la littérature scientifique sur ce sujet. Si le patient est suivi, les risques sont faibles », explique, toujours dans Libération, le professeur George Panayiotakopoulos.

Mais ces mesures ont aussi un poids important sur plusieurs défis auxquels la Grèce doit faire face. Très dépendant du tourisme, le pays, qui reçoit moins de voyageurs avant les beaux jours, a donc vu l’épidémie commencer plus tard. Revers de la médaille, la situation du tourisme risque d’affaiblir encore plus l’économie du pays : certains restaurateurs, qui ne peuvent plus accueillir de public dans leurs établissements, ont vu leur chiffre d’affaire chuter de plus de 80% (quand ils n’ont pas tout simplement fermé).

Pâques, migrants : les défis de la Grèce
Et ce n’est pas le seul défi auquel le pays doit faire face pour ne pas craquer sous la rigueur des mesures sanitaires. Ce week-end, ce pays comptant une grande majorité de chrétiens orthodoxes célébrait la Pâque orthodoxe, pour la première fois dans une situation de confinement. Alors que le confinement était jusqu’à présent bien respectée, la police, craignant un relâchement, a dû mobiliser quelque 52 000 membres des forces de l’ordre pour veiller au respect des règles pendant ce week-end où ni les rassemblements à l’église ni les fêtes familiales n’étaient autorisés. Vendredi, des heurts ont éclaté entre la police et des membres du parti néonazi Aube Dorée : ces derniers voulaient célébrer une procession du Vendredi saint.

Autre challenge pour la Grèce : gérer les populations de migrants, très nombreux à arriver dans le pays par la mer Méditerranée, et assurer leur sécurité face à l’épidémie. Les autorités, répondant à des demandes de la communauté internationale, ont commencé à transférer ce week-end 2 380 « personnes vulnérables », notamment des personnes âgés, des camps de migrants vers des appartements ou des hôtels.

L’objectif est d’éviter une flambée de l’épidémie dans ces camps de fortune où il est compliqué d’assurer une sûreté sanitaire : certains camps conçus pour accueillir quelques milliers de personnes en accueillent plusieurs dizaines de milliers, notamment à proximité de la frontière turque. Au total environ 100 000 demandeurs d’asile sont bloqués en Grèce. Dans deux camps situés sur le continent, des cas de Covid-19 ont été détectés. Samedi soir, des violences ont éclaté dans l’un des plus grands camps du pays, causant un incendie qui a fait de nombreux dégâts matériels.

▻https://www.franceinter.fr/monde/coronavirus-pourquoi-la-grece-resiste-mieux-a-l-epidemie

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Camp #transfert #appartement #hotel

CDB

BOSNIE-HERZÉGOVINE : UN CAMP D’URGENCE OUVRE PRÈS DE LA FRONTIÈRE CROATE
20 avril - 15h :Selon l’Organisation internationale des migrations, le camp d’urgence de Lipa est prêt à ouvrir. Situé à une trentaine de kilomètre de Bihać, ce centre pourra héberger jusqu’à mille personnes dans de grandes tentes collectives. L’objectif : accueillir les migrants qui survivaient dans les squats ou les bois du canton d’Una Sana, à la frontière avec la Croatie.

Les fonds nécessaires à la construction de ce camp d’isolement ont été fournis par la ville de Bihać, l’Union européenne et l’Agence des États-Unis pour le développement international (USAID). L’objectif est d’y fournir un suivi médical aux migrants face à l’épidémie de coronavirus et de rassurer la population locale. Aucun cas de covid-19 n’a été enregistré pour le moment parmi les migrants examinés en Bosnie-Herzégovine.

►https://www.courrierdesbalkans.fr/Les-dernieres-infos-Refugies-Balkans-Bosnie-Herzegovine-un-nouvea

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Bosnie-Herzégovine #Lipa #Camp #Bihac #UnaSanaCanton

CDB

TENSIONS DANS LE CAMP DE VIAL, SUR L’ÎLE DE CHIOS
19 avril - 8h : Des heurts ont éclaté samedi soir dans le camp de réfugiés Vial, sur l’île de Chios où un incendie a été allumé après l’annonce de la mort d’une réfugiée irakienne habitant le camp. Malade, la demandeuse d’asile âgée de 47 ans avait été hospitalisée. Elle a été testée au Civid-19 et le test était négatif selon l’agence de presse grecque ANA. Le camp, prévu pour 1000 personnes, en héberge actuellement 5000. Plusieurs cas de coronavirus ont été signalés dans les camps de réfugiés en Grèce.

►https://www.courrierdesbalkans.fr/Les-dernieres-infos-Refugies-Balkans-Bosnie-Herzegovine-un-nouvea

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Camp #Vial #Chios #incendie #révolte

ACTUALITES : Coronavirus en Grèce : quarantaine décrétée dans un hôtel hébergeant 150 migrants contaminés
Un hôtel hébergeant 470 demandeurs d’asile dans le sud de la Grèce a été placé en quarantaine après que 150 personnes ont été testées positives au coronavirus.

La situation sanitaire dans un hôtel de Kranidi dans le Péloponnèse, dans le sud de la Grèce, où 470 demandeurs d’asile sont hébergés, inquiète les autorités.

Sur l’ensemble des résidents, 150 ont en effet été testés positifs au coronavirus selon Iosif Mertiris, le maire adjoint de la ville d’Ermionida, dont dépend le village de Kranidi.

« La police est stationnée devant l’hôtel et personne n’est autorisé à sortir », a déclaré le maire adjoint à la télévision publique ERT.

Lundi 20 avril, l’établissement avait été désinfecté et les résidents soumis à des tests après qu’une Somalienne enceinte eût été détectée atteinte du Covid-19 lors d’examens effectués à l’hôpital.

L’organisation internationale des migrations (OIM), qui gère la structure, a affirmé que « des interprètes, des psychologues, des travailleurs sociaux et des conseillers juridiques sont en contact constant avec les bénéficiaires pour les aider dans cette situation difficile ».

La Somalienne de 28 ans a été placée « à l’isolement dans sa chambre » et tout l’hôtel a été mis en quarantaine, selon le ministère de l’Immigration.

« Il n’y a aucune raison de paniquer »
Un employé de l’hôtel avait aussi été testé positif mais n’était pas venu travailler depuis 12 jours dans l’établissement, précise encore le ministère.

Selon le maire de la commune, Yannis Giorgopoulos, interrogé par la chaîne de télévision ANT1, « il existe une grande inquiétude (…) mais la structure se trouve à 4-5 km des villages de Kranidi et Porto Hell, et donc assez isolée ».

Le ministre adjoint de la protection civile, Nikos Hardalias, s’est, lui, voulu rassurant. « Il n’y a aucune raison de paniquer, tout ce qui doit être fait sera fait en suivant les réglementations. »

Deux autres camps sur le continent, dans la région de l’Attique, ont déjà été placés en quarantaine après l’apparition de plusieurs cas de coronavirus.

La Grèce compte 116 morts du Covid-19, et 61 personnes actuellement en soins intensifs.

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Kranidi #Athènes #Hotel #quarantaine

▻https://diasporaenligne.net/actualites-coronavirus-en-grece-quarantaine-decretee-dans-un-hotel-

ATHENES, 21 avril (Reuters) - Cent cinquante migrants, hébergés dans un hôtel dans le sud de la Grèce, ont été diagnostiqués positifs au nouveau coronavirus mardi, quelques heures après l’annonce d’un plan de levée du confinement en vigueur dans le pays pour freiner la propagation du virus.

L’hôtel, placé en isolement depuis le 16 avril, est le troisième établissement de réfugiés confiné après ceux de Ritsona et Malakasa, au début du mois.

Des tests de contamination ont été menés dans cet hôtel, qui abrite 470 réfugiés, après qu’une femme enceinte a été diagnostiquée porteuse du virus la semaine dernière, selon le ministère de l’Immigration.

Les résultats montrent que 150 personnes ont été contaminées mais aucune n’a développé les symptômes du COVID-19, a déclaré le ministre adjoint de la Protection civile, Nikos Chardalias, ajoutant qu’il n’y avait « aucune raison de paniquer ».

La Grèce a fait état à ce stade de 2.245 contaminations au coronavirus et de 116 morts dans l’ensemble du pays. Mardi, le porte-parole du gouvernement, Stelios Petsas, a déclaré à la presse qu’Athènes travaillait sur un plan de déconfinement progressif, qui prévoit notamment la reprise des services judiciaires à partir du 27 avril. (Lefteris Papadimas et Renee Maltezou ; version française Claude Chendjou, édité par Jean-Michel Bélot)

▻https://investir.lesechos.fr/marches/actualites/un-troisieme-camp-de-refugies-en-grece-frappe-par-le-coronavirus-1

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Kranidi #Athènes #Hotel #quarantaine

Le coronavirus frappe une auberge pour migrants alors que la Grèce prévoit de faciliter le verrouillage
ATHÈNES (Reuters) – Des dizaines de migrants, dont de nombreuses familles monoparentales, hébergés dans une auberge de jeunesse du sud de la Grèce ont été testés positifs pour le coronavirus mardi alors que le gouvernement se préparait à un assouplissement progressif d’un large blocage à partir du 27 avril.

Le coronavirus frappe une auberge pour migrants alors que la Grèce prévoit de faciliter le verrouillage
Les migrants sont représentés sur les balcons d’un hôtel utilisé comme refuge pour réfugiés, après que les autorités ont trouvé plusieurs cas du nouveau coronavirus et mis la zone en quarantaine, à la suite de l’apparition de la maladie à coronavirus (COVID-19), à Kranidi, Grèce le 21 avril , 2020. REUTERS / Costas Baltas

Comparé à l’Italie, à l’Espagne, à la France et à la Grande-Bretagne, le bilan du coronavirus en Grèce est faible, mais l’inquiétude augmente au sujet de sa population migrante.

L’auberge est mise en quarantaine depuis le 16 avril, le troisième établissement pour migrants du pays touché par le virus.

Les 497 personnes qui y vivent et y travaillent ont été testées après qu’une femme enceinte a été testée positive la semaine dernière, a déclaré le ministre des Migrations. Parmi les migrants, principalement originaires d’Afrique, se trouvent de nombreux enfants, ont indiqué des responsables.

Mardi, les résultats des tests ont montré que 150 personnes avaient été infectées, bien qu’aucune n’ait développé de symptômes de COVID-19, la maladie causée par le coronavirus, a déclaré le ministre adjoint de la Protection civile, Nikos Hardalias.

"Il n’y a aucune raison de paniquer", a déclaré Hardalias aux journalistes à l’extérieur de l’établissement. « Les mesures (que nous avons prises) sont suffisantes pour contenir la propagation du virus. »

Sotiris Tsiodras, le principal conseiller scientifique du gouvernement sur le virus, a déclaré que le pays avait vérifié 156 autres cas positifs de COVID-19 mardi, 150 concernant l’auberge de jeunesse de la petite ville de Kranidi, à environ 170 km (105 miles) au sud d’Athènes.

Un organisme des Nations Unies, l’Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM), qui gérait l’installation, a déclaré que de nombreuses personnes dans le complexe venaient du Cameroun et de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC). La majorité d’entre eux étaient des parents célibataires, selon le rapport.

« Jusqu’à présent, nous n’avons détecté aucun patient symptomatique pouvant nécessiter des soins supplémentaires », a déclaré Tsiodras. Il a indiqué qu’une clinique de terrain était en cours de création dans la région et que le centre médical régional serait renforcé.

« Il est très important que ces personnes reçoivent un soutien et une assistance continus », a déclaré Gianluca Rocco, chef de mission de l’OIM en Grèce.

À Athènes, Tsiodras a déclaré que le facteur « R0 » (R-néant), un indicateur clé de la façon dont un virus peut se multiplier, était « significativement » inférieur à 1 en Grèce, ce qui signifie qu’en moyenne, moins d’une personne pouvait être infectée par une personne qui est déjà positive pour COVID-19.

"Cela nous donne une marge de manœuvre pour assouplir les mesures, ce qui sera fait progressivement et avec soin", a-t-il déclaré.

La Grèce, qui a adopté des mesures de verrouillage pour tenter de ralentir la propagation du nouveau coronavirus le 23 mars, a enregistré 2401 infections depuis que son premier cas est apparu fin février. Le bilan est de 121 morts.

Le porte-parole du gouvernement, Stelios Petsas, a déclaré aux journalistes que le cabinet travaillait sur un plan de transition pour faciliter progressivement le verrouillage. Il a déclaré que les services judiciaires commenceraient à reprendre le lundi 27 avril, date à laquelle le verrouillage devrait prendre fin.

Petsas a déclaré que la semaine prochaine, le Premier ministre Kyriakos Mitsotakis présenterait le plan de transition de la Grèce, qui devrait commencer par lever les restrictions pour les groupes et les entreprises à faible risque.

Reportage de Lefteris Papadimas et Renee Maltezou ; rapports supplémentaires de Michele Kambas ; édité par Barbara Lewis, Nick Macfie et William Maclean

▻https://news-24.fr/le-coronavirus-frappe-une-auberge-pour-migrants-alors-que-la-grece-prevoit-d

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Kranidi #Athènes #Hotel #quarantaine

Coronavirus : une ville accueillant des migrants mise en quarantaine en Grèce

Les autorités grecques ont mis en quarantaine mardi une ville proche d’un hôtel du Péloponnèse (sud) qui héberge des migrants dont 148 ont été testés positifs au nouveau coronavirus.

148 des 470 migrants qui étaient hébergés dans cet hôtel de bord de mer, ainsi que deux membres du personnel, ont été testés positifs, mais sont asymptomatiques, a fait savoir Nikos Hardalias, ministre adjoint à la protection civile.

A cinq kilomètres de l’hôtel, la ville de Kranidi, à 166 kilomètres au sud-ouest d’Athènes, est placée en quarantaine pendant deux semaines et soumise à un couvre-feu la nuit, a annoncé mardi M. Hardalias après une réunion convoquée en urgence avec des responsables locaux.

« Beaucoup d’enfants » figurent parmi les demandeurs d’asile qui sont hébergés dans l’hôtel, a-t-il dit.

Ils sont pour la plupart originaires d’Afrique sub-saharienne, selon le ministère des migrations. Une migrante somalienne de 28 ans, enceinte, a été la première testée positive au Covid-19.

Les autorités avaient déjà confiné l’hôtel la semaine dernière, mais les résidents s’étaient tout de même rendus dans les magasins et banques locales, a indiqué le maire Yannis Georgopoulos à la chaîne de télévision publique ERT.

« Tous ceux qui ont été en contact (avec les demandeurs d’asile) seront testés », a-t-il dit.

L’Organisation internationale pour les Migrations (OIM) en charge de la résidence a affirmé que « des interprètes, des psychologues, des travailleurs sociaux et des conseillers juridiques sont en contact constant avec les bénéficiaires pour les aider dans cette situation difficile ».

Un employé de l’hôtel avait aussi été testé positif mais n’est pas venu travailler depuis 12 jours dans l’établissement, précise également le ministère.

Environ 100.000 migrants sont actuellement bloqués en Grèce depuis que les autres pays européens leur ont fermé leurs frontières en 2016.

Le gouvernement a annoncé la semaine dernière son intention de transférer vers le continent des demandeurs d’asile vulnérables vivant dans les camps surpeuplés des îles.

Deux camps sur le continent, dans la région de l’Attique, ont enregistré plusieurs cas de coronavirus.

Le ministère de l’immigration a décidé de prolonger jusqu’au 10 mai le confinement imposé à tous les camps en Grèce.

La Grèce compte 116 morts du coronavirus alors que 61 personnes se trouvent actuellement en soins intensifs.

▻https://www.lepoint.fr/monde/coronavirus-un-hotel-accueillant-des-migrants-mis-en-quarantaine-en-grece-21

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Péloponnèse #Hotel #Quarantaine #Ville #Kranidi #Couvre-feu #Quarantaine #Confinement

Coronavirus hits migrant hostel as Greece plans to ease lockdown

ATHENS (Reuters) - Dozens of migrants, including many single-parent families, accomodated at a hostel in southern Greece tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday as the government prepared for a gradual easing of a broad lockdown from April 27.

Compared with Italy, Spain, France and Britain, Greece’s toll from the coronavirus is low, but concern is mounting over its migrant population.

The hostel has been quarantined since April 16, the third migrant facility in the country to be hit by the virus.

The 497 people who live and work there were tested after a pregnant woman tested positive last week, the migration minister said. Among the migrants, mainly from Africa, are many children, officials said.

On Tuesday, test results showed that 150 people had been infected, although none had developed any symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, Deputy Civil Protection Minister Nikos Hardalias said.

“There is no reason for panic,” Hardalias told reporters outside the facility. “The measures (we have taken) are adequate to contain the spread of the virus.”

Sotiris Tsiodras, the government’s chief scientific adviser on the virus, said the country verified 156 more COVID-19 positive cases on Tuesday, 150 focused on the hostel in the small town of Kranidi, some 170 km (105 miles) south of Athens.

A U.N. body, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which managed the facility, said many people at the complex were from Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The majority of them were single parents, it said.

“Until now we have not detected any symptomatic patients who may require further care,” Tsiodras said. He said a field clinic was being created in the area and the regional medical centre would be reinforced.

“It is very important for these people to receive continued support and assistance,” said Gianluca Rocco, IOM Chief of Mission in Greece.

In Athens, Tsiodras said that the ‘R0’ (R-naught) factor, a key gauge of how a virus can multiply, was “significantly” below 1 in Greece, meaning that, on average, less than 1 person could be infected from a person who is already COVID-19 positive.

“That gives us some room to relax the measures, which will be done gradually and carefully,” he said.

Greece, which adopted lockdown measures to try to slow the spread of the new coronavirus on March 23, has registered 2,401 infections since its first case surfaced in late February. The death toll is 121.

Government spokesman Stelios Petsas told reporters the cabinet was working on a transition plan to gradually ease the lockdown. He said that judicial services would start to resume on Monday, April 27, when the lockdown is scheduled to end.

Petsas said that next week Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis would lay out Greece’s transition plan, likely to begin by lifting restrictions for lower-risk groups and business.

▻https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-greece/coronavirus-hits-migrant-hostel-as-greece-plans-to-ease-lockdown-idUKKCN

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Kranidi #Hotel #quarantaine

InfoPark
15 – 21 April 2020
Weekly Flashback

Serbia
➢ A heavy presence of police and military troops continued in and around centers in Serbia, failing to yield any improvement of the situation. Some of the recent repressive actions can only be described as an open intimidation of migrants without
any clear reason and against international humanitarian laws – using surveillance drones flying low above the tents or parading with heavy vehicles in camps both during the day and during the night.

➢ During his visit to Obrenovac RTC on April 16, Serbian Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin stated that migrants present a security and health risk to Serbian citizens, stressing that the camps will remain locked until the end of pandemic, guarded by the Serbian Army. Soon after, Obrenovac migrants demolished an internal CCTV system installed for camp’s surveillance, continuing tense relations
with the authorities.

➢ According to local media, another massive incident occurred on Easter Sunday in Adasevci Reception Center when approx. 50 migrants tried to leave (as an act of nonviolent protest). This protest also came as a result of dissatisfaction over being locked in overcrowded government run centers, inadequate services and in this case,
repeated complaints over poor food quality. The riot was halted when an officer of the Serbian Armed Forces fired warning bullets into the air. This is the second time that live bullets were used in Serbian camps against non-armed refugees and migrants in the state of emergency.

➢ In the 7th week of COVID-19 outbreak, the centers are not yet capable of fulfilling the universal recommendations on social distancing, quarantine requirements and
voluntary isolation.

➢ A boat with migrants capsized on the Serbia-Romania border last week, according to Romanian police. Allegedly, the boat carried 2 Serbian smugglers and 16 migrants of different origins (Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Palestine). Two persons drowned,
eight were reported missing and eight were rescued. Official report on the incident has yet to be issued, however it has been shown once again how illegal movement through Serbia is still very strong despite the lockdown.

➢ Deutsche Welle (DW) in Serbia reported on a mysterious international agreement between Austria and Serbia, which allegedly gives an option to Austria to return rejected asylum seekers on behalf they have previously passed through Serbia and their deportation to countries of origin is not possible. The Austrian Ministry of Interior confirmed that there is such a “working agreement” However, details have
been marked as secret and it is unclear whether or not the agreement has been implemented so far. Info Park expects this information to cause additional stir on Serbian political scene, since several right wing, anti migrant parties were accusing the government of “a secret agreement” between Austria and Serbia that has now
been formally confirmed. The right-wing groups accused Serbian authorities of secretly implementing the agreement in the first days of camps lockdown, bringing busloads of migrants from Austria to RTCs overnight. No reaction from the Serbian officials was noted so far.

➢ Serbia faced the longest general lockdown of 84 hours during the weekend. Results of fight against COVID-19 on Monday, 20 April, in Serbia are: Confirmed cases - 6,630, Deaths - 125, total number of tested people: 41,812. None of the 8,900 refugees, asylum seekers or migrants in Serbia have tested positive for COVID-19.

Bosnia and Herzegovina
➢ Although displacement of asylum seekers and other migrants to the new camp Lipa near Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina, was announced in March, it has not yet occurred. However, according to local B&H media, the first migrants should be accommodated this week, due to the coronavirus crisis. Fifty tents in total were erected on this site, which should accommodate 1,000 migrants.

Greece
➢ Following the closure of the migrant camps due to coronavirus pandemic, the restrictions on the movement of refugees and migrants thought Greece have been extended until 10 May. Meanwhile, a fire destroyed parts of one of Greece’s largest migrant camps on the Aegean island of Chios. The fire tore through Vial camp
destroying some accommodation and administrative facilities leaving a few hundred homeless. Three migrants have been arrested, according to Infomigrants portal.

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Bosnie-Herzégovine #Serbie #Grèce #Camp #Obrenovac #Adasevci #Roumanie #Lipa #Bihac #Chios #Vial #Révolte #Incendie #Accordderéadmission #Autriche

(Google Translation - original BCS] 

Stuck in BiH: Thousands of people without housing, food and medical assistance

Several thousand people are currently sleeping on the streets of Bihac, abandoned houses and former factories. There is no place for them at Camp Bira, and they survive with the help of locals and volunteers who organize themselves to provide them with food.

Several thousand people are currently sleeping on the streets of Bihac, abandoned houses and former factories. There is no place for them at Camp Bira, and they survive with the help of locals and volunteers who organize themselves to provide them with food.

One of the largest squats is located near Camp Bira. At the time the eTrafika team visited them, about 120 men were staying there. The spacious, abandoned two-story building is a temporary home for people from Pakistan, Agvanistan, Bangladesh… While some of them absorb sunlight in the open, others prepare lunch. We came without notice or acquaintance with any of them. We just showed up and asked if it was okay to have a little chat and record the atmosphere inside the building. Without thinking, they agreed and invited us to come in.

As they make their way around the chicken and rice courts, they tell us that volunteers occasionally visit them and bring them food. However, it is difficult to care for so many people and often not enough for everyone.

Here one knows who is doing what, while some are burning, others are chopping onions, cleaning potatoes, or kneading bread. They ask us if we like rice and then pour it into bowls and give it to us. None of them wants to stay here, but because of closed borders, they are currently “stuck” in BiH.

We also attended a farewell from a group of guys who went into the games (illegal border crossing). With large backpacks full of clothing and food for a ten-day walk, they searched for their friends in a crowd, then hugged them for a long time in greeting. This may be the last time they are seen live.

Across the city, people are moving around abandoned homes, about a dozen in each. They buy food at a nearby market or bring it to volunteers. All have repeatedly tried to cross the Croatian border and most have similar experiences.

“Croatian police take away all our belongings - phones, external batteries, sleeping bags, backpacks with food… They even force us to take off our shoes and jackets and then bring us back to BiH. Sometimes they beat us, sometimes they don’t. They didn’t touch me last time, "a young man from Pakistan tells us.

While they have no problems with the locals and the police, conflicts arise between them.

“Recently, a group of almost 20 Afghans came in for us overnight. They all had knives. They robbed us, but they did not hurt us. They took almost all the phones, we managed to hide two, ”he says.

Thirty kilometers further, in the settlement Tržac on the border with Croatia, the situation is almost identical, the difference is only in the number of people. In one of the abandoned houses we found a group of eight Pakistanis. Most of them want to go to Italy, while one young man is planning to reach Spain.

A young man from Pakistan
"I have been in BiH for two years, I tried to cross the border 30 times. I was caught once by the Slovenian police and 29 times by the Croatian police. They beat me up and took all the things I had. They even made me take off my shoes and then they lit it all up. Pakistan is a good country, but there is no business there, so I want to get to Spain. Some people are good here and some are not. The police are fine, they don’t touch us. The locals are really good, they give us flour, oil and milk, ”he tells us.

The locals we spoke with did not want to be filmed, but emphasized that they never had any problems with the people on the move.

“They take the water, charge the phones a little and that’s it,” an elderly woman we met near the house where people on the move are staying tells us.

Her neighbor points out that she has never had an awkward situation with them.

“Sometimes they come in front of the house, but they do not enter the yard. There was never a problem with them, they did not attack us. They look for abandoned houses where they can sleep, ”he explains.

So does her neighbor Suleiman.

"When they see which house is empty, that’s where they are. When we meet on the street there are no problems. I was a refugee and I understand them all, ”he emphasizes as he tidies up the yard.

In Sturlic, about 40 kilometers from Bihac, we met a young man from Libya named Ejub (35). As he tells us, he left home two years ago because of the war and reached BiH via Turkey, Greece, Macedonia and Serbia. It combined hiking and bus rides. Here he sleeps under the open sky.

"Our country is destroyed by war, you have no chance of a stable life and we are forced to look for it somewhere else. I’ve been in BiH for about two months. First I was in Sarajevo, so we came to Kladusa and then to Bihac. The campsites are full, there is no place for us. There are already more people there than beds. We sleep outside, we have no shelter, not even a tent. There are five of us traveling together. Our plan is to try to cross the border again. I want to get to Belgium, I have a family there. I have completed master studies in information technology. I hope to find a job in Belgium and make my living, ”he says.

Young men from Libya
So far, he has tried twice to cross the border, but has been caught and taken back by police and seized items he had with him. He has a very good opinion of the locals.

"Bosnians are good people, so far I have not met badly or had a problem with anyone. When you respect them, they respect you too. And the police are fine. When you register and give them your fingerprints for identification, they will not touch you. However, some refugees pose problems, ”he stresses.

During this time, marketers in Bihać make it clear that people on the move are not welcome at their facilities.

In order to remove people from the street and from abandoned buildings, a tent camp for 1,000 people was set up in the village of Lipa 20 kilometers from Bihac. The financiers are the City of Bihac, the European Union and USAID, who point out that everything is done according to international standards. On the other hand, volunteers warn that a new Wolf is preparing, an unconditional camp in which people will be separated from civilization. According to officials, the move of people on the move to Camp Lipa is planned for tomorrow.

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Bosnie-Herzégovine #Transfert #Camp #Lipa #Bihac #Tržac #Bira #Refoulement #Push-Back #Croatie

[Google Translation - original, BCS] 

Today the reception of the first migrants to the new Lipa camp
04/20/2020
Although Bihac City Council accepted Lipa as a new location to house migrants in November last year, authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina gave their consent only after the declaration of a coronavirus pandemic in BiH, to move several thousand migrants from the streets of Krajina cities.

Although the first displacement of migrants was announced in March, it has not yet occurred. According to official announcements, the first migrants are expected to enter the new Lipa camp today, so intensive training is being done to train the camp. 50 tents were erected on this site, which should house 1000 migrants.

ŠUHRET FAZLIĆ, Mayor of Bihać

“A project is underway that is certainly the largest construction undertaking in the Balkans. Who hasn’t been up there can’t know what’s going on. Up there is a million investments. 15 days ago, there was only a meadow upstairs; now, up to 1000 migrants are being accommodated, ”said Fazlic.

Since the authorities do not want the image of Vucjak to be repeated, the opening of the Lipa camp is delayed. The issue of electricity, water and drainage has been resolved and green light from the health sector is still pending.

According to the Cantonal Institute of Public Health, they receive daily reports from the DRC and IOM on the health status of migrants in reception centers. Migrants will be triaged at the entrance to Lipa and quarantined.

Epidemiologist ZARINA MULABDIC, Director of the Public Health Institute

"We are pleased with those found above. It just needs to be done until the end, something about the infrastructure that needs to be supplemented. It will be a great solution, not like Vučjak, to which I have given a negative opinion as an epidemiologist, ”said Mulabdić.

Lipa is primarily intended for the reception of migrants who are on the streets of Bihać and do not have basic living conditions worthy of a human being.

MUSTAFA RUZNIC, USK Prime Minister

“The capacity for now is 1000 migrants. We will see how the situation develops. You saw, it’s a small town by all standards, ”Ruznic said.

Epidemiologist ZARINA MULABDIC, Director of the Institute of Public Health

Our goal is to put what we have on the street in Lipa so that we have control, Mulabdić added.

The Una-Sana Cantonal Ministry of Interior says they are ready to move migrants, both those from the streets of Bihac and those who have a temporary roof over their heads in abandoned buildings.

NERMIN KLJAJIC, USK Minister of the Interior

"In this way, we will respect the decision of the Council of Ministers on an absolute ban on movement. I believe that some 400 to 500 migrants can be moved up to that location this week, Kljajic explained.

The citizens of Bihac are in self-isolation while migrants are free to roam the city streets while waiting for their relocation. Without basic hygiene and health conditions, the threat of widespread coronavirus pandemics is open.

►https://bhrt.ba/1134278/danas-prijem-prvih-migranata-u-novi-kamp-lipa

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Bosnie-Herzégovine #Transfert #Camp #Lipa #Bihac

(Via Migreurop)

Une femme enceinte somalienne, qui réside à l’hôtel ‘Galaxias’ à Ermionida (Péloponnèse) lequel héberge 500 réfugiés, a été diagnostiquée positive au coronavirus Dimanche soir à l’hôpital de Nafplio.

Le cas a été confirmé par le Maire d’Ermionida, qui a fait aujourd’hui la communication suivante :

« Il existe de nouvelles informations en ce qui concerne la propagation du virus dans notre région. Hier, très tard dans le soir, une réfugiée de l’hôtel Galaxias à été transportée à l’Hôpital Général de Nafplio via le Centre Médical Public de Kranidi. Son hospitalisation n’était pas jugée nécessaire et elle est rentrée à l’hôtel. Pourtant le test diagnostique est positif, c’est-à-dire la femme est positive asymptomatique au coronavirus. Le cas a été rapporté l’Organisme National de santé publique (EODY) et une équipe médicale est envoyée à l’hôtel Galaxias ».
(Source en grec : argolikeseidhseis.gr)

L’équipe médicale, qui en ce moment (Lundi après-midi) se trouve à Galaxias et est en train de tester les réfugiés y résidant ainsi que le personnel de l’Hôtel, a été accompagné par le représentant du Ministère de la Santé Sotiris Tsiodras, le sous-ministre de la Protection Civile Nikos Hardalias et le ministre de l’Immigration et de l’Asile Notis Mitarakis.
Notons que, il ya quelques jours, une femme de ménage étrangère a été testée positive au virus et a été transportée à l’hôpital à Athènes, tandis que son mari présente aussi des symptômes. En plus, Samedi soir une femme de 39 d’origine de Congo est morte subitement, sans être pourtant diagnostiquée positive au virus.
La communication du Ministère de l’Immigration et de l’Asile rapporte que la femme enceinte somalienne, âgée de 28 ans, a été transportée à l’hôpital pour des raisons de santé non corrélatives au virus, mais après contrôle médical elle a été diagnostiquée positive à covid 19. Elle est sans symptômes et en ce moment elle se trouve complètement isolée dans sa chambre à l’hôtel. Depuis Jeudi soir, l’Hôtel Galaxias est mis en quarantaine totale pour des raisons de prévention, parce qu’une femme qui y travaille a été diagnostiquée positive. Une autre femme, de 39 ans et originaire du Soudan, est morte subitement Samedi soir mais elle a testée négative au virus. A l’Hôtel Galaxias résident 470 demandeurs d’asile dans leur majorité en provenance de pays de l’Afrique subsaharienne.

►https://www.thetoc.gr/koinwnia/article/anisuxia-stin-ermionida---somali-pou-diamenei-se-xenodoxeio-me-prosfuges-bret

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce
#Galaxias #Ermionida #Péloponèse #Hôtel #quarantaine

Grèce : Un incendie provoque d’importants dégâts dans un camp de migrants

L’incendie, consécutif à des violences provoquées par la mort d’une migrante irakienne, a détruit une grande partie des services administratifs du camp de Vial

20 Minutes avec agences

Publié le 20/04/20 à 16h26 — Mis à jour le 20/04/20 à 16h26

Le camp de réfugiés de Vial à Chios, en Grèce, le 24 décembre 2019.

Un incendie a gravement endommagé samedi soir le camp de migrants de Vial, sur l’île de Chios ( Grèce). Le feu a détruit les installations du service d’asile européen, une cantine, des tentes et de nombreux conteneurs aménagés en logement, a déclaré dimanche Manos Logothetis, un responsable du ministère des Migrations, précisant qu’aucun blessé n’avait été signalé.

Selon le porte-parole à Athènes du Haut-Commissariat de l’ONU aux réfugiés (HCR), Boris Cheshirkov, l’évaluation des dégâts est en cours, mais « des centaines de personnes vont probablement être touchées parce que leur abri a brûlé ». « Nous avons donné aux autorités (grecques) des tentes qui peuvent être utilisées rapidement et nous allons aider à remplacer les tentes servant d’entrepôts », a-t-il ajouté.

Trois habitants du camp arrêté

L’incendie est consécutif à des violences provoquées par la mort d’une migrante irakienne de 47 ans. Trois habitants du camp, l’un des plus grands de Grèce, ont été arrêtés en lien avec ces violences, d’après une source au sein de la police locale. « Nous sommes parvenus à rétablir l’ordre vers 1 h du matin (…) Beaucoup de gens ont pris part à ces événements », a ajouté cette source. Selon Aziz Husseini, une Afghane de 30 ans, mère de deux enfants, des habitants du camp ont « attaqué les entrepôts de nourriture, ont mis le feu au centre d’information et (…) aux réfrigérateurs ».

L’Irakienne décédée, elle, avait été hospitalisée avec de la fièvre durant la semaine. Elle avait été testée négative au nouveau coronavirus, avait rapporté samedi l’agence de presse publique ANA.

La crainte du coronavirus

Les camps de migrants en Grèce ont été mis en quarantaine ces dernières semaines, les autorités essayant de maintenir leurs résidents à l’écart des locaux. Le virus a jusqu’à présent tué 110 personnes dans le pays et 67 malades sont en soins intensifs. Des cas de coronavirus ont été enregistrés dans deux camps sur le continent, mais aucun jusqu’à présent dans ceux installés sur les îles.

Comme tous les camps de migrants sur les îles grecques, Vial est surpeuplé, avec plus de 5.000 personnes vivant dans un espace prévu pour un millier. Le ministère des Migrations avait annoncé jeudi vouloir entamer dimanche le transfert vers sa partie continentale de centaines de demandeurs d’asile âgés ou malades afin de les protéger du coronavirus. Parallèlement, la relocalisation de 1.600 mineurs isolés, originaires de pays en guerre, a commencé dans la semaine.

▻https://www.20minutes.fr/monde/2764275-20200420-grece-incendie-provoque-importants-degats-camp-migrants

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Camp #îlesgrecques #hotspot #Chios #Vial #incendie #incident #révolte

Grèce : violent incendie dans un camp de migrants après des violences

Un incendie a détruit, samedi soir, une partie d’un camp de demandeurs d’asile sur une île de la mer Égée. Les dégâts sont importants. Avec notre correspondant à Athènes, Joël Bronner

Le camp de Vial, sur l’île de Chios, est l’un des cinq centres d’accueil surpeuplés des îles grecques de la mer Égée, voisines de la Turquie.

Les autorités grecques ont annoncé que des tentes, des conteneurs et une grande partie des services administratifs du camp avaient été détruits dans l’incendie qui s’est déclaré ce samedi.

Trois personnes ont aussi été arrêtées en relation avec les violences qui ont éclaté après la mort, peu avant, dans le camp, d’une demandeuse d’asile irakienne de 47 ans, rapporte l’AFP.

Des camps surpeuplés

Aucun des centres répartis sur les îles de la mer Égée n’est adapté au nombre de demandeurs d’asile qui frappent à la porte de l’Europe. Ni à Lesbos où se trouve Moria, le plus grand camp du continent, ni à Samos, Kos, Levros ou Chios, où s’est donc déclaré l’incendie de ce week-end.

À Chios justement, ils sont près de 5 000 à s’entasser dans un espace prévu pour environ 1 000 personnes. Sur l’ensemble des cinq îles, on dénombre pas moins de 36 000 demandeurs d’asile. Six fois plus, en moyenne, que le nombre de places disponibles.

Alors à Lesbos, à Samos, à Chios, régulièrement, les flammes s’attaquent aux structures de lieux, qu’habitants et ONG décrivent bien souvent comme un enfer. Sur ces trois îles, Athènes envisage la mise en place prochaine d’un nouveau camp, suscitant ces derniers mois l’hostilité de la population locale.

Ces camps, aux conditions de vie et d’hygiène misérables, sont le symbole des limites de la politique européenne des « hotspots », ces centres administratifs qui enregistrent les demandeurs d’asile et les maintiennent sur place, souvent pendant des mois ou des années.

▻http://www.rfi.fr/fr/europe/20200419-gr%C3%A8ce-violent-incendie-camp-migrants-apr%C3%A8s-violences

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Camp #îlesgrecques #hotspot #Chios #Vial #incendie #incident #révolte #Lesbos #Moria #Samos #Kos

Oumar, sur l’île de Chios : « Le bâtiment s’est enflammé alors que des personnes dormaient à l’intérieur »

Oumar*, originaire d’Afrique de l’ouest, vit dans le camp de Vial, sur l’île grecque de Chios, depuis plusieurs mois. En contact avec InfoMigrants, le jeune homme raconte comment les violences ont éclaté dans la soirée du samedi 18 avril, provoquant l’incendie de plusieurs structures.

"Les violences ont débuté samedi soir. Une femme irakienne, malade et souffrant terriblement, s’est vu refuser l’accès à un médecin par les autorités du camp. Un peu plus tard, elle est décédée. [Selon l’agence de presse grecque ANA, cette femme avait été hospitalisée plus tôt dans la semaine en raison d’une fièvre. Elle avait alors été testée négative au Covid-19, NDLR.]

Les communautés arabe et afghane se sont alors révoltées. Les migrants se sont mis à vandaliser et incendier des boutiques, les bureaux administratifs et les services de l’asile, le poste de police, les toilettes mobiles, etc.

Ils étaient très en colère. Je les comprends car la situation est très compliquée dans le camp [Plus de 5 000 migrants vivent entassés dans le camp de Vial, prévu initialement pour 1 000 personnes, NDLR]. C’est encore plus dur avec le coronavirus car nous sommes livrés à nous-mêmes et nous avons très peu d’informations.

Face à la révolte, la police a fait usage de la force et a utilisé des gaz lacrymogènes. Les migrants prenaient la fuite, ils couraient dans tous les sens.

« Tout a brûlé, nous n’avons plus rien »
Dans leur riposte, les policiers ont jeté des gaz lacrymogènes en direction du bâtiment des Africains, qui eux n’avaient pas pris part aux violences. La structure s’est enflammée alors que des personnes dormaient à l’intérieur. Les femmes et les enfants criaient de peur. On était tous en panique. Heureusement, tout le monde a réussi à sortir sain et sauf.

Mais nos documents administratifs ont brûlé à l’intérieur. Nous n’avons plus rien, à part les vêtements que nous portions. Tout a brûlé !

Après l’intervention de la police, le calme est rapidement revenu dans le camp. Les autorités nous ont relogés dans un autre bâtiment, qui servait à stocker des bidons d’eau.

Hier (dimanche, NDLR), la directrice du camp est venue nous rendre visite en réaction aux violences. Elle nous a seulement dit que le Premier ministre travaillait sur le dossier et allait revenir avec des solutions.

Pour l’heure, nous ne savons pas ce qu’il va se passer."

*Le prénom a été modifié et le pays d’origine n’est pas mentionné pour garantir l’anonymat d’Oumar.

►https://www.infomigrants.net/fr/post/24226/oumar-sur-l-ile-de-chios-le-batiment-s-est-enflamme-alors-que-des-pers

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Camp #îlesgrecques #hotspot #Chios #Vial #incendie #incident #révolte

Fire wrecks Greek refugee camp after unrest over woman’s death

Iraqi woman, 47, dies after going to hospital with fever but testing negative for Covid-19

Agence France-Presse in Athens

Sun 19 Apr 2020

The overcrowded Vial refugee camp on Chios island hosts around 5,000 migrants.

The overcrowded Vial refugee camp on Chios island hosts around 5,000 migrants.

A fire ripped through one of Greece’s largest migrant camps, leaving widespread damage and many people homeless after the death of an Iraqi woman sparked unrest.

The blaze late on Saturday at the Vial refugee camp on Chios island destroyed the facilities of the European asylum service, a canteen, warehouse tents and many housing containers, Greek migration ministry secretary Manos Logothetis said.

“A large part of the camp’s administrative services was destroyed,” said Logothetis, adding that no injuries were reported.

The UN refugee agency’s spokesperson in Athens Boris Cheshirkov said the damage was still being evaluated but that many camp residents were likely to have been left homeless.

“Authorities are still assessing the damages but a few hundred people are likely affected because their shelters have burned down. We have donated tents to the authorities which can quickly be put into use and we will assist in replacing the warehouse tents,” he said.

At least three vehicles outside the camp were also gutted.

A police source in Athens said two Afghans and an Iraqi had been arrested in relation to the unrest, which erupted after a 47-year-old asylum seeker from Iraq died in the camp on Saturday.

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“We managed to restore order at around 1am ... There were many people who took part in the incidents,” another police source on Chios said.

The Iraqi woman had been taken with a fever to a hospital earlier this week. At the time, a test for coronavirus had returned negative, state news agency ANA reported.

Migrant camps in Greece have been under quarantine in recent weeks, with authorities trying to keep their residents away from locals.

The virus has so far killed 110 people in Greece with 67 more in intensive care.

According to official figures there have been coronavirus cases in two camps on the mainland but no cases have been reported in island camps so far.

Like all Greece’s island camps, Vial is overcrowded with more than 5,000 people living in a space intended for around 1,000.

Around 100,000 asylum seekers are stranded in Greece after other European states closed their borders in 2016.

There are more than 36,000 people in camps on islands close to Turkey that were originally built for just 6,100.

The migration ministry has said it will begin moving hundreds of elderly and ailing asylum seekers out of the island camps to protect them from coronavirus.

A scheme to gradually relocate 1,600 unaccompanied minors from war-torn countries to other European nations also began this week.

►https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/19/fire-wrecks-greek-migrant-camp-after-iraqi-death-sparks-unrest

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Camp #îlesgrecques #hotspot #Chios #Vial #incendie #incident #révolte

Via Migreurop (Vicky Skoumbi)

VIAL (hotspot de Chios) : Trois arrestations - Les causes du décès de la femme de 47 ans ne sont toujours pas connues

Trois personnes ont été arrêtées lors des incidents d’hier et sont actuellement détenues à la Direction de la police de Chios. On ne sait toujours pas s’il y aura une enquête officielle ouverte par le service médico-légal de l’hôpital de Chios pour déterminer la cause du décès de la réfugiée de 47 décédée il y a deux jours.

Plusieurs départs d’incendie, des jets de pierres, des affrontements avec blessés et des arrestations ont eu lieu la nuit dernière et jusqu’aux premières heures du matin dans le camp de VIAL, lors d’incidents entre des réfugiés vivant dans le Hotspot et les forces de police.

VIAL était depuis des jours, un chaudron en ébullition et celui-ci a fini par éclater ; l’explosion a laissé derrière elles des familles qui n’ont plus aucun abri et errent pieds nus dans les champs autour du Hotspot sans un seul recharge de vêtements ou même une couverture, le bureau du service d’asile détruit par l’incendie, deux voitures brûlées, dont une de police, des tentes et des abris improvisées avec tous les biens de leurs occupants réduits en cendre. , une cantine complètement détruite et des centaines de personnes désespérées.

Les incidents ont commencé vers 21 heures lorsque les premières flammes ont englouti le Service d’asile. Les pompiers n’ont pas pu intervenir car en même temps des groupes de réfugiés s’affrontaient avec les forces de police qui avaient riposté avec des gaz lacrymogènes, transformant la région en enfer.

En peu de temps, toute la région était devenue un champ de bataille, alors que des affrontements entre la police et les demandeurs d’asile s’étaient étendus autour du hotspot, dans les champs où campent environ 4 500 personnes .

La tension avait commencé à monter en début d’après-midi lorsqu’une femme irakienne de 47 ans a été retrouvée morte dans un conteneur médicalisé installé par la Région de la mer Égée du Nord à l’entrée du camp.
La femme y était restée pendant trois jours, après s’être rendue à l’hôpital jeudi avec des symptômes considérés comme suspects de coronavirus. Cependant, le test, prélevé et examiné à l’Institut Pasteur, a été négatif et la femme est donc retournée à VIAL, après avoir reçu des instructions pour les médicaments pour ses maladies chroniques ; elle souffrait de diabète et d’arythmies cardiaques.

"Elle-même dans les derniers jours a été très inquiète et nerveuse. Elle se plaignait qu’elle ne se sentait pas bien et qu’elle ne mangeait pas ses repas. Cependant, elle suivait fidèlement le traitement, puisque son mari était proche d’elle et a eu l’aide de membres d’une ONG médicalement qualifiée », ont-ils déclaré au Journal des Rédacteurs des personnes bien informées.
Cependant, cela n’a pas suffi et donc le samedi à midi, la femme fut été transportée morte à l’hôpital de Chios, et son décès a provoqué tout ce qui a suivi.

La femme aurait été retrouvée morte avec de la nourriture dans la bouche, ce qui a d’abord conduit à l’hypothèse que sa mort était le résultat d’une noyade, mais l’hypothèse d’un arrêt cardiaque ou d’une embolie pulmonaire sont considérés comme également probables.
Malheureusement, on ne sait toujours pas s’il y aura un rapport officiel sur les causes du décès par le service médico-légal de l’hôpital de Chios.

Ce qui est certain, c’est que si la femme était gardée à l’hôpital, ses chances de rester en vie en vie auraient été nettement plus grandes.

►https://www.efsyn.gr/ellada/koinonia/239861_bial-treis-syllipseis-agnosta-ta-aitia-thanatoy-tis-47hronis

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Camp #îlesgrecques #hotspot #Chios #Vial #incendie #incident #révolte

Curbs on movement of refugees extended util May 10

The restrictions on the movement of refugees and migrants living in camps or accommodation centres thought the country have been extended until May 10, as part of the measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the government said Monday.

The decision was included in a joint ministerial decision signed by Citizen Protection Minister Mihalis Chrysochoidis, Health Minister Vasilis Kikilias and Migration Minister Notis Mitarakis, according to the Migration Ministry on Monday.

▻https://www.ekathimerini.com/251846/article/ekathimerini/news/curbs-on-movement-of-refugees-extended-util-may-10

#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Camp

Politics of abandonment
Refugees on Greek islands during the coronavirus crisis
Bilgin Ayata
Artemis Fyssa
14 April 2020

Social distancing is impossible when 1200 people share a single tap. The Greek government is using the pandemic to segregate refugees from citizens but hasn’t provided the means for prevention. If this politics of abandonment continues, grossly overcrowded camps will become death traps. The Eurozine miniseries reports from Greece.
▻https://www.eurozine.com/politics-of-abandonment
#Covid-19 #Migration #Migrant #Balkans #Grèce #Camp #Ilesgrecques