Migrant arrivals continue to buffer zone, 86 now stranded

The number of migrants stranded in the buffer zone has reached 86, as arrivals continue unabated to the Green Line without access to asylum proceedings, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, a further 13 had reached the area, following another six on Sunday.

Since mid-May, dozens of migrants who had reached the buffer zone from the north via Turkey have been barred by the Republic of Cyprus from accessing asylum procedures.

The government has cited the Green Line regulation but the policy has been slammed by human rights experts and caused a clash with the UN.

Currently, there are eight children in the buffer zone including one unaccompanied minor.

Permanent secretary at the deputy ministry of migration Lambros Kaoullas told the Cyprus Mail “we are in an open and constant communication with the UN peacekeeping force (Unficyp) and the UNHCR.”

The dialogue so far “is going well” and efforts are underway to find a solution “so that the people in the tents don’t have to suffer.”

The EU Commission previously stressed the right to seek asylum for the migrants, amid safety concerns.

A day earlier, some of the migrants made a ‘tepid’ attempt to enter government-controlled areas but were stopped by police, according to Menelaos Savva, community leader of nearby Avlona.

The government is now facing a lawsuit from 46 migrants part of the larger group denied access to asylum proceedings.

They have been living in UN tents in the buffer zone for weeks.

Allegations over the incidents include that migrants were intercepted within the Republic, placed in unmarked vehicles and driven to the buffer zone, where they were reportedly “dumped,” according to the UN.

This has allegedly even happened to individuals who were attempting to apply for asylum at the Pournara reception centre.

Deputy Minister for Migration Nicholas Ioannides previously said that the legal service is handling the lawsuit alongside the relevant ministries.

He criticised the fact that they travelled via Turkey, which he described as a safe country.

“Our position is clear. We will not accept these people. We do not want the Green Line to become a passage for migrants.”