13,000 people, from an estimated 70 countries remain in desperate need of aid as a result of a blaze that engulfed Moria, Europe’s largest refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos.  In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Human Rights Watch as recently as April 2020 warned that the Greek authorities had “not done enough” to address Moria’s severe overcrowding and lack of health care, water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities. 

The fire which swept through the camp on 8 September 2020 devastated the few existing services in the camp and incinerated hundreds of inhabited tents, tarpaulins, and containers. Against the backdrop of the ongoing global pandemic, the humanitarian crisis in the camp rages on.  

THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE

According to the local fire chief, over a short period fires broke out in multiple locations across the camp with the twenty firefighters allocated to the blaze taking hours to get it under control.  One resident told journalists that almost the whole camp was affected by the blaze and stated that "now with the first light I can see that there is a few tents that make it, they are okay, but the rest of the camp, as I can see from this distance, is burnt out."

It remains unclear what caused the fire. Moria had been placed under quarantine in the days preceding the fire due to confirmation of the first cases of Covid-19 in the camp. Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said "incidents in Moria began with the asylum seekers because of the quarantine imposed" and Michalis Fratzeskos, Deputy Mayor for Civil Protection, claimed the fires were "premeditated". 

Yet witnesses stated that refugees were the first on the scene and worked to prevent the fire from spreading. It is reported that at least one woman, Faride Tajik, a mother and refugee, was killed. In response to claims by authorities that refugees started the fires and hindered rescue efforts, one camp resident responded “There is war everywhere. Why would we start a fire here? Why would we burn ourselves?”  

THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FIRE

Moria opened on the Greek island of Lesbos in 2015 as a registration centre designed to temporarily hold 3000 people. When the fire broke out, the facility was holding more than four times its capacity. As a result, the damage caused by the fire was substantial, with thousands of people becoming homeless during a period when the island was affected by extreme storms. The fire also had the worst impact on the part of the island where most of the supermarkets, warehouses and petrol stations are located, resulting in them being unable to operate. 

Following the fire, authorities set up a temporary facility of 1000 tents in a former army firing range. However, residents were reluctant to move into it due to fears of it turning into a “second Moria”. Instead adults and children sheltered on roadsides and in car parks.  

Officials claim that approximately 35 residents had been diagnosed with Covid-19 at the time of the fire’s outbreak. Unfortunately, as a result of residents having had to flee Moria, those diagnosed were largely untraceable. Frantzeskos described the situation as an “atomic bomb…people have headed to the mountains, they’re [scattered] everywhere.” Officials have since recorded hundreds of positive Covid-19 cases among refugees and asylum seekers.

The fire has heightened the local population’s fears about the spread of Covid-19, causing relations between authorities, locals, and refugees to worsen. Greek riot police have used tear gas to suppress refugees protesting against the conditions on the island following the fire. They have also set up roadblocks to prevent refugees from entering the neighbouring towns and port in search of food and water.

RESPONSES TO THE TRAGEDY

In response to the fire, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a four-month-long public health state of emergency in Lesbos. Subsequently the Greek Migration Minister said that “Moria as we have known it cannot continue”. He went on to pledge that the Government would continue with their plans to create “closed” detention centres on the island, in which they claim residents can be monitored more closely. The International Rescue Committee and Amnesty International have both condemned the proposed scheme.

Ten countries across the European Union, including Germany and France, have agreed to assist in the efforts by taking in a total of 400 unaccompanied children from Lesbos. This is despite German states such as Hanover and Thuringia announcing that they would be willing to take in significantly greater numbers. Protests broke out across Germany following the government’s announcement, under the motto “We have room”, urging that the government does more to assist the refugees.  

The refugees on the island, who include thousands of children and vulnerable people, remain in desperate need of not only basic relief and protection, but also a long-term humanitarian solution. However, as local attitudes continue to harden and European countries remain focused on their domestic challenges, aid, let alone a resolution, is far from imminent.    

Rebecca is due to begin the GDL in September, having graduated with a BA in History from Durham University. In the intervening years, she worked at a global asset management firm where, alongside her role, she helped lead their charitable efforts in the UK. Following her legal studies, she hopes to pursue a career at the Bar.

LinkedIn