Cyprus: New illegal immigration routes converge on divided island
By France24
29 August 2021 |
3:25 pm
The Mediterranean island of Cyprus is now the European country that receives the most asylum seekers relative to its population. In 2020, this nation of 875,000 registered 7,000 applications for asylum. With borders on the Balkan route largely closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and migration policies tightening, Cyprus now finds itself on the frontline. More and more migrants from Syria, Lebanon and sub-Saharan Africa are taking great risks to get to the island in the hope of reaching Europe.
In this article
Related
29 May 2022
Greek Cypriot Andreas Lordos is fighting for the restitution of his family’s property, as well as for reconciliation with Turkish Cypriots. He has been regularly travelling to the island’s Turkish-occupied north.
28 May 2022
A controversial public health order invoked by the Trump administration in 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19 in migrant holding facilities was due to be lifted on Monday. But a federal judge has quashed the move.
19 Jun 2022
In Northern Cyprus, a booming industry in higher education has lured many African students with the chance to work in Europe. Unfortunately, many of these students end up saddled with debt and left vulnerable to loan sharks and human traffickers.
21 Jun 2022
The Cypriot government says the vast majority of migrants enter the island's breakaway north via Turkey and then seek asylum in the EU-backed south. Arrivals doubled to about 10,000 in the first five months of this year.
19 Jul 2022
Although Ottawa defends itself, the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration found that Canada’s immigration process could be ridden with bias and racial prejudice. In 2021, the rejection rate for visas for French-speaking African students was close to 70%. A processing software used by the ministry called Chinook was also targeted by the group. Several organisations and immigration advocates are calling out the processes in place, which they say lead to systemic racism.
5 Aug 2022
Refining oil illegally is so lucrative in Nigeria that many engage in the practice despite the dangers and a government crackdown. Some of those involved told DW they had no other option to earn a living.
26 Aug 2022
Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Friday.
8 Oct
NATO countries and other allies of Ukraine have been quick to slam Russia's illegal annexation of parts of the country, and some have already hit back with fresh punitive measures.
3 Oct
When the war began, Ukrainian authorities stopped extending Russian citizens' residency permits. Since then, their status has become unclear and many face deportation.
9 Oct
Russia's upper house has rubber-stamped the annexation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson. Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree to formally rule out talks with Vladimir Putin.
10 Oct
A court in The Hague railed against conditions at asylum centers in the Netherlands. The situation got so bad this summer that Doctors Without Borders deployed teams over humanitarian concerns.
22 Oct
The vast Casamance forest region in Senegal is known for its rare woods: rosewood, and the Cayor pear tree, among others. Officially they are protected, but armed independence fighters smuggle the wood on the black market. These groups often raze entire plots of land and then export the wood, mainly to China via neighbouring Gambia. Clashes with the fighters have killed several people this year.
Latest
23 mins ago
Ukraine's National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption has added the Germany-based multinational food wholesaler to its list of "international sponsors of war." Metro is accused of maintaining business with Russia.
1 hour ago
As the West cracks down on Chinese tech, video surveillance firms are also facing increased scrutiny. But global demand for Chinese surveillance cameras isn't waning, despite fears they could be used for spying.
1 hour ago
Following weeks of mass protests and a day of nationwide turmoil, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yielded to pressure and agreed to postpone his controversial judicial reforms as of March 27th. This decision was a significant reversal for his government, which had fired the defense minister just a day earlier in response to his demands for a delay in the divisive law.
1 hour ago
Kenyan President William Ruto vowed on Tuesday to protect his citizens amid the ongoing anti-government protests, which have seen many lose their homes and businesses in the aftermath, while opposition leader Raila Odinga said he will continue on with demonstrations.
2 hours ago
The Orthodox monks accused of Russia links have been ordered out of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery. But they refuse to vacate the complex.