And this picture is quite far from what the Greek authorities recorded in 2022, where 500-2,000 arrived on the Greek islands or the Evros per month.
The escalation of flows since the summer has not created a problem on the islands, although the number of migrants and refugees has greatly increased. In February 2023, there were approximately 4,500 refugees living on the five islands with Reception Centers, namely Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Leros. In February 2024, this number will be 11,000. Of course, if one observes the development in the intervening months, one will see a very noticeable drop from January to February, where within 30 days, despite the new arrivals, the total number of residents on the islands decreased by 28%, as in January about 15,700 people were accommodated in the state structures.
What is certain, however, is the impressive increase in flows within 12 months which shows that the movement of populations is increased. From March 2023 to February 2024, 50,000 migrants and refugees came from Turkish shores compared to just 18,000 in the same period in 2022-2023, recording an increase of more than 170%. And all this, given the good neighborly relations with Turkey since October in immigration and the open communication channel of the two Coast Guards.
The Minister of Immigration and Asylum, Mr. Dimitris Kairides. There are no government structures on the island, however the figures of arrivals clearly show the significant increase in cases and individuals. It is estimated that the numbers in January and February 2024 are comparable to one year’s figures for Crete. Specifically, in 2023, 17 incidents were recorded, with 604 migrants being rescued south of Crete, while in the first two months of 2024, 15 incidents and 780 people have already been recorded.
Mr. Kairides described the number of immigrants who have disembarked so far as very small, while he emphasized that there is constant vigilance. He noted that “Gavdos will not become Lampedusa and Greece will not experience a crisis like the one it experienced in 2015, despite the highly burdened international environment, with wars, civil wars, etc. around us” and added that “since last November there has been a flow to Gavdos and southern Crete from eastern Libya, the numbers are small, they are very small, we are talking about a thousand migrants in total in these last months. However, there is no doubt that, given what is happening today in Egypt, which is shaken by the economic crisis and of course, more broadly in the Sahel, we have the great refugee crisis from Sudan due to the bloody civil war and of course in the Middle East. There can only be reflection and constant vigilance,” said Mr. Dimitris Kairides.
Justifying the opinion that Gavdos and southern Crete are not at risk from the continuous and ever-increasing flows of migrants, Mr. Kairides said that “today there are tools that did not exist in 2015, as well as infrastructure both at national and European level for the better approach to the issue”.
In recent statements, the Deputy Mayor for Social Policy of the Municipality of Chania, Ms. Eleni Zerboudaki has made it clear that the Municipality cannot afford and cannot practically continue to bear the burden of hosting the arriving immigrants. She emphasized in the previous days that “from now on, when the weather will get better, expect that we will have a huge wave of migration. From the reports of the people themselves, it seems that there are about 4,000 people behind who are waiting to come this way.”
It is a fact that the destabilization of Egypt will bring with it a huge wave of immigration. Many Egyptians are leaving the country, mainly due to the dramatic economic situation. Egypt has been more affected than all neighboring countries by the crisis in the Middle East, the situation in Suez and the attacks of the Houthi rebels.
“The geopolitical and military crises in this particularly sensitive geopolitical part of the world undoubtedly have significant implications. The Middle East, Red Sea and East Africa (Horn of Africa) region has always been a region of multiple crises. I list the crisis in Yemen as an example, which has been a political, military and humanitarian crisis for years. The crisis in Gaza is well known how it develops. Political and economic instability worsened in Sudan. And the climate crisis has been hitting the Horn of Africa relentlessly for many years. All this leads to an increase in the flow of refugees and immigrants. Inevitably, Egypt, the point of stability in the Arab world, is today at a critical juncture. He loses a large part of his income every day due to the crisis in Suez. This inevitably causes strong shocks in a fragile Egyptian economy. A potential political and economic destabilization in Egypt will have major consequences not only for the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Europe, but also globally. Migration flows of refugees and migrants to Europe will undoubtedly increase. Europe must therefore prepare diplomatically and operationally. We already have some worrying indications from increased flows appearing from Libya to the south of Crete” the Minister of Shipping said in an interview Christos Stylianidis.
#months #Gavdos #received #flows #year