Fire destroys Moria refugee camp

Germany agrees to welcome over 1,500 people from Moria, the refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos that was destroyed after a fire. The fire that broke out on September 8th night at different locations of the Moria camp, Europe’s largest refugee camp, has left thousands of people homeless. The camp was home to 13,000 people, including children, most from Afghanistan and African countries.

 The cause of the fire is not exact yet. Greek police have detained six people. Associated Press agency reported the fire was started by some camp residents who were angry due to the isolation orders that were imposed as 35 people had been tested positive for Covid-19. The UN Refugee Agency has warned for years the dangerously overcrowded conditions in these camps, where people lived in makeshift homes with limited access to toilets or showers.

 During the week after the fire mothers with babies and families were forced to improvise a shelter by sleeping on the sides of the roads, at gas stations or even into the local cemetery. A new temporary refugee camp has now been set up in Kara Tepe. However, there have been protests and confrontations with the Greek police who have fired tear gas at immigrants because some of the former residents of Moria do not want to return to a camp. “We don’t want food, we want freedom,” read one of the banners in a cardboard box seen in the protest.