Filenews 20 June 2022 - by Despina Psyllou
Thousands of people in Cyprus have sought a new beginning and another homeland, with new asylum applications reaching almost 30,000 in the last 2.5 years. In the first five months of 2022 alone, 9,647 new applications were registered. This is a jump in the number, as there are 1,929 applications per month, ie twice the number in 2021 which corresponded to 1,102 applications per month and four times the number in 2020 which corresponded to 591 per month. The population of people seeking refuge away from hostilities or even misery is particularly large for the size of the country, with the competent authorities numb in the face of the immigration crisis. At the same time, the right to seek security is focused this year on World Refugee Day, which is celebrated every year on June 20. Purpose, to highlight the strength and courage of people who were forced to flee their homeland to escape conflict and persecution. According to data from the Asylum Service, provided to "F", in the first five months of 2022 Cyprus received 9,647 asylum applications. Of these, the first country of origin is Congo (18%) with 1,735 applications. They are followed by Nigeria (18%) with 1,733, Syria (12%) with 1,181, Pakistan (10%) with 977, Bangladesh (7%) with 648, Somalia (6%) with 557, Cameroon (6 %) with 551, Afghanistan (5%) with 522, India (3%) 272, Nepal (2%) with 218 and other countries (13%) with 1,253. Of the 9,647 asylum applications in 2022, 2,739 were rejected. 310 in January, 378 in February, 974 in March, 730 in April and 347 in May. A year earlier, during 2021, Cyprus received 13,235 asylum applications, while 9,962 were rejected. Of these, the country with the largest origin of new asylum seekers was Syria (23%) with 3,051 applicants. They were followed by Congo (13%) with 1,723, Nigeria (12%) 1,555, Pakistan (8%) with 998, India (7%) with 986, Cameroon (6%) with 775, Bangladesh (5 %) with 686, Somalia (5%) with 677, Nepal (5%) with 619, Sierra Leone (3%) with 460 and other countries (13%) with 1,705. During 2020, Cyprus received 7,094 asylum applications, with 1,730 being rejected. Of these, the country with the largest origin was Syria (25%) with 1,738 applicants. They were followed by India (16%) with 1,112, Cameroon (9%) with 632, Bangladesh (8%) with 566, Pakistan (7%) with 490, Congo (5%) with 386, Nigeria ( 5%) with 374, Nepal (5%) with 331, Georgia (4%) with 262, Egypt (2%) with 177 and other countries (14%) with 1,026. Over 17,000 were rejected in six years. From 2015 to 2021, over a period of six years, a total of 17,363 asylum applications have been rejected. Most during 2021. Specifically, 9,962 applications were rejected last year. In 2020 the 1,730, in 2019 the 2,053, in 2018 the 1,260, in 2017 the 1,209, in 2016 the 676 and in 2015 the 473. About World Refugee Day Every year on June 20, World Refugee Day is celebrated to highlight the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Cyprus. This year, it is clarified, the focus is on the right to seek security. "World Refugee Day is an opportunity to raise awareness and understanding of the plight of all those forced to flee, and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives. "While it is important to protect and improve the lives of refugees every day, international days such as World Refugee Day are helping to focus global attention on the plight of those fleeing conflict and persecution." Record levels in world displacement The number of people being forced to flee their homes has risen year by year to the highest levels ever, a trend that can only be reversed with a new concerted effort to bring peace, the UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] said. By the end of 2021, the number of people displaced by war, violence, persecution and human rights abuses had reached 89.3 million, up 8% from last year and at least twice as many as ten years ago, according to the UNHCR's annual Global Trends report. Since then, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has caused one of the fastest and largest displacement crises since World War II, and other emergencies, from Africa to Afghanistan and beyond, have made the number of displaced exceed the dramatic milestone of 100 million. Last year stood out for the number of conflicts. A total of 23 countries, with a population of 850 million people, have experienced moderate or high-intensity conflicts. The number of refugees increased in 2021 to 27.1 million, while the number of asylum seekers increased by 11%, reaching 4.6 million. Last year, the number of displaced persons from their country also increased for the 15th consecutive year, reaching 53.2 million.
