Filenews 14 December 2023 - by Natasha Christoforou
Recently, migratory flows by sea from Syria have reached alarming proportions. Despite the fact that arrivals of Africans from the occupied territories have decreased and the total flows are significantly reduced compared to last year, the number of Syrian migrants arriving either through their country or through Lebanon has increased.
In recent days, despite changing weather conditions, overcrowded boats with migrants have been spotted off Cape Greco. In the first 13 days of December, 446 Syrian migrants arrived, which is ten times more than in the same period last year (only 48 had arrived), with the competent services being alerted, since there are reports of new mass flows.
Data obtained by "F" from the Ministry of Interior show that there has been a geometric increase in arrivals in recent weeks. From the beginning of the year until the afternoon of Tuesday, December 13, 3,889 Syrian migrants had arrived in our country by sea. Of these, about 70%, or 2,725 people, arrived by boat in the last three and a half months. In the same period last year, i.e. from September to mid-December, only 314 people had arrived by boat, which shows the magnitude of the increase in arrivals by sea.
What is causing a major headache for the relevant authorities is the fact that deportation procedures for Syrians cannot be promoted, as is the case with migrants coming from sub-Saharan Africa, because they come from a war zone. Of further concern is the fact that smugglers have recently found other sea lanes to transport migrants to Cyprus, as some boats set off from Lebanon and pick them up from the Syrian coast.
The last mass arrival of migrants was recorded on Tuesday afternoon, when three boats with 170 migrants were spotted off Cape Greco.
