Four migrant boats spotted off Cape Greco

A total of four migrant boats were spotted off the coast of Cape Greco at around midday on Friday, according to reports.

The first was brought ashore at the Golden Coast fishing shelter in Protaras with a total of 22 people on board.

Of those 22, 15 are men, three are women, and four are unaccompanied minors. The status of the other three boats is not yet known.

The latest arrivals come as over 800 irregular migrants have made landfall in Cyprus since the weekend, having set sail from Lebanon amid warmer weather and calmer seas.

With Cyprus’ migrant housing facilities now stretched to their limits, the government revealed that army camps in the Nicosia district may be used to house them if flows are not stemmed.

Currently, over 1,300 people are at Pournara reception centre. Authorities fear that if more migrants arrive, the space in the facility may become too tight.

“We cannot allow this situation to continue, let alone manage a new wave of irregular migrants,” House President Annita Demetriou said during a meeting with Lebanese Ambassador Claude El Hajal on Thursday.

Cyprus is “in a state of crisis” over the increasing number of migrants arriving on the island, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Tuesday, before going on to request that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen personally intervene.

On Thursday, Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis called on the police to crack down on migrant smuggling networks.

“It is well known that the source of the problem, including at the level of smugglers, is in Lebanon,” he said.

“Action has been taken by the government and Lebanese authorities to alleviate the problem, and we can see some progress and reaction from them,” he added.

“The issue of smugglers does not only concern Cyprus; there are circles that operate in a wider geographical area throughout the region. There are also the smugglers’ circles that coordinate in Lebanon, there are also the circles in Syria,” he said.