Migrants find shelter in Cyprus as EU slows admissions

Some migrants have found shelter at an upgraded reception camp near Nicosia, Cyprus, where The Associated Press was granted access.

Mbah Damaris Menemah said her family in Cameroon cast her out after discovering her secret.

“In my country, lesbians are not accepted,” the 24-year-old told The Associated Press at Cyprus’ Pournara migrant reception center.

“So when my family found out, they weren’t so happy with it...They cursed me over. They rejected me because of that.”

Menemah said that if her loved ones and those around her could not accept her, she would seek a life elsewhere “where I’ll be regarded as somebody.”

Like many others, Menemah obtained a student visa for the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of ethnically divided Cyprus. With the help of people smugglers, she crossed into the south through a porous United Nations-controlled buffer zone.

Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but only the south, where the island’s internationally recognized government is based, enjoys the full benefits of membership.

Menemah said she hopes another EU country may take up her asylum case because she has been told Cyprus may not.

Menemah was among 343 migrants currently residing at the center, including 72 unaccompanied minors. In recent years, the center has undergone a significant upgrade funded by the EU and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Most migrants arrived from Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Cameroon, Congo, Syria and Burundi, according to center officials.

Media were granted rare access to the center following its multimillion-euro revamp, accompanying a group of officials from the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, or Eurojust, who are meeting in Cyprus.

Only a few years ago, the former army camp, which had been abandoned before being turned into a reception center, was a desperately overcrowded collection of tents pitched in scorching summer heat and surrounded by muddy fields in winter.

Large holes ran through a fence that was supposed to keep migrants inside the facility.

Now, the tents have been replaced by prefabricated buildings used as dormitories, a kitchen, a medical station and facilities where arriving migrants are processed and offered counseling.

Nurses and interpreters were on duty around the clock. Other amenities included a soccer field, a children’s playground and exercise machines. Most of the migrants at the center are now Muslim, and designated areas are available for prayer.

Police were stationed at the center, and all entries and exits were strictly monitored. The center is surrounded by a three-meter (10-foot) fence.

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Migrants find shelter in Cyprus as EU slows admissions