The Greek government has transferred more than 600 refugees from the notorious Moria camp to the mainland.
The 635 Afghans huddled in the morning before the overcrowded refugee camp on the Aegean island of Lesbos in the waiting buses of the police. At the port of Mytilini they then boarded a ship that was to take them to the northern Greek coastal city of Thessaloniki.
On Monday afternoon, a second group of 700 Afghans were to follow them on the same route to the mainland, where they will be housed in the Nea Kavala refugee camp.
Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP
Between the camps: A migrant carries a child along the road on the island of Lesbos on 1 September
The Greek government had taken the decision to displace the refugees on Saturday after 13 boats with 540 new refugees arrived from Turkey last week, including 240 children.
The Moria camp has been under criticism for years, as it is chronically overcrowded. Almost 11,000 people currently live in the camp, which according to the UN Refugee Agency is actually designed for a quarter of this amount.
After the arrival of 3,000 new refugees in August, the already difficult sanitary situation in the tented camp surrounded by olive groves outside Mytilini has worsened further.
Many refugees have been living in Moria for months as their asylum procedures are prolonged. The new Conservative government in Athens has now decided to bring minors and especially vulnerable refugees to the mainland, where the possibilities for their accommodation are better.
The increase in crossings from Turkey is in the context of the escalation in the Syrian rebel bastion Idlib. In addition, in recent months the Turkish government has stepped up its crackdown on Syrian refugees and other undocumented migrants. Due to the economic crisis in Turkey, the mood among the population has recently turned against the refugees.
