Govt and UN clash over migrant pushback claims

The government on Friday took a tough line against accusations from the UN that it was carrying out migrant pushbacks within the buffer zone, calling the statements unhelpful in resolving the issue.

Stressing that it adheres to its international duties, the deputy ministry of migration issued a statement following a number of reports of the UN saying the government was forcibly moving migrants from areas of the Republic and taking them to the buffer zone.

“Considering the government is currently in talks with the UNHCR to resolve the problem of irregular migrants present in the buffer zone, such statements do not contribute to addressing the issue,” the deputy ministry stated.

According to the ministry, migrants had arrived between Wednesday and Thursday to the north via sea from Turkey and passed “unhindered into the buffer zone.” In response, police forces prevented the migrants from entering areas of the Republic.

The government’s statements contradict those by Unficyp which said dozens of migrants were intercepted by Cypriot police, and then taken to the buffer zone “despite objections by UNHCR and Unficyp.”

Unficyp spokesperson Aleem Siddique said “We’re not border guards” and stressed the situation requires urgent action.

A day earlier, Siddique told the Cyprus Mail that “overnight, 44 asylum seekers were intercepted and denied access to asylum procedures, with at least four of them having been intercepted in the government-controlled area and transferred by the Cyprus police to the UN buffer zone despite objections raised by both Unficyp and UNHCR.”

By Friday morning, however, 40 of the migrants had disappeared. In total, there are currently 55 migrants at the buffer zone, according to the UNHCR. These people cannot stay stranded within the buffer zone as “they are faced with appalling humanitarian conditions,” Siddique said.

He added that effective access to asylum procedures and appropriate reception conditions for asylum seekers is an obligation under international refugee law.

Nonetheless, the government stressed that international law cannot be selectively applied.

In light of the latest incident, “we would like to reiterate that Turkey is considered a safe country for asylum purposes and should provide access to these procedures to migrants on its territory. The Republic of Cyprus cannot shoulder Turkey’s omissions and be called upon to take responsibility for irregular migrants who come to Cyprus from Turkey through the occupied territories. Any positions, therefore, should not overlook the root cause and the perpetrators of this predicament of irregular migrants within the buffer zone,” the deputy ministry of migration said.

A row also erupted online, after Philenews posted a video of an Unficyp peacekeeper telling a group of migrants at the buffer zone to “stay there.” The report claimed the peacekeeper was urging the migrants to enter areas of the Republic.

He appears to clash with a Greek Cypriot person believed to work with the immigration department, who tells him the migrants came illegally into Cyprus through the occupied areas.

“Unfortunately, you did not catch them and allowed them to enter the buffer zone,” the immigration officer said. The peacekeeper retorted that this was not his mission.

UN Cyprus responded to the video on X saying “WRONG & MISLEADING! UN peacekeepers are ensuring the safety of asylum seekers being rounded up and pushed into the UN buffer zone. To suggest otherwise is irresponsible & inflammatory. It must STOP!”