Migrant minors face misery in asylum hub Cyprus

President Nicos Anastasiades visited the Pournara camp for migrants on Monday to witness for himself what he termed “the tragic situation”, and vowed to work to improve the children’s situation.

Nicosia said 4.6 percent of the country’s population are asylum seekers or beneficiaries of protection, the highest ratio in any European Union member, at least before the Russian invasion of Ukraine launched on February 24 that has sent over three million of its population into flight.

New asylum applications multiplied to over 13,000 last year in Greek Cypriot-administered southern Cyprus, with its population of 850,000.