Migration Crisis: Lebanon and Cyprus Facing Shared Challenges

A report by Lara al-Hachem, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

Despite the dangers of the sea, illegal migration towards Cyprus, and possibly onward to other European countries, has not stopped. 

Migration has seen increased activity recently due to clear weather. 

It's no wonder since the net profit for smugglers on a boat carrying fifty migrants is $100,000, often more than this number due to capacity. 

 

In the last 50 hours alone, Cyprus has witnessed the arrival of 739 illegal migrants from Lebanon, adding to the 2,140 migrants who entered Cypriot waters from Lebanon since the beginning of the current year, according to Cypriot reports.

The small island is overwhelmed, with migrant reception centers overflowing. This will force Cypriot authorities to accommodate them in military facilities and prompted the Cypriot president to warn of the island's collapse. 

Cyprus has held Lebanon responsible, and Lebanese diplomatic sources confirm its readiness to cooperate with Nicosia to persuade the European Union to find a sustainable solution for Syrian refugees, allowing them to return to their mostly safe homeland.

Lebanon's official authorities do not deny the presence of loopholes in smuggling routes, adding to the state's preoccupation with events in the south. They point out that the army had previously intercepted 46 migrant boats bound for Cyprus in 2023. 

However, Lebanon has its security and economic considerations, leading it to refuse the return of boats that crossed Lebanese territorial waters and ended up off the coast of Cyprus last February.

Lebanon and Cyprus share a social and economic disaster, and Lebanese diplomacy is keen on fostering the best relations with Nicosia. Will Lebanon follow Cyprus's lead and speak up as well?