Greece: Government pledges financial support for islands of Gavdos and Crete

On Monday (April 1), the Greek coast guard rescued 74 migrants aboard a wooden boat some 46 kilometers south of the Greek island of Gavdos. The guard brought the group, which included one woman, to Crete, reported the news agency Associated Press (AP).

The latest arrivals occurred just before the Greek government pledged financial support for Gavdos and Crete. The two islands have seen a sharp increase in the numbers of migrants arriving since the beginning of the year.

The tiny island of Gavdos, which has a population of just 70 people, lies south-west of the more well-known island of Crete on a migrant route from Libya towards Europe. Since January this year, more than 1,180 migrants have arrived on both islands, reports the news agency Reuters. The Libyan port of Tobruk is located around 200 kilometers away.

‘Overwhelmed’

That figure represents 686 more than the entire number of arrivals in 2023. Neither Gavdos nor Crete have migrant reception facilities. Authorities on Gavdos, reported InfoMigrants recently, say they are “overwhelmed” by the arrivals. Some are even asking if Gavdos could become a Greek version of Lampedusa, the tiny island that lies off of Sicily on the route between North Africa and Italy.

“Crete will not be left alone, and even more so Gavdos, which is a very small island with few permanent residents,” said Greece’s migration minister Dimitris Kairidis after visiting both islands, reported Reuters. “We are here to help the local community. The resources and the means are there.”

Until recently, migrant routes in the eastern Mediterranean tended to come from Turkey towards eastern islands in the Aegean, like Lesbos and Samos. Those leaving North Africa tended to head towards Italy or Spain. However, in the last couple of years, there have been a greater number of larger ships leaving Libya and Egypt and either heading for Greece, or ending up in Greece, even if their original declared destination was Italy.

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Data provided by the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR suggests that Egyptian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi migrants have landed on Gavdos since the beginning of the year.

Boats arrive ‘almost daily’

It is not immediately clear, reported AP, from where the boat arriving near Gavdos on Sunday night had left, or the origin of the people on board. However, according to the Greek coast guard, no injuries or illnesses were reported among the passengers. Since March 9, reported Reuters, boats have been arriving ‘almost daily,’ often after setting off from Tobruk in Libya.

The UNHCR says it is tackling the problem. Spokesperson Stella Nanou told InfoMigrants, “We are in contact with Athens and with local Greek authorities. We are currently providing non-food items, including blankets, sleeping bags and hygiene kits to meet initial basic needs.” 

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Nanou added that problems can arise in periods of bad weather that make transfers towards Crete impossible. In these cases, new arrivals have to find somewhere to sleep on the island. Reuters reported recently that some resorted to sheltering in abandoned buildings until space could be found at reception centers on larger islands or mainland Greece.

Further arrests

On April 2, the Greek coast guard updated their rescue report, saying that two of the 74 people on board, aged 23 and 25, had been arrested for violating the laws of illegal entry, under the immigration code. They said the central port authorities were carrying out a preliminary investigation.

Meanwhile, on April 1, the Greek coast guard reported that an inflatable dinghy carrying 14 migrants was found in the sea northeast of Samos. They said that a Frontex vessel, from the European border force, accompanied the boat towards Samos, but the dinghy managed to make the journey “under its own power.” A 30-year-old suspect was “located and arrested” on trafficking offenses, the coast guard said.

Figures from the UNHCR pertaining to migrant arrivals in Greece were last updated on March 31. They show that 10,594 migrants arrived in Greece since the beginning of the year, over 9,000 of them by sea.

As the map shows, migrant arrivals on Crete and its satellite Gavdos are rivalling some of the former popular destinations for migrants like Kos, Chios and Samos. Only the island of Lesbos has seen significantly more arrivals since the beginning of the year.