Pournara residents 'fired up' about leaving camp

More protests took place at Pournara on Wednesday, after asylum seekers with grievances reportedly set a tent on fire while some camp residents managed to leave camp.

According to local media, officials from the migration office visited the migrant camp on Wednesday afternoon in Kokkinotrimithia, rural Nicosia, where they went to talk with refugees and asylum seekers and discuss their grievances.

But reports said a group of asylum seekers started throwing stones at police officers, while the situation was brought under control an hour later.

Police told Knews they had no details regarding the incident reported in local media but confirmed police backups were called at the scene, with additional reports saying a tent was set on fire later in the early evening.

It later emerged that asylum seekers also set some desks on fire and managed to breach the gate, leaving camp while carrying their personal blankets into empty fields nearby.

At least two fire trucks rushed to Pournara to put out the fires while riot police reportedly gathered in the area, including officers from emergency response units.

It was understood that officials from the interior ministry had promised to address overcrowding concerns at the camp, along with poor living conditions and freedom restrictions.

But recently camp residents have been speaking out during protests including violent demonstrations, saying officials broke their promises by not allowing groups of people to leave camp as previously agreed.

Some comments on social media also accused officials of favouring one ethnic group over others in allowing people to leave camp, while government officials maintain that proper measures were being taken to decrease distress at the camp in an orderly fashion.