The president of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, has made it clear that the U.N.-controlled buffer zone in the war-divided island nation will not be used as a new avenue for the passage of illegal migrants. This statement comes as 27 asylum-seekers from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Sudan, and Iran are currently stranded in the buffer zone.
The migrants, including women and children, have been receiving humanitarian assistance such as food, water, first aid, and shelter from the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR. However, Cypriot authorities have refused to allow them to submit their asylum claims.
