(AP) The war in Ukraine has focused the world’s attention on the plight of millions fleeing the country. But migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and elsewhere continue to reach ethnically divided Cyprus, where authorities say they’re overwhelmed.
On the outskirts of the capital, Nicosia, Somali teenager Haroun, who left his home a month ago, plays soccer in a pair of cheap rubber slippers behind an overcrowded migrant reception camp.
The sockless 16-year-old — who asked not to have his last name used for fear it could prejudice authorities against him — said his mother sent him to Cyprus in the hope that he could join other families seeking a better life in Europe. He said no one has spoken to him about his circumstances since he arrived last month, when reception center officials simply took down his details.
