The government running the Republic of Cyprus, the Greek-speaking southern half of the east Mediterranean island and EU member state, has launched a social media campaign to deter an uptick in migrants arriving across its borders, news agency Reuters reported Tuesday (June 6). 

According to statistics released by Eurostat, in 2021, Cyprus ranked third in the European Union (EU) for foreign-born citizens and migrant arrivals. Relative to the Republic's resident population, there are about 27 migrants per 1,000 people arriving from countries outside the EU. 

Cyprus, which counts Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey as its closest neighbors, has recorded the highest migrant per capita in the European Union (EU). 

'The truth about Cyprus'

The social media campaign entitled "Let's Talk Truth About Cyprus" reportedly outlined the harsh realities of asylum such as the rejection rate that can be as high as 96% and the five-year ban from entering the EU if an asylum application is denied. 

The campaign is reported to be directed primarily at sub-Saharan African countries. Studies indicate that international migration from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe and the United States increased in the past decade starting around 2010. The migration outflow is triggered by armed conflict between African countries and economic hardship. 

As reported by France24 last month, 331 people were granted refugee status in Cyprus this year. Authorities did not disclose how many applications were rejected, but data indicated that more than 21,500 asylum applications had been filed. 

The 'Green Line' as a migration route 

For nearly half a century, Cyprus has been divided into a northern part, seized by Turkey in 1974, and a southern half known as the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the EU. 

A ceasefire line, also known as "the green line", separates the two areas and is loosely patrolled, making it a frequent entry and crossing point.The Reuters report cited Cypriot officials saying that 95% of arrivals use the ceasefire line as a migration route. 

According to the Cypriot authorities, just over 19,000 people crossed over in 2022. Many asylum seekers arrive in the Turkish-affiliated north of the island on student visas to attend privately-run universities in northern Cyprus where an industry for trafficking and migrant smuggling has boomed. 

Watch: Video – Do African students get defrauded in Northern Cyprus? 

Various news reports have documented how many African students are lured with promises of a European education and the chance to work in Europe only to find themselves facing debt and disillusionment. 

"Traffickers wrongly portray Cyprus as an interim stop for an onward journey to Europe, ignoring the fact that it's an island," said Constantinos Ioannou, Cyprus's interior minister, reported Reuters. 

Read more: How universities in Cyprus have joined the human trafficking game 

Bolstering border patrol 

According to Constantinos Ioannou, Cyprus's interior minister, authorities recently recruited additional guards and deployed additional resources to process asylum applications. Authorities also plan to establish a migration ministry to oversee the country’s migration policies, Reuters reported. 

News reports indicate that the Cypriot government hired over 200 border guards to patrol the areas where migrants are known to enter and crack down on human smuggling. 

Last month, Germany committed to taking in 900 migrants from the Republic, in addition to the 500 asylum seekers Germany welcomed from Cyprus as part of the EU 'Solidarity Mechanism’. 

Established in 2022, the EU Solidarity Mechanism aims to assist Mediterranean member states that are the main arrival points to Europe through the relocation of asylum seekers or financial contributions. 

With Reuters