"The camp is a hell because of things that are going on. There are people going in, but nobody going out”

The respondent is a man from West Africa. He reports that he arrived on Samos in the spring of 2023. He arrived on a boat of 48 people. “The boat slammed on a little land”. He describes that the group climbed a mountain to hide, but “six people could not come up”. Therefore, he reports that they were 42 people together. He says that there was a pregnant woman with them. The respondent assumes that the six people who stayed down the mountain were pushed back, because he never saw them again in the Samos Closed Controlled Access Centre (CCAC). The respondent says that the group of six was composed of three young children, one man, one woman and a baby. According to respondent, the six were from French-speaking African countries: Congo, Cameroon or Guinea. 

The group the respondent called the “pushback team” was reportedly the first people to arrive on the site and said on a megaphone: “Africa come down”. The respondent describes the “pushback team” as wearing police uniform with black t-shirts. The respondent reported seeing the men in uniform take the six people who stayed down: “They took them, I don’t know where they took them to”. The respondent reports that his group did not go down at that moment.

The respondent explains that his group of 42 people spent the night “in the mountain” and waited for the next morning. The respondent reports that MSF arrived in the afternoon. He describes that the mountain on which the group of 42 were hidden was around 16 metres high and that “coming down was very dangerous”. For this reason the respondent reported that the fireforce had to come and use a rope in order to help them to go down. They first made the men go down, and the women after. 

According to the respondent, it was necessary to take a boat to reach another part of the island, to be able to access the road to the CCAC. He thinks their boat had slammed at the "back of Samos". One police officer put 10 men, including the respondent, in a small boat with two men whom he describes as wearing “red armless jackets”. He thinks they could be part of an organisation. He explains that the police officer talked to them. “I don’t know what is their arrangement.” He says that these two people drove the small boat. What happened next is described by the respondent as a “pushback”. 

The respondent reports that the people driving the small boat were leading them to the boat of the Hellenic coast guards. He says they were the Hellenic coast guards because they were wearing the Hellenic coast guard badge on the chest and he saw “Hellenic Coast Guard” written on the boat. But the respondent explains: “We see the light of the land. They put the boat in the middle of the sea. I was screaming “what is going on?”. This is not the direction.” “I was shouting, shouting, shouting because I know this is pushback. There is no remedy.” He describes that the waves were splashing water on them, “pushing the ship” and making the way difficult. He explains that the boat was not able to stand properly, and that the coast guards launched a rope to them to try to pull them to their boat. However, he explains that because of the conditions at sea, it was impossible to reach the coast guards, so the manoeuvre was abandoned. The boat returned to Samos.

The respondent reports that the police gave them water. They also asked them to “drop [their] phone”, “they took our phones”. What the respondent describes as “very confusing” is that, according to him, they did not try to push the other new arrivals back [the 32 remaining people near the mountainous area], however, he heard from people that the men on the boats put masks on their face to bring them to the land, while they did not wear masks for his group of 10 people. The respondent reports that the “ladies came after some hours”.

The respondent reports that, after that, everyone had to go into a van - which he describes as a “comfortable van” - in which there was one police officer on the front seat and the driver, and they drove them to the “camp” [CCAC]. 

The respondent thinks that the group arrived at one of the temporary accommodation zones of the CCAC at around 2am. He explains that, when arriving, they had to sit “in a straight line”. “They call us in order, took our name and nationality”. He reports that they then had to sit again in line before they called them again “for searching”. He explained that they had to undress, but they were not completely naked. The respondent recalls being searched by a man. After that, he reports that the group entered the temporary accommodation zone.

The respondent then describes the temporary accommodation zone. He explains that people stay in the “same containers as the camp” but that it is “far in distance to the main camp, you can’t communicate or see anybody in the camp.” He then explains that there are 2 rooms in each container, and that each room hosts 2 people. He recalls that there is a bathroom in the container and that it was possible to use it. However, he reports that the “cooking stuffs were not working”. 

He reports that he was not told by the CCAC authorities how long he would be detained in the temporary accommodation zone. The respondent describes that when people in the temporary accommodation zone were going to speak with the police to ask when they could leave, they were told that “the system is down”. “They have not registered anyone of us” [at this time people had to be registered by police to be able to leave the temporary accommodation zone and start their default detention in the main zones of the CCAC. After this, they could then leave the CCAC]. In the end, the respondent was reportedly detained in the temporary accommodation zone of the CCAC for ten days. 

The respondent reports that the police would come to the temporary accommodation zones, “sometimes they came when we were asleep. Around two times they did that. They came by 11pm. They didn’t speak to us.” He reports that police usually came by around 9pm or 10pm. The respondent thinks this is around the time the shifts of police happen. The respondent keeps on repeating the sentence “When you are ready we are ready”, meaning that the residents inside the temporary accommodation zone had to adapt to what the “police” does and decides. He reports that the “police” were saying “come out, come out, come out”, and then the residents had to “stay outside in straight line” and “they were just counting”. He adds: “If one is missing they go search again. If the count is not complete, they still go around. We just have to wait.” The respondent also explains that, during this time, the residents waiting in line were not allowed to speak: “They told us to keep quiet, no speak”. Reportedly, if some were trying to speak, the police officers would be “harsh” with them and say things such as “malaka” or “this is Greece, this is not Africa”, “don’t speak”. The respondent explains that he does not know how many “police officers” were there, because some were outside to count the residents and others were in their office. He says that they were speaking in Greek to each other. 

The respondent explains having been affected by being forced to line up, “That is a difficult part, standing outside. [...] It was difficult just standing, waiting for them to count, count, count.”

When asked about the food in the temporary accommodation zone, the respondent said that it was “not good at all”. He says: “They know how we came in. Some of us don’t have food. They know we are struggling. We cannot go outside to get some food”. According to him, only one time in the afternoon, people detained in temporary accommodation zone are given a portion of macaroni and bread, therefore, he reports “we have to keep some in the night, it’s crazy experience.” He explains that some residents in the temporary accommodation zone ask to the others “do you have bread?”. He adds: “That aspect is not nice. We are detained, we don’t have access to food, they should give us enough food.”

He then explains that he could go to the main camp during the second week of being detained in the temporary accommodation zone. He reports: “They called me, I went to the office, I had the interview.”

When asked about medical care in the CCAC, the respondent reports that there is both the presence of the CCAC medical clinic and the mobile clinic of MSF. He reports that “it is possible to meet the doctor but not to have a treatment”. He explains that MSF is inside the CCAC three days a week: “you speak with them, you complain to them, they check you”. He then says that MSF would write to the clinic at the camp, “that should give you tickets to go to the hospital”. But the respondent reports that when going to the clinic of the CCAC, people are only given “pain tablets”. A sentence that he reports people often hear in the CCAC clinic is: “It is not going to kill you, you are not going to die. It is just a pain.” Comparing the CCAC clinic and MSF the respondent details that “at least MSF gives some treatment”. The respondent describes the reaction of the “doctor in the CCAC clinic” sometimes: “If they don’t want you in, and want to force yourself out, they will call the police. I don’t know how to argue. I am trying to tell you my situation, are you inside me?”

The respondent reports having a “dislocation of the shoulder” that affects him everyday. He explains that he has done a scanner confirming this problem. However, even after confirmation, the respondent explains: “I should wait. No treatment, I should just be waiting. Why should I be waiting? The doctor has confirmed, but you should wait to hear your name on the megaphone. If you complain, you should take paracetamol.” Moreover, he reports that the document he has been given is written in Greek, so he could not understand it. 

The respondent explains that he tried to ask for a transfer to the mainland but it had been rejected. However, he reports that he was not explained why the transfer was rejected. He says: “they told me their job was to send the file. Your file is there, the result is there. So I left and went to MSF again. They told me I should just wait. But the issue is for how long?” He says that people want an open card “because of the situation of the camp”. He reports: “This is really telling in your thinking. [...] There is no activity, no income. We are coming from where we work, are active. We are coming thinking life would be different. But we have the same food everyday, stand in line everyday. We don’t even have a good sleep.”

Regarding the security process residents of the CCAC have to go through to enter, the respondent explains that it can really discourage them from going out. He reports that the residents systematically have to remove their shoes and submit their bags to search. He reports: “sometimes you don’t want to wear shoes, because you have to pull them out” and adds: “Sometimes we complain. We go to the machine, they are supposed to indicate if we have something. So why do they have to search?”. He explains that the people in charge of this security process is the private security, and that they do not speak to the residents. 

The respondent reports that the containers in which the residents live “look like a cage”. He reports that, even though sometimes “we just want to be grateful”, “you just feel like you are detained, you see the barbed wire around you”. He mentions the “same food” and speaks about a “jail”.

When asked if he wants to share something else, the respondent mentions the water. He explains that there is a “recycle machine” and that “some people say it is the same water we are using. The water you use to mop the ground goes to that machine, they recycle it.” He reports: “Sometimes i see some people's skin changing, they say it is because of that water. They say also the food is changing our body. It is not nice. Some people use it to cook.” The respondent explains that his own skin changed because “in Turkey, [he] was lighter”. He adds: “I don’t know if it is the same water. It is crazy experience. If it is true, that is not nice.” 

The respondent adds: “We are pressing just to leave. Since they are delaying decisions, why don’t they just give open cards. 3 months in the camp, it is too much.”

Regarding cash assistance, the respondent reports that he did not receive it yet. He explains that he received “a card after 45 days”, but he is still waiting to receive money on it. He says: “They say every 10th [money is deposited]. So maybe the 10th. Hopefully it will come.”

Regarding the food that is provided in the CCAC, the respondent reports that it is always the same, they almost always get macaroni. He explains that sometimes, the residents directly throw it away. He says: “That’s why people want to go outside. If you go outside, you are able to provide for yourself. That is the reason why I don’t understand why they are keeping people for that long.”

Finally, the respondent reports: “I am just grateful that I came here. It was not really easy in Turkey.” But he explains that since the “medical” episode occurred, this is not the same. “They are still denying what I need. That thing pisses me off.” He adds: “the camp is a hell because of things that are going on. There are people going in, but nobody going out”. The respondent also wonders: “Why keeping sick people? [...] They keep on calling the ladies, and keep the guys. I don’t understand why they do that.”

He also explains his feelings regarding living in the CCAC: “I’m not happy. I ended up going to the class. The teacher said “you are not happy, what is going on?”, I say “It is camp stress.” It affects you”.