GENEVA (Reuters) – The rapid build-up of migrants stuck at Greece’s northern borders risks leading to a humanitarian disaster, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Tuesday.
“Europe is on the cusp of a largely self-induced humanitarian crisisâ€, the UN refugee agency warned in a statement, urging better planning and accommodation for all those stuck in Greece.
The UNHCR also urged all EU member states to reinforce their capacity to register and process asylum seekers through their national procedures as well as through the European relocation scheme. Some 131,724 refugees have crossed the Mediterranean already this year, more than in the first half of 2015, it said.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Writing by Hugh Lawson; Editing by Dominic Evans)