Kara Tepe (Greek: Καρά Τεπέ, from Turkish for "black hill") is a refugee camp that was located in the area of Mavrovouni in Peloponnese, Greece.[1] The camp is managed by the Municipality of Mytilene and UNHCR in collaboration with the NGOs that operate there; among them are IRC, Médecins du Monde, METAdrasi, SOS Villages, Caritas, Movement on the Ground and Because we Carry. Médecins Sans Frontières has a clinic in Mytilini that serves patients from the Kara Tepe camp who are referred to them by outreach teams.[2]
The camp has provided temporary housing for asylum seekers.[3] Kara Tepe was the overflow site for Moria refugee camp, the main registration center in Greece,[4] through which new arrivals would be processed.[5] Asylum seekers living in Kara Tepe are able to leave and reenter the site daily.
The majority of individuals living in the camp are of Afghani, Iraqi or Syrian origin.[3] According to a survey conducted in December 2016, asylum seekers spent an average of four months at the Kara Tepe camp.[1]
In August 2017, Kara Tepe's accommodation capacity was expanded by 56% to make room for up to 1300 persons. UNHCR reported that 260 new accommodation units had been installed at the camp in 2017.[6]
After the September 2020 fire destroyed the Moria camp, the Greek government approved the construction of a new closed reception centre at Vastria (near the village of Nees Kydonies), scheduled to be completed by summer 2022.[7] However, the Greek Counsil of State revoked the construction permit due to a lack of an environmental study, and construction work has since been put on hold.[8]
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has generic name (help)39°07′43″N 26°32′38″E / 39.1287°N 26.5439°E / 39.1287; 26.5439