The De Facto Condition of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus as a Driver of Migration for Cameroonian Asylum Seekers
Author
Reinbach, Moritz Dietrich
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-05-29
Pages
65
Abstract
Cyprus is a divided Mediterranean island where the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) in the south has been an EU member since 2004, while the northern part, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state recognized only by Turkey. Because TRNC lacks international recognition, asylum cannot be sought there and entry rules are comparatively loose for many nationalities. As roughly 60% of asylum applications in the RoC begin with irregular crossings of the Green Line from TRNC, this thesis asks whether TRNC’s de facto condition acts as a conscious driver for Cameroonian asylum seekers to choose this route. Using the Push-Pull Plus framework, it analyzes qualitative statements from Cameroonian asylum seekers to explore how multiple drivers interact. The findings indicate that TRNC’s status did not consciously shape individual decisions; instead, smugglers identified and leveraged structural loopholes as a pull factor. Additional drivers—including the smuggling industry, corruption, and the ethnic conflict in Cameroon—were decisive, but only for those able to afford the journey and obtain the necessary documents. The study also suggests that Turkey’s stance on movements via TRNC may operate as a separate driver. Overall, TRNC’s particular conditions are not a primary driver on their own, but, combined with other factors, form a driver complex that contributes to rising Cameroonian asylum applications in the RoC.
Cypern er en delt middelhavsø, hvor Republikken Cypern (RoC) i syd siden 2004 har været medlem af EU, mens den nordlige del, Den Tyrkiske Republik Nordcypern (TRNC), er en de facto-stat kun anerkendt af Tyrkiet. TRNC’s manglende anerkendelse betyder, at der ikke kan søges asyl der, og at indrejsekravene er mere lempelige for mange nationaliteter. Da omkring 60% af asylansøgningerne i RoC starter med en uregelmæssig passage over den grønne linje fra TRNC, undersøger afhandlingen, om TRNC’s de facto-tilstand fungerer som en bevidst driver for kamerunske asylansøgere til at vælge denne rute. Med udgangspunkt i Push-Pull Plus-rammen analyseres kvalitative udsagn fra kamerunske asylansøgere for at identificere samspillet mellem forskellige drivkræfter. Fundene viser, at TRNC’s status ikke spillede en bevidst rolle i de interviewedes beslutningsproces; derimod har smuglere genkendt og udnyttet strukturelle smuthuller som en pull-faktor. Andre drivere, herunder smuglerindustrien, korruption og den etniske konflikt i Cameroun, havde afgørende betydning, men virkede kun for dem, der havde økonomiske midler og de nødvendige papirer. Afhandlingen peger også på, at Tyrkiets holdning til bevægelser via TRNC kan fungere som en selvstændig driver. Samlet set indgår TRNC’s særlige forhold ikke som en hoveddriver, men som del af et driverkompleks, der i kombination med andre faktorer påvirker de stigende kamerunske asylansøgninger i RoC.
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