KATSIKAS CAMP Official name: Coordinates: Nominal capacity⁶⁰: Operational/actual capacity: Residents: Beneficiaries of reception conditions: Beneficiaries of special reception conditions: Administrative staff: Medical staff: Ratio of residents to medical staff: Distance to nearest health services⁶¹: Distance to nearest urban centre (Ioannina): Katsikas Controlled Access Facility for the Temporary Accommodation of Asylum Seekers / Ελεγχόμενη Δομή Προσωρινής Φιλοξενίας αιτούντων άσυλο Κατσικά 39.608329, 20.900944 1534 1096 940 661 108 12 8 118:1 11.7 km 8.4 km History Katsikas camp is located 8 km from the city of Ioannina on the periphery of the small town of Katsikas and is the largest refugee reception facility in the Epirus region of Northern Greece. Like many mainland camps it was established in 2016⁶² on a former military base, to accommodate refugees trapped in Greece following the closure of the so-called Western Balkan route. Despite the presence of small CSOs, Oxfam and IOM, conditions were reported⁶³ as inhumane and undignified within the first year of opening. In December 2020, numerous residents were subjected to violent evictions by police in order to make room for new arrivals, with reports⁶⁴ that tear gas was used. As of February 2024, the main nationalities held in the camp were Afghans, Somalis, Eritreans and Sierra Leoneans. Second Tree is currently the only grassroots CSO with a consistent presence in the facility. In spring 2024, local actors were reportedly informed of plans to expand the facility despite the already poor living conditions in Katsikas⁶⁵. Containers in the facility are amongst the oldest in Greece, according to information provided by CSO practitioners, and have not been updated for several years. However security infrastructure has been developed, with a three metre high concrete wall erected around the facility in 2022⁶⁶. The recent report of the Greek Ombudsperson on reception conditions⁶⁷ does not include information on conditions in Katsikas camp. 18