The Cyprus government is set to deport those who took part in violent clashes at the Pournara Reception Centre, Interior Minister, Nicos Nouris, has said.
The violence was said to have erupted after Nigerian and Congolese nationals disagreed about whose turn it was to charge their mobile phones.
Cypriot riot police had quelled the violence at a migrant reception centre after clashes between different nationalities caused a fire outbreak, authorities said.
According to the police, one person was injured and needed hospital treatment during the disturbance at the Pournara Camp outside the capital Nicosia.
During the incidents, a fire broke out in the camp led to hundreds fleeing to the nearby Nicosia village of Kokkinotrimithia but have since returned.
Blueprint gathered that photos of 160 people in quarantine were given to the police after the asylum service identified them.
“At the moment, an attempt is being made to identify them with the footage from the Center’s cameras, to see if and to what extent they are involved in the incidents.
“The police would detain those identified, and the process for their immediate deportation would be launched.
“A message must be sent to those who cause these problems because it is impossible to host them in a country under any circumstances and be constantly called to resolve differences between various nationalities.
Asked whether this was an indication of the problems caused by overcrowding at the camp, he agreed this was the main cause of the problem.
The Pournara reception centre was designed to host up to 1,000 people, but it holds more than double that number.
Some aggrieved Nigerian migrants kept at the Menoyia Immigration Detention Centre in Larnaca, South Cyprus, had allegedly set camp tents on fire in September.
They razed the detention camp tents to protest against the authorities of the country for not informing them of the actual date they would be deported to Nigeria.
