Cyprus migrants on pope's visit to the island

Plump in the middle of the United Nations-patrolled buffer zone that has divided Cyprus along ethnic lines since 1974, in the heart of the island's medieval capital, two Cameroonian asylum-seekers have lived in a small blue tent for some six months.

Grace Enjei and Daniel Ejuba entered the Turkish-occupied north of the island hoping to reach the Greek Cypriot south, which is in the European Union.

However, the south won't let them in, and if they leave the buffer zone and return to the north, the Turkish Cypriot authorities will deport them.

To make things worse, they can see people freely moving between north and south all the time, as their tent is beside a main authorized crossing — one of nine linking the two communities.

But now they hear they could be among the chosen ones to be rescued by Pope Francis during this week's Papal trip and taken to Italy.

"If I have the opportunity to go back with him then I would be so much grateful," said Enjei.

"If he can do this for me then I would so much love him."

Enjei, who is 24 years old, hasn't spoken to her family since she left because they live in a part of Cameroon where there is no internet or mobile phone coverage.

Despite the precarious life they are living in a tent on the U.N. green line, Enjei says remaining in southern Cameroon was not an option: her home was burned down and random shootings and violence made her flee for the bush seeking safety.

And she has a dream, to go back to school to finish her studies as an accountant.

"If I have the opportunity to go back to school I would grab it," she said. "And when I have a better life I would love to visit home."

The two paid 300 euros to someone in the north who showed them the way to cross through the UN line six months ago.

Enjei's fellow asylum-seeker, Ejube, is counting on the Pope to give him a new life in Europe.

"I know the Pope, I think God believes in me because I am a Catholic Christian, so I think the Pope heard our case, so that means our case will be solved, and that's the belief that I have," said Ejube, who's 20.

Without the Pope's intervention the standoff for Enjei and Ejuba doesn't seem likely to end soon.

Experts say the Greek Cypriot authorities don't want to set a precedent that could trigger a surge of migrants seeking to cross over from the north.

"If they allow this couple to enter in the Republic of Cyprus, in the area controlled by the Republic of Cyprus, then it would be a starting point of waves of potential applicants who would try to enter in the Republic of Cyprus through the green line," said Christos Papastylianos of Nicosia University.

"Also from the legal point of view the argument is that the green line is not a border," he added.

This distinction stems from the Turkish Cypriot north not being internationally recognised as a nation, as opposed to the internationally recognised south.

The Papal visit is drawing fresh attention to the plight of migrants on Europe's borders, and the gulf between the Pope's call for countries to welcome them and the unwillingness of front-line governments to let them in.

Cyprus has seen such a spike in migrant arrivals this year - a 38% increase in the first 10 months compared to all of last year - that it has formally asked the European Commission to let it stop processing asylum claims altogether.

Many of the faithful in line on Wednesday morning to pick up invitations to the Papal Mass scheduled in Nicosia on Friday were African refugees.

Francis is expected to raise the migration question when he arrives in Nicosia on Thursday on the first leg of his five-day trip.

The Pontiff is arranging a transfer of around 50 migrants to Italy.

They won't join him on the plane home, as happened in Lesbos in 2016, but will be resettled in coming weeks, Cypriot officials say.

And the Vatican hasn't ruled out that some more migrants from Lesbos might be relocated to Italy as well following Francis' visit.

Francis will be staying in the Vatican nunciature, or embassy, which is located in the UN-controlled buffer zone that's divided the island since 1974.

IMAGE: AP