'Europe's dirty secret': officials on Chios scramble to cope with rising tensions

Frustration mounts among locals on the Greek island, where refugees feel like prisoners with no hope of getting to mainland Europe

On a clear day the channel dividing Chios from the Turkish coast does not look like a channel at all. The nooks and crevices of Turkey's western shores, its wind turbines and summer homes could, to the naked eye, be a promontory of the Greek island itself. For the men, women and children who almost daily make the crossing in dinghies and other smuggler craft, it is a God-given proximity, the gateway to Europe that continues to lure.

Samuel Aneke crossed the sea almost a year ago on 1 June. Like those before him, and doubtless those who will follow, he saw the five-mile stretch as the last hurdle to freedom. "You could say geography brought me here," said the Nigerian, a broad smile momentarily dousing his otherwise dour demeanour. "But it was not supposed to keep me prisoner."