Refugees and migrants on Western Balkans route at increasing risk – UNHCR
Some are registering for asylum in the Balkans while others headed onwards, but both groups face mounting danger.
GENEVA, June 12 (UNHCR) - Increasing numbers of refugees and migrants using the less well known "Western Balkans route" to reach Europe are facing growing risks, including abuse, violence, and accidents while walking along remote train tracks.
The UN refugee agency added on Friday there had been a dramatic increase in men, women and children walking for days along this route, which is much less in the spotlight than Mediterranean sea crossings
Some are registering for asylum in the Balkans while others headed onwards, but both groups face mounting danger, according to UNHCR.
"The situation is particularly difficult in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia [FYROM] where refugees and migrants follow rail tracks and mountain routes, walking for days exposed to train accidents, natural elements and to abuse and threats from smugglers and criminal networks," UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told a press briefing in Geneva.
Between 2012 and 2014 the number of people registering their intention to seek asylum in the Western Balkans increased from 5,000 to 20,000.
This year the numbers have risen still further, with over 22,000 asylum claims lodged in Serbia alone in the first five months of the year, six times higher than in the same period of 2014. In May alone, 10,000 new asylum-seekers were registered by the authorities.
UNHCR says authorities and civil society in southern Serbia are battling to provide basic humanitarian aid, registration and accommodation for around 200 asylum-seekers that approach them every day for help, having crossed the border from FYROM.
"We estimate that at least an equal number of people potentially in need of international protection forego registration, have been moving through the region irregularly, with the help of smugglers. The vast majority of them seek to reach western Europe crossing into Hungary," Edwards added.
The majority of people using this route are mainly from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea and Somalia. They mostly come via Greece, and with the recent surge in sea arrivals there, the number of people undertaking this journey is expected to grow.
UNHCR has been advocating for improvements to the asylum systems in this region since the early 1990s as existing capacities are inadequate for the scale of arrivals. It says the current situation is critical and will require further support, including through joint efforts with the European Union, national governments, and NGOs.
Related news and stories
Ukraine's refugees find long-term support in Europe's host countries
Earthquake survivors in Türkiye count the devastating toll
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Visiting earthquake-ravaged areas of Türkiye and Syria, UNHCR's Grandi urges more support for survivors trying to rebuild
UNHCR, IOM welcome Spain's expedited resettlement of Syrian refugees from Türkiye in earthquake aftermath
Your search for « macedonia » matched 1648 results. Only the first 1,000 results are displayed. Displaying page 8 of 112 pages.
-
UNHCR Global Report 2000 - The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
1 Jun 2001 ... UNHCR Global Report 2000 — 409 The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Persons of Concern Main ... W O R K I N G E N V I R O N M E N T The Context The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYR ...... -
Bi-annual fact sheet 2023 02 North Macedonia
Feb 2023 ... NORTH MACEDONIA FACT SHEET North Macedonia February 2023 UNHCR works closely with the government and various stakeholders to ensure protection of refugees, asylum- seekers, and stateless people in ...... -
FYR of Macedonia: villagers fleeing to Kosovo
27 Feb 2001 ... Over the past week, 383 ethnic Albanians, primarily women and children, have fled to Kosovo from a mountain village in neighbouring FYR of Macedonia, amid reports of fighting between Albanian ...... -
FYR of Macedonia: returns continue at a trickle
12 Oct 2001 ... programme in Tetovo, 60 km west of Skopje. On Thursday, UNHCR started a new bus line between Kumanovo, 40 km north-east of the FYROM capital, and the nearby Lopate and Opaje villages.... -
FYR of Macedonia: up to 2,000 people flee to southern Serbia
25 May 2001 ... Up to 2,000 people have fled to southern Serbia from villages in the north of the Former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia, as fighting intensified between Macedonian forces and ethnic Albanian rebels. ...... -
Kosovo Crisis Update
7 May 1999 ... Five planes per week are bringing 2,000 tents from manufacturers into Skopje in the FYR of Macedonia... They had originally been sent by train toward Macedonia where they were told by the Serbian ...... -
FYR of Macedonia: UNHCR begins shelter materials deliveries
26 Oct 2001 ... As security conditions continued to improve in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, UNHCR this week began delivering shelter materials for the repair of 1,400 houses damaged during the six-month ...... -
UNHCR: Ethnic separation in FYROM deeply disturbing
24 Jul 2001 ... areas of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, a development that recalls some of the ... possible separation of ethnic populations in FYROM since the beginning of the conflict earlier ...... -
Kosovo: Influx reduced to trickle
9 Apr 1999 ... The influx of refugees into Albania, FYR Macedonia and Montenegro has gone down to a trickle since Wednesday. The Yugoslav side closed the borders to Macedonia and Albania in the night of Tuesday to ......