Macedonia
The Waiting Room Of The Western Balkans?
Still moves the flow of migrants is faltering, but has continued unabated to the North, from the Transitcamp at the Greek border to stop at Macedonia’s Tabanovce and further to Serbia. Barbara Wesel from Tabanovce.
“Macedonia can not buffer or external border of the EU, that would be a big mistake,” says Yasmin Redzepi by the charity Legis in Skopje. That would only be possible if the country also as a member of the Nato and the EU would take. In addition, he says, there is violent xenophobia in the country: “If refugees in Camps will have to remain, then it will be quickly again such bad scenes as in the past, before the transit is properly organised”.
The Macedonian government, however, is the idea compared to not at all averse to what Redzepi for the wrong strategy: “You can now not out of greed or because you are closer to the EU wants to come – a task that actually Greece would have to fulfil. Greece is the external border of the EU, not Macedonia”. And still works the relay via the Balkan route, as has been since last autumn.
“Stop and Go” of the Macedonian border
On Monday was a small group of Syrians at Idomeni in Greece the border to Macedonia, crossing after just a day of waiting. Samir from Aleppo and his travelling companions were lucky: Because of the weekend had to of Macedonia, the border fence temporarily completely closed, as Austria is an upper limit for refugees had announced. Several kilometres of fence on the border to Greece were in Gevgelija already with Hungarian help built up, gradually, the border is completely sealed.
Then border guards from EU countries to help refugees continue their journey from Greece to obstruct the Plan of some European interior Ministers. A Delegation from Brussels is just in the capital Skopje, but it is not the interview to the talks with the Macedonian government. So far help especially Hungarian soldiers at the Transition to Greece.
Hope on the journey – not all are allowed to
So far it is still on the Balkan route
Samir from Aleppo and his friends had experienced, nor the well-rehearsed Routine: she had her papers from Greece to present, in a train and crossed Macedonia. Four hours later, they found themselves already in the transit camp Tabanovce at the border to Serbia again. The Balkantransit continues to run. The organized “illegal border crossing” to Serbia, had a helper at the lunch already about 1200 Incoming counted until the evening it would be around 2000.
In the fall, had the refugee Agency should the United Nations, UNHCR, the Camp with large heated tents, Toilettenblock and dining room equipped, so that the refugees night in the Warm can spend. There are also Blankets, sleeping bags and, if needed, walking shoes and warm Jackets. Helper take care of women and children.
In the UNHCR Camp, there are at least heated tents and hot beverages
And Tabanovce is full of children: From the war zone in Syria and Iraq seem to be currently, especially for families. Two-year zockeln at the hands of their exhausted mothers, a father sits with a four-week-old Baby on the platform, the child dick wrapped in blanket. You can see many of these “Baby packages” in the arms of the parents. All older children must be two miles through the no man’s land to the border checkpoint to Serbia to run. Now and again she cries one of them, but most of the Small trudging stoically through the mud.
“We know nothing of political dispute”
Samir knows from the Internet from the events in Cologne on new year’s eve. But he knows nothing of the plans of the EU, maybe soon the borders to close. “If some refugees something Bad, then they need to identify,” he says, but why should all punish? But there were no Syrians but Moroccans, he had heard.
He can not imagine, in a Transitcamp in Macedonia will have to stay, when the “Balkan route” close: “Here, there is nothing for us”. He wants to go to Germany, as well almost all on the platform of a station in Tabanovce. You call “Alemania, Alemania”, as us journalists have to speak German to hear.
Every day, thousands of refugees durchgeschleust – there is a lot of back
Also Samir has on the way a dramatic experience: On the Ferry from the Turkish coast to Mytilene, he had the boat seen, with the a week ago of 20 refugees drowned: “It’s slowly gone down, maybe 20 minutes”, and no coast guard in the vicinity to help. This was the worst part of the trip, after that, it ran quite well. Among the people from the train were many Syrians and to many Kurds, but also other nationalities: “There are some who have false papers bought. I don’t know where they come from…some find the police, others do not.” No surprise: The controls are fleeting, false papers can the police here hardly recognize.
Terminus for Libyans and other
In a corner sit two young men from Libya. For Bilal and his friend Soufian here is the last stop. As you two months ago, from the area around Tobruk out, they did not know that Macedonia only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans passing through would let. Over the Greek border, are you still with the tugs came. But now the two are depressed because they’ve been here for four weeks stuck. “We don’t know where we are.” Last night, I have a other Libyans tried in the near by forest to Serbia to go. “But the police have him arrested,” says Bilal.
Here is to a lot of police and you’d have to be further away try, over the green border to come. But the terrain is impassable and the two have no more money: Macedonian policemen had taken everything from them. In the UNHCR tent, it is at least warm and there is food to eat. But the location of the two young Libyans is pretty hopeless: If you do not have money for tugs can obtain, they will sit in no man’s land in Macedonia.