DEAD END (Serbie)
Hungary and Croatia have closed their borders, and are not hesitating to repel migrants as they pass through. Serbia has unwittingly become Europe's new roadblock on the Balkan route.
Since the start of winter, just over 2,000 refugees, the vast majority of them Afghans and Pakistanis, have been crammed into the former disused and insalubrious warehouses of Belgrade's railway station. 2,000 people for a single drinking water pipe, living without toilets or showers. 2,000 people waiting to continue their journey or for places to become available in official reception centers.
Under political agreements with the European Union, Serbia is supposed to take in 6,000 refugees. In fact, the country's 15 centers already have more than 7,000 refugees. What's more, between 400 and 700 migrants arrive in the country every month. A new Calais "jungle" is emerging, according to the MSF manager in Belgrade.
On the spot, NGOs are forbidden by the government, which fears that this will create an air draught. For the past month, the government has still not responded to urgent requests from associations to install toilets. MSF has, however, provided migrants with fuel stoves to raise the temperature in the warehouses by ten degrees; despite this, temperatures remain below freezing at night. An association is also allowed to distribute food, the only hot meal of the day for many of the migrants housed in these warehouses.
To survive the extreme temperatures, the refugees burn the old chemically-treated wooden rails, releasing toxic fumes in which they are constantly immersed. Not to mention the lack of hygiene, which remains a breeding ground for scabies and lice epidemics.
Since the start of winter, just over 2,000 refugees, the vast majority of them Afghans and Pakistanis, have been crammed into the former disused and insalubrious warehouses of Belgrade's railway station. 2,000 people for a single drinking water pipe, living without toilets or showers. 2,000 people waiting to continue their journey or for places to become available in official reception centers.
Under political agreements with the European Union, Serbia is supposed to take in 6,000 refugees. In fact, the country's 15 centers already have more than 7,000 refugees. What's more, between 400 and 700 migrants arrive in the country every month. A new Calais "jungle" is emerging, according to the MSF manager in Belgrade.
On the spot, NGOs are forbidden by the government, which fears that this will create an air draught. For the past month, the government has still not responded to urgent requests from associations to install toilets. MSF has, however, provided migrants with fuel stoves to raise the temperature in the warehouses by ten degrees; despite this, temperatures remain below freezing at night. An association is also allowed to distribute food, the only hot meal of the day for many of the migrants housed in these warehouses.
To survive the extreme temperatures, the refugees burn the old chemically-treated wooden rails, releasing toxic fumes in which they are constantly immersed. Not to mention the lack of hygiene, which remains a breeding ground for scabies and lice epidemics.
