The situation at the border crossings Gevgelija and Kumanovo for the period: 18.04.2016 – 24.04.2016

The weekly report on the situation at the border crossings Gevgelija and Kumanovo includes the following topics: Available facilities and conditions at the camp and Institutional treatment.

Gevgelija 

Available facilities and conditions

At the start of the week, the number of refugees in the camp was 135, but by the end of the week it went down by around 10 people. The 10 refugees originating from Iran who were accommodated in the outer tent in front of the camp have been moved to the camp.

The Afghan family that spent several night in the open air due to the rats which showed up in the cabin where they were accommodated, have been offered another cabin after two of the other families left the camp.

One plasma display TV set has been stolen from the tents. The case was reported to the competent institutions in the camp.

Institutional treatment

On 19.04.2016, the refugees were administered vaccines against poliomyelitis.

The situation in the camp is generally peaceful.

The refugees’ complaints about the food continue, since the food is most often insufficient and of bad quality. In an isolated case, the refugees were even given spoiled soup from the previous evening. The only time they had a significantly better meal was on 24.04.2016, when the meal was distributed by Caritas.

A need for recreation and leisure activities for the refugees who spend every day in the camp has been observed.

Kumanovo

Available facilities and conditions

At the start of the week there were 787 refugees in the camp. The number of refugees in the camp drops with every passing day, and by the end of the week it reached around 650 refugees, which is less than half of number of refugees present when the border were closed.

The space in front of the kitchen and in front of the office of the Red Cross is being prepared to be paved, and there are announcements that additional showers will be set up.

Institutional treatment

On 23.04.2016, the refugees were administered vaccines against poliomyelitis.  All of them were willing and took the vaccines voluntarily.

The refugees continue complaining about the bad food in the camp. At the same time, there have been complaints about a lack of summer clothes in the camps, taking into the account the increase in temperature. They only have winter, warmer clothes available, while lighter clothes have not been handed out to them yet.

Irregular migration

In the course of April 2016, according to the official bulletin of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 8 criminal and legal events related to the illegal migration and smuggling of migrants have been registered, as well as 1 case of robbery, the victim in which was a refugee from Syria. Smugglers of migrants have been intercepted by the police in the vicinity of Gevgelija and Kumanovo, i.e. the villages of Vaksince, Udovo or near Demir Kapija, as well as down the Gevgelija – Skopje and the Kumanovo – Tabanovce motorways. 6 smugglers were detained in the 8 cases, while 6 of them have managed to flee. The number of refugees intercepted as smuggler victims amounts to 144, while the various groups originate from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and Iraq. After the procedure determining the case circumstances is conducted, the migrants are most frequently taken to the reception center for foreigners.

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This report is made possible by the generous support of the Foundation Open Society Institute (FOSI) within the project „Improvement of the rights protection for migrants and asylum seekers in the Republic of Macedonia“. The contents are the responsibility of the Helsinki Committee for Human rights of the Republic of Macedonia and do not necessarily reflect the views of FOSI.