The situation at the border crossings Gevgelija and Kumanovo for the period: 04.04.2016 – 10.04.2016

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

Not a single refugee was registered in the country during this period.

There were no significant changes to the camp structure.

Around 135 refugees were present in the camp, 125 of whom are in the camp, and 10 are placed in the reception tent in front of the camp. The refugees from the latter group are from Iran.

Institutional treatment

The refugees are given food in the kitchen. NGOs distribute fruit and sweets. In the course of this week the refugees noticed a slight improvement and greater variety of the food, after their complaints last week[1]. However, in a small number of cases there were complaints about insufficient quantities of food, as well as lack of food for people with special needs (for example, people with diabetes). The refugees also notice that unlike before, the attitude of the kitchen staff towards them has improved. A new system for distributing food is in place, i.e. each of the refugees is given a card where a stamp is placed for every meal he/she has taken. If a refugee is unable to show the card for some reason, the stamp is placed on his/her hand.

In the course of the week, groups of refugees who were trying to cross the border through illegal roads were caught by the police of several occasions. They were taken to the Police station in Gevgelija, but it remains unknown what happened to them afterwards. Members of UNHRC, the Red Cross and NGOs took food and blankets for them at the police station. They were not taken to the transit camp Vinojug.

On 10.04.2016, around 10:30 am, a group of 100 refugees and migrants from the camp in Idomeni, Greece, tried to cross the Macedonian border in an organized manner. Allegedly, they had been told that the borders would open. The Macedonian police informed that was not the case and warned them not to resort to violent attempts. In spite of this, the refugees started throwing stones towards the police officers. Some groups were trying to cut the fence. The police used teargas and stun-grenades in order to prevent the groups from crossing the border. A smaller group of approximately 20 refugees managed to cross the border, but they were soon caught and taken back to Greek territory. The tension did not subside before the evening.

Kumanovo

Available facilities and conditions

The camp is constantly expanded an upgraded. New containers are being brought, electricity generators are being set up, and children’s playground is being adjusted by members of the SOS children’s village.

At the camp entrance, containers of the Special Support Unit (SSP) have now been set up.

The number of refugees in the camp decreases on daily basis. Although there is no official data, the number presently amounts to less than 900.

The hygiene at the camp is appalling, and the tents are not regularly cleaned.

At the decision of the Main Headquarters of the Crisis Management center, NGOs may be present in the camp until 19h, with the exception of the SOS children’s village and La Strada.

Institutional treatment

Many of the complaints in the camp are about the type of food and the way in which it is handed out. The refugees complain that the food is monotonous, frequently canned. For many days its quantities are insufficient, i.e. an insufficient number of meals is distributed amount a higher number of refugees. This situation was also pointed out and noticed by the Head of CMC, so attempts are being made for it to improve.

A large number of families and individuals “disappear” from the camp on daily basis. According to some allegations, they flee the camp on their own and head towards Serbia down illegal roads, and end up being caught by the police. Thus, for example, on 09.04.2016, a group of about 27 people from Afghanistan were caught by the police in the village of Sopot. According to their statements, they did not intend to flee, but to temporarily get away from the bad, unhygienic conditions in the camp, and return later. The group was held at the spot where the police caught them, where a police station was set up. What was further done to them is unknown.

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[1] https://www.mhc.org.mk/reports/390#.Vwut6KR97IU

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.