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Migrants Find a Safer Route Into Europe via the Balkans

5 minute read

When Abu Hassan fled the Syrian city of Daraa two months ago he was determined to get his family to Europe. He considered putting his family in a boat in Libya to cross the central Mediterranean Sea.

“I decided it’s too dangerous. Not with the children,” says Abu Hassan, who is now sleeping in a park with eight of his family members in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

Instead, they made their way to Turkey, took a short boat trip to Greece and then paid smugglers to take them through Macedonia, stuffed in the back of a truck with 190 other migrants and refugees, to the Serbian border.

“At midnight they dropped us near the border and said ‘it’s there, go,’”recalls Abu Hassan. They were in Serbia for just 10 minutes when they were picked up by the Serbian authorities, but they were safe. They were told to register at a nearby office an office, which they did before heading north.

The most popular route into the European Union is by boat from Libya across the central Mediterranean, but this year alone an estimated 1,500 people have drowned in the choppy waters off the North African coast.

“It has always been a very dangerous trip,” says Ewa Moncure, a spokesperson from Frontex, the E.U. border monitoring and patrol. “It seems now, that the people traffickers can operate freely in Libya. As soon as they have boats, they send people to sea…some make it and some don’t make it and [the traffickers] don’t seem to care.”

See Migrants Make Their Way From Serbia to Hungary

Afghan migrants trek their way to the Serbian border with Hungary close to Hajdukovo, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 17, 2015,
Afghan migrants trek their way to the Serbian border with Hungary close to Hajdukovo, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 17, 2015,Marko Drobnjakovic—AP
A watchtower left over from the Cold War era is seen meters away from the Serbian border with Hungary close to Kelebija, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015,
A watchtower left over from the Cold War era is seen meters away from the Serbian border with Hungary close to Kelebija, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015, Marko Drobnjakovic—AP
Migrants rest in the makeshift camp near the abandoned brick factory in the northern Serbian town of Subotica, near the border between Serbia and Hungary, on Dec. 15, 2014,
Migrants rest in the makeshift camp near the abandoned brick factory in the northern Serbian town of Subotica, near the border between Serbia and Hungary, on Dec. 15, 2014, Darko Vojinovic—AP
Migrants from Afghanistan rest at an abandoned house on the outskirts of Subotica, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015,
Migrants from Afghanistan rest at an abandoned house on the outskirts of Subotica, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015, Marko Drobnjakovic—AP
A graffiti in Arabic letters is seen on a wall of an abandoned factory used as a resting point by migrants on the outskirts of Subotica, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015.
A graffiti in Arabic letters is seen on a wall of an abandoned factory used as a resting point by migrants on the outskirts of Subotica, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015.Marko Drobnjakovic—AP
Migrants gather around the fire which they use for cooking and for warmth in the abandoned brick factory in the northern Serbian town of Subotica, near the border between Serbia and Hungary, on Dec. 15, 2014.
Migrants gather around the fire which they use for cooking and for warmth in the abandoned brick factory in the northern Serbian town of Subotica, near the border between Serbia and Hungary, on Dec. 15, 2014.Darko Vojinovic—AP
Members of the German border police sit in a van as they check a security camera while monitoring a stretch of the Serbian border with Hungary in the village of Hajdukovo, some 110 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 13, 2015.
Members of the German border police sit in a van as they check a security camera while monitoring a stretch of the Serbian border with Hungary in the village of Hajdukovo, some 110 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 13, 2015. Darko Vojinovic—AP
Migrants are detained by a Hungarian civil guard after being caught on the Hungarian-Serbian border near Roszke, south of Szeged, 100 miles south of Budapest, Hungary on Jan. 19, 2015.
Migrants are detained by a Hungarian civil guard after being caught on the Hungarian-Serbian border near Roszke, south of Szeged, 100 miles south of Budapest, Hungary on Jan. 19, 2015. Szilard Koszticsa—EPA
A migrant detained by the Hungarian police after illegally crossing the border with Serbia peers out of a window of a police bus in Asotthalom, some 110 miles southeast of Budapest, Hungary, on Feb. 18, 2015.
A migrant detained by the Hungarian police after illegally crossing the border with Serbia peers out of a window of a police bus in Asotthalom, some 110 miles southeast of Budapest, Hungary, on Feb. 18, 2015.Marko Drobnjakovic—AP
Discarded children's clothes are seen laying in a field meters away from the Serbian border with Hungary close to Horgos, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015,
Discarded children's clothes are seen laying in a field meters away from the Serbian border with Hungary close to Horgos, 90 miles north of Belgrade, Serbia on Feb. 26, 2015.Marko Drobnjakovic—AP
Migrants, who said they were from Afghanistan, sit on a ground after being apprehended by the Serbian border police for having illegally entered the country from Macedonia, near the town of Presevo some 240 miles from capital Belgrade, Serbia on April 29, 2015.
Migrants, who said they were from Afghanistan, sit on a ground after being apprehended by the Serbian border police for having illegally entered the country from Macedonia, near the town of Presevo some 240 miles from capital Belgrade, Serbia on April 29, 2015. Marko Djurica—Reuters
Migrants sleep in a park near the main Belgrade's bus and train station, Serbia on April 24, 2015.
Migrants sleep in a park near the main Belgrade's bus and train station, Serbia on April 24, 2015. Marko Djurica—Reuters

Now, tens of thousands of migrants and refugees — desperate to escape violence and poverty at home — have opted for this safer Balkan land route through the former Yugoslavia and into the E.U. through Hungary. Last month alone 7,000 migrants and refugees — primarily from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan — crossed the frontier between Serbia and Hungary, according to Frontex. Last April, just 900 crossed there.

Abu Hassan doesn’t want to use his legal name fearing it will hinder his chances of reaching his final destination, Germany. Most migrants who take this route are trying to get to northern Europe. Both Greece and Hungary are in the E.U. but have high unemployment and offer little assistance to refugees and migrants.

In a café near the park, dozens of young men sit speaking Arabic and Afghan languages, and some Africans converse in French. They talk to their families at home and try to arrange their journeys north to the Hungarian border.

“Most of the smugglers are Pakistanis and Afghanis,” says 25-year-old Mahmoud, who also doesn’t want to give his full name. He sits with a group of Syrians and Iraqis and they debate the best route into Hungary.

Mahmoud spent one month in a Syrian government prison in his native Aleppo. The day after he was released he paid smugglers to take him to Turkey where he had to decide which route to take to Europe.

“Two of my friends died in the sea trying to reach Italy,” says Mahmoud. Both were young men who traveled to Libya. They called home one day about a year ago and told their parents they were boarding a boat to Italy. “Their parents told them ‘good luck’…We never heard from them again,” he says.

Stories like this dissuade some migrants from taking the sea journey from Libya but this route through the Balkans is also more expensive, costing several thousand dollars in smuggling fees and transport. Once in Belgrade, some rent shared hotel rooms or sleep in parks and spend their days waiting in cafés.

The Serbians seem to turn a blind eye to the migrants as if they want them to move on to Hungary as quickly as possible. “Really, the Serbian police don’t want to catch us,” says Mahmoud. “They don’t want us to stay here.”

He echoes the speculation of many here that the Serbian police often look the other way as people attempt to cross into Hungary, making this frontier a weak link in the perimeter of fortress Europe. Rights organizations have also documented Serbian authorities forcibly returning migrants to Macedonia, refusing to allow them to register asylum claims as well as extortion and physical abuse.

While this route might be safer than a “10-meter rubber boat with a 100 people onboard,” in the Mediterranean Sea, Moncure, from Frontex, cautions that it’s not completely safe. And as more and more people take this route through the Balkans, and smuggling becomes increasingly profitable, vulnerable migrants are at risk of exploitation and abuse. Migrants tell stories of being lied to and abandoned by traffickers and taxi drivers, others repeat tales of kidnapping by smugglers who call their families demanding more money to release them.

“The people smugglers aren’t doing it for free,” says Moncure.

Boat Migrants Risk It All for New Life in Europe

Italian navy rescues asylum seekers traveling by boat off the coast of Africa in the Mediterranean Sea, June 7, 2014.
Italian navy rescues asylum seekers traveling by boat off the coast of Africa on the Mediterranean, June 7, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
A soldier using binoculars to spot boats carrying asylum seekers in the Mediterranean Sea, June 2.
A soldier using binoculars to spot boats carrying asylum seekers, June 2, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
Refugees rescued off a boat and carried onto an Italian navy ship on the Mediterranean Sea, June 7.
Refugees rescued off a boat and carried onto an Italian navy ship, June 7, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
Italian navy rescues asylum seekers traveling by boat off the coast of Africa, June 7.
Italian navy rescues asylum seekers traveling by boat off the coast of Africa, June 7, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
Italian soldier carries a Syrian child on a ship after the Italian navy rescued 443 Syrian asylum seekers off a fishing vessel, June 5.
Italian soldier carries a Syrian child on a ship after the Italian navy rescued 443 Syrian asylum seekers off a fishing vessel, June 5, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
Italian navy rescue asylum seekers
African asylum seekers rescued off boats and taken aboard an Italy navy ship, June 8, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
An empty dinghy with leftover lifesavers after the Italian navy rescued asylum seekers off the coast of Africa, June 7.
An empty dinghy with leftover lifesavers after the Italian navy rescued asylum seekers off the coast of Africa, June 7, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
Italian navy rescue asylum seekers
Syrian refugees sleeping on an Italian navy ship after being rescued from a fishing vessel carrying 443 Syrian asylum seekers, June 5, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
Syrian refugees on an Italian navy ship after being rescued from a fishing vessel carrying 443 Syrian asylum seekers, June 5.
Syrian refugees on an Italian navy ship after being rescued from a fishing vessel carrying 443 Syrian asylum seekers, June 5, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
Syrian refugees sleeping on an Italian navy ship after being rescued from a fishing vessel carrying 443 Syrian asylum seekers, June 5.
Syrian refugees sleeping on an Italian navy ship after being rescued from a fishing vessel carrying 443 Syrian asylum seekers, June 5, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
African asylum seekers rescued off boats and taken aboard an Italy navy ship, June 8.
African asylum seekers rescued off boats and taken aboard an Italy navy ship, June 8, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
African refugees rescued by the Italian navy at night off a rubber dinghy, June 8.
African refugees rescued by the Italian navy at night off a rubber dinghy, June 8, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
African asylum seekers rescued off boats and taken aboard an Italian navy ship, June 8.
African asylum seekers rescued off boats and taken aboard an Italian navy ship, June 8, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
African asylum seekers on board a rescue craft dispatched from an Italian navy ship, June
African asylum seekers on board a rescue craft dispatched from an Italian navy ship, June 7.Massimo Sestini—Polaris
Africa refugees on an Italian navy ship after being rescued at sea, June 8.
Africa refugees on an Italian navy ship after being rescued at sea, June 8, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
A mother and child on a Italian navy ship after being rescued from a fishing vessel carrying 443 Syrian asylum seekers, June 5.
A mother and child on a Italian navy ship after being rescued from a fishing vessel carrying 443 Syrian asylum seekers, June 5, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris
Abandoned boats graveyard in Lampedusa, May 29.
Abandoned boats graveyard in Lampedusa, May 29, 2014. Massimo Sestini—Polaris

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