HIGHLIGHTS AND STATISTICS
Estimated number of refugees, migrants and asylum-seekers present in the country grew to around 3,600.
The number of asylum seekers gathering to re-enter the EU at the Northern border to Hungary slightly decreased to just over 1,200. Less than twenty pushbacks from Hungary into Serbian territory were encountered. Demanding unhindered entry into Hungary, around 100 protesters remained in peaceful hunger strike close to Horgos I border crossing at the Serbia-Hungary border.
Also the situation in Belgrade remained challenging, with an average of 630 refugees/migrants having to overnight in Belgrade city centre, while only around 137 asylum-seekers were sheltered at the Asylum Centre (AC) of Krnjača.
72 persons expressed their intent to seek asylum in Serbia bringing the total for July to 1,275 and for the year 2016 to 5,896 (statistics courtesy of the Ministry of Interior).
BELGRADE
UNHCR and partners assisted between 590 and 660 refugees, asylum seekers and migrants daily in the city centre. Krnjaca AC continued to admit only registered asylum-seekers, while undocumented refuges/migrants had to spend overnights in Belgrade’s parks, under bridges and in abandoned settlements.
The Asylum Info Centre assisted, counselled and referred many refugees/migrants, including to asylum procedures, accommodation to Krnjaca AC and medical services. UNHCR/DRC doctors treated refugees/migrants during the day, while MSF and the Real Medicine Foundation (RMF) were on duty at night. Info Park, Divac Foundation, Refugee Aid Miksalište, Refugee Aid Serbia, Caritas and others provided food and other aid.
NORTH
Some 1,239 asylum seekers were present at the end of the reporting period at the border with Hungary. Of the total, 552 were in Horgoš I and 228 in Kelebija, predominantly women and children (64%) from Afghanistan and Syria, awaiting for long periods of time in difficult conditions and hot temperatures on Serbian soil in front of the Hungarian “transit zones”.
Hygienic conditions continued to improve, also with asylum-seekers helping to keep the area clean. Issues remained in Kelebija with the need for thorough collection of accumulated waste behind improvised shelters.
The SCRM, UNHCR, HCIT, UNICEF, IOM, MSF, MDM, HELP, CRS/BCM, Swiss volunteers and the Red Cross provided humanitarian aid, including bottled water, food, fresh fruits, hygiene packages and other non-food items, medical assistance as well as legal and other counselling. Gaps in Red Cross food supplies had to be filled by HCIT from UNHCR contingency stocks.
The SCRM shelter up to 535 asylum-seekers in the Refugee Aid Point (RAP) of Subotica.
Hungary continued admitting approximately 30 asylum-seekers per day. 91 asylum seekers were admitted into Hungarian “transit zones” during the reporting period.
WEST
SCRM RAPs in the West hosted an average of 800 refugees/migrants, mainly referred there from the North, but also from Belgrade and the East. On 27 July, 386 were accommodated at Šid RAP, 333 at Adaševci RAP and 205 at Principovac RAP. The majority were nationals of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
They were assisted by SCRM, UNHCR, HCIT, IOM, Philanthropy, DRC, APC, Red Cross, MSF, MDM, IDC, Ministry of Labour and WAHA doctors.