HIGHLIGHTS AND STATISTICS
Minister of Interior Mr. Nebojsa Stefanovic stated that Serbia could not allow to become a collection centre for migrants that no other European country wanted, adding that a comprehensive solution was necessary for the problem of refugee/migrant crisis. He also informed that the patrol forces along the administrative line with Kosovo and on the border with Montenegro were being reinforced.
The number of asylum seekers gathering to re-enter the EU at the Northern border to Hungary again decreased slightly, averaging 1,100. Fifty-three pushbacks from Hungary into Serbian territory were encountered.
The situation in Belgrade remained challenging, with an average of 460 refugees/migrants having to overnight in Belgrade city centre, while only up to 237 asylum-seekers were sheltered at the Asylum Centre (AC) of Krnjača.
102 persons expressed their intent to seek asylum in Serbia, bringing the total for August to 102 and for the year 2016 to 6,238 (statistics courtesy of the Ministry of Interior).
BELGRADE
UNHCR and partners assisted between 400 and 660 refugees, asylum seekers and migrants daily in the city centre.
Their main complaint was the lack of sanitary facilities in Belgrade parks and the fact that green zones could not be used for rest due to ongoing renovation of parks around the bus station. Krnjaca AC continued to admit only registered asylum-seekers.
The Asylum Info Centre (AIC) 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 (30 per day on average), while MSF and the Real Medicine Foundation (RMF) were on duty at night.
The Red Cross, Info Park, Divac Foundation, Refugee Aid Miksaliste, Refugee Aid Serbia, Caritas and others provided food and other aid.
On the occasion of one year’s anniversary of successful operation in Belgrade, in a press conference on 3 July with participation of UNHCR, the AIC announced that they would be operating as a new, independent entity, under the name “Crisis Response and Policy Centre - CRPC”.
NORTH
Some 1,105 asylum seekers were present at the end of the reporting period at the border with Hungary. Of the total, 449 were in Horgos I and 231 in Kelebija, predominantly women and children (62%) from Afghanistan and Syria, waiting for long periods of time in difficult conditions and hot temperatures on Serbian soil in front of the Hungarian “transit zones”.
Hygienic conditions were again improved with MSF succeeding in installing 4 new water taps/sinks in Horgos I border crossing, on Hungarian soil.
Representatives of the Institute of Public Health of Serbia and the local health institutions of Kikinda and Subotica, produced a proposal for measures aimed at improving the health status of asylum-seekers in Subotica, Horgoš and Kelebija sites.
The SCRM, UNHCR, HCIT, UNICEF, IOM, MSF, MDM, HELP, CRS/BCM 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.
The SCRM shelter up to 444 asylum-seekers in the Refugee Aid Point (RAP) of Subotica.
Hungary continued admitting approximately 30 asylum-seekers per day. 89 asylum seekers were admitted into Hungarian “transit zones” during the reporting period.
WEST
SCRM RAPs in the West hosted an average of 1,000 refugees/migrants, mainly referred there from the North, but also from Belgrade and the East. On 3 August, 375 were accommodated at Šid RAP, 380 at Adaševci RAP and 267 at Principovac RAP. The majority were nationals of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.
They were assisted by SCRM, UNHCR, HCIT, IOM, Caritas, Philanthropy, DRC, APC, the Red Cross, MSF, MDM, IDC, Ministry of Labour and WAHA doctors.
EAST
NTR
SOUTH
Presevo Reception Centre (RC) continued to host an average of 140 refugees/migrants/asylum-seekers (from Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Bangladesh, etc.), arrivals from fYRo Macedonia (up to ten per day) and other reception facilities.
In a Coordination Meeting which took place in Presevo on 3 July, Special Advisor to the Minister of Labour Mr. Milenko Nikic expressed the readiness of Presevo RC to accept refugees/migrants/asylum-seekers from the overcrowded facilities in the West and the North.