HIGHLIGHTS AND STATISTICS
Serbia continued to host around 4,400 new refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants. Over 80% of them were accommodated in governmental facilities, including 1,340 in the five Asylum Centres and 2,216 in Refugee Aid Points/Reception Centres.
Less than 350 asylum-seekers (i.e. 1/3 of the peak of over 1,000 on 14 July) still camped in the open on Serbian soil close to the Hungarian “transit zones” near Horgos I and Kelebija border-crossings. Consolidated action by authorities, UNHCR, partners as well as refugee community leaders to encourage asylum-seekers to move to governmental centres instead was effective.
While Hungary admitted 120 asylum-seekers into its two “transit zones” during the last four days, UNHCR and partners collected testimonies from over twenty, who reported to have been push-back into Serbia without being allowed access to procedures/protection in Hungary.
249 persons expressed their intent to seek asylum in Serbia, bringing the total for August to 1,740 and for the whole year to 7,876. Jan-July 2016, the Asylum Office of the border-guards issued 50 first instance decisions, which granted subsidiary protection to 16 applicants and refugee status to ten, while rejecting 24 [compared to 16 decisions Jan-July 2015: 14 refugee status and two rejections].
SOUTH
New arrivals from fYRo Macedonia, Bulgaria and other reception facilities continued to be referred to the Reception Centre (RC) in Presevo. It accommodated close to 550 refugees and migrants, most from Afghanistan, followed by Iraq, Pakistan and Syria.
The authorities, UNHCR and all other organizations active in the RC, assisted with food and non-food items, medical services, counselling, interpretation, referrals and recreational activities.
To identify protection and other specific needs as well as available solutions, UNHCR - assisted by SCRM and IOM - completed an individual profiling of 533 residents of the RC.
BELGRADE
In fair weather, up to 600 refugees, asylum seekers and migrants were encountered and assisted in the city centre. They were encouraged to move to the Asylum Centre of Krnjaca, which sheltered over 750.
Various Civil Society Organisations provided assistance, counselling and facilitated many referrals, including to asylum procedures, registration with the police, accommodation in the Asylum Centre and medical services. Unaccompanied minors and separated children were referred to the Centre for Social Work. UNHCR/DRC and MDM doctors treated over 145 refugee/migrant patients every day in the city.
NORTH
The number of asylum seekers in the North dropped to 708 (from a peak of 1,011 on 14 July). Less than half of them, camped in the open on Serbian soil close to the “transit zones” at Horgos I and Kelebija. 63% were women and children from Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria. The SCRM sheltered 400 more asylum-seekers in the Refugee Aid Point (RAP) of Subotica.
The SCRM, UNHCR, and other organizations present provided humanitarian aid, including bottled water, food, fresh fruits, non-food aid, hygiene packages, support to maintenance of the sanitary conditions, medical assistance as well as legal and other counselling. On 26 August, a man from Pakistan, who had been hit by a truck several days before near Horgos in the North and was in a coma due to sustained injuries, unfortunately passed away in Subotica General Hospital.
WEST
The Refugee Aid Points in Sid, Adasevci and Principovac continued sheltering over 1,360 refugees and migrants. Most had been referred by the SCRM from other locations, mainly Horgos and Subotica. On 28 August, 412 stayed in Sid RAP, mainly from Afghanistan or Pakistan, 680 in Adasevci RAP, mainly from Afghanistan, Syria and Iraqi and 271 in Principovac RAP, mainly from Afghanistan.
Civil Society Organizations assisted with food, and non-food as well as medical aid, counselling, referrals, child support, and recreational activities. In order to expand its capacity by another 150 places, the SCRM installed 23 tents on the meadow of RAP Principovac.
Attempts to clandestinely enter Croatia hidden on trains/trucks as well as push-backs from Croatia continued. Media reported on at least two instances when the Serbian police apprehending groups of mainly Afghan and Pakistani men, in Sid and Batrovci border crossing, hidden in vehicles. Additionally, 24 men were encountered in Sid, claiming they managed to enter Croatia the night before but were pushed-back to Serbia.