Migrants, Belgrade, Jan.1 2017(BETAPHOTO/EMIL VAS/MO)
About 150 illegal migrants enter Serbia from North Macedonia and Bulgaria on a daily basis and the government simply does not have the capacity to halt the influx of so many people, Rados Djurovic, the executive director of the Asylum Protection Center, said on Feb. 21.
Speaking for the RTS public service, the NGO head stated that, on average, 50 migrants enter the country from North Macedonia, while some 100 enter via Bulgaria, adding that the recent traffic accident near Presevo proves that people smugglers are active in Serbia and include locals.
“The migrants have no say. They’ll accept anything and the smugglers take advantage of this. [The migrants] take such risks for valid reasons. They come mostly from Syria and Afghanistan, where the living conditions are very difficult,” Djurovic explained.
Two days ago, three people died when a vehicle carrying 14 illegal migrants crashed near Presevo. The twelve injured include the driver, a Serb national arrested on suspicion of people smuggling.
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