Kelebija-Tompa crossing, 8 April 2016 We ask the Serbian and Hungarian Authorities and UNHCR on both sides to facilitate access for NGO's and Volunteer groups to the stranded people in Kelebija and Horgos - we do not want a repetition of summer 2015.
Between 60 to 200 people are waiting in front of the two official Tranzit Zones on the Hungarian-Serbian border in Kelebija and Horgos since days, some of them since weeks. The Hungarian authorities reduced the number of accepted entrances from 30 to 20 recently and often they accept only 12 or 15 people. Usually they chose one or two families, take them in and close the doors for another day. During the last few days, the practice was that they let only Syrian or Iraqi families in. The Afghan, Pakistani, Iranian, Somali families are left waiting, and eventually return exhausted to Belgrade. One Afghan family is stranded there since 4 days and nights with several small children. The mother is pregnant. They have been talking to UNHCR on both the Serbian and the Hungarian side with no success.
So far only MSF and UNHCR get access to the people stranded on the Serbian side of the Hungarian transit zone. No other support structures are in place. Nobody is allowed to hand out tents, which means that people are exposed to all weather conditions. There are no sanitary facilities at all. The situation is deteriorating daily.
In Belgrade we witnessed 200-300 new arrivals daily during the last week. The actual number might be double as high. Numbers are increasing, not decreasing. Most of the newly arriving people come through Bulgaria, where they have been jailed and tortured, chased through forests, walked for many hours and lacked food and water. Nevertheless, NGO's are planning to withdraw in many places, closing their missions, while numbers show that the need for support is increasing.
Be aware and react early enough everywhere in Serbia and Hungary - we do not want a repetition of summer 2015.
Between 60 to 200 people are waiting in front of the two official Tranzit Zones on the Hungarian-Serbian border in Kelebija and Horgos since days, some of them since weeks. The Hungarian authorities reduced the number of accepted entrances from 30 to 20 recently and often they accept only 12 or 15 people. Usually they chose one or two families, take them in and close the doors for another day. During the last few days, the practice was that they let only Syrian or Iraqi families in. The Afghan, Pakistani, Iranian, Somali families are left waiting, and eventually return exhausted to Belgrade. One Afghan family is stranded there since 4 days and nights with several small children. The mother is pregnant. They have been talking to UNHCR on both the Serbian and the Hungarian side with no success.
So far only MSF and UNHCR get access to the people stranded on the Serbian side of the Hungarian transit zone. No other support structures are in place. Nobody is allowed to hand out tents, which means that people are exposed to all weather conditions. There are no sanitary facilities at all. The situation is deteriorating daily.
In Belgrade we witnessed 200-300 new arrivals daily during the last week. The actual number might be double as high. Numbers are increasing, not decreasing. Most of the newly arriving people come through Bulgaria, where they have been jailed and tortured, chased through forests, walked for many hours and lacked food and water. Nevertheless, NGO's are planning to withdraw in many places, closing their missions, while numbers show that the need for support is increasing.
Be aware and react early enough everywhere in Serbia and Hungary - we do not want a repetition of summer 2015.
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