Serbia clears Belgrade's main migrant camp to make way for development
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 15 May 2017 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Serbia clears Belgrade's main migrant camp to make way for development, 15 May 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/59818d7e20.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 15, 2017 23:21 GMT
By RFE/RL's Balkan Service
Migrants gathering last year near Belgrade's main bus station
Machines and construction workers on May 15 overran an area which just a couple a days ago was home for more than a thousand migrants who were living in abandoned barracks near the central bus station.
In the days before the demolition, most of the estimated 1,200 migrants – who are mostly of Afghan and Pakistani descent – were transferred by bus to government-run camps with spaces across the country.
Officials claim one of the main reasons for transferring the migrants is that it will provide protection from smugglers and other forms of abuse.
The former gathering place for homeless migrants near the bus station is being cleared as part of the government's plans for a 2.5 billion euro waterside development.
The Belgrade Waterfront will include skyscrapers, luxury penthouse apartments, shopping malls, hotels, and parks.
More than 7,200 refugees, asylum-seekers, and migrants were identified in Serbia at the last count, according to a UN Refugee Agency report published last week.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
