Serbia, Macedonia filtering migrant flow
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 19 November 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Serbia, Macedonia filtering migrant flow, 19 November 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56813d3026.html [accessed 2 June 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. |
November 19, 2015
Serbia and Macedonia have begun restricting the entry of refugees to those from certain countries, leaving hundreds of people stranded on borders.
A spokeswoman for the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR), Melita Sunjic, said on November 19 that Serbian authorities "allow into the country only refugees from Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq."
"They turn back all the others to Macedonia," she added.
Sunjic said Macedonia was also barring refugees from certain countries, including Liberia, Morocco, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Sudan.
The Macedonian nongovernmental organization LEGIS said the country was also allowing only Iraqis, Afghans, and Syrians into the country.
Those three nationalities make up the majority of the hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing war and poverty who have trekked across the Balkans this year in the hope of reaching Western and Northern Europe.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
