Moroccan Migrants Lead Surge in Illegal Crossings Through Western Balkans

Between 2015 and 2020, Moroccans have been at the top of the list of illegal migrants who have transited through Montenegro, ahead of Afghans, Iranians and Algerians, and 3rd among those who have transited through Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina, the report notes, pointing out that some 2,814 Moroccans were among the migrants arrested in Greece in 2019.

The Geneva-based NGO notes that some are migrants fleeing conflicts and others, the majority of whom are from Morocco, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, are seeking a better economic situation.

While the majority of migrants belong to the 15-30 age group, the report notes the presence of many children and women among Syrian asylum seekers. In addition, some migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Morocco and Syria, who are very familiar with the terrain and police movements, are linked to transnational organized crime networks.

Despite the risks involved in the journey, the trip can cost up to 2,500 euros from Subotica in northern Serbia to an area near the Hungarian border, where they are housed in abandoned farms and factories before being smuggled into Hungary. To travel from Greece to Albania, migrants pay between 1,000 and 2,500 euros. These amounts include transportation services from the southern Korça and Gjirokastra areas to the Adriatic ports of Vlora and Durres or the northern cities of Shkodra and Kukes.

From Greece or Bulgaria, on foot through the Belasica mountains to Strumica in southern North Macedonia, candidates for immigration spend about 700 euros per person. Costs can vary depending on the season, group size and the smugglers’ perception of the group’s ability to pay, the NGO report says. In sum, to reach Western Europe, migrants from Greece or Turkey must spend between 600 and 20,000 euros per person, depending on the starting point and destination.

Smugglers use contacts in refugee camps or in major cities, often around ports, where asylum seekers and migrants gather. The report also mentions thefts and fights between migrants as well as the use and sale of drugs by some Afghan and Moroccan migrants.

In this adventure, smugglers drive dangerously to avoid the police, denounces the study. These maneuvers cause fatal accidents, on the railways, either by contact with high-voltage cables or hit by a train or by drowning in attempting to cross a river. The risk of rape is permanent for women traveling alone.