Fierce shootings between smugglers and fatal car accidents have made the land routes taken by those trying to reach Europe even more dangerous in recent months. But despite this, the number of people going to Europe is increasing.
At least three people, believed to be Afghan nationals trying to reach Europe illegally, were killed in a shootout between rival gangs last week. The shooting incident took place on the Serbian border, a few hundred meters away from the Hungarian border fence.
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According to the police, these migrants are being killed in fighting between warring groups on Hungary’s border with Serbia. These groups from Morocco, Afghanistan, and Syria are fighting each other for control of the border.
Residents of the Serbian border villages of Horgos and Hajdukovo, as well as the town of Subotica, have appealed to the police to restore peace. There are people on both sides of the border who allege that the police are also in cahoots with these criminal gangs.
The governments of Austria and Slovakia have protested to Hungary that too many migrants reach their borders through Hungary.
Despite measures such as heavily fortified border fences, daily detentions, and deportations, Hungary has not been able to stop them.
It should be noted that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been making very harsh statements against these immigrants.
A 33-year-old former Afghan soldier, who gave his name as Sadr, told the BBC that “sometimes the agents (smugglers) are very cruel, very angry, and they beat us.”
According to him, ‘at other times they are kind, bring us food, and give us good accommodation.’
I met the president near the Hungarian fence on the Serbian side.
He said he arrived in Bulgaria after a grueling 25-day journey by bus from Perot on the Serbian-Bulgarian border.
They came from Istanbul, where they paid ten thousand dollars for a ticket through Germany.
The BBC saw a video in Subotica showing smugglers killing terrified young Afghans who refused to pay them to cross the border.
Another video shows gangs fighting and firing near Subotica.
Hungary’s strong, electrified fence along the 175-kilometer border not only helps smugglers control who crosses the border and when, but also prevents those who cross the border themselves. It helps.
Young immigrants call it ‘The Game’. Several groups simultaneously cut the fence at different locations. They know that most migrants will not be able to cross the border, but for some, the path will be clear.
But wait. This game is now over.
Automatic rifles and pistols sent from Kosovo have added to the threat.
In July last year, a 16-year-old girl was killed and seven migrants were injured in Makova Sedmika, a suburb of Subotica, in an armed clash between alleged Moroccan and Afghan gangs.
Last Friday’s shooting near the fence in Horgos is said to have occurred when a group of Syrians attacked a known Afghan gang.
Migrants passing through northern Serbia are mostly Syrians and Afghans, but there are also Kurds, Pakistanis, and other nationalities.
Police say that unlike migrants, smugglers are armed.
“I understand the fear of the local people,” says Virag Gyorkovics, a journalist from Subotica. But the problem is that the common man does not differentiate between smugglers and migrants. Although these migrants themselves are subjected to such violence,
Local activist Vladimir Polovina says the wire on the border has only one purpose. And that is to collect money, not block the way for illegal border crossers.
They want to take money from every man who crosses the border. You can do this easily if you have wire on the fence.
A video compiled by the government shows people throwing ladders to the other side of the fence and then jumping down. In the video, they can be seen attacking police vehicles with long sticks. Guns can also be seen in the hands of these people in this infrared footage captured by security cameras.
A section of smugglers is now increasingly using weapons. A Kalashnikov can be seen in the middle of the front seat of the smugglers’ car in a video taken in daylight in Subotica.
Gabor Balog, head of the Hungarian police’s anti-trafficking unit, says the fence continues to be vandalized. They use different power tools. They cut the fence and made big holes. Hundreds of these holes are the size of doors, through which one can easily cross the border.
Another police official also confirmed the abuse of a group of migrants, such as pushing them through a fence at gunpoint, further confirming the abuse of these migrants by armed smugglers. According to the Serbian report, these people are forced to enter Hungary.
Hungarian police say around 80 people are caught crossing the fence every night. Many others are later caught traveling in vehicles within the country.
Local activist Vladimir Polovina says the wire on the border has only one purpose. And that is to collect money, not block the way for illegal border crossers.
They want to take money from every man who crosses the border. You can do this easily if you have wire on the fence.
A video compiled by the government shows people throwing ladders to the other side of the fence and then jumping down. In the video, they can be seen attacking police vehicles with long sticks. Guns can also be seen in the hands of these people in this infrared footage captured by security cameras.
A section of smugglers is now increasingly using weapons. A Kalashnikov can be seen in the middle of the front seat of the smugglers’ car in a video taken in daylight in Subotica.
Gabor Balog, head of the Hungarian police’s anti-trafficking unit, says the fence continues to be vandalized. They use different power tools. They cut the fence and made big holes. Hundreds of these holes are the size of doors, through which one can easily cross the border.
Another police official also confirmed the abuse of a group of migrants, such as pushing them through a fence at gunpoint, further confirming the abuse of these migrants by armed smugglers. According to the Serbian report, these people are forced to enter Hungary.
Hungarian police say around 80 people are caught crossing the fence every night. Many others are later caught traveling in vehicles within the country.
Immigrants are also beaten by the Hungarian police and border officials. Serbian medical officials and Hungarian journalists also report on these incidents. However, Hungarian police deny these allegations.
The exact number of escapees is not known, but most of those detained are sent back through the fence gate near Horgos.
Deporting migrants in this manner is also a violation of international law, which has been condemned by the European Court of Justice.
Authorities have also seized burned-out, wrecked cars used by smugglers on the Hungarian side of the border.
Broken car windows and pieces of plastic were found lying in the grass in a square in the village of ‘Matraverebely’, near the northern border with Slovakia, far from Hungary.
It was here that a van carrying 12 migrants lost control and crashed during a high-speed police chase.
Seven migrants were injured in it. The incident was one of at least 20 accidents involving migrants in Hungary last year.
Across the Austrian border, police have a list of 70 incidents in the eastern state of Burgenland alone when smugglers tried to evade police arrest.
Austrian police blame the incidents on a new business model introduced by gang bosses. Drivers are now paid by these groups only if they succeed in transporting the migrants, whereas in the past they were paid half of their money up front.