Date: 14.08.2026
Source: APC
Photo: APC

 

Reception Center (RC) Preševo:During this week, the number of migrants in the camp and around it was low compared to the previous period.

Reception Center (RC) Bujanovac:
– Complaints about living conditions, low quality and insufficient food portions were received from residents of the same reception center
– Unaccompanied minors originating from Afghanistan reported this week, in the largest number, that they arrived at the camp after entering Serbia from the direction of North Macedonia.

Situation at the Southern Border – North Macedonia / Serbia:
According to statements of displaced persons, their entry into the territory of Serbia is most often on foot across the green border, in groups usually numbering ten or more people, after which they use taxis to reach the reception center in .Preševo or to continue their journey directly to Belgrade, bypassing the reception center in Preševo. This week, several groups reported entering via North Macedonia.

Situation at the Southeastern Border – Bulgaria / Serbia:
During the reporting period, daily entries from the direction of Bulgaria into Serbia continue; in most cases the crossing is organized on foot, less often by hiding and traveling in trucks. After crossing, smugglers organize vehicles to Belgrade or directly to the border with Hungary. For example, Y.M. (1999), I.A. (1997), L.H. (2000) and R.B. (1999), persons originating from Morocco, entered Serbia from Bulgaria together with 15 other migrants. They crossed the border on foot, and then, in a vehicle organized by smugglers, reached Subotica with the intention of crossing the border with Hungary and entering the EU.

Situation at the Northern Border – Hungary / Serbia:
– The apprehension and detention of displaced persons by police in the border area, in a facility resembling a garage, continues this week as well: A.M. (2004) and R.R. (2004), citizens of Bangladesh, entered Serbia from North Macedonia together with 12 other migrants. They crossed the border on foot, after which they traveled by vehicle to Belgrade, where they stayed for three days in a hotel provided by smugglers. After that, they went to Horgoš, where Serbian police stopped them and took them to a facility which they stated looked more like a garage than a police station. They were held there for eight days. They said they received food and water, and when a larger number of migrants was gathered for transport, they were relocated to Preševo (11.08.2026, Preševo).
– Police violence by Hungarian officers, threats and intimidation with weapons: M.K. (2001) stated that after entering the territory of Hungary, Hungarian police apprehended them, that the officers were aggressive, and that they pressed a gun to his head and mouth. He stated that there were children in the group. After several hours of detention and mistreatment, they handed the entire group over to Serbian police, who held them for two days, after which he was transferred to Preševo a week ago (11.08.2026, Preševo).
– Multiple pushbacks and multiple relocations accompanied by police violence endanger the position of vulnerable persons: The M family from Afghanistan, with two children aged 8 and 9, who have already experienced two pushbacks from Hungary to Serbia, one of which was violent, attempted to cross into Croatia, when they were detected by Serbian border police and relocated to Bujanovac, for the third time in the last three weeks.

Smuggling Fees
Depending on the country of origin and the starting point, whether the country from which they are smuggled is part of an existing smuggling package, or whether displaced persons must pay in stages (most often stages continuing from Turkey), smuggling fees vary. The most frequently reported stage for persons originating from Afghanistan is from Turkey to Serbia, that is, to Horgoš/Subotica (via North Macedonia or Bulgaria), and amounts to €5,500 to €7,000. For a direct journey from Afghanistan to the border with Hungary, the price is around €12,000. Exceptionally, one four member family reported paying a total of €50,000 to smugglers, which would amount to €12,500 per person from Afghanistan to Serbia. Persons originating from Morocco on average pay up to €7,000 to safely reach Serbia from Morocco. A person from Bangladesh, who stated that he flew by plane to Skopje, paid a total of €5,000 for the journey from Skopje, the crossing of the border with North Macedonia, and the smuggler transport from Serbia’s southern border to Horgoš in northern Serbia.