For migrants in Greece, road to heaven leads through Albania

3 years ago 262

A Syrian migrant sleeps wrong a wood adjacent Ieropigi village, bluish Greece, astatine the Greek - Albanian border, connected Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. A comparatively creaseless conception of Greece's rugged borderline with Albania is turning into a large thoroughfare northbound for migrants successful Greece seeking a amended beingness successful Europe's prosperous heartland. Once little-used, the Albanian way is present the main mode northbound that migrants, usually helped by smuggling gangs, anticipation volition instrumentality them done a drawstring of different Balkan countries to Italy oregon Germany. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)

IEROPIGI – In the aboriginal 1990s, tens of thousands of impoverished Albanian migrants slogged done the oak woods adjacent the colony of Ieropigi, dodging Greek borderline patrols to question enactment successful Greece aft the illness of communism successful Albania.

Thirty years later, the cross-border travel is reversed, though connected a overmuch smaller scale. Now it's radical from the Middle East and Africa who flit done the aforesaid oak woods, moving from Greece to Albania this time, halfway done their agelong trek to Europe's heartland.

Since 2018, migrants and refugees who'd alternatively effort their luck determination richer than Greece person made this comparatively creaseless spot of the rugged borderline the main mode retired of the state by land.

Shepherd Michalis Trasias, 69, who grazes his sheep connected the Greek broadside of the border, told The Associated Press helium sees groups heading into Albania each day.

“Very galore refugees transverse — successful their hundreds,” helium said. “The frontier's conscionable a 100 meters (yards) from here. Those that the Albanians drawback they nonstop back. Those who negociate it continue, wherever to, they unsocial know.”

Migrants oregon refugees who don't privation to enactment successful Greece person respective options, each illegal: To stow distant connected a ferry — oregon bargain a berth connected a smuggling vessel — for Italy; usage fake papers to drawback a formation out; oregon locomotion done Bulgaria, North Macedonia oregon Albania.

And with Bulgaria being seen arsenic excessively dangerous, and North Macedonia progressively good guarded, ample numbers are opting for Albania, adjacent though its patrols are strengthened by officers from the European Union's Frontex borderline agency. Police information amusement Albania has seen a emergence successful arrests for amerciable introduction this year, portion North Macedonia — extracurricular which 10,000 radical had camped 5 years agone waiting to sneak successful — reports a decline.

Albanian interior ministry spokesperson Ardian Bita said his state is “doing its utmost to combat the organized crime” groups that assistance postulation migrants, and has arrested “a sizeable number” of smugglers this year.

The main basal for the crossings is an abandoned service defender location — filthy and decrepit — and the surrounding woods a fewer 100 meters from the border, a half-hour's locomotion from the closest Greek colony of Ieropigi and 220 kilometers (140 miles) westbound of Greece's second-largest city, Thessaloniki. There's h2o from a pumping station, from which immoderate besides pat energy to complaint their phones.

About 50 radical were camped successful the country during a sojourn by the AP, waiting to marque their crossing effort unsocial oregon with the paid assistance of smugglers. The colonisation tin emergence up to a fewer hundred, astir of whom are periodically rounded up and removed by Greek police. Few enactment long.

Among those who bash is Shaikh Musa Abdallah from Sudan who's stayed successful the decrepit erstwhile guardhouse for 50 days, with his woman and 5 children, ages 5-15.

“I person tried six times truthful acold to cross” into Albania, hoping to proceed to Serbia, helium told the AP. “But Frontex stopped me. For others it is precise casual to cross, but for families it is precise difficult.”

Abdallah said he's lived successful Greece for the past 3 years, and present proposes to wantonness his efforts to determination on.

Mohammad Nour Mahmood Al Damad from Syria has besides been turned back, six times successful the past 7 days. But he's traveling without children and is determined to persist, aft being refused asylum successful Greece.

“I privation to leave, to spell to immoderate different country,” helium said, baking potatoes nether the trees with a chap Syrian. “I don't privation to spell to Europe, conscionable Albania oregon Kosovo. I privation a bully life.”

Husam Hderi, 30, wants the aforesaid but proposes to question it further abroad.

“I privation to spell to Albania, past to Kosovo and from determination to Bosnia to scope Italy,” the Palestinian from Syria said. “I person a family, 2 children successful Syria. Once I get determination I volition bring them truthful that we tin unrecorded together.”

Hderi reached Greece a period ago, slipping crossed the onshore borderline from Turkey and past being driven by radical smugglers to Thessaloniki. He said that truthful acold helium has paid smugglers 2,200 euros ($2,570) to scope Ieropigi, and helium is determined to proceed north.

“Frontex is simply a large problem,” helium said. “For a period I've been perpetually trying to participate (Albania) and they support sending maine back.”

___

Llazar Semini successful Tirana, Albania, and Konstantin Testorides successful Skopje, North Macedonia, contributed to this story.

Follow Kantouris connected Twitter astatine https://twitter.com/CostasKantouris

___

Follow AP’s planetary migration sum astatine https://apnews.com/hub/migration

Read Entire Article