Piles of rubbish, fear and daily gunfire deep in the forest – videos

An exclusive report from the south of the Hungary-Serbia border, where migrants are making locals feel unsafe in broad daylight.

As we move from the city center towards the Hungarian border, we see more and more migrants. Those more well-off take a taxi to the forest, while others march barefooted, in slippers and torn clothes, trying to find a way over the border fence. 

Anica Kubik, who spoke to us earlier, lives on the edge of the forest. She explained to us that there are so many migrants that the forest is almost completely overrun, and that the taxi drivers tend to drop them off not far from her house each and every day.

The last time we were there, we ended up at the migrant tent camp, and we were really scared. Since then I haven't had the courage to venture out into the forest,

– she said. 

A Subotica resident shows us where the migrants are heading. Photo: Magyar Nemzet

And indeed, few of the locals would ever walk in the forest. Only the bravest will venture out, for fear of encountering migrants who might attack them from the dense bushes. Some parts of what was once a popular hiking spot resemble a garbage dump, with discarded bottles, clothes and documents being strewn all over. 

Scattered rubbish left behind in the Subotica forest. Photo: Magyar Nemzet

One gets the feeling that the migrants lying in wait will make a move as soon as they see a chance to cross the Hungarian border fence into the European Union. When this happens, they don't care if they have to leave almost all their belongings behind. However, the migrants often end up in a stalemate situation, because the Hungarian border barrier is effective, keeping them in Serbia for longer, ushering in a long period of assiduous wait and constant attempts on their part.

Hungary is not only protecting its own southern border, it is also helping Belgrade to prevent migrants from crossing from northern Macedonia into Serbia. Hungary's ambassador to Belgrade, Jozsef Magyar, recently visited the Serbia-North Macedonia border. He also shared his thoughts on Facebook. The embassy wrote:

Thanks to the Hungarian-Serbian joint police patrols, security at the Serbia-Northern Macedonia border is more predictable. We had an ambassadorial visit with Border Police Director Dragan Samolovac to the southern border in the Presevo Valley,

 – the post with the attached photo read. 

The Dveri Movement, Serbia's opposition political group, has also highlighted the serious security risks posed by illegal migrants. According to the right-wing party, the almost daily shootings in Subotica's forests are the result of an inadequate response by police.

In their statement, they stress that they saw no police officers during the few hours that they spent in the forest. Locals say the police issue constant warnings advising them not to enter the woods,  although there is no written order or injunction to this effect.

Looking at the current measures by police, we wouldn't be surprised if - in a few days - all Serbian citizens would be banned from visiting the forest, allegedly for security reasons,

 – Dveri adds.

They point out that, as things stand at the moment, if any untoward incident occurs, everyone will blame the police, arguing that they have not guaranteed the security of Subotica residents. 

In the meantime, Serb police units are constantly carrying out operations to apprehend illegal migrants. Sometimes they manage to detain up to hundreds of migrants, but locals say that this is only a temporary solution, because the same people will return and attempt another border crossing barely a few hours later. They can do this because reception centers in Serbia are open and those inside are free to come and go.

The situation is abysmal, even though - according to official stats - there are fewer migrants in Serbia this spring than the same time last year. Fully, 2207 of them are in the 14 reception centers managed by the High Commission for Refugees, compared to 4655 migrants housed there during the same period last year. Most often, the migrants come from Afghanistan, Syria, Morocco, Pakistan and Burundi, and they stay there for an average of two weeks, Commissioner Natasha Stanislavljevic told Politika, a Serbian daily. That said, authorities are prepared for the possibility of a significant spike in the number of migrants, and they have a plan.

Based on this,  they will provide emergency humanitarian aid to all migrants in a vulnerable situation, and they will offer the possibility of obtaining protection for those who qualify for asylum. Authorities will pay particular attention to the protection of children, women and victims of torture or human trafficking.

This includes education, social and health care, but also cooperation with local communities to maintain a level of tolerance towards migrants. One of the most important measures is the increased surveillance of the state border and the fight against human smuggling and illegal migration. The plans also include the strengthening of the repatriation program, to return - either voluntary, or through coercion - migrants who do not qualify for protection to their countries of origin,

 – Ms Stanislavljevic said. 

Number of illegal border crossings. Source: Frontex

Migrants, however, are not just besieging the EU's external borders in the Western Balkan region. According to Frontex, the number of irregular border crossings reported by national authorities in the first three months of 2023 is 26 percent higher than in the same period last year. The Central Mediterranean and Western Balkan routes remain the most active.

In March alone, authorities detected more than 22 500 irregular border crossings at the EU's external frontiers, which is is 60 percent more than a year ago, according to Frontex.

Cover photo: Taxi driver hiding deep in the forest, in Subotica (Photo: Magyar Nemzet)