Serbia-Hungary Border Marred by Growing Violence and Criminal Gangs' Turf Wars

The situation on the Serbia-Hungary border is deteriorating, an intelligence report prepared for Hungary's national security committee reveals. The criminal gangs active there are becoming more violent, their turf wars are intensifying and they are coming under growing external control. The report also highlights new, hitherto unknown, serious details.

Horgos, 2023. október 30. A szerb belügyminisztérium által közreadott felvételen szerb rendõrök migránsokat vesznek õrizetbe a magyar határnál levõ Horgosnál 2023. október 29-én. A szerbiai hatóságok több száz rendõrt vezényeltek a Magyarországgal közös határszakaszra azt követõen, hogy október 27-én hajnalban lövöldözés tört ki migránsok között Horgosnál. A három halálos áldozatot követelõ incidenssel összefüggésben hat migránst állítottak elõ, négyen afgán, ketten török állampolgárnak vallották magukat. A szerb-magyar határ mentén több ezer migráns vár arra, hogy átszökhessen az Európai Unióba. MTI/AP/Szerb belügyminisztérium Fotó: -

The report on the national security implications of illegal migration in the Serbia-Hungary border region adds serious details to the already bleak picture of the southern border. It shows that the physical, personnel and legal elements of Hungary's defense line are exposed to growing pressure.

Afghan turf war

The rivalry between people smuggling groups with Afghan background in Serbia is identified as one of the main risks. The report points out that this phenomenon is clearly reflected in an increasing willingness to engage in violence. As Magyar Nemzet reported in a previous article, the Afghan background of smugglers also implies being under some kind of control today.

The document prepared for the  Hungarian parliament's national security committee reveals that gang leaders and members now include people related to the leaders of the Taliban government and its influential Haqqani group, which is listed as a terrorist organization.

More people want a slice

Business interests are largely behind the human smugglers' increasing willingness to use violence, the report says. Human smuggling as a business is becoming all the more lucrative, so more people want a slice, while rival gangs are striving not only to maintain but also to gain a higher market share.

"In this situation, the presence of a group whose members are unscrupulous and openly engage in violence is a particular risk factor, having brought from 'home' an attitude that attacking and defeating an 'enemy soldier' means glory," the report says.

40-059 vs 313

This is shown by one Afghan-background criminal gang active on the Serb side of the border that has switched from promoting its people smuggling activity on TikTok to advertising its fighting strength and use of violence on the platform.

The videos published by the gang 40-059 bear an eerie resemblance to footage previously released by the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.

According to the report, this 40-059 group and the 313 group has been identified as being behind practically all of the armed clashes between human smugglers in the northern border region of Serbia. As the Hungarian media also reported, the smuggling gangs have recently fired at the Serbian police as well.

Moreover, Hungarian border guards have also been targeted from across the border, while being subjected to constant threats verbally and with weapons. At 1.50 am on October 20, for example, a series of shots were fired - presumably intentionally into the air - while four border guards on the Hungarian side were detaining nine migrants.

As we indicated earlier, a conflict has erupted between two major, armed Afghan people-smuggling groups, and the Taliban is no longer passively watching this. According to the information of the secret service, the terrorist organization has decided to shut down these disputes and take full control of the financial resources.

From human smuggling to terrorism

From here on - provided this activity continues to be viable in the future - the income of human smugglers will potentially partly be used to finance terrorism, to corrupt local authorities, and to purchase additional weapons.

Furthermore, perhaps the most concerning information revealed so far is that a terrorist organization in the Middle East has indicated its intention to purchase an entire human smuggling network in the Balkans.

In conclusion, a number of risks can be identified in connection with recent past events and those forseeable in the near future. Human smugglers are becoming increasingly aggressive, with presumably more of them coming from combat zones and having combat experience. Their armed militant power is growing, while human smuggling is becoming increasingly more lucrative. In addition, they are more organized, not least because the Taliban also also see an opportunity in controlling the gates of Europe. To not even mention that the developments in the Middle East, also make the domination of the people smuggling business attractive to terrorist organizations.

Cover photo: Serbian police detain migrants at Horgos on the Sebian side of the Hungarian border on October 29, 2023 (Source: MTI/AP/Serbian Ministry of the Interior)