News / EU

Macedonia builds fence on Greek border

Saturday, 28 November 2015 4:53 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 28 November 2015 5:59 PM ]

Macedonian soldiers erect poles for a fence to stop refugees crossing the Greek-Macedonian border near Gevgelija on November 28, 2015. (AFP Photo)

Macedonia has begun construction of a fence on its southern border with Greece to stop the inflow of refugees.

On Saturday, metal poles were placed in the ground for a fence similar to the one built by Hungary on its southern border to keep refugees from entering the country.

The Macedonian government claims the purpose of building the metal fence is “to direct the inflow of people towards the controlled points for their registration and humane treatment.”

Several Balkan countries, including Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, located on the way of the refugees to western and northern Europe have denied entry to refugees from some countries.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that over 110,000 asylum-seekers have arrived in Greece by sea since the beginning of November.

An IOM monitoring group says of these some 105,000 refugees have left Greece for Macedonia.

So far, Syrians, Afghans and Iraqi nationals have crossed through Greece’s Idomeni border with Macedonia without significant delays, but other nationalities are being turned back.

The selective approach has caused a chaotic buildup of other nationalities, including Algerians, Tunisians, Libyans, Lebanese and Bangladeshis, at the Macedonian-Greek border.

On Thursday, refugees mainly from Morocco and Algeria staged a protest with several refugees managing to temporarily cross the border.

Rejected refugees sit on railway tracks as they wait under the rain to cross the Greek-Macedonian border near Idomeni on November 27, 2015 (AFP Photo)

Hungary has sealed its own southern border to refugees.

Europe is facing the worst refugee crisis since World War II as more than 850,000 people have entered the EU countries this year with nearly half of them entering Greece.

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