UN refugee agency concerned over risks for migrants in W. Balkans

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said Friday that it is concerned about increasing risks facing refugees and migrants in the Western Balkans as many of them, originating from refugee-producing countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Eritrea and Somalia, have to course across mountain paths and train tracks in order to pierce through borders in the region.

"What has become known as 'the Western Balkans route' is seeing a dramatic increase in refugees and migrants coming via Greece," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

Between 2012 and 2014, the number of people registering their intention to seek asylum in the Western Balkans went from 5,000 to 20,000, a four-fold increase, Dujarric said. "So far in 2015, the numbers have been rising further, with over 22,000 asylum claims lodged in Serbia alone in the first five months of the year."

"The situation is particularly difficult in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia where refugees and migrants follow rail tracks and mountain routes, walking for days exposed to train accidents, natural elements and to abuse and threats from smugglers and criminal networks," he said.

These migrants and refugees "remain dangerously vulnerable to violence, abuse and accidents," Dujarric said.

According to UNHCR, many have also been moving through the region irregularly with the help of smugglers, only adding to the dangers to which they are exposed.

Overall, the official UN figures show that as of June 8 a total of 103,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe -- 54,000 in Italy, 48,000 in Greece, 91 on Malta and 920 in Spain. The latest tally includes around 6,000 migrants and refugees who were disembarked in southern Italy last weekend in a major rescue operation coordinated by the Italian Coast Guard and joined by navy ships deployed by Frontex and from Italy, Germany, Britain, Ireland, and Spain.

UNHCR recently reported record numbers of the refugees are arriving in flimsy rubber dinghies and wooden boats on the Greek island of Lesvos, putting an enormous strain on its services and resources.

Half of some 600 refugees, mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, who arrive daily in Greece, now come ashore on Lesvos. Arrivals there have grown from 737 in January to 5,000 in April and over 7,200 in May.

Hundreds of refugees leave the island for the Greek mainland every day after being identified, screened and registered. At present, however, there are around 2,200 to 2,500 waiting there for registration by the authorities. A screening center in the village of Moria, a former detention center for migrants waiting to be deported, is currently housing over 1,000 refugees.

The UN agency has long been advocating for improvements to the asylum systems across the Western Balkans and has cautioned that existing capacities remain inadequate for the scale of arrivals. Endite