Immigration security

Migration Intelligence Indicates Potential Security Breakdown in Macedonia and Mediterranean

At its peak last year, the ARM (Army of the Republic of Macedonia) deployed over 800 soldiers on active border duty. Since March, when the Balkan Route was declared closed, that number fell to 400. Despite clear announcements by EC Presidential Donald Tusk that the route was closed, the ‘wild’ Eidomeni camp swelled to over 12,000 persons.

Encouraged by European anarchists, activists and possibly intelligence services, many of these migrants have refused to go to Greek state-provided shelters and chosen to remain in squalid conditions nearest to the border. On several occasions they have attacked Macedonian security forces in organized attempts to breach the border.

The activists are keeping up the pressure on social media and on the ground. For example, the Moving Europe group published a report on May 11, to dissuade migrants from going to the new Lagkadikia camp. The report quotes 20 Syrian refugees who were relocated there from Eidomeni. It accuses the Greek state and UNHCR of “lying” to the refugees, who claim conditions were better in Eidomeni. The general purpose of such reports is to discredit the official Greek and UN system, and further foment unrest among the migrants.