Talking to the Refugees Hiding in Serbia's Abandoned Factories

This article originally appeared on VICE Alps

It has been a year and a half since Jamal* left his home in Kunduz, Afghanistan. But for the last seven months, he has been stuck in Serbia – behind the border fence that was recently erected by Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban. Jamal and about 200 others are waiting for their chance to cross the border, while living in an abandoned brick factory near Subotica, in the north of the country. He isn't sure what feels further away these days – his home, which is 3,700 miles to the East, or the European Union, which starts 12 miles to the North.

Jamal has made several attempts to jump over the fence but got caught by border patrol officers every time. "They let dogs loose on us the last time we tried. They receive you with a heartfelt 'Welcome to Europe, we'll kill you,'" he says, as he shows me the injuries he's suffered while trying to cross the border.

Hamza, 22, is from Pakistan. He's been on the run for three years and four months, ever since his family was displaced by the Taliban. Although spending the last few months at the factory has made him lose hope of entering Hungary, he doesn't think giving up is an option either.

This winter, Serbia received about 100 refugees per day – most of them from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Out of fear of being deported, some of them don't get registered in Serbia – they camp outdoors or find shelter in abandoned factories instead of seeking shelter in the state's refugee camps. All refugees living in or near the abandoned factories at the border are men, and most are travelling alone. They rely heavily on volunteers, who visit often to supply them with food, clothes and blankets.

But even though volunteers bring some of the basic necessities, there's no electricity or running water at the factories – that means no toilets and no showers either. NGOs have criticised the Serbian government for not doing enough for those stuck in the country but, at the same time, there is only so much a country as poor as Serbia can do, in light of their neighbouring country closing its borders. And while Orban has ordered a second fence to be built on the border with Serbia, the EU has yet to come up with a humane plan for those stuck behind it.

Fayaz has also spent the last few months in the same factory as Hamza and Jamal. He's in his mid-twenties and from Afghanistan. "Do you know war?" he asks me after I take his photo. "I have seen war and I escaped it. But that doesn't mean that I'm safe now."

*Jamal asked us to keep his real name private.

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