BELGRADE: Serbian police have detained thousands of migrants in two weeks of daily raids in northern and eastern areas of the Balkan country, as part of a nationwide operation launched two weeks ago after a shootout in which three migrants died. It said that eight smugglers and 119 people have been arrested on charges including human trafficking and illegal possession of weapons and drugs. “The Ministry of Internal Affairs will persevere until the problem of irregular migration is solved and the human smuggling chain is severed,” the statement said. The route runs via Turkiye, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Serbia. Many migrants cross borders with the help of elaborate networks of smugglers who are sometimes armed, and shootouts between criminal groups are frequent.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 09, 2023 02:24 UTC