Stories from Serbia: Crossing the Croatian border, “My finger is a mess”
I first met ‘special forces’ in the Barracks, Belgrade where he was kind enough to share his story around a fire over several cigarettes and tea. He had served with the ANA (Afghan National Army) Special Forces and had several scars from ferocious battles with the Taliban. I spent a lot of time with this young man who I affectionately knew as ‘Special Forces’ and we were familiar with each other. It wasn’t a shock to find ‘Special Forces’ in another abandoned building this time in the western Serbian town of Šid along the Croatian border.
‘Special forces’ had told me how when the British and Americans pulled out of Afghanistan the ANA began to fall apart. “I had to leave. When the Western military left the ANA fell into chaos. The weapons, ammunition, vehicles, fuel and all other supplies went with them. Lots of ANA deserted to the Taliban and others ran to different parts of the country. I decided that I didn’t want to join the Taliban and had to leave the country if I wanted to live. If the Taliban find me in my hometown they will skin me for having worked with the British.”
I noticed as he removed a pot from a smouldering fire, using cardboard to cover his fingers, that one of them was heavily swollen. We spoke at length about what happened to his finger and his last attempt to cross the Croatian border.
Since the tightening of security on the Hungarian border many of Serbia’s refugee population have chosen to attempt the crossing into Croatia with the intention of travelling onwards to Italy. Every evening asylum seekers from North Africa and the Middle East gather behind the train station in Šid. When the railroad workers are not looking they attempt to hide themselves in the train containers or in any nock and cranny they can fit in.
This is ‘special forces’ account of one of his attempted crossings into Croatia. This account cannot be independently verified.
The crossing here is very simple. You can either hide on a train, under a truck or walk into Croatia. The problem is we are caught almost every time. It has become a game with the Croatian police. They catch us 99% of the time, take our details then send us back. Some of the police enjoy it and just say “Better luck next time” or “See you again”. I think for every refugee they catch they get points or something and after a while some of them will get a promotion and more money.
I have walked once and it took 8 hours to reach the nearest town, well the woods near there. We had arranged with the smuggler for us to be picked up from that point. He showed us on google maps and said “When you get there call this number”. When we arrived we called the number again and again but no one answered. We text it and everything but in the end after waiting 10 hours we gave up. We were too tired and didn’t have enough food or water with us because the smuggler said we would be picked up and taken to a safe house. When we saw a police car on a nearby road we came out the woods and handed ourselves in.
I have tried the train four times and each time I was caught just over the border and made to sit down, give information then driven back. The police are not usually hard with us and don’t normally beat us.
I have friends who have made it to Zagreb and even Ljubljana but still have been driven back to Serbia. One friend even got to the Italian border and could see the Italian border sign but was caught last moment and sent back to Serbia. In the past in was easier, you could cross and make your way without too much risk of being sent back. However now the situation is different, you must make it past the Croatian/Serbian border then through Croatia and Slovenia without being seen and finally across the Italian border. This is not easy. The Croatians are smart and have new equipment that detects body heat so hiding in trucks is impossible if they scan the vehicle.
Last night I tried by train again. I thought I had a good hiding spot this time. I was hidden in-between some cargo boxes in a train carriage but they caught us at the border again. It was the same as always, they told us to get out and sit down. I stayed quite because there was one other boy in the same carriage but after they got him out they came back for me. It was fine but they were a bit rough with us last night. I was a bit cheeky with one of the Croatian police and he stamped on my finger with his boots. I did say “Fuck Croatia” but still now my finger is a mess.
I don’t know what else to do other than try to cross the border. I can apply for an asylum case in the Serbian camp for a European country but it will take ages. Also because I am from Afghanistan they might not accept me. I can’t understand why how people think Afghanistan is a safe country, look at everything there. For me if I stay there I will be killed, you have seen my scars, I was shot twice by the Taliban and served with the Afghan National Army, there is no hope the Taliban will forget about me.
I prefer to take my chances and keep crossing until I am successful. Once I reach Italy I can rest and get my papers. No more police, no more borders just a normal life, hopefully.
April 2017
