Refugees are relieved following the reopening of the Greek-FYROM border.
Some 2,000 refugees were kept at the frontier during sub-zero temperatures due to a temporary block by Skopje.
“I’m very happy the problem is resolved. I want to go to Germany to study,” said one of the refugees, Imad.
The 19-year-old had spent the night with over a thousand other refugees in tents being operated by aid groups.
While conditions were cramped and filled with the stench of body odour, he admits they were a preferable option to sleeping in the parked buses or out in the cold.
Though the border has reopened, it is only for those whose papers indicate they are travelling on to Germany or Austria.
“The border crossing for migrants near (the FYROM border town of) Gevgelija opened early this morning, but only those migrants whose Greek registration papers show their final destination as Germany or Austria can enter,” a senior police official in Skopje told AFP.
“It’s a temporary procedure to reduce pressure on the camp, which can only accommodate 1,500 people at most,” explained a Greek police source.
Aid groups are currently under a lot of pressure, having issued warnings that their resources have almost been exhausted, which is of particular concern for families with children.
“If this flow continues there is no possibility for accommodation,” said Antonis Rigas, head of the local Doctors Without Borders mission.
“It gets very cold at night. Early this morning the temperature was minus seven Celsius.”
On Wednesday FYROM authorities claimed the border had been closed due to issues with Slovenian trains disrupting the flow of refugees.
However, this argument was countered by the Greek police, who noted that the border had been closed a day earlier, while the Slovenian rail company itself, Slovenske Zeleznice, was adamant that there had been no known disruptions to its services.
According to the International Organisation for Migration, 31,000 refugees have already arrived in Greece this year.
Source: Yahoo News