Reports | 25 05 2020
Many Syrians smugglers fled to Europe, after the Turkish- European agreement on refugees, and the numbers of smuggling trips from Turkey to Greece have decreased, but did not stop completely.
Abu Marwan, a Syrian smuggling brokers at the age of 30, confirmed the escape of many smugglers to Europe, and complained about the lack of work these days, because numbers of escapees dropped dramatically.
He said: "the prices of the sea trips dropped since the implementation of the Agreement, and went down to $ 500 per refugee, and the numbers of immigrants decreased, leaving only senior Turks smugglers in the market, I believe that this agreement will not be, because it will cost the Europeans much more if they continue to re-immigrants".
"let’s go to ISIS areas!"
After the agreement between Ankara and the European Union, smugglers search for new ways of smuggling, their seniors tried to bribe the Greek Coast Guard, to secure the ships carrying immigrants, from one of the Greek islands, to the Italian coast.
Abu Marwan confirms that still there is a smuggling way by land, northern Turkey, to Bulgaria, describing it as dangerous and costly.
The case is different for the broker Abu Uday, whereas with the first batch of refugees came back to Turkey, the man confirmed publicly that he’s going to pack and go back to ISIS areas in northern Syria.
He said: "there is no choice left but to resort to ISIS, at least there are those who would provide me with food and shelter, frankly that agreement was a disaster for us, it seems I'm not lucky like other smugglers who managed to reach Europe by plane, and my financial situation is not okay, so let’s go to ISIS areas!
The Story of two gasoline bottles!
Khaled, a Syrian young man whose life becomes harder, because of his assistance on immigration to Europe, ignoring all the difficulties, including the European-Turkish agreement, and the closure of borders with Greece and Macedonia.
We met him in the famous central Basmana Square in Izmir, Turkey, accompanied by his wife and three children, while they were getting ready for the journey ahead, but the life jackets are not their way to survive this time, but "two bottles of gasoline".
"What should I do, life in Turkey is very expensive, it is impossible to go back to Syria, currently I own a little sum of money, and I'll try to take an adventure hoping to reach Europe with my family" the man said that bitterly, adding: "If we do not succeed in crossing the Greek border, I'm going to set fire to myself, using this gasoline I am taking with me."
“Maha” approved of most of what her husband said, after losing everything they have in Syria, preferring to take this risk than starving with their children in Turkey, but if they trapped on the borders of Greece, like many others, it is certain that they will not die of starvation in the camps.
Until when?
Tragic conditions experienced by thousands of refugees trapped on the Greek border with Macedonia, as a result of restrictions imposed by European countries.
In Aydomini camp which is equipped to accommodate 1,500 people only, stranded about 13 thousand men, women and children, in light of the scarcity of food and the lack of medicines, not to mention firing tear gas by the Macedonian police earlier this month, in an attempt to keep hundreds of migrants from the border fence.
Mohammed, 33 years old, is one of those, after having all the doors closed in his face, he decided to seek resettlement and asylum in Greece, he said "I am tired a lot and trying to communicate with the relevant authorities responsible for resettlement, but in vain, I'll try to get it so they wouldn’t be able to get me back to Turkey. "
The first batch of refugees has been returned from Greece to Turkey, in the beginning of April, and their numbers reached 131 immigrants, mostly Pakistanis, while only 16 Syrian asylum seekers arrived to Germany, under the agreement signed between Turkey and the European Union.