Abandoned Romanian Mansion Becomes ‘Base Camp’ for Afghans Heading West

"One month ago, they caught me trying to cross to Croatia on foot and sent me back to Serbia, from where I crossed to Romania," said one of the Afghans, who declined to give his name.

Speaking in a corridor strewn with rubbish, the man said he had been assaulted by Croatian police. Serbia and Romania, on the other hand, "are good," he told BIRN.

With Croatia closed off, the Afghans have placed their bets on Hungary, regardless of the hostility shown by the right-wing government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban towards the mainly Muslim migrants and refugees making their way across the Balkans in search of better lives in Western Europe.

The once luxurious mansion in Timisoara has become 'base camp', a place to regroup and recharge batteries before setting out for the Hungarian border, over and over again.

Flavius Ilioni-Loga (left), of the Timisoara NGO LOGS, speaks with Afghan migrants during a visit at the abandoned building. Photo: BIRN

Record numbers of asylum applications

From the accounts of more than a dozen migrants and refugees interviewed by BIRN, Serbian border police are happy to see them cross into Romania, where authorities are struggling to keep pace with the rising number of arrivals and rely on private donations to feed them.

According to data provided by the LOGS NGO, which provides support for migrants and refugees, asylum applications are at an all-time high, hovering at just over a thousand for each of the last three months of last year, or roughly half the total for the year of 6,156. That compares with 4,820 asylum requests in 2017.

Nine out of 10 entered Romania illegally, from Serbia. Afghans make up the largest national contingent, followed by Syrians, Pakistanis and Iraqis.