Leaving refugees in limbo

Hungary’s decision to close its border with Serbia to prevent thousands of refugees, mostly from Syria, from entering its territory on their way to Austria and Germany, will compound an already complicated crisis.

Hungary has just completed a 160km razor wire fence along its border with Serbia, saying that Serbia is a safe place and refugees need not go any further on their journey to other Western nations, notably Germany.

Making good on their country’s new policy, Hungarian authorities arrested 174 people trying to breach the fence, saying they will face criminal prosecution.

Worse, Hungary said if necessary, it would extend the fence to its border with Romania, a proposal the latter denounced, which leaves the refugees stranded in no man’s land or seeking alternative routes through Serbia and Croatia.

The refusal of the right-wing government in Hungary to allow refugees safe passage through the country leaves the onus on Serbia, ill equipped to provide basic necessities for the hundreds of thousands of refugees who could be caught on its territory.

Other European capitals and the UN should intervene and request Hungary to allow the flow of refugees to proceed unimpeded until a final solution to the crisis is arrived at by Europe.

So far, EU countries have failed to come up with a unified policy with regard to the refugees. For that to happen, there is need of coordination and the cooperation of all EU members, something that is not forecast for anytime soon.