19/09 One person died in the woods in North Mazedonia, another person arrived in a camp

20.09.2021 / 11:15 / North Mazedonia/Serbia

Watch The Med Alarm Phone Investigations – 19th of September 2021

Case name: 20210919-AEG825/ MKD/SERB001

Situation: One person died in the woods in North Mazedonia, another person arrived in a camp

Status of WTM Investigation: Concluded

Place of Incident: North Mazedonia/Serbia

Summary of the Case:

On September 19, the Alarm Phone was alerted to a distress call in North Macedonia. On 18:42, we were informed about a group of people who were staying in a forest close to the Serbian border, among them had been a sick person. The sick person died earlier on the 18th of September and all the people of the group but one minor left due to fear of pushback.

We immediately reached out to local authorities, international organizations and local NGO’s to inform them about the minor staying with the dead person.On September 20 we were informed that the minor arrived in a camp nearby by himself. Reportedly, the person who died was a 20 years old Syrian. His body was found and brought to court medicine.

It is another unnecessary death that roots in the violent European border regime, forcing people on the move to remain invisible and choose dangerous ways – not only at Sea but also on land. We commemorate the dead and call for open borders and safe migration routes.

Last update: 11:28 Nov 13, 2021

Credibility:

Border police patrols
While the exact location of patrols is of course constantly changing, this line indicates the approximate boundary routinely patrolled by border guards’ naval assets. In the open sea, it usually correspond to the outer extent of the contiguous zone, the area in which “State may exercise the control necessary to prevent infringement of its customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary laws” (UNCLOS, art. 33). Data source: interviews with border police officials.
Coastal radars
Approximate radar beam range covered by coastal radars operating in the frame of national marine traffic monitoring systems. The actual beam depends from several different parameters (including the type of object to be detected). Data source: Finmeccanica.
Exclusive Economic Zone
Maritime area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea in which the coastal state exercises sovereign rights for the purposes of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources, whether living or non-living, the seabed and its subsoil and the superjacent waters. Its breadth is 200 nautical miles from the straight baselines from which the territorial sea is measured (UNCLOS, Arts. 55, 56 and 57). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans
Frontex operations
Frontex has, in the past few years, carried out several sea operations at the maritime borders of the EU. The blue shapes indicate the approximate extend of these operations. Data source: Migreurop Altas.
Mobile phone coverage
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network coverage. Data source: Collins Mobile Coverage.
Oil and gas platforms
Oil and gas platforms in the Mediterranean. Data source:
Search and Rescue Zone
An area of defined dimensions within which a given state is has the responsibility to co-ordinate Search and Rescue operations, i.e. the search for, and provision of aid to, persons, ships or other craft which are, or are feared to be, in distress or imminent danger. Data source: IMO availability of search and rescue (SAR) services - SAR.8/Circ.3, 17 June 2011.
Territorial Waters
A belt of sea (usually extending up to 12 nautical miles) upon which the sovereignty of a coastal State extends (UNCLOS, Art. 2). Data source: Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, Atlas of the European Seas and Oceans