Idomeni | spybphotography

Ιdomeni

Ιs a small village in Greece, near the borders with the Republic of Macedonia. The village is located in the municipality of Paeonia, Kilkis regional unit of Central Macedonia.

Since 2014, refugees from Syria, but also from Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries of the Middle East, began to flock to Idomeni in order to cross the Greek borders and enter the Republic of Macedonia. Both the latter and Serbia to the north are out of the Schengen Area, which is why the refugees prefer this way to reach countries such as Germany and Sweden, so they can enter again the Schengen Area from Serbia in case of arrest, they will be sent back to Croatia or Hungary (closer to their desired immigration destinations, especially Germany), and not to Greece, which is further south. In 2015, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia decided to guard its borders by military forces in order to prevent the refugees from entering the country, as Serbia also closed its borders. Thus Idomeni became a vast camp, where many refugees entering Greece abide. The peak number of refugees who stayed in Idomeni numbered more than 15,000. On the 24th of May 2016, Greek authorities began relocating refugees from the Ιdomeni camp to processing facilities mostly in and around Thessaloniki.

Spyros Bakalis

Photojournalist