A group of roughly 150 Afghans blocked the rail line on the Greek border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (fYRoM) on Monday afternoon in protest to a decision by authorities in the neighboring country to prevent their passage as refugees.
The number of third country nationals – including war refugees from Syria and Iraq – gathered along the border post of Idomeni was estimated at 2,000, while another 3,000 people bused in from other parts of Greece were waiting in the 62 coaches some 20 kilometers from the border with fYRoM.
The Skopje government this week also hardened its stance towards people claiming to be from Syria and Iraq, requiring a passport or state-issued ID to allow entrance.
The head of a NGO active in the area, Doctors without Borders member Antonis Rigas, claimed that many of Mideast nationals that landed on various Greek isles from Turkey lost their documentation.
