Migrants, Local Fundamentalists and Returnees along the Western Balkans Route
Keywords:
migrants, migrant crisis, returnees, fundamentalismAbstract
Abstract Alongside with the Republic of Macedonia and the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Serbia is located on the Western Balkans route of migrants and as such has faced a large influx of refugees and economic migrants from the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan since 2011, and especially since 2015. Western Balkans is not their final destination but rather a transit point on the way to Western Europe. Despite this fact, Serbia, like other countries on the Western Balkans route, faces a whole series of security risks caused by the refugee crisis. One of the most prominent threats is the potential for synergy of extremists going to the West as bogus migrants and local Islamic fundamentalists. This is exacerbated with the growing number of returnee volunteers from the war in Syria, many of whom had been previously radicalized, both in the local mosques but also via Internet. They are suspected to maintain a close contact with their “brothers in arms” and serve as role models to other young people. As most of the returnees come from the province of Sandžak in the southwestern part of Serbia, a problem may arise as two large camps for asylum seekers are located in that region (Tutin and Sjenica).
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