A group of NGOs in Italy and the Balkans have denounced that migrants along the Balkan migrant route continue to be illegally expelled from one state to the next. The Commissioner for Human Rights at the Council of Europe meanwhile has warned of a "humanitarian emergency" due to squalid conditions at the Vucjak migrant camp in Bosnia.
Police in North Macedonia have reportedly detained 81 migrants found in a truck near the country's border with Serbia. The driver of the vehicle had apparently ignored a police warning to stop for a check. He later abandoned the vehicle.
The number of migrants in Serbian reception centers has fallen significantly. Meanwhile, authorities throughout the Balkans are continuing operations to arrest traffickers.
One person died in Croatia after a van carrying 12 migrants plunged into a river. The driver of the van that was registered in Germany fled the scene, leaving the vehicle to sink into the river. Separately, police in North Macedonia discovered 30 migrants in an abandoned truck.
Authorities in North Macedonia stopped 50 people who were trying to reach Europe via a new Balkan route at the weekend. 37 others were apprehended in Slovenia.
It has become increasingly difficult for refugees to make their way from Greece to Central Europe. Even in the face of police violence and the risk of arrest, thousands still embark on the dangerous journey.
Greek authorities have used tear gas to disperse migrants who gathered on the country's border with Northern Macedonia in hopes of crossing into the Balkans. In the Greek capital Athens, police clashed with migrant protesters squatting on the tracks of the city's main train station. Authorities in Turkey, too, clashed with migrants mobilizing on the border with Greece.
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Twenty European organizations have asked governments in Europe to respect the rights of migrants and refugees crossing borders. The appeal comes ahead of the EU-Western Balkans Summit on May 17.
Although most borders on the Balkan route from Turkey to Western Europe have been closed for almost three years, the flow of migrants has not stopped. People smuggling is booming, and new trafficking hubs are being established.
Croatian media have reported the emergence of a new 'Balkan route' used by migrants to reach western Europe without passing through Macedonia and Serbia.
EU border closures mean single men have to wait up to four years to leave Serbia. Many face violence and destitution when they try to make their way out of the country.