Macedonian Government decided to declare the border regions of Gevgelija in the south and Kumanovo in the north as crisis regions, and announced that this opens way for the Army to join in and help manage to unprecedented flow of refugees from the Middle East, pouring in from Greece.

Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski informed on Thursday that the decision was made after the increased volume of refugees coming along the so-called Balkan migration corridor led to the conclusion that the country needs to implement a more efficient and increased control on the two border regions. Refugees are crossing from Greece near Gevgelija, normally along the Solun (Thessaloniki) - Skopje railway tracks, and then look for train or other transportation to take them to Kumanovo, on the northern border, where they assemble before crossing into Serbia. The railway stations in Gevgelija and Tabanovce, at the two end of the south-north tracks, turned into makeshift refugee camps.

"We expect that the involvement of the Army will bring two desired effects - it will increase the level of security among our citizens in the two regions, and will allow for a more comprehensive approach toward the people who are expressing their interest in applying for asylum. The decision was made in accordance with our capabilities, and the recommendations from the conventions which the Republic of Macedonia is a signatory to, and we intend to follow them", Kotevski said.

The Government decided to have the Center for Crisis Management prepare a task force that will coordinate efforts to cope with the flow of refugees, which has increased dramatically in the past days. An estimated 44.000 migrants crossed through Macedonia in the past two months. Legal changes allowed the migrants caught after crossing the border to express their desire to apply for asylum, which allowed them to travel across the country, normally along the northwards migrant route. The increase in numbers led to more frequent reports from citizens living along the route, who would report trespassing or theft from the migrants. Refugees, in turn, would often report being attacked by armed groups who would steal their belongings, or pressure them to pay for transport through the country.