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WORLD NEWSMonday 11 April 2016

Hundreds hurt as migrants confront Macedonian border police

A group of migrant men call to others during protest at a fence at the northern Greek border point More than 50,000 refugees The aid agency Doctors
of Idomeni, Greece, Sunday, April 10, 2016. Thousands of migrants protested at the border and and migrants have been Without Borders estimated
clashed with Macedonian police. stranded in Greece after that their medical volun-
Balkan countries closed teers on site treated about
(AP Photo/Amel Emric) their borders to the mas- 300 people for various inju-
sive flow of refugees pour- ries.
COSTAS KANTOURIS ing the border fence with plastic bullets and a water ing into Europe. Achilleas Tzemos, deputy
NICK DUMITRACHE Greece near the border cannon to repel the mi- Around 11,000 remain field coordinator of Doctors
Associated Press town of Idomeni, and aid grants, many of whom re- camped out at the border Without Borders, told the
IDOMENI, Greece (AP) — agencies reported that sponded by throwing rocks with Macedonia, ignoring AP that the injured includ-
Migrants waged running hundreds of stranded trav- over the fence at police. instructions from the gov- ed about 200 experiencing
battles with Macedonian elers were injured. Greek police observed ernment to move to orga- breathing problems from
police Sunday after they Macedonian police used from their side of the fron- nized shelters as they hold the gas, 100 others with
were stopped from scal- tear gas, stun grenades, tier but did not intervene. out hope to reach Western cuts, bruises and impact
Europe. injuries from nonlethal plas-
Clashes continued in the af- tic bullets. He said six of the
ternoon as migrant groups most seriously injured were
twice tried to overwhelm hospitalized.
Macedonian border secu- Macedonian police said
rity. The increasing use of 23 members of the coun-
tear gas reached families try’s security forces were
in their nearby tents in Ido- injured, including 14 police
meni’s makeshift camp. officers and nine soldiers.
Many camp dwellers, Five of the police officers
chiefly women and chil- sustained serious injuries.
dren, fled into farm fields to The clashes began soon
escape the painful gas. after an estimated 500
Observers held out hope people gathered at the
that evening rainfall, which fence. Many said they
began about seven hours were responding to Arabic
into the clashes, would language fliers distributed
dampen hostilities. Saturday in the camp urg-
ing people to attempt to
Ukraine’s embattled prime minister Yatsenyuk resigns breach the fence Sunday
morning and “go to Mace-
YURAS KARMANAU be formally submitted to ister, who is under fire over fear of further destabilizing donia on foot.”
Associated Press parliament on Tuesday. the worsening economy the situation in the country. A five-member migrant
MINSK, Belarus (AP) — The same day, parliament and slow pace of reforms. “From today I see my goals delegation approached
Ukraine’s embattled prime was expected to vote to The withdrawal deprived as broader than the pow- Macedonian police to
minister announced Sun- elect the current speaker, the coalition of its majority ers of the head of the gov- ask whether the border
day that he is resigning, Volodymyr Groysman, as in the Ukrainian parliament. ernment,” Yatsenyuk said. was about to open. When
opening the way for the the new prime minister. If lawmakers had failed to He said he would focus on Macedonian police re-
formation of a new govern- Yatsenyuk’s Cabinet sur- form a new coalition and passing a new electoral plied that this wasn’t hap-
ment to end a drawn-out vived a no-confidence unite behind a new prime law, enacting constitution- pening, more than 100,
political crisis. vote in February, but two minister, that could have al and judicial reform, and including several children,
In his weekly televised ad- parties left the governing led to early elections, which ensuring “the coalition’s tried to scale the fence.
dress, Arseniy Yatsenyuk coalition to protest the fail- President Petro Poroshenko control over the course of Greece criticized the
said his resignation would ure to oust the prime min- had sought to avoid for the new government.”q Macedonian police re-
sponse as excessive.q