In the decade after the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991, the Balkans region was convulsed by numerous conflicts which claimed over 140,000 lives and displaced an estimated 4 million people. These days, the region remains at peace, yet in recent years it is experiencing a slight déjà vu after finding itself at the centre of the greatest refugee crisis since World War II. Those fleeing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East and heading for prosperous countries in western Europe must first pass through the Balkans. As Andrew Connelly finds in the third in our five part series Destination Europe, countries like Serbia are increasingly struggling to manage the growing numbers.
