Frustration Builds Among Refugees Trapped at Macedonian Border

Once just a transit point for refugees following the Balkan route, the makeshift Idomeni camp is now home to 12,000 people. (J. Owens/VOA)

Many tents have been set up along the railway line, which used to pass into Macedonia. Police vans now block the way, April 23, 2016. (J. Owens/VOA)

Riot police have been deployed amid occasional clashes between different ethnic groups of refugees, with confrontations often sparked over food, April 22, 2016. (J. Owens/VOA)

Palestinian Syrian Qusay Lubani hoped to travel to Norway. With the route now blocked, like many here he is now unsure what to do, April 22, 2016. (J. Owens/VOA)

Conditions among refugees have been described by Medecins Sans Frontiéres as "far below acceptable international standards," April 22, 2016. (J. Owens/VOA)

Refugees in Idomeni are mostly from Syria, but also come from countries including Iraq, Kurdistan, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Some have made a home in out-of-service trains, April 23, 2016. (J. Owens/VOA)

People wait in line for food at Idomeni camp. Conditions are harsh, but for many it the lack of information that is most frustrating, April 22, 2016. (J. Owens/VOA)

Numbers at Idomeni peaked after the border closure at around 15,000 people. That has now dropped to 12,000, April 22, 2016. (J. Owens/VOA)

Tents at Idomeni camp. The greek government is trying to move the 50,000 refugees trapped in the country into official camps, April 22, 2016. (J. Owens/VOA)

A child inflates a large football. NGOs and volunteers have stepped in to offer assistance, with a cultural centre among the many makeshift facilities built to help entertain the camps' youngsters. (J. Owens/VOA)

A family wash up as the light fades over Idomeni. While some have tried to cross the border using smugglers, others who spoke to VOA said that having children meant they could not risk it, April 22, 2016. (J. Owens/VOA)

The Macedonian border was closed last month, cutting off a well-trodden route through the Balkan states into the rest of Europe, April 22, 2016. (J. Owens/VOA)