The few remaining permanent residents in the villages of Epirus, which are located near the border, live in a state of fear, with a widespread feeling of insecurity. Both in the area of Konitsa and in the area of Pogoni, dozens of villages are experiencing abandonment, since the lack of basic infrastructure is compounded by frequent thefts and the complete impudence of criminals, who cross the borders unmolested.
The herders of these villages, who in the past were the backbone of their economy, are now leaving the area or even their profession, after the huge financial losses caused by the continuous animal thefts.
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“Jungle” spoke to local authorities, police, military, livestock farmers and residents, obtaining a gloomy picture of daily life, in a beautiful area, which is also one of the poorest regions of the EU.
The sensitive border area presents an image of complete abandonment, with a dramatic reduction of military outposts, understaffing of police stations, lack of basic infrastructure and complete indifference of the thugs who loot the villages undisturbed. “If this situation continues, our borders will actually reach Kalpaki and Ioannina,” the mayor of Pogoni says to “Zougla”.
“I can’t take it anymore, I will leave the area”
Theodoros Dakoulas is a breeder from Konitsa, who now has a herd of 150 free-range cows, which he moves in an area from the mountains of Konitsa to Grammos.
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“In recent years, thugs from Albania have stolen more than 150 cows from me. That is, more than what I have left. They cross the border unmolested, they are armed, even if we spot them we cannot approach them. They take 5-10 cows, cross them into Albania, without any disturbance from the Greek Police or the army, who are absent. I have contacted the police, the municipality, the district, I even reached the 8th division. Nothing has changed,” complains Mr. Dakoulas to “Jungle”.
The breeder Theodoros Dakoulas
On November 5, there was the last incident, when thugs from Albania crossed the border and stole 9 cows from him, which they transported undisturbed to the neighboring country.
“My family is afraid and pressures me to quit my job. I’m thinking of leaving the area, but moving to other pastures in the interior is a big cost,” he tells us.
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Another colleague of his, Spyros Dimis, recently lost 50 cows in the area of Grammos. In his attempt to restrain his herd so that the animals would not go out into the road, he left “his notes unguarded.” They stole 50 of his cows and crossed the border to Albania unmolested.
Listen to part of what Theodoros Dakoulas denounced to “Zougla”:
“No new investment can be made under these conditions”
The Union of Moving Cattle Breeders of Epirus, represents the traditional cattle breeders who move their herds, to the high altitudes of the mountains of Epirus in the summer and to their winters, in the lower altitude pastures, in the winter. Yiannis Decolis is the president of the Union and spoke to “Zougla” about the problems faced by his colleagues.
According to Mr. Dekolis, the profession of mobile livestock breeders faces the risk of extinction, since those practicing it have now dramatically decreased. In the villages and in the mountain pastures mainly older people remain, who have been engaged in animal husbandry for many decades. Young people are not interested in getting involved, mainly because the conditions do not meet even the minimum requirements that modern animal husbandry needs in order to develop. The insecurity of the border areas, the lack of basic infrastructure, the non-existence of even a dirt road through which they can reach their pastures, are some of the reasons that make their profession unpopular.
“First of all we need roads. This is the basic and elementary. To be able to approach our animals, for the army and the police to patrol and guard the area, for fire engines to have access to a fire, for a school to come or some visitors to see how traditional livestock farming works” , he tells us. “We need security, basic infrastructure, the ability to have a photovoltaic to be connected to civilization. To be able to have electricity, a refrigerator, the ability to charge our phone to communicate. Elementary things that for our colleagues in Europe, are considered funny in the 21st century. No new investment in livestock units can be made under these conditions”, he adds.
Listen to part of what Yannis Decolis said to “Zougla”:
One patrol car for 30 kilometers of border line and 10 villages
At a distance of 27 kilometers from Konitsa and 15 kilometers from the Greek-Albanian border, is the community of Amaranto. In a green landscape and at an altitude of about 1000 meters, the village is built on the eastern slopes of the last southern peaks of Grammos. Known for its thermal baths and traditional animal husbandry, Amarandos is now left with 44 permanent residents, who live under a regime of fear.
The president of the community, Panagiotis Zakopoulos, as early as last May 28, sent an anxious letter to the Region of Epirus, the Municipality of Konitsa and the Regional Police Directorate of Ioannina, requesting the immediate adoption of security measures, in view of the summer grazing season. “The hesitation, the uncertainty and the impasse among the breeders who use the Amarantou area are intense,” says Mr. Zakopoulos.
“The annual loss of animals due to theft by Albanian thugs, the danger to their lives, the possibility of fires, the lack of measures and the absence of the authorities intensify the feeling of insecurity. At a time when traditional, free-range animal husbandry is on a disastrous course, it is necessary to take immediate measures to support them”, he says.
It called for the cleaning and correction of the existing road network. The placement of cameras. The presence and conduct of patrols by the army and the police. In addition, the opening of a road to pyramid 12 of the border, which is a key point of access and escape of criminals, so that the police can approach it. Despite early warning, none of the above happened, resulting in the theft of hundreds of animals during the summer and fall season. Few breeders now think of returning to Amaranth.
See the letter from the community president:
Amarantos, along with other larger or smaller villages of Mastorochoria and the wider area, are under the jurisdiction of the Pyrsoyiannis Police Station. “Jungle” contacted A.S. in order to cross-reference the information of the inhabitants, of the utter wantonness of the thugs. Police officers at the Station told us that there is indeed a problem, although they tried somewhat to embellish it. To our question about how many patrol cars the Police Station has, the answer was… one (1)! A patrol car is required to cover an area of 30 kilometers of border line and at least 10 communities. The Station is staffed with… 10 police officers, which apparently equates to 3-4 per shift. That is, if we calculate the guarding and the duty officer who must be there, one or two are left over to patrol with a patrol car, in the entire above area.
We spoke with the deputy mayor for Culture of the municipality of Konitsa, Petros Gikas. Although he declared us incompetent with regard to aggregate data and more specific reports on delinquency in the area, he confirmed the feeling of insecurity of the residents, especially of the communities located close to the border. “There is a feeling of insecurity and a problem of understaffing of the police stations. The 583rd Infantry Battalion also has a problem, with the remaining border posts being few,” the deputy mayor told “Jungle”.
We contacted the 8th Division, whose officers explained to us that there are detailed plans for guarding the Greek-Albanian border, however, these are not publicized…
Mayor of Pogoni: “If this situation continues, the border will essentially reach Kalpaki and Ioannina”
The municipal unit of Pogoni is the second largest municipality on the Greek-Albanian border. It includes five old municipalities with more than fifty communities, many of which are located a few kilometers from the border line. Communities with an important history and unparalleled beauty such as Pogoniani, Delvinaki, Kalpaki, Lavdani, Kefalovrysos, Parakalamos etc.
In May 2013, the case of the murder of an elderly couple in the Pogoni Buildings, by a 30-year-old man of Albanian origin, shocked the whole of Greece. The perpetrator, before the murder of the elderly, had invaded the village’s cafe with the intention of robbing the patrons. The grenade he threw at them luckily did not explode.
In another incident, in November 2018, police officers were fired upon by the Kalashnikovs of thugs trying to smuggle drugs into the country. In the exchange of gunfire, a police officer was wounded and a marked thug, of Albanian origin, was killed. He was convicted in Albania for murder.
These, and many other similar incidents, have contributed to a sense of insecurity in the region. Villages are being deserted, and their few elderly residents are being forced by their families to move to the city. The shadow of the double murder of 2013 still haunts the place.
“Zougla” spoke with the mayor of Pogonianis, Konstantinos Kapsalis, who described to us how the locals are experiencing, the rise in crime and the lack of security in their place.
“Although the situation has improved today compared to the past, fear in the communities that exist near the border remains widespread,” Mr. Kapsalis told us. “The border guard is weakened, as a result of which many villages are deserted in the winter. In addition to the other problems of infrastructure, health, transportation that these villages have, the constant insecurity has been added.”
The mayor told us that of the three Police Departments that were operating inland, there is now one left, with the police force weakened by 60%.
He complains that for the border guarding of a border line of 120 kilometers, there are three (3) patrol cars left to patrol!
“We have been promised here for years that thermal cameras, drones and other modern systems will be introduced in order to strengthen border control, but, unfortunately, nothing has been done,” he added, to conclude characteristically: “The villages near the borders they desert. If this situation continues, our borders will actually reach Kalpaki and Ioannina”…
Source: www.zougla.gr
