I spent many years of my working career with the Red Cross, providing war relief (food, medical aid, medical evacuations, etc.) in countries that were in the midst of internal or multinational conflicts.

What I learned in those years is that when people have fled from a conflict area due to economic or safety concerns, their survival enroute (between where they have left, and the destination they seek for eventual sanctuary) becomes very tenuous. There is a real risk of not being able to find food, not being able to remain safe from attack, not being able to protect vulnerable (older or younger) members of a family.

In such situations, even the most honourable and principled person will resort to 'doing whatever it takes' to stay alive, stay fed, and stay safe. This may include resorting to theft or robbery.

Local authorities are often overwhelmed by large inflows of migrants, and the normal 'law and order' process often breaks down because the migrants are not familiar with the norms & customs of the new location, and the authorities are not familiar with (or sympathetic to) the norms and customs of the migrating group.

Based on my experience, I think it would be wise for those of us who are travelling for recreational purposes to try and avoid areas with large concentrations of migrants, most especially when the migrant flow has been bottled up and frustrated in their attempts to keep moving.

If you can't avoid passing through an area with a large concentration of stagnant migrants, then plan to pass through the area and get away from it as inconspicuously and efficiently as possible. Don't hang around, don't stop to smell the roses, don't stop to gawk. Most especially, resist the temptation to stop and 'try and help' one or more individuals, because you could rapidly find yourself inundated by many more individuals who are equally desperate and in need of help.

Michael