‘We slept outside, we were hungry and thirsty! In Iran, we ended up in some mountains, stayed there for four days, and only had bread, eating very little so it would last. It was hot, and when it rained, we drank rainwater’ “I had terrible blisters, which bled from all the walking. From Afghanistan to Serbia, we mostly walked, sometimes we were transported by trucks, buses, and cars.
It was a tough journey of three months ,” Kočaj Arjubi (48), an Afghan who found peace in Serbia in 2016 begins his story for Kurir. The war, which has been ongoing for over 45 years since the time of the USSR, forced this kind-hearted man to leave everything and head to France to secure a better life and future for himself and his family. Kočaj set off from Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, in 2016 on a journey of 5,425 kilometres.
Alone. His wife and five children stayed behind, waiting for their father to find his footing. KOČAJ AJUBI WITH HIS CHILDREN IN SERBIA, PHOTO CREDIT: PRIVATE ARCHIVE “I left Afghanistan because of the war and the whole situation there.
It wasn't easy to make such a decision. I started from Kabul, and when we reached the border with Pakistan, our group numbered 150 people. Then we crossed into Iran, and 70 of us headed to Turkey.
Later, we arrived in Serbia by truck. The goal was France,” Kočaj tells us and continues: He paid the smuggler 4,300 euros, and if he had continued to France, it would have cost him 6,500 euros. In our country, he decided .
