08/22/2018
Bosnia: Situation of refugees is becoming worse
EU must ensure better humanitarian support for refugees who are stranded in Bosnia (Press Release)
In Bihac, the camp for refugees consists of two parts: the wild tent camp between the trees and the ruin of a semi-finished student dorm that decayed after the war in the early 1990s. Picture: Sascha Schießl
On Wednesday, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) appealed to the governments of the European Union to support the up to 5,000 refugees who are stranded in north-western Bosnia, as the country is obviously not able to help them out of their miserable and even life-threatening situation. Currently, there are up to 5,000 migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Asia, and North Africa living in makeshift camps in the canton of Una-Sana in the three communities of Bihac, Velika Kladusa, and Cazin – with little or no humanitarian aid.
“The international aid agencies and the local authorities must act fast and improve the coordination of humanitarian aid supplies,” demanded Jasna Causevic, the STP’s expert on Southeast Europe. “The EU must be quick to help the Bosnian government provide adequate shelters for these refugees. They must no longer be left to themselves in the city of Bihac or in the smaller villages.” The Bosnian people, who were compassionate and willing to help, are becoming more and more upset by the failure of the state institutions – and the refugees are facing growing fear and aggression.
On the outskirts of Bihac, most of the refugees are living in a former student dormitory, in the former Hotel Sedra, or in tents. The Camp Borici in Bihac consists of a wild tent camp between the trees and a ruin. The building has no doors or windows and there are only parts of the roof left. There are dozens of people living in the rooms, where they sleep on mattresses or blankets, and some of them in tents. Only one room has beds, organized by the Red Cross. The people cook food on an open fire. The children don’t go to school. They are neglected and many are already permanently ill.
Many refugees are waiting for an opportunity to leave Bosnia and travel on to the western EU countries. Some also take their destiny into their own hands by trying to cross the well-guarded border into Croatia or Slovenia – but the EU governments are trying to cut off these routes. On August 12, the bodies of two refugees were found in a forest near Ogulin in Croatia. Both belonged to a group of 14 refugees who had tried to reach Slovenia. The Croatian border police are said to be unscrupulous towards refugees.
Picture: Sascha Schiessl (Link to his blog)
