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Hundreds of refugees may stay in the Lipa refugee camp, which has caught fire. The Bosnian army has started building new shelters. Residents spent the last nights in the cold winter outdoors.
After the failed relocation of hundreds of refugees to permanent accommodation in the interior of Bosnia-Herzegovina, people are now supposed to stay in the Lipa slum camp. Military personnel began building the shelters after the country came under international criticism for its treatment of people. The military announced that around 150 soldiers had arrived and that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) would take over the management of the store site.
More than a week ago, the former refugee camp near Lipa on the Croatian border caught fire. The IOM closed the camp 25 kilometers southeast of the city of Bihac a week and a half ago because the Bosnian authorities had not kept their promises to winterize it.
The placement fails because of the residents.
The Bosnian authorities wanted to transfer people elsewhere to a former military installation near Sarajevo. However, this failed due to protests from residents. The refugees eventually spent 24 hours waiting for buses and were then taken back to the burned camp. For the past two nights, they lit small fires to keep warm in the winter cold with almost no protection. Aid organizations provide them with makeshift food in the inhospitable area.
On Friday, refugees staged a protest, according to human rights groups, to draw attention to conditions in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Hundreds of people refused to eat and called for international help on banners.
The EU’s appeal remains unheard
The idea supported by the EU Commission to reopen the Bira camp in the local Bihac area failed due to resistance from local politicians. Homeland Commissioner Ylva Johansson had appealed to local authorities to provide accommodation for people there. It is “the practical and immediate solution”. There is heating, electricity, running water and space for 1,500 people on site.
The European Union had already described the situation of refugees in Bosnia as “alarming” last week. According to its own statements, the international community has given the Balkan state around 85.5 million euros in aid to deal with the refugee situation since 2018. The Lipa camp was set up as temporary accommodation in April. Sometimes 1,500 people lived there. The camp was the last remaining refugee refuge in this region.
Thousands of people fleeing the Middle East, Africa and Asia are stranded in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Most of them are located in the northwest of the country, on the border with Croatia, an EU country. Many migrants have reported that the Croatian border guards forced them back and that the inhabitants of Bosnia-Herzegovina were hostile to them.
