Bosnia builds camp for 1,500 migrants

BIHAC, Bosnia Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina opened a migrant camp on Friday near the northern city of Bihac, close to the Croatian border.

The Lipa Migrant Camp was built with the support of the EU to host 1,500 residents.

EU Special Representative for Bosnia Johann Sattler said the camp was completed in 11 months and the project was put into practice so that problems experienced by migrants last winter would not be repeated.

Security Minister Selmo Cikotic said cooperation concluded beneficially.

"I can say that with the opening of the camp, we left the migrant crisis behind and we are now dealing with the immigrant issue," he said.

Three hundred people have already moved in and 1,200 who remained in forest areas near Velika Kladusa on the Croatian border will be accommodated at the camp.

Migrants with children and in need will be placed in the camp, where living conditions have been greatly improved.

While most countries struggled with the coronavirus pandemic in the last couple of years across the globe, Bosnia and Herzegovina have experienced a migrant crisis. And the migrants fight severe conditions in Bosnia.

The country seeks help from the EU to deal with migrants stranded in its territory.

Since 2018, the EU has sent at least €13.8 million ($15.8 million) in humanitarian aid for Bosnia to host asylum-seekers.

The majority of migrants in Bosnia would prefer international protection in the EU but they cannot enter the bloc’s territory.