BIHAC, Bosnia and Herzegovina (AP) – Hundreds of migrants were stranded on Saturday in a camp of burnt and burnt tents in Bosnia, while heavy snow fell in the country and winter temperatures dropped sharply.
Migrants from the Lipa camp in northwestern Bosnia wrapped themselves in blankets and sleeping bags to protect themselves from the region’s biting winds, which border Croatia, a member of the European Union.
A fire earlier this week destroyed much of the camp near the town of Bihac, which has already been sharply criticized by international officials and aid groups for not being suitable for sheltering refugees and migrants.
Despite the fire, Bosnian authorities were unable to find new accommodation for migrants from Lipa, leaving around 1,000 people stranded in the cold with no facilities or heat, eating only poor food packages provided by aid groups.
“The snow has dropped, the temperatures are below zero, without heating, nothing,” wrote the head of the mission of the International Organization for Migration in Bosnia, Peter Van Der Auweraert. “It simply came to our notice then. We now need political courage and action. “
Bosnia has become a stalemate for thousands of migrants hoping to reach Western Europe. Most are stranded in the northwestern Krajina region of Bosnia because other areas of the ethnically divided nation have refused to accept them. The EU has warned Bosnia that thousands of migrants are facing a frozen, homeless winter, and urged the country’s quarrelsome politicians to give up their differences and take action.
On Saturday, migrants crowded into the camp to receive water and food provided by the Bosnian Red Cross, while police sought to maintain order. Some immigrants wore face shields to protect them from coronavirus.
“We live like animals. Even animals live better than us! Said a man from Pakistan who identified himself only by his first name, Kasim. “If it doesn’t help us, we will die, so please help us.”
Plans to temporarily move migrants to a closed unit in downtown Bihac have sparked protests by residents.
Left without a solution, the migrants placed the cardboard on the floor and installed makeshift barriers for privacy in the only standing tent in the Lipa camp. Some people kept their feet wet over the small fires that migrants lit outside to keep warm, while others wrapped themselves tightly in blankets for warmth. Many migrants wore sneakers despite the snow.
To get to Croatia, migrants often use illegal routes in a mountainous area along the border. Many complained of violence and pushing by Croatian police.