Migrants at the tent camp in Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina | Photo: EPA/FEHI
Migrants at the tent camp in Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina | Photo: EPA/FEHI

Groups of migrants in Bosnia were blocked by authorities in the attempt to return to Bihac near the border with Croatia after being transferred to the area of Vucijak where authorities plan to set up a large hosting center.

Tension is high between migrants and authorities in Bosnia after a police intervention on Saturday. Groups of migrants were prevented by police from returning to the town of Bihac from the north-western area of Vucijak.

The migrants had been transferred from Bihac to Vucijak, where authorities plan to set up a large hosting center. 

Earlier on Friday, police had found hundreds of undocumented migrants illegally residing in private homes in Bihac and transferred them to Vucijak. That’s according to the website Klix-ba.

Police spokesman Ale Siljdedic said that while migrants known to authorities for committing crimes have been transferred to Vucijak, a certain number of migrants in Bihac are still sleeping out in parks or under bridges, representing a threat to security.

UN expresses concern for selected area

The UN team in Bosnia has expressed concern for the choice of area to house migrants in Vucijak, which it said was too close to camps with landmines. The team also reported the risk of fires due to the possible presence of methane in the soil where there was previously a dump.

Moreover, according to the UN, there are no essential services including electrical power and potable water.

Hundreds of irregular migrants in private homes

During last Friday's police inspection of private homes in Bihac, three migrants were arrested after attacking police officers. Four officers reported injuries, according to Sarajevo-based media outlets. 

During the course of the operation, a total of 282 migrants were found in two homes: 180 in one and 102 in the other. All persons were transferred to nearby Vucijak, where bulldozers are clearing the area.

Authorities have started setting up tents and are providing water, food and medical assistance.

The local population hopes that the new area will offer migrants better living conditions while improving security in the city, according to local reports.

A reported 838 police officers have been deployed across the region of Bihac, which hosts over 6,000 migrants. Over 9,000 refugees and migrants are reported to be currently residing in Bosnia-Herzegovina.