The state’s reaction to the massive flow of migrants that pass through the northwestern Una-Sana Canton in their attempt to enter Croatia is insufficient, while Serbian police at the eastern border is "showing the migrants the way toward Bosnia", the Canton’s Interior Minister, Anel Ramic, told N1.

The migrant crisis has taken a special toll on the Una-Sana Canton (USK), as it is located at the border with Croatia, which closed its borders and turns incoming migrants back.

“We tried to find some solutions, organise some accommodation capacities in USK, we must provide improvised accommodation. However, the migrant crisis has culminated and it is worrying,” Ramic said.

He said that an action plan to tackle the flow of incoming migrants has been initiated at the state level, but that no representatives of lower government levels were involved in its creation.

“I must say I am not satisfied with the reaction by the state Government,” he said. “We have no clear instructions, nobody has offered us help.”

Locals are worried and there is constant police presence in the canton, he said, and estimated that between 50 and 70 people enter USK territory daily.

“Now we have nearly 3,000 of them on USK territory, an alarming number,” he said.

He said there are immigration centres in Bosnia, but criticized the decision by the Government of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated semi-autonomous Republika Srpska (RS) entity to not get involved in tackling the issue and refusing to accommodate individual migrants somewhere where they can be controlled.

“Croatia has closed its border, and in the east we have people coming in daily. We also have an unfair attitude from the police in Serbia, which even points illegal migrants toward the way they can use to enter Bosnia. I don’t know if Bosnia sent a protest note, but I hope it has and that this border will be closed,” he said.

The tourism sector was ruined for this year in USK, he said, as potential visitors have cancelled their reservations.

Citizens feel unsafe in the evenings, which is why the Ministry is sending officers to patrol the area.

“We will not be able to endure this for much longer. I appeal to Bosnia’s Council of Ministers and the crisis headquarters to find a solution as soon as possible, so we can enable them movement and send them back where they came from,” he said.