State authorities are providing no assistance and they are failing to solve the issue of migrants who occupied the territory of the Bosnia's westernmost region, the Una-Sana Canton, local authorities have warned.

A series of meetings have been held this week discussing this problem, with the cantonal authorities warning they feel they are coping with the issue alone and that they need the help of the state.

“There is no control, and nobody cares. We are simply on our own. This is horrible, we don't know what to do next,” said Suhret Fazlic, the Mayor of Bihac, the westernmost Bosnian city and the seat of cantonal government, located in the vicinity of the border with Croatia.

According to Bosnia's state institutions, several thousand migrants entered the country since the beginning of the year, finding a temporary shelter to, as they say, their final destinations in the western Europe. The country has been coping with the problem of their accommodation and the lack of border police officers, who would control illegal attempts to cross the border. The Una-Sana Canton was the most affected Bosnian region, owing to its proximity to the EU, which the migrants are trying to reach.

The migrants are currently staying in improvised accommodation they found in abandoned buildings in Bihac and in a tent settlement in the town of Velika Kladusa. They sleep on the floor, cover themselves with sacks and blankets they were given by local citizens. The food is provided by the Red Cross and served by volunteers.

Besides the lack of accommodation capacities to house the migrants, another problem the authorities are facing is security. They fear the situation may escalate.

“We demand from the Security Ministry to have someone take care of those people. Someone must move them somewhere. Someone must find out their names, where they come from and what's their past. Someone has to manage the situation, someone has to register them,” said Mayor Fazlic.

According to the mayor, more than 2,600 migrants have been registered in that region and their number is likely to increase in the upcoming period.

While the Bihac Mayor pleads for the help of the state authorities, the Federation's Police Administration Director Dragan Lukac says there is no reason for concern in terms of security.

“I guarantee that the local police will not be left alone and that citizens have no reason for concern regarding that,” he added.

The N1 team visited one of the camps in Bihac, where migrants of different age and different needs have temporarily settled down.