The Security Ministry has asked security agencies to increase the number of officers helping Border Police secure the country’s eastern border which most of the migrants illegally cross to enter Bosnia, the Security Minister said on Thursday.

Dragan Mektic announced the move following a meeting of the Operative Headquarters which was set up this year to tackle the dramatic increase of the migrant influx into the country.

Since the beginning of the year, scores of migrants have been entering Bosnia from the East and heading to the country’s northwestern border area, the Una-Sana Kanton (USK), in their attempt to cross over into Croatia.

However, most of the time they are turned back by either Bosnian or Croatian border police.

Residents of the towns in the USK area have staged protests and sought help from the government in Sarajevo in handling the situation, which they said has grown out of control.

There are already 370 people accommodated in the newly operational Usivak migrant centre near Sarajevo, and on Friday another centre in the complex of the ‘Bira’ factory in Bihac should be opened, the Security Minister said at the meeting.

The meeting was attended by police commissioners from USK and the Sarajevo Canton (KS), who informed others of the situation in their Cantons and joint measures that should be taken in the coming period.

Mektic also met with Croatia’s Ambassador, Ivan Del Vechio, whom he told about all of the measures Bosnian authorities have taken to stop the migrant flow through the country.

The minister also pointed out that there is a problem regarding noncompliance by some countries to an agreement on readmission of the migrants on the migrant route.

The solution to the problem and the halting of the migrant flow must be sought at the EU level, he argued, since the migrants come to Bosnia via EU member countries, Greece and Bulgaria, and want to continue their path further toward EU countries again.