Despite the EU's opposition, the Una-Sana Canton's government earmarked 25,000 marks for the establishment of a migrant centre Vucjak, in North-West of Bosnia, right next to the border with Croatia.
Some migrants oppose this move, while the others are in favour of it, but they all agree they do not have any issues with Bosnia's authorities.
“I had a surgery in the Bihac hospital, the doctor was great, the people are great, everything's good and even the police are good to us,” Erhasan Urasurlem from Afghanistan told N1.
“A month ago we went into the ‘game’ (tried to cross the border) but halfway there, we encountered a problem. We came back and told the police that he was ill. They took him to the hospital where he was operated on,” another migrant, Ahmad Bashir also from Afghanistan said.
The Una-Sana Canton's police introduced regular police controls of migrant camps on that area, but these young men say they have no problem with that.
Related news
“There are no problems here. I went out yesterday and walked around. Bosnia is not a problem. The problem is on the other, Croatian, side. When we get caught it's ok to deport us, but why do they beat us,” Bashir said.
Apart from the migrants, the locals also say they have many issues. The ones N1 spoke to said the situation is getting worse.
“they are bothering us, always running around the house, the car, touching stuff, looking for something, digging through our sheds and always looking if the doors are open. Our children can't go out freely, any more,” a passer-by told N1.
The Red Cross said it was the Bihac and Velika Kladusa residents who bore the first wave of the migrant crisis and now the Una-Sana Canton needs help.
“The town of Bihac and this canton didn't deserve this. No one wants to bear the weight of the crisis and that's what hurts the locals the most,” Bihac's Red Cross Secretary Salem Midzic said.
Waiting for the higher levels of government to react, despite the EU's opposition, the Canton started preparing the terrain at Vucjak location, right next to the border with Croatia, where they plan to displace migrants from urban areas.
The Una-Sana Canton has been especially interesting to migrants entering the country from the direction of Serbia and Montenegro because it is closest to the border with the EU.
Last year, 25,000 migrants entered the country and competent authorities estimate that there are around 9,000 of them in the country right now.
Migrants started flocking to Bosnia after Bulgaria and Hungary imposed strict border controls and stopped migrants from entering their country, effectively blocking the migrants’ “Balkan route.”
They have no wish of staying in Bosnia or eastern EU member states, though, but want to continue their path to Western EU states like Germany, France and Austria, hoping to find a better life.
Of the 9,000 migrants residing in the country, authorities say only about 8 percent are refugees, the rest being economic migrants.
