Thousands of migrants have crossed Bosnia and Herzegovina on their way to Europe over the past couple of years but for some of them, the dream of a better life elsewhere ended when they were laid to rest in the country they thought they would just pass through.
Some died trying to swim across a river to neighbouring Croatia, some died in fires they lit to warm up and survive Bosnia’s cold winters and then fell asleep next to them, some in fights that broke out among migrants and others died a natural death.
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The tombstones of most of the migrants that were laid to rest at the Bihac cemetary say ‘N.N. lice’ – they are buried as John Does since their identity was never determined.
The remains of those who were identified were either buried under their names or will be sent to their country of origin.
Locals often help migrants survive in Bosnia, providing them with food and accommodation and tending to their wounds.
But they also help them in death.
Among the tombstones in the Bihac cemetery is the one of Abdulhamed Noori, from Afghanistan.
The 32-year-old drowned in the Una river when he went for a swim near the Sedra hotel, which is being used as a migrant reception centre. His wife and two children were devastated.
“This tombstone was erected by the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” says the writing on his grave.
