Hundreds of migrants in Bosnia’s northwest are staying in the ruins of the Lipa tent camp, which was shut down and destroyed in a fire on Wednesday, expecting authorities to help them and provide adequate shelter from the freezing cold.
The Red Cross distributes meals to the migrants once a day. The meals consist of half a loaf of bread, tuna, a packet of dates and one bottle of water. This is all they get to eat until the next day.
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The Lipa camp was shut down because the migrants staying there had no access to electricity, running water or sewage. It also did not provide shelter from the extreme weather conditions in the winter.
That is why Bosnia's government, formally the Council of Ministers, approved on Monday an initiative to officially establish the temporary migrant camp ‘Lipa’, which would consist of adapted shipping containers able to house 1,500 migrants in the Bihac area.
However, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which ran the camp, the works cannot be conducted while the migrants are still there.
The BiH Security Ministry then asked authorities in the northwestern Una-Sana Canton (USK) to reopen the Bira migrant reception centre in the nearby town of Bihac. Bira was shut down in late September due to pressure from the local population.
As migrants were leaving Lipa on Wednesday, a fire broke out in the camp and destroyed most of the tents.
USK authorities said they will not allow the transfer of the migrants to Bira, while locals in Bihac are patrolling the entrance to the centre saying they will block any attempts to accommodate migrants there.
The atmosphere at Lipa is tense and the situation could escalate at any moment, which is why police officers are securing the distribution of the meals and numerous TV crews are present.
“I thought I would be here temporarily. These days we don’t have beds to sleep in. We are given meals once a day,” one of the migrants, Afzan, told N1.
Afzan is wearing flip flops.
“I am so cold, I’m freezing. After what happened two days ago, we don’t even have food,” the Pakistani national said, adding that the migrants hope that someone could bring containers for them to stay in, as well as clothes and shoes.
The meal the migrants are receiving is not enough, he stressed.
“We expect the government to help us,” Afzan said.
When asked to specify which level of government he means, he said “the Bosnian government.”
“Yes, they are responsible. They can do something. Why are we playing this blame-game? Who is guilty, who is not? We don’t want to hear it! They should make some decision, whatever it is,” he said, adding that he has not contacted his family for three days.
Afzan has a cell phone, but there is no electricity in the camp.
“How would they know if I’m alive or not? Can you imagine how worried they are? We are all expecting something here. Some message from authorities. But all we hear is ‘we don’t know anything’,” he said.
The IOM has left Lipa.
“They left us here to die from starvation and the cold. If we are here, then they should be here too,” one of the migrants said.
