The Civil Protection Headquarters of Sarajevo’s Stari Grad municipality initiated evacuation efforts immediately after receiving an order from the Sarajevo Canton Civil Protection Headquarters. The order mandated the evacuation of residents and assets from the affected areas of the Sirokaca local community, prompting the municipal team to implement its evacuation plan.

Despite the Canton’s directive, the Stari Grad municipal team received no operational or financial support. Aside from limited assistance from the Ministry of Labor, Social Policy, Displaced Persons, and Refugees of Sarajevo Canton, no substantial material or financial aid was provided, even though the municipality submitted a formal request for accommodation resources or funds to lease spaces for displaced families.

The evacuation primarily involves vulnerable groups, including a significant number of children, elderly individuals, and persons with disabilities or medical conditions. Municipal services visited families slated for evacuation, who expressed readiness to relocate, provided adequate housing was secured. In response, the municipality issued a public call for rental properties to accommodate these families.
Only after families inspected the proposed housing units and gave their consent for relocation were arrangements finalized for their move.

Prepared evacuation, not forced displacement.

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The evacuation, which began Friday for a number of families, was carefully prepared over weeks and is not an emergency measure. Claims made by some media outlets and social media posts alleging forced displacement of families with children are categorically false. All affected families voluntarily agreed to the evacuation and approved the proposed housing arrangements.

The municipality stated it has no knowledge of the activities undertaken by the Sarajevo Canton Social Work Center or those coordinated by the cantonal civil protection team, emphasizing that its own operations are proceeding according to the established plan. Residents of Sirokaca have been urged to cooperate with municipal representatives.

Humanitarian concerns and broader systemic issues

The Stari Grad Sarajevo municipality highlighted its commitment to ensuring humane treatment of its residents during this process, while also pointing to deficiencies in higher-level disaster response systems. Officials recalled a prior working meeting with representatives from Sarajevo Canton, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Istocno Stari Grad municipality to address landslide risks. Since then, the municipality has fulfilled its obligations from that meeting, whereas other stakeholders remain mired in bureaucratic processes rather than resolving pressing issues.

“Humanity comes first for us and we will address the systemic shortcomings later,” the municipality declared in its statement.