More than 30 thousand migrants passed through Bosnia and Herzegovina since the beginning of 2023, with majority of this population coming from the countries with a high migration risk.

The Service for the Foreigners’ Affairs told Fena news agency that within the period from January 1 to December 17, a total of 30,813 certificates of declared intention to seek asylum were issued to the persons on the move, and as in the previous period, the majority of these were migrants of the economic age category between 19 and 35 years.

“These migrants stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a very short time and according to their statements, they try to use the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a transit area on their way to EU countries. To the greatest extent, it was a mixed group of migrants, citizens of Afghanistan, Morocco, Syria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran and other countries, who after entering Bosnia and Herzegovina expressed their intention to seek asylum,” the agency said.

As for the situation in the reception centers, their managements assessed it as satisfactory.

Currently, some 2,600 migrants are staying in the available temporary reception centres, of which about 1,100 are in the northwestern Una-Sana Canton and 1,400 are in the Sarajevo Canton.

In the context of a possible security threat that illegal migrants could pose in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Service for the Foreigners’ Affairs said that organised irregular migration is complex and that well-organised criminal groups that carry out the illegal transfer of migrants are behind it, which includes transport and accommodation on the territory of BiH .

The agency said they made a significant contribution by participating in joint operations to combat smuggling and human trafficking, and by collecting operational knowledge and information, which it exchanged in a timely manner with competent law enforcement agencies, which ultimately resulted in investigations and court proceedings.

According to the data the agency provided for Fena, in accordance with the signed readmission agreements, 173 migrants were returned from Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Republic of Serbia, and 29 migrants were returned to Montenegro.

Through various forms of return, the agency carried out the removal of 550 migrants to their countries of origin in 2023.

“432 migrants were returned through the voluntary return implemented by the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs, and 118 migrants were returned to their countries of origin through the program of forced return,” it stressed.

They underlined that mutual cooperation, participation in joint activities and exchange of information with police agencies in BiH and international partners is excellent, continuous and gives excellent results.