Residents of the city of Bihac in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) went on a mass protest against the influx of migrants and the actions of the central authorities in Sarajevo, local media reported on Monday.
BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2018) Residents of the city of Bihac in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) went on a mass protest against the influx of migrants and the actions of the central authorities in Sarajevo, local media reported on Monday.
Bihac and the nearby settlements of the Una-Sana Canton (district) in the country's north-west near the border with Croatia have become a transit point and a place for thousands of migrants from the middle East and North Africa to camp on their way to EU countries. According to local authorities, there are now more than 5,000 Pakistanis, Syrians, Afghans, Iraqis and Iranians in the city and its environs, as well as people from other Middle Eastern and North African countries.
The organizer of the protest is the Bihac Civil Initiative group, whose representatives emphasize that the protest is not directed against migrants, "but against the inaction of the central authorities who have shuffled off the problem to the municipal level," the Federalna broadcater reported.
The protesters were also collecting signatures for a petition about the inadmissibility of opening a reception center for migrants in Bihac. Migrants currently occupy a deserted school, but local residents also call it inhumane, fearing the spread of infectious diseases and the increase in the number of incidents, the broadcaster reported.
The protest was fueled by reports about 6 million Euros ($6.84 million), allocated by the European Commission for combating the humanitarian consequences of the migration crisis in BiH. According to citizens, these funds will be used to build a center for migrants in Bihac.
Bihac mayor Suhret Fazlic previously repeatedly criticized the migration policy of the leadership in Sarajevo and demanded from the country's authorities to place migrants in appropriate conditions and ensure the safety of their citizens.
On Thursday, BiH authorities reported more than 10,000 undocumented migrants in the country. According to the Office of Foreigners' Affairs, there are 3,519 Pakistani citizens, 1,648 Syrians, 1,258 Iranian, 1,158 Afghans and 859 Iraqis, among them. They are followed by citizens of Libya, Algeria, Palestine, Morocco and India. The vast majority of undocumented immigrants are men without families aged 18-35, but among them there are 60 children without parents and guardians.
In April, BiH parliamentary committee on defense and security reported that it expected an influx of about 50,000 migrants who will try to pass through the country to the EU states. Officially, the "West Balkan route" of migrants was closed in 2016, but in fact, the migrants just abandoned Greece-Macedonia-Serbia-Croatia route, instead going to the European Union via Albania, Montenegro and BiH.
