BIHAC, Bosnia and Herzegovina (AP) – Hundreds of immigrants were stranded on Saturday in an exhausted and exhausted tent camp in Bosnia as heavy snow fell in the country and winter temperatures dropped sharply.
Migrants from the Lipa camp in northwestern Bosnia wrapped themselves in blankets and sleeping bags to protect themselves from the region’s spicy winds, which border Croatia, a member of the European Union.
A fire earlier this week destroyed much of the camp near the town of Bihac, which has already been harshly criticized by international officials and aid groups for being inadequate to house refugees and migrants.
Despite the fire, Bosnian authorities have been unable to find new accommodation for migrants in Lipa, leaving about 1,000 people trapped in the cold, with no facilities or heat, eating only meager food packages provided by aid groups.
“Snow has fallen, sub-zero temperatures, no warming, nothing,” the head of the International Organization for Migration in Bosnia, Peter Van Der Auweraert, tweeted. “It’s not like anyone should live. We now need political courage and action. “
Bosnia has become a bottleneck for thousands of migrants hoping to reach Western Europe. Most are trapped in the Krajina region of northwestern Bosnia, as other areas of the ethnically divided nation have refused to accept them. The EU has warned Bosnia that thousands of immigrants are facing an icy winter without shelter and has urged politicians in dispute over the country to put aside their differences and take action.
On Saturday, immigrants crowded into the camp to receive water and food supplied by the Bosnian Red Cross while police tried to maintain order. Some migrants wore facial shields to protect them from the coronavirus.
“We live like animals. Even animals live better than us! Said a Pakistani man who only identified himself by his first name, Kasim. “If they don’t help us, we will die, please help us.”
Plans to temporarily relocate migrants to a closed facility in central Bihac have sparked protests from residents.
Left without a solution, the migrants left cardboard on the ground and installed makeshift barriers for privacy in the only tent in the Lipa camp. Some people kept their feet wet above the small fires that migrants lit outside to warm themselves, while others wrapped themselves tightly in blankets to get warm. Many immigrants wore sneakers despite the snow.
To get to Croatia, migrants often use illegal routes through a mountainous area along the border. Many have complained of violence and setbacks by Croatian police.