Bosnia Herzegovina: Bosnian Serbs protest new migrant camp
Political representatives of the Federation’s Bosnian Serb community have called on the authorities of the Una-Sana Canton not to build a camp for migrants on the basis that the mostly Muslim immigrants will pose a threat to them.
There is already a migrant center in the Federation near Bihac, the largest town in Una-Sana, but approximately 3,000 migrants are currently without accommodations. The authorities want to expedite the building of a new tent camp for them due to fears about the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), according to a report at Balkan Insight.
The proposed camp would be constructed near the village of Lipa, where ethnic Serbs who returned following the Bosnian War in the 1990s reside. It’s possible that the camp could be set up within the next few days, once tents and basic utilities are provided.
The Serbs believe that the migrants, many of whom are Muslim, would pose a threat to their livelihoods and way of life. Also, many of the Serbs themselves live under rough conditions, and would not appreciate seeing resources given to people who are not even in the country legally.
Djordje Radanovic, the Chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Serb Rights in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said that such a camp would be an “insult” to Serbs, adding that “bringing migrants from Bihac to Lipa would further worsen the situation in the village and discourage the possible return of Serbs, because local authorities have not yet provided them with basic necessities for a normal life.”
The Committee has filed a criminal complaint against Bihac’s Mayor, Sufret Fazlic, for proposing the new camp. Others have said that the local authorities do not have the power to order such a camp to be built in the first place. Fazlic has responded that the measure is necessary in order to prevent the migrants from spreading the coronavirus to the local population.
Like most of Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina is already under lockdown in response to the pandemic. Last week, the Federation’s Minister of Security ordered authorities to begin removing migrants from the streets and relocate them to reception centers, as previously reported by Voice of Europe.
▻https://voiceofeurope.com/2020/03/bosnia-herzegovina-bosnian-serbs-protest-new-migrant-camp
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