Usivak Barrack in Hadzici near BiH’s capital Sarajevo is already prepared to receive migrants, namely by procuring 11 containers for the accommodation of migrants that come to BiH and use it as a transit country en route to the European Union.
Namely, on Monday, new containers will be installed and work on the building will officially start.
Earlier in June this year, FBiH cabinet gave the Usivak Barrack with its total area of 95,129 square meters with 21 facilities, with a total useful area of 4,794 square meters, for free use to the Council of Ministers of BiH for the accommodation of migrants. Also, in July, the Head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in BiH, Peter Van der Auweraert, and the Vice Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), María Sánchez-Yebra Alonso, signed an agreement in the amount of one million Euros to equip the migrants center in Hadzici. Namely, the money is intended to be spent on a fully-equipment of the center for 400 people.
Some 12,000 migrants have entered BiH since the beginning of this year until Aug. 29, the country’s Chairman of the Council of Ministers Denis Zvizdic revealed at the press conference on in September.
“11,191 migrants sought for an asylum and only 835 has actually applied for it,” Zvizdic added.
At a state-level session, it was agreed that the competent authorities will continue in protecting the BiH border. Additionally, coordination teams will direct the activities related to migrants in a “humane and dignified manner”, under the international and country’s law.
“Currently, additional 300 police officers have been engaged in the protection of BiH border,” Zvizdic added.
Out of the total, the highest number of migrants comes from Pakistan, Syria, Afghanistan, followed by migrants originating from Iraq, Iran and other countries. In 99 percent of cases, migrants do not have any identification documents, seeking an asylum and an international protection when arriving to BiH. They do not intend to stay in BiH, and use it as a transit area en route to the European Union members.
Currently, there are some 3,000 migrants residing on the territory of BiH out of which the majority are economic migrants.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants passed through the so-called “Balkan route” in 2015, trying to reach Western Europe. BiH was then not part of that route.
However, migrants have turned to BiH in recent months, trying to avoid more heavily-guarded routes and borders in the Balkans.
