Based on the data in the Una-Sana Canton, there are about 2,800 registered migrants, and in the Sarajevo Canton about 3,500 and several hundred more on the move, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Security Minister Selmo Cikotic told BHRT.
A large percentage of them are single, ie. to men of younger age. There are families and children, and the area from which they move to Western Europe is dominated by Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, some parts of India, Syria, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia.
Minister Cikotic also spoke about the return of migrants to their home countries. There is a mechanism of readmission at the border, but it is a Sisyphean job, which happens on a daily basis.
Border Police of BiH, work with other agencies on their return to the territory of the countries they come from, primarily Serbia and Montenegro.
Sooner or later they return and many continue their journey through the cliffs of the Balkans. They are heading towards Western Europe. And there is a readmission mechanism that BiH institutions carry out with the International Organization of Migrations and that is voluntary assisted return.
“We offer them certain funds for returns and money, funds to start living in their countries. ” In 2018, 735 people were returned to their countries of origin in this way, in 2019, 766 people were returned, and this year about 355 have been returned so far, Cikotic told BHRT.
