Construction of Reception Camp near Bihac underway

In Lipa near Bihac, construction works of camp are underway for the accommodation of migrants and refugees, and according to the announcements, the camp should be ready by the end of the construction season. At this location, migrants are currently staying in tents, however, there are still a large number of those staying in abandoned facilities in Bihac.

Although the conditions in the reception centers are far better than these here, the reason why migrants stay here in abandoned premises has been known for a long time. They say that specifically in the city of Bihac, they are choosing these abandoned buildings in the city center because of the proximity of the border.

Unlike reception centers, in abandoned buildings or improvised accommodation there is no space for bathing, electricity and no regular meals.

Migrants who stay out of camps in the city of Bihac are aware that they have to take care of their own meals. They usually make parata, a traditional Pakistani bread made only from water, flour and salt, put on low heat and baked for a few minutes. 

About a hundred more migrants live in Krajinametal, trying to cross the border every day. Most of them left Lipa for the game, but due to the distance of that camp they did not want to return. On the other hand, the situation on Lipa is satisfactory and decent living conditions are provided.

This is a temporary tent settlement for migrants "Lipa" near Bihac. The numbers of migrants vary from day to day, considering that migrants go to the game every day. This here, this is the camp "Lipa" under construction. The works are progressing as planned and it is expected that the camp will be ready by the end of the construction season. Migrants from the tent settlement, migrants in the city of Bihac should be accommodated here, and a special part of the camp will be provided for families with children.


”We still don't have an exact opening date because we are following the works on the go. We are working according to the schedule when it comes to construction works, and I hope that we will have an opening date in the coming days. The key is that we are ready for winter,” Laura Lungarrotti, the Head of the International Organization for Migratiions Mission to BiH

It is estimated that there are currently around 3,000 migrants in reception centers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Nobody has exact data on how many migrants are staying outside the camps, but one thing is for sure, most of them are still in Una-Sana Canton.