As a result of war conflicts, tens of thousands of people have had to leave their homes. Currently, every 67th person in the world is forcibly displaced. They find a new home in countries where there is peace. One of them is Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) – a country that, even 30 years after the war, has not resolved the problems of BiH refugees.
Alarming data show that there are more than 122 million refugees in the world. The biggest crisis is recorded in Sudan, with 13.5 million forcibly displaced. It has replaced Syria in the top position, where, due to a more stable political situation, around two million people have returned. But Shirin Shahbandar is not one of them. She found refuge in BiH five years ago.
“We thought life would be very hard here, but it is very comfortable and nice. I got a job with the help of UNHCR and CRS, and later they helped me start my own business, to open a restaurant, and in that way, my dream came true,” says Shirin.
BiH refugees are still waiting for their dreams to come true. More than 108.000 of them are displaced outside the borders of BiH or within them. According to the latest official data, there are 32.000 displaced in the Federation of BiH (FBiH), more than 59.000 in the Republika Srpska (RS), and 65 in the Brcko District. Outside of BiH, nearly 17.000 refugees.
But returning to one’s home is difficult and challenging, often marked by attacks on returnees.
“They always live in political rhetoric that is harsh and where national and other tensions are raised. Returnees in any city are afraid – some flee from the RS to the FBiH, others from the FBiH to the RS, and once things calm down, they return to their homes. I think the basic thing is that they have security, and then everything else,” emphasizes Sevlid Hurtic, Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of BiH.
Besides security, it is necessary to secure a home to return to. Let us recall that the Development Bank of the Council of Europe and our country signed a loan agreement in 2014 worth 104 million euros. By 2024, 2.215 housing units were to be built and about 5.600 displaced persons, residing in collective centers, were to be relocated into them.
However, during the COVID-19 epidemic, the companies that were supposed to work on the construction of the housing units shut down, and the whole process was temporarily halted. Currently, around 300 families are waiting to receive the keys to their homes.
Although rights are guaranteed by Annex 7 of the Dayton Agreement, Mirhunisa Zukic said that a dignified return has not been achieved.
“Today we want a change to the law on refugees. At least those who are left to solve their problems will certainly succeed with the new Law on Refugees, because we have seen that there is a lot of corruption when it comes to return, spending of domestic funds,” believes Mirhunisa Zukic from the Union for Sustainable Return and Integration of BiH.
Not even three decades after the war, BiH has not resolved the problems of its citizens. Many of them have continued their lives abroad. But now, it is expected that we offer a helping hand to refugees from other countries.
“Just as the citizens of this country found refuge in other countries 30 years ago, today people from around the world come to BiH to find protection from persecution and conflict here. Refugees are people just like you and me; they only need a chance to show their potential and talents,” reminds Lucie Gagne from UNHCR.
And to live a life worthy of every human being. Far from war conflicts, blood, and killing, N1 writes x
