Bosniak returnees in four villages near Foča have been waiting for electricity for more than 30 years since the end of the war.
In the meantime, almost the entire population of Poljice, Drača, Ratina, and Banjina has moved away, as living without electricity made normal life impossible. Esad Bećirević is the only remaining resident of Poljice who has been living in these conditions since returning in 2015.
He falls asleep by the fire to the soothing crackling of wood, but the morning brings anxiety and concern, as he rushes to open the window and look toward the east.
Rainy, cloudy, or foggy weather means that the solar panel in front of his house will not be able to generate enough electricity even to charge the battery. Without it, he has no power for even the most basic needs.
“I have electricity for lighting and charging my phone, but it depends on the weather. If it’s foggy or cloudy, you start to worry, and you’re left without a phone, without communication. Then people wonder what happened to him, whether he’s alive or not. It’s not easy. The beginning was especially difficult. I had to carry my battery to Jeleč, where there is electricity, to charge it. Then I had to get used to using candles,” Bećirević told BIR television.
Over the years, he says, promises of electrifying the village kept coming, but electricity never arrived.
“We applied, asked, begged. People neither care nor listen. They have eyes but do not see; they have ears but do not hear. We also turned to the Ministry for Refugees and Displaced Persons. They encouraged us to return. And we did return to our homes, but none of those promises were fulfilled,” Esad said.
In the meantime, he added, all other residents of Poljice have left the village and now come only during the summer.
The same situation exists in the three neighboring villages. Before the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, all of these places had electricity. After the war, 34 houses were rebuilt, and about ten residents lived there for some time. However, they eventually left due to the lack of electrification.
What remained are empty houses with solar panels standing in front of them, silent reminders of the unfulfilled dream of sustainable return, MINA reported.
