Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH’s) Border Police Director Zoran Galic held a session of the Professional Collegium on Monday, attended by the heads of the basic organizational units of GPBiH, along with Deputy Director Fahrudin Halac, Assistant Director for Organization and Operations Dragan Kulic, News Agency Patria reports.
During the meeting, interlocutors focused specifically on the problems with complex situation with illegal migration in BiH.
It was pointed out that organizational units in the east of BiH were especially burdened in the previous period when it came to attempts of illegal entry into BiH, and that in September and October 2019 an increased number of migrants in the area could be expected.
Possible modalities for solving problems at critical points such as the boundary belt were discussed, and it was added that BiH Border Police will continue to maximize the engagement of people and material and technical equipment, but that more concrete support is expected in order to strengthen the agency operationally.
The Report on the Work of the BiH Border Police for the first six months of 2019 and the implementation of the Annual Work Plan for the same period were considered as well.
Director Zoran Galic highlighted good results of work, especially in the prevention of narcotics smuggling.
The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) said 21,000 migrants have entered the country since the beginning of the year. The authorities said all of the country’s reception centers are full, and they denounced the growing problems of lack of food and medicine.
A total of 21,000 migrants have arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the start of the year. Pressure is increasing on the Balkan nation due to logistical and social problems from the growing migratory influx. Nermin Kljajic, the interior minister of the Una Sana canton, said the number of migrants who entered the country in the first seven months of 2019 is greater than the number of migrants who arrived in all of 2018.
Una Sana canton is located in the northwest region of the country at the border with Croatia, where the majority of migrants are concentrated while they plan their onward journeys to reach western European countries. Kljajic, citing local media, said the majority of migrants are Afghani, Pakistani, and Moroccan.
Kljajic said all of the country’s migrant reception centers are full, and thousands of refugees are on the move, lodging in makeshift shelters. He said the situation is worsening on a daily basis also due to growing problems of lack of food and medicine, and frequent protests by local residents who have denounced theft and harassment by migrants who have been unable to find shelter in reception centres.
