Although it has been decided in the past week that migrants from the Vucjak camp near Bihac should be transferred to the barracks located in Blazuj near Sarajevo on Monday, this is unlikely to happen today.
Mirza Hadziabdic, a spokesman for the Canton Sarajevo Ministry of Internal Affairs, told Radiosarajevo.ba news portal that Sarajevo police had no announcement that the relocation would begin today.
According to media reports, neither the cantonal authorities in Krajina, nor the Una Sana Ministry of Interior and their minister Nermin Kljajic have yet to confirm officially when the Vucjak camp may be closed. Peter Van der Auweraert, head of mission of the International Organization for Migration in BiH, told N1 news portal on Sunday evening that the closure of the Vucjak camp would definitely not occur today. He did not specify where they could be moved, as well as when.
There are no special activities at the Vucjak camp this morning either, and the atmosphere is not different than usual. Moreover, as of this morning, a new group of migrants has been brought to the camp.
In 2018, with the support of the European Union the International Organization for Migrations opened four new Temporary Reception Centres in Una Sana Canton with the support of the Council of Europe Development Bank, IOM opened one new Temporary Reception Centre in Hadzici Municipality.
In spite of all the EU support, the situation remains very concerning. Substantial funds, in the range of €18 million, could not be utilised so far because the BiH authorities have not identified new suitable reception centres. The identification of two new centres last week in Sarajevo and Tuzla Cantons is a positive development and the EU expects, once operational, those centres will relieve the pressure from Una Sana Canton.
The European Union has also provided a direct support to the citizens of Bihac, by upgrading its obsolete city lighting system. This ongoing project, worth €600,000, will significantly improve public safety and comfort, in addition to enhancing energy efficiency and savings for the administration.
The EU officials visited the reception centres of Borići, Sedra and Bira. They also paid a visit to the site of Vucjak and urged its immediate closure.
