Minister Cikotic: We have the Number of Migrants which is at the Level of the end of 2017

In the last few months, we have the number of migrants, which is at the level of the end of 2017, when we had the beginning of mass migrations in BiH. Migrants change routes, but they do not give up on arriving on EU soil. The Mediterranean route is growing, from Libya to Italy, from Morocco to Spain, from the North African coast to Europe, thousands of migrants arrive every day. According to UNHCR, about 10,400 arrived in Italy in the first four months. About 70,000 migrants are waiting to set off on the coast of Libya. Another, well-known Balkan route, proved to be extremely expensive for migrants. To arrive in BiH, migrants paid three to three and a half thousand euros per person. And all this in order to reach the Croatian border, from which they cannot go further.

“It is not easy to cross the Croatian border, it is not easy at all. The transition is very expensive. It is very expensive to get to Greece, Turkey and Iran are scarier to cross, Macedonia is somewhere “, says Osman from Pakistan.

BiH Minister of Security Selmo Cikotic provides encouraging information. “In the last few months, we have the number of migrants, which is at the level of the end of 2017, when we had the beginning of mass migrations in BiH. It is an encouraging fact, but the purpose of all these activities is to maintain that level of migrant presence, ”he said.

The Service for Foreigners Affairs of BiH says that the development of the situation in Turkey and Greece is very important. Two days ago, Greece announced that it would change certain rules and procedures for accepting migrants, which would make it impossible for persons coming from the territory of Turkey to Greece to apply for asylum.

“Obviously, we have intensified activities of migrant movements on other routes to EU countries, primarily the central Mediterranean route. This development of the situation could be favorable for BiH in terms of reduced use of the migrant route through BiH “, says the Deputy Director of the Service for Foreigners Mirsad Buraz.

There are currently 3,300 migrants in reception centers in BiH. The capacity of the Ušivak camp is 800 places. Now, at the moment, there are 500 migrants here, these are vulnerable categories, so they are unaccompanied families and minors. The arrivals of migrants are noticeable, but not as before, they point out from the IOM.

“We have groups of 30-50 family members who appear here or unaccompanied, but such situations are not common, mostly small groups. It is becoming increasingly difficult to move on, so families who leave here usually return here again. After a few days, they return to the camp gate and ask to be readmitted again because they failed to pass, ”said Azra Ibrahimovic Srebrenica, the manager of the Usivak camp. The desire of migrants to reach any European coast crosses all borders and obstacles. A migrant even from Tibet stayed at the Usivak camp, currently a girl from Somalia is staying. Until the European Union via the Mediterranean or the Balkans, many more are waiting for their chance, BHRT writes.