Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is still a popular route for migrants on their way to the European Union (EU). About a hundred migrants arrive in the Krajina region, where there are most of them when it comes to our country. It was checked where they come from the most.
Following the information that more and more Cubans can be noticed in Krajina who are on their “Balkan route” with the aim of going to the countries of the EU, journalists asked the Service for Affairs with Foreigners about the number of these citizens who sought asylum in BiH this year.
“From the beginning of 2023 until now, 724 of them expressed their intention for asylum in BiH,” they stated, while in the same period last year there were approximately 200 fewer such requests.
Cubans are also the fifth most numerous in BiH, and Afghans are by far the most numerous.
“Since the beginning of 2023, 16,117 migrants have expressed their intention to seek asylum, and the largest number comes from Afghanistan (7,698), Morocco (3,359), Bangladesh (834), Pakistan (799), Cuba (724), Congo (539), Iran (469), Algeria (252), Syria (207), India (145), etc.,” it was said by the Service for Affairs with Foreigners.
The large number of Cubans in BiH represents an unusual situation considering that there are much closer places where they can reach the EU. However, the fact that they are in fifth place in terms of number in BiH supports the claims that BiH is a “waiting room” for the EU due to its unofficial roads they use to cross the border.
Migrants in BiH mostly come from Serbia and Montenegro, and from the border they usually go immediately to Krajina in order to enter Croatia more easily.
Until April of this year, Serbia had a visa-free regime with Cuba, which was abolished after pressure from the EU and threats to abolish the visa-free regime for entering the Schengen area. Members of the Bundestag then accused Serbia of even allowing residents of Cuba, India, Tunisia and Burundi to enter the country without visas, so that they could more easily reach the EU.
Regarding the situation with migrants, journalists also contacted the Prime Minister of the Una-Sana Canton, Mustafa Ruznic, who also confirmed that most of migrants come from Afghanistan. He said that there are Cubans, but that the number is not large.
In addition, he also spoke about the daily average arrival of migrants, stating that apart from those who arrive in BiH illegally, about 20 of them are returned from Croatia per day according to the readmission agreement, and that they are mostly Chinese citizens.
“On Friday, we had 300 or so in the Lipa camp, but today there are 200. The arrival of migrants via the migrant route is from 80 to 100 per day in the canton,” he said yesterday.
