Bosnian Migrant Shelter in Dire Condition

The Vucjak migrant camp in northwestern Bosnia lacks water and electricity; conditions are worsening as winter approaches. (Reuters)

The Council of Europe and several human rights groups asked Bosnia to relocate a “deplorable” migrant camp on October 16. The United Nations warned that the influx of new migrants has created a “humanitarian risk” for arrivals living in the Vucjak camp in northwestern Bosnia. 

Emerging Europe says that since 2018 more than 40,000 migrants and asylum seekers have arrived in Bosnia. According to Faktor, over 1,700 of these migrants have been forcibly relocated to the Vucjak camp, which is currently home to 7,000 migrants.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) first called for reforms in the camp over a year ago, claiming that Bosnia was failing to protect the basic rights of asylum seekers. The Bosnian interior minister denies these claims; however, police have kept records detailing the treatment of migrants confidential, according to EURACTIV.

The Vucjak camp has no running water or electricity, according to U.S. News and World Report. DW reports that the Red Cross is the only organization providing aid in the camp: neither the government nor the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have provided funding or medical supplies for the camp. The IOM responded with a statement asking authorities to look for "alternate, safe and secure accommodation in line with national and international laws and obligations [and] humanitarian principles and practices.”

However, due to worsening conditions, N1 reports that the Red Cross may need to stop operations at the camp. According to DW, local workers complain of unsafe conditions in which “everyone has skin rashes, open or purulent wounds, and their legs and feet are bloodied.”

The need for reform of the camp is urgent. “With winter coming, the situation cannot but worsen," the Council of Europe warned in a statement. Sarajevo Times adds that the land itself is unsafe for habitation. The camp was built on a site intended for landmine disposal. Pockets of methane gas in the ground cause fires and explosions, according to the International Organization for Migration. Al Jazeera reports that without national assistance, the mayor of the town where the camp is located will stop providing food and water to the camp.

U.S. News and World Report says the camp is located about eight kilometers from the border with Croatia. Although many asylum seekers and migrants try to travel further into western Europe, neighboring Croatia, Hungary, and Slovenia have closed their borders to migrants without documentation.

Controversy has arisen over who is responsible for asylum seekers. Many of the migrants in the Vucjak camp were originally expelled from Croatia. The UNHCR reported in August 2018 that Croatia had forcibly pushed back nearly 2,500 migrants to neighboring countries. A joint Croatian-Bosnian declaration allows Croatia to deny migrants’ entry; however, HRW claims that this law breaks EU asylum law and the 1951 Refugee Convention.

After interviewing 20 people who claimed to have been violently deported from Croatia to Bosnia without due process, HRW reported that “police beat [asylum seekers] with batons, kicked and punched them, stole their money, and either stole or destroyed their mobile phones.” 

In July, U.S. News and World Report said that the EU allocated €14 million ($15.5 million) in aid to build new camps in Bosnia; however, attempts to approve new shelters have stalled in the legislative process.