Bosnian
Refugee Crisis

Refugees in Bosnia & Herzegovina

Saddiq* is a migrant hailing from the Pakistani city of Peshawar. He found refuge in the Dom Penzionera building in downtown Bihać in Bosnia & Herzegovina in December.  “I arrived here around eight months ago, I was in Sarajevo for two months, then in Lipa camp, and after Lipa burnt, I came here. I tried “The Game” border crossing eight times. I was caught twice in Slovenia and six times in Croatia. I will try again when the weather gets better.”   Photo and caption credit: Elisa Oddone

Bosnia & Herzegovina has been part of the Balkan Migration Route since 2018, when the borders of Hungary have been closed down. Bosnia, Serbia, Albania and Macedonia became part of the route of the people who are going to Turkey and then Greece and then up north, depending on which country they have chosen. 

In the last 3 years, more people have been arriving in Sarajevo, and as the weather becomes better, there will be more and more people going this way, as was witnessed in the past years.

Bosnia is surrounded by three countries on its borders, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro.  Most of the refugees are transiting through Bosnia, trying to cross Croatia or Slovenia and go to either Austria or Italy, these so called “safe” countries.

But it’s not all straightforward.  Refugees who are caught in Croatia or Slovenia are aggressively sent back to Bosnia & Herzegovina, often without their supplies. Some refugees have made Bosnia their residence country for a number of years, till they are able to cross the border.

The Lipa Emergency Tent Camp, located in the northwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, housed 1,400 migrants from several countries. It was closed and destroyed by a fire on the 23rd of December.

With nowhere to go, the refugees were exposed to the harsh winter. Stranded at the former Lipa camp, with no heating and inadequate clothing, these refugees were at risk of frostbite, hypothermia and other severe health problems, according to a UN report.

Our mission is to help bring hope and tangible help to the poor and suffering.

GAiN UK, together with RefugEase, have sent an emergency lorry filled with winter clothing and blankets on the 11th of February but we would like to continue helping these migrants by collecting and sending more in the future.