Bosnians Keep Arguing Over New Migrant Centre

Both the UN and a growing population of migrants and refugees in Bosnia are waiting for officials to agree on the location of a new migrants camp, since many of them are now living in improvised shelters, tents and old abandoned buildings, especially in the north of the country near the border with Croatia and the EU.

"We hope Bosnian officials will reach an agreement soon before the humanitarian crisis in the northern part of country escalates," Neven Crvenkovic, the spokesperson of UNCHR for Bosnia, told BIRN.

"UNCHR will continue advocating with Bosnian authorities, and in collaboration with donors and key stakeholders, to urgently identify sites and open additional protection sensitive accommodation facilities," Crvenkovic said, expressing hopes that this question will be resolved by the end of summer.

More than 8,081 migrants and refugees were recorded in Bosnia from January to July 5, official data show.

But while the EU promises to support the new migrants centre, Bosnian officials are still trying to overcome disagreements among different authorities over the location.

Around 3,000 asylum seekers and refugees are currently in Bosnia's Una Sana Canton, one of ten cantons in Bosnia's Federation entity, awaiting a decision on where they will be placed, alongside 1,500 in Velika Kladusa, northwest Bosnia, and the same number in nearby Bihac.

One solution proposed by Bosnia's Council of Minister is to use the facilities of a former cookie factory in Bihac, which has been out of use for years - but the local authorities strongly oppose this idea.

Another solution is to use a former military facility in Hadzici, nearby Sarajevo which is expected to be functional in the following weeks.

However, as Bosnia's Security...