Bosnia Savaged for Dumping Migrants in ‘Deplorable’ Camp

After the UN's country team in Bosnia expressed strong concern over the forcible transfer of migrants and asylum-seekers to the Vucjak camp on the western border with Croatia - noting serious security and health risks - the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights has condemned Bosnia's handling of the situation.

Dunja Mijatovic said on Thursday that she was following developments in the northwest city of Bihac with great concern, where she said the authorities were "continuing to place migrants in the already overpopulated improvised camp. The living conditions in this camp, which is close to land-minded areas, are already deplorable, without running water or electricity, and poor sanitary conditions. With winter coming, the situation cannot but worsen".

"To avert a humanitarian and public health crisis in Vucjak, I urge the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina to relocate as a matter of urgency all the migrants currently in Vucjak," she added.

"The camp should not have been opened in the first place and must now be closed. I also urge the authorities of Bosnia … to uphold their responsibilities to handle migration in a human rights compliant way and provide the necessary help to local authorities who have been dealing with this issue by themselves for so long," she continued.

She concluded: "It is high time that the authorities treat migrants with humanity and according to human rights standards."

The fierce criticism comes after the Interior Ministry of the Una-Sana Canton in northwest Bosnia told police on Wednesday to move around 1,000 migrants residing in public areas in the town of Bihac on foot to the "Vucjak" site.

The camp is designed to house only 500 to 700 migrants and but currently houses nearly 2,500....