A group of some 200 migrants has arrived at the Bosnia-Croatia border crossing in Maljevac on Monday morning where they blocked a road lane, police confirmed to N1 television.
“Some 200 migrants are already there at the Maljevac border crossing. The border hasn’t been blocked yet and the transport of goods and people is still ongoing. (…) Our border police, as well as the border police of Croatia, were informed about this. Our police officers are on the spot,” said police spokeswoman Snezana Galic.
The border crossing is located near the northwestern Bosnian town of Velika Kladusa, where hundreds of migrants gathered over the past months in an attempt to get as close to the border with the European Union as possible, and to eventually cross it. Their final destinations, they say, are western European countries.
The situation is similar in Bihac, another town of this region bordering Croatia. Hundreds of residents there took to the streets over the past weekend, protesting against the increasing influx of migrants in that area, and calling on state authorities to tackle the issue. The protesters said they felt the influx of people jeopardised public safety, and raised doubts about the true origin and history of some of the migrants who arrived to their city.
There is no refugee or migrant centre in neither of the two towns, capable of temporarily hosting migrants in Bosnia. This led to migrants forming tent camps in parks and other public areas, or even occupying abandoned buildings.
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According to Galic, although new protests have not been officially reported with the police, some were announced through social media.
“The police precinct in Bihac hasn’t received any request by organisers, so they couldn’t issue an permit for that. We are closely following the situation and will act in accordance with the law and the situation,” she added.
Bosnia’s Security Minister Dragan Mektic commented the issue on Sunday, and said that local police forces and the interior ministries “must act more repressively toward the migrants.”
“They can’t be allowed to sleep on the streets and parks, or to violate law and order,” he added.
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