Migrants clash with Bosnia police at Croatia border crossing
Dozens of migrants on Wednesday clashed with Bosnian police while trying to cross the border into neighbouring Croatia and enter the European Union. Shouting “Open borders!” the migrants surged through a police cordon before being stopped by another one outside a border crossing in northwestern Bosnia.
Local media reported that several people were injured amid tensions and skirmishes as the migrants refused to leave and blocked traffic. Croatian police said they put up a fence on their side of the border.
Police also stopped some 100 migrants from getting off a train that arrived in the area early Wednesday. Officers organized their transfer to a migrant centre in the capital Sarajevo. Police turned back buses with migrants on Wednesday as authorities said they want to curb any new arrivals.
“Any increase in the numbers of migrants without adequate housing presents a potential security threat,” said regional police commissioner Mujo Koricic. Thousands of migrants have been staying in northwestern Bosnia - many camping out in the open - while trying to cross to Croatia and journey onward to other EU countries. War-ravaged Bosnia has struggled with the influx, and some have staged protests to demand a better response from officials.
Migrants have walked to the Croatian border to draw attention to the borders remaining closed for people fleeing war and poverty. Dozens have spent the past two nights out in the open, including children.