Hundreds of migrants freezing in Bosnia camp

BIHAC, Bosnia-Herzegovina — Hundreds of migrants were stranded Saturday in a squalid, burnt-out tent camp in Bosnia as heavy snowfell in the country and winter temperatures suddenly dropped.

Migrants at the Lipa camp in northwest Bosnia wrapped themselves in blankets and sleeping bags to protect against the biting winds in the region, which borders European Union member Croatia.

A fire

earlier

this

week

destroyedmuchof the campnear the town of Bihac that already was harshly criticized by international officials and aid groups as being inadequate for housing refugees and migrants.

Despite the fire, Bosnian authorities have failed to find newaccommodations for the migrants at Lipa, leaving around 1,000 people stuck in the cold, with no facilities or heat, eating only meager food parcels provided by aid groups.

“Snow has fallen, sub-zero temperatures, no heating, nothing,” the International Organization for Migration’s chief of mission in Bosnia,

Peter Van Der Auweraert, tweeted. “This is not how anyone should live. We need political bravery and action now.”

Bosnia has become a bottleneck for thousands of migrants hoping to reachWestern Europe. Most are stuck in Bosnia’s northwest Krajina region as other areas in the ethnically divided nation have refused to accept them. The EU has warned Bosnia that thousands of migrants face a freezing winter without shelter, and it has urged the country’s bickering politicians to set aside their differences and take action.

On Saturday, migrants crowded at the camp to receive water and food provided by Bosnia’s Red Cross as police sought tomaintain order. Some migrants wore face shields to protect them from coronavirus.

“We are living like animals. Even animals are living better than us!” said a man fromPakistanwho identified himself only by his first name, Kasim. “If they do not help us, we will die, so please help us.”

Plans to relocate the migrants temporarily to a closed facility in central Bihac have prompted protests by residents.

Kemal Softic / Associated Press Migrants warm their feet by a fire Saturday at the Lipa camp in northwestern Bosnia. Hundreds of migrants are stranded in the burned-out, squalid camp as heavy snow fell and temperatures dropped after fire earlier this week destroyed much of the camp.