Warning about plight of migrants in camp

A prominent human rights group has warned that migrants trying to reach Western Europe are living in “dangerously cold and harsh conditions” in Bosnia.

Bosnia has been overwhelmed by the arrival of migrants heading for Europe on the so-called Balkan route.

This has led to tensions in the border region, with authorities demanding other parts of the country share the burden and take in some of the more than 6,000 people in the area.

The Doctors Without Borders group warned that “people may die without adequate shelter and other basic services” in Bosnia, where many

“Peoplearriveat ourclinic...inflip flops,without socksorjackets”

migrants sleep in makeshift shelters and abandoned homes.

It singled out the Vucjak refugee camp in north-western Bosnia, calling it a “dangerous and inhumane place”.

The camp is on a landfill next to a minefield from the 199295 Bosnian war.

“People arrive at our clinic from Vucjak in flip flops, without socks or jackets, a lot of them suffering from respiratory infections and from skin diseases caused by the horrific living conditions,” said Nihal Osman, Doctors Without Borders’ deputy field co-ordinator. “It should be closed now.”

To pressure the Bosnian government into moving some of the migrants, the regional government vowed to restrict their movements at the two main camps from yesterday.

Bosnia’s central government has said it would turn two former army barracks into new facilities, a move hailed by the EU mission in Bosnia, which expressed hope that it would lead to the closure of Vucjak.