04:18Bosnia and Herzegovina: Migrants in Bihac take shelter in abandoned factory despite cold
About 50 to 80 stranded migrants have taken shelter in an abandoned ironworks factory in Bihac, as seen on Saturday.
Most of them have been hiding from the police and are facing a harsh living environment, in this abandoned building that is exposed to freezing temperatures. They do not wish to return to the burnt-out Lipa camp, citing even harsher living conditions than in their current configuration.
Sleeping in light tents inside the abandoned factory, the migrants did not seem to have proper winter clothing or shoes to protect them from the cold. They also deplored limited supply of food and water.
"It was very cold in the Lipa camp. We are here now living in this old building, but here is cold too. We have a water problem and a food problem too. After the winter, we maybe want to go to Germany or Italy," an Iranian migrant said.
Another migrant from Afghanistan, Ahmad, also talked about the lack of food and not having access to showers. "I am sick, no food, no doctor, no camp. Big problem," he said.
Their conditions have deteriorated in Bosnia's cold winter after Lipa camp caught on fire on December 23. As a result, around 1,000 migrants have been stranded. Shortly after the incident, some of them held a protest to call for the EU to take action regarding their conditions.
The International Organization for Migration estimate that nearly 3,000 migrants and refugees are facing difficult winter conditions without any adequate shelter, in northern Bosnia. Between 900 and 1,400 are reportedly living in the burnt-out Lipa camp.
04:18About 50 to 80 stranded migrants have taken shelter in an abandoned ironworks factory in Bihac, as seen on Saturday.
Most of them have been hiding from the police and are facing a harsh living environment, in this abandoned building that is exposed to freezing temperatures. They do not wish to return to the burnt-out Lipa camp, citing even harsher living conditions than in their current configuration.
Sleeping in light tents inside the abandoned factory, the migrants did not seem to have proper winter clothing or shoes to protect them from the cold. They also deplored limited supply of food and water.
"It was very cold in the Lipa camp. We are here now living in this old building, but here is cold too. We have a water problem and a food problem too. After the winter, we maybe want to go to Germany or Italy," an Iranian migrant said.
Another migrant from Afghanistan, Ahmad, also talked about the lack of food and not having access to showers. "I am sick, no food, no doctor, no camp. Big problem," he said.
Their conditions have deteriorated in Bosnia's cold winter after Lipa camp caught on fire on December 23. As a result, around 1,000 migrants have been stranded. Shortly after the incident, some of them held a protest to call for the EU to take action regarding their conditions.
The International Organization for Migration estimate that nearly 3,000 migrants and refugees are facing difficult winter conditions without any adequate shelter, in northern Bosnia. Between 900 and 1,400 are reportedly living in the burnt-out Lipa camp.