But, delve a little deeper, and what emerges is a far more complex story.
It’s a tale that highlights the dysfunctional nature of postwar Bosnia and Herzegovina and is an insight into how much both the European Union and local authorities want to keep migrants off their respective doorsteps.
Bosnia has emerged as a staging post for EU-bound migrants in the last couple of years. Around 70,000 are estimated to have arrived in the country since January 2018, with only a small fraction claiming asylum.
The majority try and make it into the EU via Croatia, to the north.
But border closures as a result of COVID-19 and reports of illegal pushbacks mean many end up marooned in northern Bosnia.
Migrants in northwest Bosnia and Herzegovina have spent the last few weeks freezing, after the Lipa camp was burned down on December 23. 1,000 people are living outside or in abandoned buildings, with only fires to keep them warm and food provided by aid organizations, according to Al Jazeera. They are subject to heavy winds and snow from the nearby mountains. The situation they have found themselves in is due to hostilities of Bosnian political officials and citizens towards migrants. There were plans for them to be relocated to a camp in Bihac, close to the Lipa camp, but they were blocked by Bihac’s mayor, Suhret Fazlic. Bosnia has become a transit country for migrants trying to reach Western Europe, as other transit countries like Turkey, Greece, and Hungary have become increasingly challenging options, says the New York Times.
EU-Kommission rügt Bosnien wegen Flüchtlingslager im Land finanznachrichten.de - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from finanznachrichten.de Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Migrants left facing extreme weather after camp burns down
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Hundreds of migrants started moving into heated tents on Friday after being left stranded in freezing temperatures when the migrant camp in Lipa was closed then mostly destroyed by a fire last month.
The Lipa camp was originally built as temporary shelter for migrants in Bosnia many of whom are seeking passage to the European Union.
“This camp was built earlier this year in response to over-crowding and unsuitable conditions elsewhere,” said Peter Van der Auweraert, International Organization for Migration’s Chief of Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “For several reasons, mostly political, it never got connected to the main water or electricity supply, and was never winterized. And now, with this fire, it never will be.”