The suffering of refugees in the country of refugees – life

The night flood has nothing spared. Silent campers silently shelter wet blankets, mud-covered clothing and spoiled puddles and tent ruins. On the sodden meadow northeast of the border town of Velika Kladusa in Bosnia, sweaty men are hitting slats to arm themselves with their plastic sheets on the next rains.

His tent was "under water" at night. wet, barely usable, "says Omar, 24, from Guelmim South Morocco. In the next flooded tent, the four-month-old toddler of a farmer spent the night. Residents and volunteers would provide food for the makeshift camp once a day: "But nothing is organized here, Bosnia is a poor country, there is nothing here – and nothing It's just a mess. "

For over a year, the lanky student has traveled the Balkans towards his dream destination Spain on a long detour. . "Many borders, many problems," he reports in English. First, he traveled as a tourist to Turkey, from where he arrived "mainly on foot" via Greece, Albania and Montenegro into the makeshift makeshift camp. The previous day, he still tried to enter the near Croatia, the Moroccans reported with a resigned shrug: "But it's too much police on the border.If the Croats you catch, they beat you, take money, break the phone's SIM card and take you back to Bosnia. "

" Just Bad Luck "

The Northwestern Point The multinational state has become the new stalemate for transit migrants on the ever-changing Balkan route, and more than 7,000 refugees have been registered in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the beginning of the year. good half of them are stranded in the township of Una-Sana, near the border.In the capital Bihac alone, their number is estimated at just under 3,000 people.In the municipality of Velika Kladusa in Bosnia, the farthest to the west, there are about 500 refugees who hope to spend better moments in the improvised camp of the flooded meadow and cross the Schengen border, only 70 kilometers away

. About unwanted cross-border migrants on the Bihac Arterial Road: "There are wonderful people among the refugees, but also people and tensions." Many residents brought food and clothing to the camp residents: "We Bosnians find out what it means to leave one's own home – and run away." But many worry about reports of burglaries and the increasing death toll. A Moroccan stabbed by an Afghan in June: "There are just a lot of people – and they will always be more.They come to us because we are closest to the border."

"Just from the Bad luck, "he said, sighing at the Pakistani Sajjad as he tries to secure his tent for the next storm by digging a small moat. When he came to Velika Kladusa three months ago, he found only two dozen fates: "The road was still unknown, almost everything has happened." But just before the Slovenian border, he had a ankle fracture in Croatia: deported to Bosnia – and plastered for two months. "
In the meantime, his foot is resilient again, but there is almost no crossing at the border, says the 25-year-old IT technician. He had been picked up, beaten and deported five times by Croatian border guards. He arrived in Slovenia: "But even the Slovenes have not brought you to camp for a few weeks, but they are pushing you away immediately across the border."

"We treat people like animals"

Shaking his head, a UN employee posted as an observer indicates Dixi booths on the truck. Uferwiese. "Absolutely unacceptable and unhygienic" are four toilets and two shower stalls for 500 people, says the man who prefers not to call his name. There is no help or concept for camp residents, nor the state, nor the UN or the EU. As early as September, the meadow, regularly flooded when it rains, will be completely submerged: "It's a disaster. We treat people like animals, let them fend for themselves. Although many camp residents have "no hope of asylum" anywhere, "they are also people – claiming a minimum of decent treatment.

The Slovenian newspaper Delo already feels reminded of a "new Idomeni". However, unlike the rural Greek community on the Macedonian border, where the closure of the Balkan Highway in 2016, up to 14,000 prevented from crossing the borders were bivouacked for months in an improvised camp in the open, there is no sign of the major humanitarian organizations in Velika Kladusa. To help, the EU and the UN are not prepared in the border region with Croatia and the dysfunctional state of Bosnia barely able: thousands of stranded people in Bihac and Velika Kladusa are left behind to themselves – and depend on the population and small local initiatives. The 50 large white tents are dry and empty in front of the well-built halls of the old Agrokomerc, near the kart track in the gloomy and industrial area of ​​Velika Kladusa. The central government of Sarajevo had the temporary refugee camp built. The opposition to the commissioning of the ghost town is not only a source of concern for the municipal administration, but also for its proximity to the EU's external border in Brussels and in neighboring Croatia as well as United Nations relief organizations.
In neighboring Serbia, aid centers were opened in the immediate vicinity of the Croatian border during the 2015/2016 refugee crisis, some of which are still in operation today, causing concern from the Minister of Security of Bosnia, Dragan Mektic. However, the EU "would do nothing" to help his country – "aggravating" the "migrant crisis" in his forecourt: "I am absolutely dissatisfied and bitter of the attitude of the EU towards Bosnia and Herzegovina. "

"Chaos Reigns"

In fact, the fate of undesirable cross-border commuters at the EU's external border no longer bugs anyone in Europe. On the other hand, the cantonal administration also accuses the Bosnian government of a profound inactivity: without the financial support of the central state, the problem of migrants would simply be imposed on them. municipalities affected and in the canton. The excitement and thrust of black Peter remain in the interlocking maze of Bosnia not only the welfare of stranded refugees, but also the interests of local residents on the runway

In an open letter to the Bosnian government, EU and UNHCR Local aid organizations such as "SOS Velika Kladusa" or "The souls of Sarajevo" warn of a humanitarian catastrophe. The Bosnian state is not so poor that it can not help a few thousand people. But the responsibility lies with the state "to its impoverished and exhausted citizens". At the same time, UN aid agencies avoid responsibility, even if they do commit to help. The EU's inaction clashes with its policy of deterrence: "The refusal to assume any responsibility has led thousands to spend the night outside or in dilapidated, unhealthy and totally unsuitable buildings. "

a handful of comrades traveled as a volunteer with Austrian Romana Olijnyk, with a van filled with relief goods by herself to Velika Kladusa. There is a lack of food and medicine, and many would be "beaten by the police and wounded" at the border: "There is chaos. There is a lack of shoes, blankets, tents and sleeping bags. Everything is funded by private donations from local residents. But that's not enough in front and behind. "The autumn is coming soon – and even more rain:" It's terrifying. And there is no help.

The suffering of refugees in the country of refugees: In the aftermath of the Bosnian war (from 1992 to 1995), the inhabitants of the multiethnic state plagued by the bite still have to bite. Nevertheless, the Pakistani Sajjad hoisted the flag of his inadvertent home country next to his tent on the mast that he had himself crafted. Throughout his 15-month odyssey from Peshawar to France, he had "only difficulties," reports the 25-year-old. But in Velika Kladusa, not only the local population, but also the police are "friendly and helpful": "As serious as the situation is: we love Bosnians." (Basler Zeitung)

Date created: 24.07.2018, 10:53