At the weekend, a Kurdish man in his fifties from the region of Erbil died in a hospital in Bosnia. He leaves behind a wife and four children who hope to seek asylum in Europe. His death comes a month after a fight at a migrant camp, during which he was "critically injured." Was his death a tragic accident or the result of something more sinister?
Two refugee footballers met for a friendly match last weekend - played on a video game. Alphonso Davies, who plays for FC Bayern-Munich, and Asmir Begovic from AC Milan held the virtual match to raise funds for UNHCR.
Bosnian authorities on April 22 inaugurated a new hosting center for migrants that can accommodate up to 1,000 people. The facility will be managed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in the village of Lipa, near Bihac, at the border with Croatia.
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues, the security minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina suggested that migrants should be deported from the country. He alleged that refugees and migrants posed an economic burden amid the pandemic — as well as a security threat. The mood against migrants in Bosnia is beginning to turn sour.
Bosnian authorities have begun to move hundreds of migrants from the border town of Bihac, transferring them into a nearby emergency tent camp, set up amid the coronavirus pandemic. The measures came in one day after local authorities on Monday cut off water supply to the Vucjak migrant camp in Bihac to put pressure on the government and NGOs to act quickly.
Authorities in Bosnia have started transferring migrants from the streets of Sarajevo to a reception center as a part of measures to control the spread of the coronavirus. A similar operation will also take place this week in Bihac.
Six migrants from Afghanistan and Pakistan were arrested in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday on suspicion of raping unaccompanied minors staying at the same camp. A further four men were arrested in the same operation on suspicion of drug trafficking and possession.
Bosnia-Herzegovina announced that it may send soldiers to its borders to block a new influx of migrants into the country following the crisis between Turkey and Greece. Meanwhile, Serbia said it will continue to express solidarity with migrants but will also defend its borders. Croatia emphasized it will not tolerate illegal crossings.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has warned that the migration crisis between Turkey and Greece could lead to an increase in migrant flows and Bosnia could have to deal with up to 10,000 arrivals a day.
Hundreds of migrants staged a demonstration on Saturday in which scuffles broke out with the Bosnian police. The migrants were protesting conditions at camps and their treatment by border authorities.
The Bosnian government is calling on the European Union to recognize that the migratory crisis in Bosnia "must not be treated only as a humanitarian question, but also as a security crisis".
Over 200 suspected traffickers and migrant smugglers have been arrested in an Interpol-led operation. Victims of the rings came from 14 different countries.