Germany stays warm on New Year's Eve 2020.
Hundreds of people in Bosnia would like that: They are homeless - although a camp would be available.
Helpers want to prevent the worst.
Munich / Bihac
- In Germany, too, the New Year's Eve was celebrated happier than in the lockdown New Year's Eve 2020. But a few hundred kilometers from the metropolis of
Munich
, almost a thousand people have a completely different problem - they would probably like a warm lockdown.
Near the Bosnian town of
Bihac
on the
Croatian border
, hundreds of refugees were recently left without shelter in the middle of winter.
Apparently they will also
have to spend
the
turn of
the
year in winter temperatures
under the open sky.
In view of the dramatic situation, the
EU Commission has
now sent an appeal to the authorities in one of the poorest countries in Europe.
Because a solution would actually be within reach: “900 people urgently need accommodation.
They cannot be left outside in bitter winter conditions when a fully equipped camp is available, ”tweeted High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell.
"It is clear that the practical and immediate solution is to reopen the reception center in Bira," said
Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson
in Brussels on Thursday.
Indeed, some of the difficulties seem homemade.
Camp Lipa / Bosnia: Organization clears camp without replacement accommodation - fire and chaos ensue
Camp Lipa near Bihac was
cleared
a week ago by the
International Organization for Migration
(IOM) because the Bosnian authorities had not made it winter-proof.
But initially no replacement was offered.
More than a thousand refugees and migrants were stranded in the inhospitable area 25 kilometers southeast of Bihac in the open air.
Some young men set fire to tents and containers in anger during the evacuation.
A planned move to a warehouse near the
capital Sarajevo
this week initially failed.
Buses that should have transported the people on Tuesday were still near the Lipa camp on Wednesday, as the Bosnian news portal
klix.ba
reported.
The migrants spent the night in the vehicles and showed signs of nervousness, the reports said.
The reason for the delay are protests by residents of the small town of
Konjic
, 45 kilometers southwest of Sarajevo, where the migrants are to be taken.
The Bosnian government assigned them a former army barracks in the Bradina district as new accommodation.
Refugees in need in Bosnia over New Year's Eve: EU appeals - and promises support
The
Council of Ministers of Bosnia-Herzegovina
confirmed on Thursday morning that, from his point of view, the reopening of the center in Bira on the outskirts of Bihac was now the preferred solution, said Johansson.
"We call on the national and local authorities in Bosnia to work together to give these people the shelter they deserve," she added.
The EU has already given financial support and promised more.
Johansson explained that this could alleviate the plight of people stranded in the snow.
Since 2018, the EU has paid the Balkan state a total of around 85.5 million euros in aid to cope with the refugee situation.
Bosnia: sleeping bags and warm clothes for the winter night - "This is not a solution"
In the meantime, aid workers near the partly burned down camp are distributing items such as winter clothing, sleeping bags and food as emergency aid, as the head of the IOM mission for Bosnia,
Peter van der Auweraert
, tweeted on Thursday.
"It reduces the suffering, but it's not a solution," he clarified.
Ongoing at moment: joint teams of @UNmigration @ifrc #UnaSana #RedCross providing lifesaving #humanitarian assistance to #migrants stranded in former #Lipa location #Bihac #BiH including winter clothes, winterized sleeping bags and food.
Reduces suffering but not a solution.
pic.twitter.com/T5MolSGq2f
- Peter Van der Auweraert (@PeterAuweraert) December 31, 2020
Bihac and the
canton Una-Sana
are close to the border with the
EU state Croatia
.
Many refugees and migrants are drawn there in the hope of entering the European Union.
However, there are also allegations in Bosnia that Serbia is deliberately deporting migrants to Bosnia - possibly to destabilize the state.
Even years after the war in Yugoslavia, Bosnia is still deeply divided.
There are still problems on the island of
Lesbos
.
There, refugees themselves recently raised the alarm with a fire letter.
In total, more than 17,000 people live in refugee camps on the Greek islands - 7200 of them in the registration camp at
Kara Tepe
alone
.
After the destruction of Camp
Moria,
the
Greek government wants to
accelerate
the construction of a
new refugee camp
on Lesbos.
Refugee crisis at the turn of the year: Apparently 300,000 children in Afghanistan are in great danger
However, war, flight and displacement
in winter 20/21 are not only causing dire conditions in European camps.
According to the
Save The Children
organization,
more than 300,000 children
in
Afghanistan
are at
risk of illness or death.
The ongoing conflict in the country destroyed many houses and forced thousands of children to
find
shelter
in
homeless
camps, the aid workers said.
Parents often have no money to buy winter clothing - in the coldest parts of Afghanistan the temperature can drop to minus 27 degrees Celsius.
(
dpa / fn / AFP
)