On Tuesday, the police of Bosnia and Herzegovina have stopped some 200 migrants attempting to enter Croatia at the Maljevac border crossing near Velika Kladuša. It was confirmed that the migrants were stopped in the immediate vicinity of the border crossing with Croatia. In the meantime, a small group of migrants headed towards the border crossing Izačići.
The Ministry of the Interior at the Una-Sana Canton confirmed that about 200 migrants stopped about 200 meters from the Maljevac border crossing.
The migrants planned to enter Croatia and to continue their journey towards the West. According to the regional television N1, after the negotiations with police officers, the migrants returned, in smaller groups and with police escort, to the Trnovo migration center in Velika Kladuša. Alongside the police officers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatian police officers were also prepared to intervene at the border crossing and the whole area was surveyed by a police helicopter.
The Situation is Unsustainable, Protests Announced
In the meantime, fewer than 90 migrants, including families with children, ran from the Sedra Hotel in Cazin to the second border crossing with Croatia in the area, Izačići. The group reached the suburbs of Bihać. They were accompanied by police officers, ready to take action, if necessary, said the spokeswoman of the Bihać police Snežana Galić.
According to the Bihać police, about 10,500 migrants were registered in the Una-Sana Canton area since the beginning of this year. N1 adds that in the past two months, almost 5,000 migrants registered in Bihać, which affects the city’s safety.
On Tuesday night, protests were announced in Bihać. The citizens are demanding an extraordinary session of the Una-Sana Canton government and urgent action by the BiH authorities to tackle the migrant crisis in the city.
