The European Union will allocate 3.5 million euros for humanitarian aid to migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina, after a fire destroyed a migrant camp there recently. According to Johan Sattler, the European envoy to the country, the situation of the camp residents is “totally unacceptable.”
The sum aims to “provide assistance to refugees and vulnerable migrants who face a humanitarian disaster in Bosnia”. In addition to the 4.5 million euros that were earmarked for Bosnia from Brussels in April of last year, the European Commission said in a statement on Sunday.
Since a fire destroyed a migrant camp near the Bosnian town of Bihac on December 23, thousands of migrants have been left without adequate shelter in the cold and rainy weather. “The situation is unacceptable. Adequate housing for the winter is indispensable for human living conditions, which must be guaranteed at all times,” said Josep Borrell, head of European Union foreign affairs, in the statement.
Borrell insists that the camp be rebuilt and in the meantime, local authorities are providing temporary shelter for the displaced migrants.
The European Commission, which provides funding for several migrant camps in Bosnia, has called for a new shelter to be opened in Bihac. However, local and regional authorities are against this. For example, a reception center at an abandoned factory was closed in October, under pressure from local residents.
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