New year, new country – IOM steps up assistance to newly arrived irregular migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina

IOM, the United Nations Migration Agency, is responding to increased numbers of migrants crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The latest arrivals originate mostly from North Africa, through Greece, Albania, and neighboring Montenegro.

The numbers are small in global terms, but nationally significant. Border police detained 735 irregular migrants in 2017, compared with fewer than 100 in all of 2016.

“This has put the capacity of the relevant authorities and national aid agencies such as the Red Cross under strain,” said Peter Van der Auweraert, IOM’s sub-coordinator for the Western Balkans. “In line with our mandate as the UN Migration Agency, we’ve been helping the Red Cross in Trebinje to provide on-arrival support to migrants through the purchase of food, hygienic products, and clothing.”

To cope with additional arrivals, IOM has also increased the staffing of its migrant protection teams in East Sarajevo and Mostar. They are IOM’s first line responders and, when needed, provide transport and medical and psychosocial assistance, especially to vulnerable migrants.

IOM has recruited a translator for the Arabic language to assist authorities to communicate with the new arrivals and an on-call doctor in Trebinje to ensure that those in need have access to medical support.

“It is crucial to treat each migrant with dignity and respect for their basic human rights, including their right to claim asylum in BiH,” added Van der Auweraert. “This is why we are reinforcing our migrant protection teams, as they play a critical role in supporting authorities with assessing needs and ensuring access to the appropriate assistance.”

Migrants arrive cold, hungry and completely disoriented. Most are single men, but some, like Rawad (name changed to protect his identity) come with their entire family. “We sold everything we had for 5,000 euros and moved on towards Europe through Greece, Albania, reaching Bosnia on 28 December. During the trip, the person who smuggled us across the border with Montenegro to Bosnia suddenly asked for additional 2,000 euros on top of the 5,000 we already paid, which we didn’t have. The smuggler destroyed our passports and dropped us out in the open somewhere in the mountains of Eastern Bosnia.”

IOM is also increasing its capacity to offer migrants who want to return home Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration (AVRR) through its migrant protection teams who can help in obtaining of the necessary travel and identity documents, a return flight ticket and financial assistance at the beginning and the end of the return process.

Van der Auweraert does not believe that the country is on the cusp of a large influx of migrants and refugees, but states: “Together with UNHCR and its other UN partners, IOM will continue to work with the asylum and migration authorities to ensure that they can manage the continued arrival of small groups of migrants and refugees, also through the readmission as it is currently in place with Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia.”

Original source: IOM
Published on 5 January 2017