Authorities to restrict movement of migrants

Anadolija

Bosnian authorities announced introducing of new rules that would restrict the movement of migrants in evening hours outside the shelters where they are accommodated, a body in charge of managing the migrant issue said on Monday.

There are 3,800 migrants on Bosnia's territory at the moment, according to Bosnia's Security Ministry. They are accommodated in eight shelters across the country, all of which will be soon run by the Service for Foreigners Affairs, the Ministry said on Monday following a meeting of the state-level body overseeing the migrant movements.

Bosnia has been struggling with the migrant issue for the whole past year, after dozens of thousands of foreign nationals, coming from various Asian and African countries took to Bosnia, a route to their final destinations in western Europe.

The migrants, who said they had no intention to stay in Bosnia, are now mostly stranded in the northwest of the country, hoping they would eventually enter Croatia and go further to other European countries. Croatia does not let them in, as the larger part of the migrants are illegal and posses no valid documents proving their origin.

Security Minister recently said a new wave of migrants is likely to enter the country in spring this year, which is why a “better migrant control and management within Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the priorities.”

The body consisting of representatives of all relevant institutions concluded on Monday that the authorities are capable of managing the migrant crisis.