38,000 people emigrated from eastern Bosnia in a few months!

The Union for Sustainable Return and Integration in BiH has published the results of a study that began in June last year, reports the BiH news agency Patria (NAP). These results showed that in the past few months, almost 38,000 people have emigrated from the area of Northeastern Bosnia, specifically from Zvornik, Vlasenica, Bratunac, Milići, and Kalesija.

As stated by the Director of the Union, Mirhunisa Zukić, young people are leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina in large numbers, primarily for economic reasons.

- Entire families with children are leaving Northeastern Bosnia, especially from villages in Zvornik. Some were even settled here. Most are going to Schengen countries, France, and Luxembourg, where they are not welcome. They are seeking asylum there. There is a town in France with several thousand people from BiH - says Zukić.

Zukić also states that these results were presented to the relevant authorities at the Ministry of Security of BiH a few days ago.

- At the Ministry, they told us that they cannot track the number of people leaving to call them asylum seekers. But we can talk about mass emigration. These are not some municipalities, some sporadic cases, but a wave that has engulfed the entire BiH - states Zukić.

The study covered 50 municipalities in BiH, but the total number of emigrants is still unknown.

- Through direct on-site observation, we obtained data that rural areas in the municipalities of Olovo, Kakanj, Lukavac, Janja, especially in Canton 10, Tomislavgrad, Livno, Kupres, Grahovo, Glamoč, are seeing a massive departure of young people - states the Union.

The Union for Sustainable Return has initiated an employment project together with partners to retain as many young people as possible in BiH, and the issue of retaining young people will also be addressed at today's Annual Assembly in Doboj.