Even though we don't know who is entering our country, for Cikotić there is no 'security threat'

By: A. Vrabac

After stating that he heard "sexy" ideas about returning migrants to their countries of origin, the BiH Minister of Security Selmo Cikotić said in his latest statement that there are "no fears of more serious security threats to BiH" even though it is evident that there is a problem with the identity of migrants entering BiH. 

Minister Cikotić also does not know how many of them are staying in BiH. Thus, a few days ago, he stated that he had "fresh data" and that there were 2,800 registered in USK and 3,500 in KS, with several hundred constantly moving from the eastern border towards Sarajevo or USK. 

In the past few weeks, migrants have been making headlines in the crime section, with two migrant deaths reported in just a few days. In both cases, it was murder. But that doesn't represent a security threat to the minister. How could it, when for him migrants are a substitute for tourists who spend money. Statistics from cantonal MUPs, especially in KS and USK, regularly register migrants as perpetrators of criminal offenses. From theft and burglary to assault and murder. 

The migrant crisis in BiH has not started yesterday, but has been ongoing for three full years. Cikotić recently visited Banja Luka for a meeting with the Minister of Internal Affairs of RS, Dragan Lukač. RS's stance is unchanged - there will be no migrant centers in the territory of RS. In his statements after that meeting, Cikotić did not even try to condemn such a stance, although he is aware that the largest influx of migrants is precisely on the eastern border. Cikotić also visited Zvornik yesterday. He thanked the mayor Zoran Stevanović for his help in resolving the migrant crisis, although it remained unclear what he was actually thanking him for, as migrants do not stay in that city. 

At the last session of the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament, Cikotić also received criticism from deputies, given that he did not offer a single concrete measure on how to limit the entry of migrants. Instead of concrete measures, Cikotić stated that the influx of migrants into BiH has decreased due to the pandemic, and that the further focus is on closing the eastern border. However, to this day, apart from Cikotić's visits to Banja Luka and Zvornik, we have not heard a concrete plan on how to stop migrants at the BiH border. 

The Minister of Security said that he was informed that a case was recorded where the same group of migrants tried to cross from Serbia to BiH 22 times in one day. Migrant centers in Sarajevo and Bihać have long been full, hundreds are on the streets or in abandoned buildings they use for shelter. With the arrival of winter, only a complication of the migrant crisis and increasing pressure on the eastern border can be expected. And that will bring new problems for the border service, which is already understaffed. The first police officers will only be hired next year, although the funds have been operational since this month. 

It is becoming increasingly clear that the migrant crisis is not managed by BiH or the Minister of Security, but by entity (RS) or local authorities, as is the case in USK, with the help of international organizations and European Union funds.