Hundreds of Bihać residents protest outside Bira against migrant accommodation

(Patria) - The BiH authorities see the only way out of the current problem, where migrants are sleeping in a field next to the Lipa camp, as accommodating them in Bira, however, the authorities of USC, as well as the citizens, are persistent in their opposition.

For the Lipa camp to be habitable, several months of preparation are needed, and during that time, migrants need to be accommodated somewhere. At the very beginning, the idea of accommodating them in Bira, in the center of Bihać, failed due to citizens' objections, and after buses with migrants were not allowed to arrive even at Bradina, in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, the decision again fell on Bira.

Bihać residents have been strongly opposing this again since this morning, and they have been on duty outside the Bira camp all day, saying they will prevent the return of migrants to this area. There are currently about 400 of them.

Along with the protest gathering, citizens also sent a message to the Council of Ministers, which clearly states that they should not consider Bira as a potential place for accommodating migrants.

They symbolically closed the gate of Bira, on which they hung banners saying "No camp" and "Bira is not a camp," freelance reporter Ademir Veladžić told us.

The Prime Minister of USC, Mustafa Ružnić, sent an open letter to the authorities earlier today, stating that the Council of Ministers plans to arrest him (as well as his associates and the mayor of Bihać) in order to clear the way for migrants from Lipa to Bira, writes cazin.net.

Given that no solution for accommodating migrants is in sight, it seems they will welcome the New Year in a field, next to the Lipa camp. Many are freezing and in poor health, so it is questionable how much longer they will be able to endure.