Magazinović submits initiative to relocate Blažuj migrant camp

(Patria) - Chairman of the SDP BiH MPs Club in the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Saša Magazinović, has submitted an initiative to relocate the Blažuj migrant camp. This initiative tasks the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the Ministry of Security of BiH, international and local partners, to urgently find a new location for the accommodation of migrants currently residing in the Blažuj migrant camp, which will meet security, technical, and humanitarian standards, in the interest of citizens' safety and the preservation of public order and peace in the area of Ilidža Municipality.

This initiative is the result of joint activities of MP Magazinović with Mayor Nermin Muzur, as well as MPs from various political parties at all levels of government who come from the area of Ilidža Municipality, and who are jointly working on the initiative to relocate the migrant camp from the urban part of the most economically and touristically progressive municipality in the Federation of BiH.

„We have recently witnessed an escalation of violence and the most serious criminal offenses committed by users of the migrant camp in Blažuj. Shootouts involving weapons, drug dealing, murders, thefts, as well as harassment of the local population are becoming commonplace. Ilidža Municipality is the municipality with the highest fiscal turnover in the Federation of BiH and the municipality with the largest number of tourists, as well as registered overnight stays. On the eve of the new tourist season, which is expected to attract between 250,000 and 300,000 tourists, an escalation of criminal offenses by users of the Blažuj camp is occurring.

Planned mass public gatherings and events, given the current situation, will pose a significant organizational challenge. The presence of the migrant center in close proximity to the urban and tourist area, the aforementioned escalation of violence and various criminal offenses, along with the sense of fear among the local population and unease among tourists, seriously disrupts the normal course of life in this area, as well as the image and economic development of Ilidža Municipality.“

Along with the initiative, Magazinović sent an appeal for the urgent implementation of these activities in the interest of preserving citizens' safety, community stability, and the further development of Ilidža as an open, economically progressive, and touristically attractive environment. He announced the submission of a similar initiative by elected officials from Ilidža at lower levels of government, and welcomed this form of joint action,“ the statement said.