Mektić: Migrants have a new entry route into BiH

BiH Security Minister Dragan Mektić said today that 350 migrants entered during the weekend, but it is not yet known exactly where they entered, or via which route. 

There are about 1,700 to 1,800 migrants staying in BiH. The operational staff meets every week to update data and provide accurate information to the public. 

Mektić confirmed that 60 police officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska will join the BiH Border Police and will be deployed at the entrances in Trebinje, Gacko, and Bileća, while 15 police officers from the Brčko District will be at the crossings in Zvornik, Višegrad, and Bijeljina.

Minister Mektić also stated that the migrant crisis is increasingly being used for political purposes in BiH. 

- The migrant crisis is being misused in various ways, to the point of causing fear and unrest among citizens. Not a single migrant has been granted asylum - Mektić emphasized and stated that the story about migrants settling in BiH is not true.

A meeting with the Prime Ministers of the Governments of Central Bosnia Canton (SBK) and Una-Sana Canton (USK) will be held tomorrow.

- The situation in USK is complex, and we do not have an adequate response in terms of providing a quality reception center. In Bihać, the facility where migrants live is not suitable, while in Velika Kladuša they live in tents, or in open fields. There is electricity and water, but more needs to be done to provide the best possible accommodation. In Velika Kladuša, near the tents, many citizens have taken migrants into their homes, so we plan to use the 'Agrokomerc' facilities if there is an opportunity, because we believe there are enough capacities there to accommodate refugees in this canton - said Mektić.

He stated that the information that there is not enough food for migrants is not true, and said that he personally, with the Ministry of Finance, initiated an initiative to allocate 50,000 KM from grant funds to the Red Cross, and 25,000 KM to the Red Cross in Mostar for Salakovac to ensure enough food.