AFBiH setting up tents at Lipa, who will manage the camp in the coming days

(Patria) - Members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina will set up military tents at the Lipa migrant camp today, which will accommodate hundreds of migrants. 

Such a decision was made by the Presidency of BiH on 31.12.2020, after the Ministry of Security of BiH sent a request to the Ministry of Defence of BiH to set up military tents, which forwarded the request for approval to the Presidency of BiH, as the supreme commander.

The Lipa camp was closed on December 21, and after the withdrawal of IOM staff, a fire broke out in which most of the tents were destroyed. Migrants headed towards the center of Bihać, but they were not allowed to enter the city center or the Bira reception center, which was closed on September 30, 2020. Cantonal and local authorities made decisions opposing the opening of Bira and asked state authorities for another solution. 

After the Council of Ministers of BiH made a decision to accommodate migrants from Lipa in Bira, several hundred residents of Bihać gathered during the day in front of Bira to prevent the relocation of migrants. In the late afternoon, it was decided that the migrants would remain at Lipa, but that military tents would be set up.  

European Union officials on the last day of 2020 pressured for Bira to be opened and for the decision of the Council of Ministers of BiH to be respected, but the use of force was out of the question. 

The citizens of Bihać are also aware that migrants live in inhumane conditions, but their request is that they be distributed to other cantons and cities, given that there are four active centers in the USK region (Sedra, Borići, Miral, Lipa) and Bira, which is closed. They say that they have shown humanity, empathy, and solidarity over the past three years, but that citizens can no longer be collateral damage of such a large number of migrants.

The question that arises is who will manage Lipa and whether representatives of international organizations will return.