3000 people have been trapped for a week in the Lipa camp and its surroundings, homeless and in danger of death, before their lately evacuation on December the 29th. We call on the European Union to intervene. We also call anyone to join the action of NGOs, grass-root and civic organisations involved in Bosnia who are prevented from providing assistance.

Two days before Christmas a fire destroyed the Lipa Camp, in northwestern Bosnia, burning it to the ashes. Since then, the 1,400 refugees and migrants who were sheltered there have been living and sleeping outdoors, in full winter, in freezing temperatures, in a situation of absolute instability and distress.

The municipal and cantonal authorities of Bihac have refused to open a former reception centre, under pressure from the local population that recently organized a hostile demonstration against the reception of refugees and migrants. They have also blocked any possibility of relocating people and population in distress, keeping on with what they have been doing for several months, just as they have exerted pressure on structures that want to support them with food and clothing.

To these 1,400 people we can add up as well another 1,600 people who was living in the woods or in squats near the Lipa camp, who needed to be helped because they too were abandoned and blocked outside and under the snow.

Today, these people have left in buses to unknown destinations, purposely far away from Bihac, or stayed in the woods and associations are prevented from providing them with help.

We, European citizens, are alarmed by this catastrophic humanitarian situation as winter sets in Bosnia. We are concerned about the survival of the populations housed in the existing camps which are becoming more and more unworthy.

We demand that their basic needs for security and shelter, hygiene, nutrition and medical care be immediately guaranteed and that NGOs and civic organisations be able to freely bring their help.

We are concerned, as Amnesty International pointed out on August the 28th, that refugees are denied their rights, especially their right to movement, and are easy prey for the militias. We call for the free movement of people to be respected.

We call on the European Union and its political representatives, whom we hold responsible for the disastrous reception conditions and the restrictions of freedom of movement.

We refuse to allow the human drama at work to be set up on our behalf.

We call on everyone, immediately, to face the emergency and to join the action of NGOs, grass-root and civic organisations involved in Bosnia. You can click on these links and donate to :

No Name Kitchen : https://bit.ly/3pEzw7D

Ipsia : https://bit.ly/38JEmcD

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