One migrant was dead and one injured in an infight on Thursday early morning in Vucijak reception camp located in the city of Bihac, about 310 km northwest of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH’s) capital Sarajevo.
The fight started between groups of migrants from Syria and Pakistan, and nineteen-years old Pakistani was killed with a cold weapon, spokesperson of Una Sana Canton Ministry of Interior Ale Siljedic confirmed.
The severely injured migrant, also from Pakistan, who is suspected of murder, was transferred to the cantonal hospital in Bihac, and legally prescribed measures will be taken against him upon completion of medical treatment.
Prosecutor in charge has conducted an investigation, and informative interviews were conducted with persons who may be linked to the crime. Investigative activities are underway, spokeswoman of the Prosecutor’s Office of Una Sana Canton Irena Marjanovic Cavkic explained.
Hundreds of thousands of migrants passed through the so-called Balkan route in 2015, trying to reach Western Europe, but BiH was then not part of that route. Afterward, the so-called Balkan route closed and some 10,525 migrants have entered the territory of BiH from Jan. to June this year, mainly from Pakistan (36.3 percent), Bangladesh (9.2 percent) and Iraq (8.8 percent).
Currently, there are some 7,400 migrants who reside temporarily in the country, mostly in the Una Sana Canton, located in the north part of BiH, all of the country’s reception centers are full, and local authorities have been pointing out on the growing problems of lack of food and medicine.
During the session in the beginning of September, the director of BiH’s Border Police Zoran Galic pointed out that in September and October 2019 an increased number of migrants in the area could be expected.