Help for refugees in Bihać, Bosnia

The winter in Bosnia is cold, and thousands of refugees are left helpless. Every donation helps provide these people with food, essential medicine and proper clothing so that they can survive the harsh winter.

Only a few kilometers from Germany, human rights violations are taking place at the EU's external border; fugitives are disenfranchised. After illegal pushbacks and the use of violence, a humanitarian catastrophe is now imminent at the gates of Europe. The refugees' situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is dramatic. They have no suitable clothing for the cold winter, no shoes, hardly any medical care, and many of them rarely see hot meals and clean drinking water, not to mention hygienic care. 

Some of the refugees are accommodated in camps run by the IOM, but more help is needed. The intake capacities of many camps was exceeded months ago. Many refugees sleep under the open sky in tents they’ve built themselves, wandering disoriented through the forests of Bosnia. They want to cross the Croatian border into the EU in order to try and apply for asylum. Many of them have been fleeing for months, others for years. Some of them are sick with their children in tow and are completely helpless. They can’t move forwards or backwards. 

Bosnia - the overburdened country 

Although the miserable camp in Vučjak, which was covered by the international media, was cleared a few weeks ago, its inhabitants were brought to Sarajevo without a real system. Whoever wants to understand the situation of the fugitives, must first understand the country. Since the end of the bloody civil war in Bosnia almost 25 years ago, the country has been stuck in disparity. Bosnia is a Frankenstein-like construct that the international community has created to anticipate peace. The country is a failed state and cannot provide aid to the refugees. 

That is why we want to provide fast and uncomplicated help for the people on site who are seeking protection. In the short term, however, a political perspective is needed, which we are also trying to achieve by addressing EU politicians and extending the reporting on the subject. However, the people on the ground do not have time to wait for a political solution. It is cold, people are freezing and starving; they are completely defenseless. Every donation, no matter how small, helps us provide the people with the proper necessities.

From the bottom of our hearts: thank you! 

The network Aachen for humanitarian aid and intercultural peace work e.V. in cooperation with Leyla.