On the Balkan route, survivors of yesterday’s wars assist right this moment’s exiles

“I do know what it means to really feel invisible,” Lejla, 42, advised me after we met in a restaurant close to the river Una, within the city of Bihać, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The course of the Una river marks totally different border sections with Croatia earlier than becoming a member of the river Sava, which ultimately flows into the Danube.

That very same border has been leaving hundreds of individuals caught within the nation as they attempt to attain Europe throughout the Balkans. In 1992, originally of the Bosnian conflict, a then 12-year-old Lejla needed to flee along with her household. After they left their residence in Stolac, in Herzegovina, Lejla recollects taking just one Barbie doll along with her.

However what was imagined to be simply two weeks away from residence changed into years of life as refugees, in Montenegro after which Germany. After the conflict, they returned to their residence nation; they discovered their flat looted and ultimately they settled in Bihać. “I all the time make eye contact after I meet a migrant,” explains Lejla, who now works as a German instructor, “they really feel the identical as me again then, though I do know that the majority of them have a heavier previous.”

The folks Lejla refers to, roaming the streets of Bihać in non permanent limbo, largely come from Afghanistan and Pakistan, though many are from different international locations, equivalent to Iran, Iraq, or Syria. They’ve fled wars, persecution, or hardship, and they’re hoping for a dignified life. However they’re confronted with one other problem proper on the doorstep of Europe. In an effort to enter, they should strive a number of occasions, in what’s known as the “sport”, as a result of repeated and infrequently violent pushbacks by the Croatian police.

In transit

At first, the perspective in direction of the migrants’ presence was comparatively heat when the Balkan route of migration began to cross by way of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2018, however issues have partially deteriorated over time. Reactions are combined, in a rustic with a really advanced current historical past, the place the recollections of the conflict from the ‘90s are nonetheless vivid.

Azra, a 62-year-old Bosniak girl who fought within the conflict, now helps migrant folks in transit by way of Sarajevo. It was below the airport runway, not removed from her residence, that an 840-metre-long tunnel was dug in 1993 to attach her neighbourhood to the skin world. The tunnel supplied Sarajevo, which was below siege for nearly 4 years, with essential provides.

When the conflict broke out Azra and her household left their residence and escaped to the mountains. They initially thought it will solely be for a short while. “We have been improper,” says Azra, explaining how the dangerous information of mates and their household being injured or shedding their lives stored coming day after day. She determined to hitch the military and a yr later she left her shelter within the mountains, walked for 5 days alone and got here again to Sarajevo, by way of the tunnel that had been constructed within the meantime. She recollects that after the conflict many felt misplaced and turned to alcohol, medicine and even took their very own lives. Azra puzzled for a very long time why she survived. She began rebuilding her household residence, which had been bombed, and turned to faith, deciding to commit her life to serving to others.

Since 2018, Azra has been supporting migrant folks transiting by way of Sarajevo. She collects donations from the locals and distributes meals and garments to these needing help. Over time, Azra has turn into an essential presence for a lot of.

Throughout a current vacation to the identical mountains that she left in the course of the conflict, she couldn’t cease pondering that somebody may want her assist in Sarajevo and selected to finish the journey early. “Typically I feel I’m sturdy and that I can cope with all these feelings,” she says, “generally I simply cry.”

Sarajevo is a transit level for almost all of migrant folks getting into Bosnia and Herzegovina. They often spend a brief interval or the entire winter right here, earlier than persevering with their journey to Europe. These arriving from Serbia usually transit by way of Tuzla, the place an area migrant group has shaped.

Amongst them is Hassan, who’s 20 years outdated and comes from Pakistan. He left his nation and household when he was 15, and lived for one yr in Turkey and three years in Greece. Now he has been caught in Bosnia for 2 years. After 20 failed makes an attempt to cross into Europe, all the time being pushed again, he doesn’t wish to strive the “sport” anymore. “I miss my mom however I’ve no papers to return residence even when I needed to,” he explains. “My life is completed, I feel an excessive amount of,” he says.

Hassan spends most of his time in a bit cafe close to the station, run by a younger Bosniak girl, Azra [a different person from the previously described Azra]. He helps her arrange within the morning and tidy up on the finish of the day. With the final large eviction, when 500 migrants have been transferred to the camps in Sarajevo, Azra misplaced many mates. “It was heartbreaking,” she says.

Different retailers don’t let migrant folks in, however she has all the time served all people, even when it meant going through issues with those that didn’t agree. Some locals advised her that they wouldn’t go to her cafe anymore as a result of they don’t wish to drink from the identical glasses that migrants drink from. She even had issues with some members of the police. “It was very exhausting to restart on this environment after the closure as a result of pandemic.” [Azra has since had to close her shop due to lack of business.]

Subsequent cease: Ključ

When folks go away Tuzla and Sarajevo to proceed their journey in direction of Europe, they should attain the Una-Sana canton, within the North-West of the nation. An settlement with the central authorities established that migrants aren’t allowed to make use of public transport inside the canton, that means all buses are stopped on the border and people discovered with out paperwork are requested to get off [this restriction has since been lifted].

Within the city of Ključ, the place persons are stopped by the police implementing the settlement, locals have gone the additional mile to assist by constructing a small wood shelter managed by volunteers of the Pink Cross. Right here folks can spend just a few hours or an evening, earlier than beginning the following leg of their journey, roughly 100 km to the Croatian border, by way of non-public taxi or on foot.

This generally is a large problem, as is the case for a household of 4, coming from Iraqi Kurdistan. After leaving their nation, they spent three years in Greece, the place their asylum utility was ultimately rejected, so they’re now attempting to achieve one other European nation. Like everybody else, they have been stopped when the bus arrived in Ključ. They can not afford the value of a personal taxi and Ali, the daddy, suffers from a leg deformity that makes it exhausting for him to stroll. They’re fearful about methods to proceed from right here.

On the border

As soon as they attain the border space, nearly all of migrant folks focus in and across the cities of Bihać and Velika Kladuša. A part of the local people is just not proud of the administration of the scenario, since a number of of the locations the place males and households have been discovering shelter are close to residential areas. This discontent has resulted in a number of demonstrations over time and the administration has enforced common evictions transferring folks to official reception centres. Nevertheless, these usually provide very poor dwelling situations, particularly so far as camps for males are involved, and are removed from the border, that means folks would ultimately discover their means again.

In considered one of these deserted buildings, a half-finished retirement residence courting again to socialist Yugoslavia, the presence of a blonde-haired woman stands out amongst lots of of males from Pakistan and Afghanistan. It’s Elena, who comes from Ukraine. Her identify bounces shortly alongside the corridors, making it simple to seek out her, as even those that have simply arrived know who she is.

After dwelling for over 20 years undocumented within the Netherlands, Elena was deported again to her residence nation. In late 2019 she as soon as once more left Ukraine to try to attain Europe by way of Hungary, from the place she was deported to Serbia by the police. She then obtained caught in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Right here, Elena made it her mission to help those that have discovered shelter in Bihać, by serving to prepare the distributions with the NGOs working on the bottom and ensuring folks get what they want.

The dearth of presidency help for these exterior the official reception system signifies that assist is supplied by native and worldwide organisations and spontaneous volunteers. Nevertheless, the provision of funds and donations varies and doesn’t all the time match wants, ensuing generally in difficulties and a psychological burden for these having to depend on the generosity of strangers.

Households, regardless of gaining access to higher amenities than males inside the official reception system, are additionally left with no different selection than to dwell in makeshift shelters close to the border to have the ability to strive the “sport”.

Mara is a 68-year-old Bosnian Serb girl and lives close to the border with Croatia. She does what she will to assist the various households dwelling in deserted homes close by. “I really feel so sorry for them. It hurts me after I see babies, a variety of them are unwell and I’ve to present them one thing. I’m sorry that I can’t assist all people”. She explains how she has all the time obtained on nicely with Muslims. “I like all of the folks on the earth who’re good. I’m not fascinated by nationality [or religion].”

Scars, previous and current

From the Una-Sana canton the journey to Croatia, Slovenia after which Italy or Austria, requires strolling for 2 to 3 weeks within the woods, all of the whereas attempting to keep away from being caught.

Maria is a younger Bosnian Croat girl dwelling in Bihać. She works in an area bakery and is aware of when a bunch of migrants is making ready for the “sport”, as they purchase a variety of bread abruptly. Maria recollects discovering a person from Pakistan laying on the road in Bihać, stabbed and robbed by one other migrant individual. Passers-by had simply ignored him, solely she stopped to verify on him and name an ambulance.

She additionally shares a video exhibiting an area vigilante group attacking two migrants, who’re begging to be spared. Not less than 5 persons are seen beating the 2 males with their fists, legs and batons. Among the footage is graphic and so brutal that she can’t bear to have a look at the display. The video was recorded by the aggressors and later posted on social media, with the message “Those that defend migrants in public ought to see this.”

Detrimental reactions have sparked elsewhere too. A discover on the door of a petroleum station store out of city in Velika Kladuša forbids migrants to enter the store and even stand on the premises of the petrol station. “There are combined reactions from the locals and the reason being advanced,” explains Elvir, an area restaurant proprietor. Elvir’s household has roots in North Macedonia: “My household is aware of the battle of leaving residence and we welcome everybody in our restaurant,” he says.

“The scenario with the migrants was manageable originally, but it surely has turn into more and more exhausting, particularly with the pushbacks”. Migrants maintain coming again and their situation will get worse because the police take their cash and destroy their telephones, which results in extra issues. “It isn’t simple for anybody”, Elvir stresses how this isn’t all the time attributable to racism. “You possibly can’t generalise, some persons are scared, usually it’s attributable to an absence of training, and a few folks nonetheless undergo from PTSD from the conflict.”

The best way the injuries from the previous affect the response to the present scenario varies. Asim, who’s a 57-year-old Bosniak, was held in an internment camp in the course of the conflict, from which his spouse Gordana managed to free him by way of a prisoner alternate. Now he devotes himself to serving to the migrants dwelling in Bihać, the place he has a bit store. “On this world, we’re all the identical”, says Asim, “there are some rotten apples, however the majority of the persons are good”, he provides, as he factors to the apples on show in his store.

Gordana is a Bosnian Serb – combined marriages have been widespread earlier than the conflict. She recollects the exhausting occasions when Bihać was below siege and other people have been ravenous. “On our avenue, we have been sharing every part between Serbs, Muslims and Croats, whereas within the mountains close by they have been killing one another”. She plans, after retirement, to write down a e-book concerning the conflict titled The tears of the third faith.

Regardless of the complexity of the scenario in a rustic nonetheless coping with its personal scars, examples of solidarity in direction of those that are actually fleeing their residence aren’t exhausting to return by. Jelena, a 67-year-old Bosnian Serb girl, has a bit store in Bihać whose door is all the time open for migrant folks. She couldn’t do in any other case since, she says, “someplace, there’s a mom crying for them.”

Among the names have been modified to guard folks’s id.

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