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Eighteen migrants were found injured on the border between Bosnia and Croatia on Wednesday (August 7th). They were admitted to a dispensary, some transferred to the hospital. The border police are in charge of the investigation. The authorities do not provide details for the moment about what happened near Velika Kladusa, a town in northwestern Bosnia where thousands of migrants are gathered, waiting to cross the border into Croatia , country of the European Union. Miserable living conditions make the situation tense. Migrants and NGOs regularly report violent repressions by Croatian security forces.
Eighteen wounded on Wednesday, two died on August 1, including a migrant who had fallen asleep exhausted on the tracks of the railway, accidental fire of a camp established in late June, not to mention the still numerous testimonies of physical violence inflicted by the Croatian police when it stops the migrants arrested on its territory. The stories of dramas succeed each other.
The situation is not new: Bosnia has become a transit route for migrants to the European Union, last year 25,000 people entered the country, only 3,000 remained. The number of migrants taking this path is increasing. According to the International Organization for Migration, last week 900 people arrived in the country, double last year over the same period.
And crossings to Croatia are becoming more difficult, which increases the length of stay in Bosnia. The country hopes to join the Schengen area next year, of which it is not yet a member. Border control hardens, but illegally: human rights organizations denounce collective expulsions, violent forced returns, violation of asylum procedures, and the passivity of European governments.
→ To (re) listen : Between violence and despair, the daily life of forgotten migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina