Bosnia police move hundreds of migrants to a refugee camp

SARAJEVO, Bosnia – Bosnian police on Wednesday moved hundreds of migrants, who have been sleeping rough in a central town, to a refugee centre near Sarajevo.

Police rounded up the migrants at the bus and railway stations in the town of Tuzla and transferred them to the camp in Blazuj.

No incidents were reported. Migrants carried plastic bags with their belongings as they walked calmly toward the buses lined up nearby. Authorities in Tuzla later removed dozens of small tents, blankets and other things left behind by the migrants.

Thousands of people fleeing war and poverty have been stuck in Bosnia and elsewhere in the Balkans while looking for ways to move toward Western Europe.

Impoverished Bosnia has been overwhelmed by the influx and officials have expressed concerns over a potential new wave following Turkey’s decision to open its borders for migrants wishing to go West.

Migrants arrive to Bosnia from neighbouring Serbia and Montenegro. Many flock to Tuzla before moving toward a northwestern pocket bordering European Union member state Croatia.