Since the violence in Syria, Turkey, and Afghanistan aimed at Muslims, many have fled. Using the Balkan Route, refugees are hoping to make it to the European countries. Their route entails traveling the Western Balkan Route avoiding the states that belong to the EU. This route requires traveling through mountainous terrain near Croatia and the bordering Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, if the refugees made it to Croatia they were met with violent pushbacks from authorities and were often sent back to Bosnia. For example, about 7,000 refugees and migrants were forcibly sent back by the EU member state to Bosnia after crossing the border into Croatia.
Today, the refugees from Turkey (Muslims) who are trying to return to Croatia are being turned away but there are about "2.5 million in Turkey who have Bosnian ancestry" (Trebinčević, pg. 54, published in 2014)
Croatia, the hub for refugees fleeing from Syria, saw an increase of about 800,000 people passing through in 2015. In concession to the new arrivals, Croatia set up two refugee camps. The Croatian government also aided in the transportation of refugees to Hungary and Slovenia.
Trouble came for the refugees when in September 2015 Hungary closed its borders. Since this closure, Croatia has received approximately 2,000 asylum application entries between 2015 and 2016. However, in an attempt to end the increase of refugees, in March 2016 the Balkan Route was closed off. Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Macedonia all closed their borders, thus making the route to enter into Northern Europe nearly impossible for Syrian refugees.
Trouble came for the refugees when in September 2015 Hungary closed its borders. Since this closure, Croatia has received approximately 2,000 asylum application entries between 2015 and 2016. However, in an attempt to end the increase of refugees, in March 2016 the Balkan Route was closed off. Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, and Macedonia all closed their borders, thus making the route to enter into Northern Europe nearly impossible for Syrian refugees.
Camp Life
The Refugees are kept at Camp Lipa. This camp was scheduled to be shut down by the International Organization for Migration due to unsuitable supplies for the winter. Before closure day, however, the camp was set ablaze in protest by the refugees and migrants who resided there, leaving hundreds of refugees stranded without the necessary shelter and supplies for the worsening winter conditions. The Vice President of Croatia released a statement pleading authorities to not leave people out in the freezing cold without necessary sanitization in the middle of a global pandemic. The Bosnian Security Minister, Selmo Cikotic, has vowed to take immediate action in aiding and accommodating the refugees. The European Commission also implemented an additional 3.5 million euro in humanitarian relief efforts for the refugees in Bosnia.
More than 800 refugees traveling through Croatia and Slovenia to Germany or Austria.