LIPA CAMP
“At the end of October 2023, a reporting trip to Bosnia was undertaken alongside journalist Bianca Senatore and photographers Salvatore Caruso to document ongoing developments along the final stretch of the so-called Balkan migration route.
The Lipa refugee camp has repeatedly drawn media attention for the harsh conditions faced by arriving migrants, who often lack basic necessities, as well as for the serious fire that broke out in December 2020.
Interviews were conducted with individuals in the surrounding area, including within the forested zone near the camp’s main entrance, where access remains limited and the presence of journalists is not readily permitted.“
- Samir is an 18-year-old Afghan boy who told us his story and how he ended up at the Lipa refugee camp.
- Samir together with another Afghan boy, also a resident of the camp.
- Mohammed, 25, arrives from Morocco via Turkey, and his testimonies tell of the brutality he endured during pushbacks at various borders, especially the Croatian one.
- Here, Mohammed shows the injuries he sustained following a pushback at the Croatian border. He describes how Croatian police burned him by putting out cigarettes on his forearm and how he suffered an ankle injury from a kick.
- Mohammed shows the scar caused by the cigarette.
- Ali tells us that he lived in Venice with a regular residence permit until, after returning to Ghana due to his mother’s death, he was no longer allowed to return to Italy. He attempted to cross the Croatian border several times, but was repelled, robbed, and mistreated by the police.
- Some refugees in the woods behind the Lipa camp.
- A boy returning from the border shows us a plastic bag containing his belongings.
- Some refugees in the woods behind the Lipa camp.
- Refugees returning to the camp after attempting to cross the border. They were all turned back.
- Outside the camp, there are several organizations trying to provide assistance. While we were there, some young people showed us some food vouchers provided by an organization that would allow them to purchase goods at a supermarket in Bihać, 20 km from the camp.
- Some traces of the passage of migrants in the woods adjacent to the camp.
- Bosanska Gradiška is located on the Sava River and is one of the most popular crossings for migrants attempting to cross the border between Bosnia and Croatia. Some drown while attempting to swim across, while others turn to locals who rent their boats to accompany migrants to the other side for 20 or 30 marks.
- A heron is carried by the current of the Sava and rests on a log
- Some unmistakable signs of migrants’ passage are the tracks they leave behind. In this case, one of the many energy drinks used to try to stay alert during long crossings.
- Another sign: an inhaler spray.
- The view from one of the windows of a squat. These are often abandoned structures that migrants temporarily occupy to organize and rest before continuing their journey.
- We interviewed Dario, the owner of a minimarket in Bihać, who has repeatedly provided assistance to migrants passing through, almost always in precarious physical and psychological conditions. He told us how, in just a few months, the migration phenomenon has changed from a continuous flow under the light of day to a hidden passage through a dense network of traffickers and “taxi drivers” who, for considerable sums, transport people from one strategic point to another.
- Some drawings made by children at the Borici refugee camp. This camp housed only minors and families when we arrived.
- External view of one of the city’s squats.
- A guard dog near the entrance to one of the squats.
- The view from one of the squats we visited.
- The squats were uninhabited when we arrived. We found traces of some migrants’ passage (sleeping bags, cans of preserves).
- The inside of a squat.
- Bullet hole marks on the wall of an apartment building in Bihać dating back to the 1990s war.
- The inside of one of the squats.
- Interior of one of the squats. In this case, the attic was used by the people who had stayed there as extra protection in case of police or criminal visits.
- The outside of a squat.
- Lorena and Gian Andrea are two activists from Trieste who have been providing assistance to migrants arriving in the city after crossing the Balkans for many years.
- Lorena Fornasir, psychologist.
- Gian Andrea Franchi, professor of philosophy.
Photos: Salvatore Caruso
Videos: Salvatore Caruso
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