Bosnia

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 18:15

• Julian Buijzen

  Foreign editor

• Julian Buijzen

  Foreign editor

Nineteen graves lie in the corner of the Bijeljina cemetery in Bosnia-Herzegovina. On the gravestones the letters NN, which stands for I do not know the name: name unknown. In this region it usually means migrants who have not been identified.

The years on the gravestones make it clear that these migrants all died within the past three years. “We don’t know who they are, what their nationality or religion is,” said Mario Tomic, the head of the cemetery. “We bury them as an unknown person in the atheist part of the cemetery and hope that their family will come look for them.”

NOSAnonymous graves at the Bijeljina cemetery

The town of Bijeljina is located on the so-called Balkan route, a route that many migrants use to reach the European Union. In 2016, the route was in the news a lot when migrants from Turkey and Greece came to countries in Northern and Western Europe.

Since then, much has been done to stem the flow of migrants. The number of people using the route has decreased, but is still high. Of the 286,000 migrants who reached the European Union illegally last year, several tens of thousands took the road through the Balkans. Only the route across the Mediterranean to Italy is taken more often.

Frontex, the EU organization that helps guard the borders, recently published the figures for the number of border crossings in 2023:

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The migrants buried in the Bijeljina cemetery died while trying to cross the Drina, the border river between Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The river is familiar territory for Nenad Jovanovic. He is a rescue worker in the area and has pulled many of the deceased migrants from the water. “The river is dangerous here because of the gravel extraction in the area. The current can change quickly and is very unpredictable.”

As he walks along the river, Jovanovic points out one of the places where he found someone. “A year ago we found a body in this place. The water was a little higher then and the person had gotten stuck in those branches.”

NOSNenad Jovanovic at the spot where he found a body

The fact that migrants are moving along this part of the Balkans is relatively new. In 2016, most traveled to Hungary via Serbia. But that country built fences along the entire border and tightened border controls.

As a result, migrants have been trying to reach Croatia via the Western Balkans in recent years. The borders on this route are more porous and the authorities control less strictly. With the help of human smugglers, migrants can travel through the area relatively easily.

On the routes, migrants have to cross a number of border rivers, these are the places where most deaths occur:

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Migrants who die are often quickly buried in cemeteries along the route, such as the one in Bijeljina. Authorities make little effort to determine the victims’ identities. It is often known at a local level how many migrants have died, but there is no central overview.

The legislation in Bosnia to determine identity is inadequate in many cases, according to Vidak Simic, the pathologist from Bijeljina. He takes DNA from deceased migrants and must keep it for six months by law.

“They are usually migrants who come from far away. I think six months is too short for relatives to find their loved ones. That is why I decided to keep the bones longer.”

NOSPathologist Vidak Simic examines a DNA sample

It is often a complicated search for family members, he explains. “People have no information, they try through embassies, aid organizations or sometimes through the Red Cross. But in the end they often have to look for it themselves.”

The freezer in Simic’s office contains the DNA of about forty people. In recent years he was able to identify three people, after which they were reburied in their own country.

Back at the cemetery, the director shows the morgue. Recently, another deceased migrant was brought in. All he knows is that she is a woman. She will soon be buried next to the other migrants in an anonymous grave.

2024-02-10 17:15:02
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