MILOVAC: SERB RETURNEES LIVING IN FEAR DUE TO MIGRANTS AND INACTION OF INSTITUTIONS

BIHAĆ, APRIL 23 /SRNA/ - Migrants who broke into the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Trubar near Bihać have not yet been found or arrested, which is further unsettling the small number of Serb returnees in the area, Priest Zoran Milovac told SRNA.

Milovac said that, according to the information he has, the investigation is still ongoing. "A group of migrants, around 50 of them, was seen passing through the village, but they were not caught inside the church. The church doors were broken into, and there was rummaging in nearby houses. Dogs were barking, and people, out of fear, did not dare to move around at night," Milovac said. Milovac said that fifteen Serbs who have returned to their homes live in constant fear, as migrants frequently pass through the village, while there is no police protection at all. "There have been no physical clashes, but they break into houses where no one lives. That creates fear. Residents encounter migrants. I have met them myself as a priest. They have blocked my way, asked for water and food, and requested rides. It is frightening. A group of 50 people approaches an 80-year-old man," Milovac explained. He emphasized that the migrants passing through the village are able-bodied men, and that the police do not patrol the area at all, even though such a presence would at least help restore a sense of security among the population. "They don't come around at all. It's a vast area," Milovac said, adding that no one takes care of the returnees and that even basic living conditions have not been provided. "The road is in a chaotic state. No one inspects it. We even had to fight to get electricity. I went to Bihać two years ago to arrange a power connection for the church. The forest has overgrown everything, no one maintains it, and it has been like this for years," Milovac said, adding that during winter, Serbs returnees can be cut off for up to ten days due to snow, as no one even attempts to clear the roads. "You can't get through even with a jeep or a tractor. We call Bihać, but they are reluctant to come, so they look for someone to pay instead, and so on. The situation is terrible," Milovac stated. Milovac said that he will attend a meeting today with the Minister for Human Rights and Refugees in the Council of Ministers, Sevlid Hurtić, who has announced a visit to the returnee village of Trubar. The visit was also announced to SRNA by the Mayor of Bihać, Selvedin Sedić. Regarding the claims that migrants frequently pass through the Serb returnee village, which was confirmed by Priest Milovac, the Mayor's Office stated that "such incidents in the area of Bihać are not common". For answers to questions related to addressing security concerns, the Mayor’s Office referred inquiries to the Ministry of the Interior of the Una-Sana Canton. Migrants, returned from the Croatian border, broke into the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in the village of Trubar and also broke into and looted several households. Around twenty Serb returnees live in the village, and due to these events, they spent the Easter holidays in fear and uncertainty.