SARAJEVO, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Two police officers were injured during late-night riots in a migrant center near Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the state-owned news agency FENA reported on Thursday.
Police responded to an emergency call four hours before midnight, after migrants at the Blazuj camp confronted the employees of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) that runs the center.
According to Mirza Hadziabdic, the press officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Canton Sarajevo, multiple police patrols had to be dispatched to restore order and stop the mass brawl and riots that lasted late into the night.
Two police officers have had minor injuries during the intervention while several police and IOM vehicles as well as the IOM's premises and office equipment in the camp have been damaged.
Hadziabdic said that no arrests have been made and the Prosecutor's Office of Canton Sarajevo will determine the following procedure as multiple felony offenses have been reported, including disorderly conduct, assault and battery, assault on a police officer and criminal damage to property.
The IOM in BiH issued a press statement on Thursday about the "security incident in the Temporary Reception Center Blazuj" on Wednesday night, saying it "was triggered by a skirmish between two migrants that quickly escalated into a bigger fight."
"IOM staff have been supported by the Service for Foreigners' Affairs, Ministry of Security and the Police, including Special Forces and UNDSS (United Nations Department of Safety and Security) who put the situation under control and helped to bring calm to the scene," said the statement, adding "IOM staff are all safe and one has had a minor injury which is now under treatment."
"IOM is working with all concerned to take measures to avoid these incidents in the future in cooperation with the national counterparts," it added.
According to the Ministry of Security of BiH, around 8,500 migrants and asylum-seekers are currently in BiH, trying to transit towards European Union countries. Enditem