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“Then he put a gun on my head, and he told me: ‘if you will not tell me where is your group I am going to shoot you.’
Our interviewee, a 24 years-old man from Algeria, studied mechanical engineering in Turkey and worked in Albania, where he had a legal residency based on his employment. He applied for the Schengen visa two times in hope to visit the EU and find a job there to eventually settle, but he was rejected. After his second rejection, he decided to go to Europe on his own.
On 22nd of October 2025 he traveled to Montenegro and then to Bosnia by busses. He started his trip towards the border with Croatia on foot from Bosansko Grahovo around midday on 28th of October. He crossed the border into Croatia and continued across high mountains. He saw a large footprint of a bear with a cub, which made him very frightened. It was around 4 pm. He continued walking and saw many wild animals. He found himself in front of the cliff and slipped down. There, in the vicinity of a river, he found an unexploded mine and took a video of it and saved its location on his phone – it was in the forest east from Vojnovici. He continued and found the rail tracks that he followed.
On 22nd of October 2025 he traveled to Montenegro and then to Bosnia by busses. He started his trip towards the border with Croatia on foot from Bosansko Grahovo around midday on 28th of October. He crossed the border into Croatia and continued across high mountains. He saw a large footprint of a bear with a cub, which made him very frightened. It was around 4 pm. He continued walking and saw many wild animals. He found himself in front of the cliff and slipped down. There, in the vicinity of a river, he found an unexploded mine and took a video of it and saved its location on his phone – it was in the forest east from Vojnovici. He continued and found the rail tracks that he followed.
Location of apprehension
He was about two km, or half an hour walk away from Kninsko Polje when a police car approached him and stopped him. It was 6:30 pm and it was dark. There were two police officers in blue Croatian police uniforms. They asked him for documents, and he showed them his Albanian resident card. They asked him where he crossed the border, and he showed them the direction. When they said they would call the border guards from that checkpoint, he told them that he did not use the checkpoint. One of the police officers went back to the car to call for reinforcement. They asked him where he was going, and he told them that he was planning to take a train from Knin to Zagreb. The officers asked him if he knew anyone here and if there was anyone traveling with him and he told them that he did not know anyone and that he was alone. He showed the video of the mine to the officers and told them its location.
Two more police cars arrived and a green Range Rover with Croatian registration plates, driven by a large person with beard in black or green uniform – our interviewee could not remember. This person asked him “where are your friends” and he replied that he was alone. The officer slapped him hard. He kept asking questions and slapping our interviewee every time he replied: “Where are you from?” “Algeria.” – slap. “Where is your group?” – slap – “I am alone” – another slap. “You are lying” – slap. “You are lying” – slap. With each slap our interviewee was thrown back a couple of meters. Our interviewee said that the wanted to apply for asylum, but the officer did not listen and slapped him again. The officer also talked about the bear and the high mountains and refused to believe that our interlocutor was alone. “Then he put a gun on my head, and he told me: ‘if you will not tell me where is your group I am going to shoot you.’ I told him: if you find anyone here following me or any group, shoot me here directly.” The officer shook his hand. This officer and another car remained while the other car left to do a search with drones. This lasted for about two hours.
During this time, another police officer came with a dog, and the dog sniffed our interviewee. The officers requested his belongings and confiscated them – two mobile phones, money (200 EUR and 80 BAM), bank card, valid Turkish residency card, and Albanian residency card. The officers ordered him to unlock both of his phones, and they laughed while looking at the phones.
Then they put him in the small police van that had arrived during this time and took him to the border. The journey on a bumpy road took 20-30 minutes. It was about 9 pm and it was dark. They let him out and told him to go. Our interviewee asked the officers to at least return him back his documents, but they refused to do so. One of the officers charged his gun and pointed it at our interviewee ordered him to go.
Two more police cars arrived and a green Range Rover with Croatian registration plates, driven by a large person with beard in black or green uniform – our interviewee could not remember. This person asked him “where are your friends” and he replied that he was alone. The officer slapped him hard. He kept asking questions and slapping our interviewee every time he replied: “Where are you from?” “Algeria.” – slap. “Where is your group?” – slap – “I am alone” – another slap. “You are lying” – slap. “You are lying” – slap. With each slap our interviewee was thrown back a couple of meters. Our interviewee said that the wanted to apply for asylum, but the officer did not listen and slapped him again. The officer also talked about the bear and the high mountains and refused to believe that our interlocutor was alone. “Then he put a gun on my head, and he told me: ‘if you will not tell me where is your group I am going to shoot you.’ I told him: if you find anyone here following me or any group, shoot me here directly.” The officer shook his hand. This officer and another car remained while the other car left to do a search with drones. This lasted for about two hours.
During this time, another police officer came with a dog, and the dog sniffed our interviewee. The officers requested his belongings and confiscated them – two mobile phones, money (200 EUR and 80 BAM), bank card, valid Turkish residency card, and Albanian residency card. The officers ordered him to unlock both of his phones, and they laughed while looking at the phones.
Then they put him in the small police van that had arrived during this time and took him to the border. The journey on a bumpy road took 20-30 minutes. It was about 9 pm and it was dark. They let him out and told him to go. Our interviewee asked the officers to at least return him back his documents, but they refused to do so. One of the officers charged his gun and pointed it at our interviewee ordered him to go.
Location of the unexploded mine
Our interviewee was walking in the forest in the dark, trying to find a way to BiH. He feared bears and could not see anything in the thick forest. He finally reached two houses with no inhabitants, and he tried to sleep at the doorstep of one of the houses, but it was too cold to sleep. In the first daylight, he knocked on the door of another house and an older woman came and chased him away. Then he walked for a long time and found some more houses. There was an older woman that spoke German. Our interlocutor said he wants to find the Bosnian police, but the woman told him that this is Croatia and that Bosnia is 5-6 km away. He kept walking into the direction the woman showed him without any navigation and his feet, soaked in wet shoes, were burning. When he saw some other people they told him that he was in Bosnia and that the border crossing is about 5 km away. He went to the police and told them his story. They police officer told him he needed to go to “Lipa,” gave him some water and bread, and showed him the direction. Out interviewee didn’t know what or where “Lipa” was – the temporary reception center known as the “Lipa camp.”
Our interviewee continued walking and a car stopped besides him. The police officer has asked the person to give our interviewee a lift to the nearest village. There he was told that he needs to go to Petrovac. Our interviewee kept walking on the main road. A car with a young woman driver stopped and offered help. He asked to be taken to the police, and she took him to Drvar where he found some police officers. The police told him that “it is not our job to take you to Lipa” – they were using a translation app on their phone. The interviewee started walking but soon collapsed. A car stopped and a young woman with the baby called the police. The same officers came. He waited 20 minutes and then the police took him to a small village near Patrovac by car. He continued by foot from there. A family stopped and took them to another police station. There, the police again told him that he needs to go to “Lipa.” It was about 6 pm or 7 pm. Out interviewee found an imam at the mosque, and he took him to the bus station. The bus dropped him in Lipa and then he walked 4-5 more km to the camp.
Our interviewee continued walking and a car stopped besides him. The police officer has asked the person to give our interviewee a lift to the nearest village. There he was told that he needs to go to Petrovac. Our interviewee kept walking on the main road. A car with a young woman driver stopped and offered help. He asked to be taken to the police, and she took him to Drvar where he found some police officers. The police told him that “it is not our job to take you to Lipa” – they were using a translation app on their phone. The interviewee started walking but soon collapsed. A car stopped and a young woman with the baby called the police. The same officers came. He waited 20 minutes and then the police took him to a small village near Patrovac by car. He continued by foot from there. A family stopped and took them to another police station. There, the police again told him that he needs to go to “Lipa.” It was about 6 pm or 7 pm. Out interviewee found an imam at the mosque, and he took him to the bus station. The bus dropped him in Lipa and then he walked 4-5 more km to the camp.
overview
1 people ,
from Algeria,
aged 24.