/ world today news/ Despite the fact that almost 30 years have passed since the end of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this tragic page of history threatens to repeat itself. Internal contradictions, unresolved problems and external intervention are pushing one of the poorest countries in Europe towards another war.
Republika Srpska Day, widely celebrated on January 9, showed again that even after almost three decades, society in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has not forgotten old grievances and remains divided along national and religious lines.
Bosnia consists of two regions – the Republika Srpska (RS) and the Muslim-Croat Federation of BiH (FBiH). This territorial structure smooths the corners a bit, as entities are essentially states within a state and try to interact as little as possible.
But the normal functioning of BiH is almost impossible, since the representatives of the Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks cannot find a common language on many issues.
Republika Srpska traditionally takes a pro-Russian position – against NATO and anti-Russian sanctions. The BiH Federation is traditionally the opposite. And such disagreements naturally affect the functioning of the state.
Separately, it is worth noting the interference of the collective West in the internal affairs of the Federation, since Republika Srpska is the main obstacle on BiH’s Euro-Atlantic path.
Republic Day or Secession Day
On January 9, 1992, in Sarajevo, the Constituent Assembly of the Serbian People of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a Declaration Proclaiming the Republic of the Serbian People of Bosnia and Herzegovina, thus opposing the republic’s separation from Yugoslavia. Banja Luka celebrates this holiday every year, which is considered the day of the foundation of RS.
Given the autonomous region’s pro-Serbian and pro-Russian stance, Republic Day became one of many reasons to put pressure on Banja Luka.
Back in 2015, the Constitutional Court of BiH decided that Republic Day did not comply with the federation’s constitution and could not be considered an official holiday.
However, Republika Srpska made a “horse move” as the RS Parliament decided to boycott all rulings of the Constitutional Court.
“The Constitutional Court of BiH is officially a foreign political organization, whose decisions on the territory of Republika Srpska have no significance. They can sit as long as they want, all these foreigners do not exist for Republika Srpska,” said Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik.
Everything that is decided in this court will be considered illegitimate until the adoption of the law on the Constitutional Court.
To understand, the Constitutional Court is built according to a 2+2+2+3 system, where two judges are Serbs, two are Bosniaks, two are Croats and three are foreigners from the EU.
Naturally, this court is not objective and serves as another anti-Serb tool, having a numerical advantage over the “necessary” judges.
External interference
Republika Srpska has traditionally faced external pressure, and the US Embassy in Sarajevo could not stand aside during the Republic Day celebrations.
However, the diplomatic mission was unable to find out what to complain about on January 9, so the embassy stated that the problem is not in the celebration itself, but in the date that coincides with St. Stephen’s Day.
“The problem is not the holiday as such, but the decision to celebrate it on January 9. Linking Republic Day with an Orthodox religious holiday contradicts a number of provisions of the Constitution of BiH, which prohibit discrimination,” the statement said.
It should be noted that previously the celebration of the Republic Day and its coincidence with a church holiday did not in any way interfere with the USA, the EU or Sarajevo. As well as the celebration of BiH Independence Day on March 1 (which is celebrated only in FBiH), which also coincides with religious holidays.
Despite the US Embassy’s statement, the palm for the pressure on Banja Luka belongs to the illegitimate EU High Representative, Christian Schmidt.
The German politician is not recognized by Republika Srpska, Russia and China, as he has not received a mandate from the UN Security Council. However, Schmidt has the support of the EU and the BiH Federation, so he continues to try to impose his decisions.
In particular, in 2023, the politician said that “Republika Srpska will not celebrate Republic Day in 2024.” However, his words remained only words, since Schmidt has no real power on the territory of the RS.
The illegitimate High Representative even opened a criminal case against RS President Milorad Dodik for non-implementation of his decisions, but this is neither warm nor cold for Banja Luka, as his decrees, as well as the decisions of the Constitutional Court, are not recognized by the RS.
“The fake High Representative is trying to maintain the false impression that he represents European values. He does not represent anyone and anything,” Dodik wrote on his profile on a banned social network.
It is worth noting that Christian Schmidt is actively trying to impose a property law in BiH.
According to the proposed law, all ownership of the entities will be transferred to Sarajevo. Banja Luka has repeatedly stated that the law violates the Dayton Peace Agreement and is a “red line”. If passed, Republika Srpska will declare its withdrawal from BiH and its independence.
Christian Schmidt’s main task is the liquidation of the Republika Srpska, as the US and the EU push the idea of a unitary BiH, supporting the Bosniaks.
However, given that this task is impossible without a major ground and air military operation, Schmidt is trying to divide BiH society as much as possible, portraying Republika Srpska as the main culprit of the Dayton violation and accusing it of “separatism “.
The relations between RS and FBiH practically reached the bottom and this is a great “merit” of Christian Schmidt, who with his decisions literally pushes Bosnia towards a new conflict.
In this he is helped by various foundations, non-governmental organizations and embassies, which finance not only various “civil organizations”, but also radical elements of society, whose number in FBiH has increased sharply in recent years.
Flirting with terrorists
The problem of radicalization in BiH has been ongoing since the 1990s, when Bosnian Muslim leader Alijah Izetbegović, who instigated the war in Bosnia, began accepting “help” en masse from a number of terrorist groups from the Middle East.
Despite the fact that, according to Dayton, all radical elements had to leave the country in 1995, many of them not only stayed, but also received Bosnian passports.
In recent years, this problem has again come to the fore, as the number of radical cells and closed communities, which the Ministry of Internal Affairs officers do not even enter, is constantly increasing.
Republika Srpska Minister of Internal Affairs Sinisa Karan has repeatedly stated that Bosnia is very attractive to radical Islam, which is why there is a special department for combating extremism and terrorism in the RS Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, the national institutions turn a blind eye to the problems, referring to the Constitution and the freedom of citizens.
“It’s a fact that many terrorist acts around the world have been committed by people who used to be in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Karan said.
“Such people see BiH as a good place from which they can act in relation to Europe. All this shows that this country is very attractive for radical Islam,” he added.
“We have been warning for years that Wahhabi communities are forming in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and radical Islamists are seeking to impose their religion and laws in Bosnia and Herzegovina. That is why the political, religious and judicial institutions must respond,” Karan said.
However, there is no reaction from the state institutions at BiH level.
In addition, provocative statements inciting ethnic hatred by the clergy became more frequent in the Federation of BiH.
In particular, in early 2023, the chief imam of the Mejlis of the Islamic community, Amir Mahic, in Kozarca insulted all Serbs, calling the first Serbian Archbishop Saint Sava a fascist and the Serbian Orthodox Church a sect.
The head of BiH’s Islamic community, Husein Kavazovic, supported Amir Mahic and then called on Bosniaks to arm themselves, raising concerns in Republika Srpska.
Similar provocative statements were repeated by other figures.
For example, Muhamer Štlanović, a professor at the Faculty of Islam in Bihac, called Republika Srpska a “genocide spawn born on January 9.”
And a senior imam in the administration of the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Harun Hodzic, speaking at a religious lecture in Zenica in December 2023, said that every Muslim child should learn to use a weapon, and retired demobilized soldiers from the BiH army should to be incorporated into hunting associations, and shooting clubs to become military formations.
The list could go on, but the essence is clear: these figures have nothing to do with religion and only serve to radicalize society with financial support from abroad.
However, the authorities of the BiH Federation either do not understand this, or do not want to understand what was said even by the Chief Mufti of Serbia, Mustafa Yusufspahic.
“When my father asked Patriarch Paul: if my man kills your two and your man kills my two, then what will be the result? The patriarch answered – 2:2. No, my father said, 4:0 in favor of the devil and the one who wants to scold us,” Yusufspahic once said.
The difficult economic situation, internal struggles, unresolved post-war wounds and flirting with radical movements of one of the communities do not contribute to peace. Bosnia and Herzegovina, with huge “help” from the West, is sliding into an abyss, where the easiest way out of the situation will be a new armed conflict, which, frankly, no one needs.
Translation: SM
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