Mass global protests held as Bosnia-Herzegovina teeters on brink of collapse

Parade held to mark the 'January 9th Republika Srpska Dayâ' despite being declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Photo / Getty Images

There are growing fears a European nation is facing total disintegration as a hard line leader threatens to tear his country apart.

Home to just shy of four million inhabitants, Bosnia and Herzegovina – also known as BiH or Bosnia-Herzegovina – was racked by a brutal war from 1992-95, in what became the bloodiest European conflict since World War II.

Many atrocities were committed during the war, with the Bosnian Serb army carrying out war crimes against non-Serbs, including the Srebrenica genocide which saw Serb forces kill more than 8000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys within days.

Around 100,000 people were killed during the conflict, which included the "ethnic cleansing" of non-Serbs.

In 1995, the Dayton peace deal ended the bloody civil war, and Bosnia and Herzegovina was split into two regions, the Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation.

Those regions have considerable autonomy, but also share some institutions, including the army and judiciary.

But after decades of fragile peace, tensions in the region are rising once again, sparking concerns a renewed conflict is inevitable without global intervention.

Push to secede

Tensions in the country have been rising for some time.

Last October, Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik – who is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's three heads of state, as a result of the complicated political system which arose after the war – announced Republika Srpska would leave key joint state institutions and achieve total autonomy, in violation of the 1995 agreement.

"We want our authorities returned to us … This isn't anything radical," he said at the time.

"This is for strengthening the position of Republika Srpska."

Until now, Bosnia and Herzegovina has run via a delicate union, with Dodik representing the nation's Serbs, Zeljko Komsic representing ethnic Croats, and Sefik Dzaferovic representing Bosnian Muslims, also known as Bosniak.

While Dodik has been pushing to secede for more than a decade, his announcement marked a drastic escalation, which the United Nations' senior official in Bosnia, Christian Schmidt, described in a report as "the greatest existential threat" to the country's existence since the war.

Then, in December, Republika Srpska's parliament passed several concerning laws, with one allowing it to form its own army by May 2022.

That was seen by many experts as a sign armed clashes could soon be on the cards, and that a dissolution of the nation could occur without intervention.

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik announced plans to secede late last year, sparking fears of fresh conflict.Photo / Getty Images

Just last week, the US announced sanctions against Dodik, citing his "destabilising corrupt activities and attempts to dismantle the Dayton Peace Accords, motivated by his own self-interest" which "threaten the stability of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the entire region".

It comes as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin have reportedly moved to support Dodik, who last year announced he had international "friends" who would back him if the west tried to intervene, and that Serbs would be willing to "defend ourselves with our forces if necessary".

Nation 'slipping back' into conflict

Mass protests were held in 35 cities across Europe and North America on Monday, with the demonstrations organised by parent group Platform BIH, which is based in the Netherlands.

In a statement, the organisation begged for international assistance, warning that without help, there could be fresh bloodshed.

"The survivors of the 1992-1995 war, who were expelled or tortured by the Bosnian Serb army in the concentration camps as well as many survivors of the Srebrenica genocide, are extremely upset," the statement reads.

"The secession of Republika Srpska would be a reward to the Serbs for ethnic cleansing and genocide against Bosniaks. Many fear the country is slipping back into divisions and conflicts.

"[Protesters] want to send a simple message to world officials that divisions and conflicts must not happen again. They want the EU and the USA to act in time, preventively, not reactively like in the 1990s."

Bosnia and Herzegovina diaspora, and supporters of the country's unity, gathered at Parliament Square in London to protest. Photo / Getty Images

The group added the protest was held to raise awareness of "constant and serious attacks on the constitutional legal order of Bosnia and Herzegovina", which members believe could "possibly jeopardise the peace" due to "radical and unlawful decisions and policies".

Slap in the face

In yet another slap in the face to the rest of the nation, illegal celebrations were held in Republika Srpska's biggest city, Banja Luka, on Sunday to mark the region's "statehood day".

Bosnia-Herzegovina's high court had earlier ruled the festivities unconstitutional, and the fact the banned march went ahead regardless was seen by many as a fresh provocation.

Watch this and tell me that the genocidal dreams of a greater Serbia are not dead.

We need urgent action by the international community.

The Bosniak Muslim community is being threatened - yesterday in Novi Pazar, tomorrow all of Bosnia and Herzegovina. https://t.co/KMyTi0gCQk

— Alicia Kearns MP for Rutland and Melton (@aliciakearns) January 10, 2022

It was attended by convicted war criminal Vinko Pandurevic, and footage circulating on social media also shows demonstrators chanting nationalist songs and slogans which referenced the civil war and lighting flares in other towns in Bosnia.

UK MP Alicia Kearns was one of many international voices to condemn the disturbing actions, posting on Twitter that: "It is vital that the UK leads an international focus to prevent atrocities and the fall of Bosnia and Herzegovina".