Serbian army troops held parades in the towns of Bratunac and Prijedor in Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to bne IntelliNews.
The parades took place as part of a commemoration of the martyrdom of Serbs in the Podrinje area, sparking new unrest in the highly unstable Balkan country. The commemoration of the anniversary of the Battle of Kozara, a symbol of the suffering and resistance of Serbs in the fight “against the Nazis and Ustashas,” is held every year on the eve of the anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica.
The soldiers’ march was seen as a new provocation by leaders of Bosnia’s Republika Srpska, following the landing of a Serbian police helicopter in the town of Trebinje a few weeks ago.
In Prijedor, the Bosnian Serb army committed some of the worst crimes against Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims) during the bloody 1992-1995 Bosnian war.
Bosnia’s state-level Defence Minister Zukan Helez stated that he had not issued a stay permit to the Serb soldiers and there was no agreement under which they could enter the country.
Immediately after learning about the stay of undocumented members of the Army of the Republic of Serbia on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I requested that an investigation be conducted in the Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina to determine whether the ministry headed by me gave permission for this stay. I certainly did not.
On the other hand, the Serbian embassy in Bosnia claimed that it had informed the Bosnian Foreign Ministry in a note about the arrival of its troops, Serbian media reported.
Unpleasant response
Foreign Minister Elmedin Konaković stated that his ministry had only one obligation, should such a notification be received, to forward it to the border police, the Ministry of Security and several other institutions. He also reported that the ministry fulfilled its obligations immediately and that the border police subsequently complied with the rules.
The Border Police confirmed that it had been informed of the visit.
However, the entry of Serbian soldiers was seen as a threat by the Mothers of Srebrenica. This is an association of women who lost their husbands and sons during the Srebrenica genocide.
We demand an urgent reaction from the competent institutions and the international community.
They called on international institutions to respond to the alleged provocation and prevent a possible escalation in the country.
