The day before the collective funeral of genocide victims and three days after the provocation in Prijedor, no one is held accountable, at least not by the letter of the law. The Serbian Embassy informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Subsequently, the responsible institutions approved the entry of Serbian military cadets in uniforms.
The troubling fact is that many BiH institutions were unaware of the visit, highlighting the fragmentation of the system and jurisdictions. Among those who knew, no one found the date, place, or potential implications of the parade problematic in a country where genocide was committed and in a city where over 3.000 civilians were killed. Politicking and a seeming lack of moral compass prevail.
Whose actions and decisions are responsible for the parade in the Serbian Army uniforms on BiH territory? The blame is shifted from one to another, the authorities are being sought, and everyone is running away from taking responsibility.
No notification was sent to the Presidency, and excuses were made: “These are cadets, not soldiers.” Everything occurred under the Serbian flag, on Prijedor territory. In the search for accountability, fingers are pointed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Minister Elmedin Konakovic saw the dispatch and forwarded it to the Border Police. When asked if he had to forward the dispatch, the answer is clear – he chooses the lesser of two evils.
“Of course, we had to. Imagine if we had hidden such a dispatch and an unarmed or any group arrived at the border unannounced, and the Border Police were unprepared. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be solely to blame. The Border Police may request additional checks from the Intelligence-Security Agency if deemed necessary, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can neither do nor should do anything beyond that,” says Elmedin Konakovic, BiH’s Minister of Foreign Affairs (NiP).
The Border Police were responsible for checking the entry. This time, it seems no one found it problematic for the Serbian Army to march through Prijedor, a city where 3.176 civilians were killed from 1992 to 1995. This provocation cannot be mitigated by legal procedures.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH announced the arrival and informed all relevant institutions, including the Border Police,” states the Border Police.
And so it goes in circles. The blame shifts from one institution to another. While the Border Police remains silent about their responsibility, Konakovic emphasizes it.
“A devastated institution, the Republika Srpska (RS) Ministry of the Internal Affairs often assists the Border Police in border control, which is a paradox,” Konakovic notes.
A BiH paradox and daily reality. A ceremonial parade in a city near one of the largest mass graves in the Balkans – Tomasica, and that by the army of a country convicted for failing to prevent genocide. Survivors live in fear while the Serbian Army’s marches evoke dark historical memories.
The procedure and law were followed, and confirmed by those who sent the dispatch. Their claims are justified by a document sent to the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Serbian Embassy in BiH announced to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the arrival of military and police academy cadets participating in the 82nd anniversary of the Battle of Kozara. These are unarmed students, not any formation, who have previously attended our commemorations,” stated the Serbian Embassy in BiH.
The Ministry of Security shares the same view, seeing no contentious points.
“The entire procedure was followed. The Serbian Embassy informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which then notified the Border Police and announced the border crossing,” emphasized Nenad Nesic, BiH’s Minister of Security (DNS).
Thus, everything was done according to the law, with no one held accountable. Once again, the path is open for those undermining BiH’s sovereignty without sanctions.
“It is simply a provocation. Part of the All-Serbian Assembly and strengthening ties” assesses military analyst Djuro Kozar.Amid daily secession threats, insults to victims, and genocide denial instead of honoring the victims, the RS authorities further escalated tensions ahead of the Srebrenica genocide anniversary. What some see as a provocation, others regard as an act of pride.
Photo: RTRS
