Aleksandar Nikolić, the only person arrested following two shootings in the East Sarajevo area within four days, has been released to defend himself. The District Public Prosecutor’s Office in East Sarajevo proposed prohibitory measures against Nikolić, including house arrest.
Meanwhile, the search continues for Đorđo Ždral, who is considered a key person in the ongoing conflict between criminal groups.
The latest incidents have once again raised serious questions about security in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Two shootings, the use of firearms and people being wounded in populated areas, including locations near children’s playgrounds, have alarmed residents.
The confrontations are believed to be linked to long-standing conflicts between criminal clans.
“Their war started 20 years ago. It was temporarily stopped while both Ždrale and Elez were in prison. The moment they were released, a conflict was inevitable that has now been revived again. This is proof that the institutions of BiH, both entity and state, can only partially deal with organized crime. They are currently unable to permanently remove from the streets people who are capable of organizing mafia wars,” journalist Avdo Avdić said.
Following the shootings, police agencies increased the level of security in the area and warned that further confrontations could occur. However, security experts say this is not enough.
“The problem is that criminals are not afraid of the state. How will they be afraid when representatives of the state ask criminals not to do their criminal work? If you are not afraid of the state, we have a big problem, and we have it. The state must show its muscles, no matter how harsh that sounds,” said Nermin Pećanac, former Minister of Internal Affairs of Sarajevo Canton.
The activities of criminal clans are not new in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Numerous organized crime networks have been uncovered through investigations involving encrypted communication applications such as Sky ECC and Anom.
Law enforcement agencies have previously warned that between eight and ten, and possibly more, dangerous organized crime groups operate in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Journalists from the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) have also investigated the scale of organized crime and its links to corruption within the justice system.
“Detektor’s research concerning the Sky and Anom cases proves that we have hundreds of thousands of pieces of evidence received through these applications, indicating the extent to which organized crime networks are connected to judicial corruption. Both Sky and Anom have shown the extent to which the Škaljari and Kavač clans from Montenegro operate in Bosnia and Herzegovina and recruit criminals to commit criminal acts throughout Europe. I think this is something that very clearly requires action by the judiciary,” said Denis Džidić of BIRN BiH.
The fragmented security and judicial system represents an additional challenge in the fight against organized crime.
“When you investigate certain criminal groups, someone commits a crime in the Federation and flees to Republika Srpska, or vice versa. When you have a fragmented security and judicial system, it is inevitable that you cannot make decisions in one place to deal with these anomalies,” Avdić said.
Such fragmentation can also create additional tensions between police agencies. There have been instances in which members of the Republika Srpska Ministry of Internal Affairs entered Federation territory without prior notice, further highlighting the complexity of security cooperation in the country.
While experts and journalists continue to point to weaknesses in the judiciary and fragmented security structures, another political question remains: who is ultimately responsible for coordinating the country’s security policy?
Bosnia and Herzegovina has also been without a state Minister of Security for an extended period, raising further concerns about the country’s ability to respond effectively to organized crime and growing security challenges.
For citizens living in areas where criminal conflicts are being played out with firearms, however, the central concern remains the same: who can guarantee their safety when organized criminal groups are able to settle their disputes in populated areas?
