The Serbian army marches through Prijedor without the permission of the Presidency of Bosnia

2024-07-07 15:59:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Serbian army marches through Prijedor without the permission of the

Members of the Armed Forces of Serbia passing through Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, July 7, 2024.

Members of the Serbian Armed Forces marched in a ceremonial parade through the northwestern Bosnian town of Prijedor on Sunday, apparently without the prior consent of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Radio and Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS), the Bosnian Serb entity, reported. .

According to RTRS, those who paraded were cadets and veterans of the Military Academy in Belgrade.

Zeljko Komši?, an official of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BeH), reacted on Facebook saying that "it should be known immediately who allowed the Serbian army to enter the territory of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina".

"The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina did not do this. Did the Ministry of Defense do it? This should be learned immediately. If it was not the Ministry of Defense either, then it is a classic act of aggression," said Komši?, who is responsible for foreign policy and safety.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Defense Minister, Zukan Helez, and his deputy, Aleksandar Goganovic, did not respond to Radio Free Europe's calls for comment.

On May 31, 1992, the Bosnian Serb authorities in Prijedor issued an order, over local radio, to the non-Serb population to mark their homes with flags or white sheets and to wear white armbands when they leave the house.

After that, more than 3,000 civilians were killed. More than 32,000 non-Serbs from Prijedor were illegally held in about 60 concentration camps, including in Omarska, Keraterm and Manjaça.

In that town in northern Bosnia, in the area of ??the former Tomashica mine, the largest mass grave since World War II was found.

On July 7, the Serbian army paraded through Prijedor as part of the commemoration of the 1942 Battle of Kozara during World War II. The parade and commemoration were organized by the Republika Srpska government.

Officials of Republika Srpska and Serbia also participated in the parade.

The President of the Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, used this event to push forward again his goal of secession of the Serbian entity from Bosnia "if Sarajevo, with the support of the international community, tries to take its property."

Among other things, he repeated that Republika Srpska will not allow Bosnia and Herzegovina to join NATO./REL