Members of the Armed Forces of Serbia paraded on Sunday in a ceremonial march through the northwestern Bosnian city of Prijedor, apparently without prior consent from the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, reported Radio and Television of Republika Srpska (RTRS), the Serbian entity of Bosnia.
According to RTRS, those who paraded were cadets and veterans of the Military Academy in Belgrade.
Zheljko Komshiq, an official of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BeH), reacted on Facebook, stating that “it must be immediately learned who allowed the Serbian army to enter the territory of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
“The Presidency of BeH did not do this. Did the Ministry of Defense? This needs to be learned immediately. If it wasn’t the Ministry of Defense, then it is a classic act of aggression,” said Komshiq, who is responsible for foreign policy and security.
The Minister of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zukan Helez, and his deputy, Aleksandar Goganoviq, did not respond to Radio Free Europe’s calls for comment.
On May 31, 1992, the Serbian authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Prijedor issued an order via local radio for the non-Serb population to mark their homes with flags or white sheets and to wear white armbands when leaving their homes.
After this, more than 3,000 civilians were killed. More than 32,000 non-Serbs from Prijedor were illegally detained in around 60 concentration camps, including Omarska, Keraterm, and Manjača.
In that city in northern Bosnia, in the area of the former Tomashica mine, the largest mass grave since World War II was found.
The city authorities in Prijedor, in the Serbian entity of Bosnia governed by Republika Srpska, do not allow any memorial in memory of the killed citizens of Prijedor.
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 government of Republika Srpska.
Officials from Republika Srpska and Serbia also participated in the parade.
The President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, used this event to again push forward his aim for the 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 reiterated that Republika Srpska would not allow Bosnia and Herzegovina to join NATO.
Credit: Botasot.info/REL
