Republika Srpska seeks peaceful secession from Bosnia and Herzegovina

The authorities of Republika Srpska, one of the two constituent parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, decided on Thursday to create a particular working group. Its task will be to draft an agreement with the government in Sarajevo on the peaceful secession of Republika Srpska from the rest of the country.

The agreement will later be presented to the local parliament of this predominantly Serb-inhabited region of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A week earlier, on the day the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica, the RS government announced a plan for the "peaceful resolution" of Bosnia and Herzegovina. "With the passing of the resolution, the existence of Bosnia and Herzegovina will effectively be terminated," warned RS President Milorad Dodik.

Dodik also claimed that "because of all the lies about Srebrenica, the residents of this municipality want to change its name." Contrary to facts, the politician denied that a genocide had occurred in the vicinity of Srebrenica.

Dodik had previously stated that "the authorities of Republika Srpska are already showing determination in implementing actions aimed at independence" for this part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In July 1995, in the area of Srebrenica, which was designated a safe zone under UN supervision until its capture by Serb forces, more than 8,000 men and boys, mostly Bosnian Muslims, were murdered. The remains of about 1,000 victims are still being sought.

The territory of Republika Srpska includes, among other areas, places where genocide and ethnic cleansing occurred, including the city of Srebrenica.