The Serbian Republic of Bosnia celebrates its “national day” despite controversies
The Serbian Republic of Bosnia commemorates its “national day” every year on January 9, a celebration that divides and sparks tensions in the Balkans. Despite its illegality according to the Bosnian Constitutional Court and the disapproval of the international community, this commemoration is strongly supported by the nationalist and pro-Russian leaders of the entity.
The Serbian Republic of Bosnia, also known as Republika Srpska, is one of the two entities that make up Bosnia and Herzegovina. Created in 1992 during the war in former Yugoslavia, this autonomous entity is mainly populated by Orthodox Serbs.
The date of January 9 coincides with the proclamation of the “Republic of the Serbian People in Bosnia and Herzegovina” in 1992 by Radovan Karadzic, who played a key role in the outbreak of war and the breakup of Bosnia along ethnic lines. . This declaration of independence is considered discriminatory against Muslim Bosnians and Catholic Croats by the Bosnian Constitutional Court.
Despite protests and international condemnation, the leaders of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia continue to celebrate this “national holiday” with pomp. Speeches, military parades and fireworks are planned in Banja Luka, the entity’s capital, as well as in other cities and in Belgrade, the capital of neighboring Serbia. Political and religious figures, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, are invited to participate in these celebrations.
This commemoration is seen by many observers as an act of secessionism and a challenge to the central authority of Sarajevo as well as the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is often criticized for the presence of convicted war criminals, representatives of foreign embassies, notably from China and Russia, as well as European far-right parties.
Faced with these tensions, the United States recently sent fighter planes as part of bilateral training with the Bosnian army in order to demonstrate its support for the territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the face of the secessionist activities of the Republic Serbian.
Despite persistent controversies, the Serbian Republic of Bosnia maintains its “national day” and defends its right to celebrate this date which it considers symbolic of its national identity. The question of the status of the Serbian Republic and its relations with the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina remains a sensitive and complex subject, reflecting the deep ethnic divisions that have persisted in the country since the war of the 1990s.