In this multi-confessional country that is Bosnia-Herzegovina, political tensions are at their height and the country’s Muslims fear a return to violence, particularly in Srebrenica. For many Bosnians in the region, the current political tensions are a real nightmare. It should be remembered that 30 years ago, the Muslims of Bosnia were the main victims of the “ethnic cleansing” which was implemented by the Serbian nationalists. A policy of terror that culminated in the Srebrenica genocide in July 1995 when more than 8,000 Muslim men and teenagers were massacred.
Despite these atrocities, many Bosnian survivors returned in the 2000s to rebuild their homes. This is the case for example of Djile. He was 21 when he escaped the genocide. Today, this former refugee is very worried about the rise of separatist remarks: “We tell ourselves that the situation is so bad that it can evolve in any direction, even in the war. Between us, we talk about it, but people publicly don’t want to talk about it. And that’s dangerous .It’s the same atmosphere as in 1992 when the war started.”
“There is a silence that is there, that is present.”
Djile, a survivor of the Srebrenica genocideat franceinfo
If Bosnians like Djile are worried, it’s because Serb nationalists have initiated the secession of Republika Srpska, one of the country’s two entities, and the fragile Bosnian state now seems on the verge of implosion. Last December Bosnian Serb political leader Milorad Dodik followed through on his threats as the Bosnian Serb parliament passed a series of laws to quickly remove Republika Srpska from the federal state.
By June, the Serbian nationalists want to recreate their own judicial and financial system, but also their own army. This prospect saddens Haris, a young Bosnian married to a Serb. They run a cafe in the center of Srebrenica. “We have already experienced a bloody war, a catastrophic war for everyone, and especially for the Bosnians of the Republika Srbska. Today is not the time for a new war. Surely there are some people who would like let it come back, but it won’t be possible.”
>> Bosnia and Herzegovina on the verge of implosion
This heavy atmosphere is maintained by the nationalist parties which do not hesitate to blow on the embers. In fact, for 30 years, the three nationalist parties that rule Bosnia have not ceased to maintain divisions in order to stay in power.
Today each community maintains its own memory of the war, and on the Serbian side, leaders such as the mayor of Srebrenica do not hesitate to glorify war criminals and to deny or minimize the massacres committed during the conflict. During Republika Srpska Independence Day on January 9, several anti-Muslim incidents were reported by local media. And the United Nations recently warned against the increase in such hate speech in Bosnia, but also in neighboring Serbia.