The Society for Threatened Peoples, a non-governmental organization based in Germany that advocates for human rights worldwide, has issued an appeal to EU member states, NATO, and the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, urging them to "prevent the outbreak of a new war in BiH." The organization is calling for sanctions against the government of BiH's Republika Srpska (RS) entity, the strengthening of the EU military mission in BiH, and support for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s state institutions in preserving constitutional order.
The letter, signed by Burkhard Gauly, Chairman of the Society for Threatened Peoples’ Board of Directors, was sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council António Luís Santos da Costa, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty.
We present the letter in full:
“For years, the Society for Threatened Peoples has been warning of a potential escalation of the security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bolstered by support from Moscow, Budapest, and Belgrade, and in the absence of concrete and coordinated reactions from the Peace Implementation Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina to his long-standing policy of dismantling and dissolving the state, which has been escalating, Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, has taken a decisive step: amending the Constitution of Republika Srpska to reestablish the Republika Srpska Army, introduce the right to secession and unification with other states, and plan the partition of the Brčko District. Following the example of the Kremlin, a “Foreign Agents” law has also been adopted, aimed at monitoring and restricting the work of non-governmental organizations.
In just a few weeks, the new Constitution could be adopted in the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, where Milorad Dodik’s party, the SNSD, holds a majority. This would pave the way for Republika Srpska’s secession and its annexation to Serbia, as well as the strengthening of Dodik’s authoritarian regime.
The escalation of the political crisis in BiH followed predictably after the February 26, 2025, verdict against Milorad Dodik, sentencing him in the first instance to one year in prison and a six-year ban from holding the office of President of Republika Srpska for disregarding decisions of the High Representative. Although the verdict pertains solely to Dodik personally and his actions, he has presented it to the public as an attack on the Serb people and Republika Srpska, branding anyone who disagrees as enemies and traitors of the Serbian nation.
Shortly after the verdict, on March 5, 2025, as President of Republika Srpska, Dodik signed a decree enacting laws passed by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska at his initiative, which prevent the operation of state institutions in Republika Srpska’s territory. The Constitutional Court of BiH has temporarily suspended these laws, but Dodik and the RS government refuse to comply with this ruling. The BiH Prosecutor’s Office, which is investigating Dodik for attacking the constitutional order, along with Radovan Viskovic, the Prime Minister of RS, and Nenad Stevandic, the Speaker of the RS National Assembly, has issued several summonses for questioning. After they refused to appear, an order to detain them was issued. The order has been forwarded to judicial police with the assistance of SIPA. However, RS police officials have stated that they will not allow their detention.
This situation poses a serious security risk for Bosnia and Herzegovina. An armed conflict between the RS Ministry of Interior and SIPA could trigger wider clashes and unrest. Returnees living in Republika Srpska, including families of genocide victims in Srebrenica, no longer feel safe in their homes. Some have already left. The uncertainty among returnees is underscored by the temporary closure of the Srebrenica Memorial Center. Many survivors of genocide and crimes against humanity are deeply worried, and these developments remind them of events from 1992.
The member states of the Peace Implementation Council in BiH, as well as the European Union, must act urgently. They must prevent the outbreak of a new war by significantly reinforcing the EUFOR military presence. Currently, there are 1,500 EUFOR troops in BiH, including 400 recently deployed, but this is insufficient to ensure genuine security in such a volatile situation.
The European Union and NATO must take concrete steps to halt Milorad Dodik’s secessionist policies. We believe it is essential to immediately impose political and economic sanctions on Dodik and the government of Republika Srpska. Germany, as one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s leading trade partners, has a special responsibility and must urgently suspend all investments in Republika Srpska. The European Union should ban Milorad Dodik and other Republika Srpska officials supporting secession from entering EU territory and freeze their assets in EU member states. The U.S. government imposed such sanctions on Dodik in 2017 and later extended them to his associates and even family members. In 2022, the UK followed suit by sanctioning representatives of this policy. EU member states must do the same.
It is necessary to provide strong support to state institutions such as SIPA and the BiH Prosecutor’s Office so they can effectively counter threats to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s constitutional order.
The European Union must adequately and in a coordinated manner respond to attacks by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the Serbian government on Bosnia and Herzegovina and its institutions. After the collapse of a roof at the Novi Sad railway station in November last year, which resulted in 15 deaths, the Serbian authorities have been under immense pressure. They are now attempting to suppress massive student and civic protests that have lasted for months, targeting those responsible for corruption and negligence in state affairs. To deflect attention from their own accountability, they are fabricating a crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For years, the Serbian government has closely coordinated and directed the secessionist policies of the Republika Srpska government.
The disintegration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the outbreak of a new war would have far-reaching and unforeseeable consequences for all of Europe. It would destabilize the entire region, with potential armed conflicts in all Southeast European states.
Such developments and the opening of a new front in Europe would benefit only Putin’s regime. Once again, there would be victims in Southeast Europe, and hundreds of thousands of refugees would be at the doorstep of European Union countries.”
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