Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik says he will move ahead with plans to withdraw the Republika Srpska, the Serbian-majority entity that makes up part of Bosnia-Herzegovina, from national institutions, brushing aside international concerns that such an agenda could spark a renewed conflict in the ethnically divided Balkan country.

The decision to renew the EU mandate was reached unanimously, despite disagreements over a report into danger of secession in Bosnia-Herzegovina. … Russia had blocked members from hearing a warning from the UN's top official in Bosnia, Christian Schmidt of Germany. .. Moscow not only objects to the report, which it said was an "extreme biased and anti-Serb document," but also the very existence of the post of an international high representative to Bosnia.

Prosecutors in Bosnia-Herzegovina have launched an investigation of Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik for "undermining the constitutional order" after he announced that the Republika Srpska leadership will soon take measures aimed at withdrawing from key institutions of the Bosnian state.

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik used his speech to a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) on October 11 to challenge the international high representative who oversees civilian facets of a 25-year-old peace deal that still helps govern Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The Serb member of Bosnia's presidency, Milorad Dodik, has laid out plans for a Bosnian Serb army. But the Croat member of the presidency, Zeljko Komsic, has described it as a "criminal act of rebellion."

German politician Christian Schmidt on Monday took over as the top international envoy in Bosnia despite opposition from Russia and Bosnian Serbs who consider him “illegal” and say they won’t work with him. The former German agriculture minister succeeded Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko, whose decision to end his term by imposing a ban on genocide denial in late July angered Bosnian Serb political representatives.

A total of 70 deputies of the 73 present in the National Assembly of the Republika Srpska on July 30 approved the laws a week after UN High Representative for Bosnia Valentin Inzko amended Bosnia's constitution to prohibit the denial of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes and introduce prison sentences of up to five years for genocide deniers and for any glorification of war criminals.

[…] Inzko said he was imposing the changes because he was “deeply concerned that prominent individuals and public authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to deny that acts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes were committed during the armed conflict”.

The Security Council today rejected a draft resolution that would end the powers and close the Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, effective 31 July 2022, as progress had been achieved.

Russia has asked the U.N. Security Council to vote Thursday on its proposal to abolish the post of international high representative for Bosnia and the office that goes with it by July 2022, diplomats told Agence France-Presse.