Bosnia vs. Republika Srbska

1995 - ongoing by 2011

Core issue: Republik Srbska striving for autonomy in an ethinically
divided country between Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks

Type of conflict ending: Conflict ongoing by 2011

The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina was initiated by the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic
of Yugoslavia in 1992. The Republics of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Macedonia individually contributed to the dissolution process of Yugoslavia. The declaration of independence
by Bosnia was not endorsed by the Serb population there, who represented 30 percent of its population
as they feared that they would have a minority status in the new Bosnian state and preferred remaining within Yugoslavia. Thus, an interest incompatibility between the Bosnian leadership and the Serbs developed concerning the constitutional status of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian territory that soon escalated into a full-scale war. Although a peace agreement was reached in 1995, the country remains ethnically divided and the conflict between Bosnian Serbs and Bosniaks endures.

As a country with a multi-ethnic composition (Croats, Muslim Bosniaks and Serbs) Bosnia and Herzegovina suffers from ethnic polarization and inter-group violence. On February 29, 1992, an independence referendum was held by the Bosnian government. The political representatives of the Bosnian Serbs rejected the results of the referendum and proclaimed the independence of Republika Srbska on the territory of Bosnia, which was politically oriented toward the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia aided the Republika Srbska with its military forces, the JNA (the Yugoslav National Army), as the Serbian population of Bosnia and Herzegovina was fearful of ethnical violence. Bosnian Croats were supported by the Croatian Army, while Bosnian Muslims received help from Muslim states (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, etc.). The conflict simmered for a long time and escalated during the following months. Numerous armed clashes occurred on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Those were accompanied by the large-scale killing of civilians based on their ethnic affiliation. This "ethnic cleansing" strategy claimed tens of thousands of lives.

The United Nations Protection Force was established in 1992 by UNSC Resolution 743. In May 1994,
a meeting of the heads of the diplomatic departments of Russia, the United States, Britain, France, Germany and representatives of the EU and the UN were held in Geneva. The proposal by European countries, to divide the territory of BiH among its ethnic groups was discussed. This approach required
large concessions from the Serbs, who controlled 70% of the territory of BiH. In June 1995, NATO initiated intense air-strikes under the name Operation Deliberate Force against Serbian units in BiH.

Peace talks were held in November 1995 in Dayton, Ohio. The official signing of the peace agreement
on Bosnia and Herzegovina took place on December 14, 1995, in Paris. In accordance with this agreement, BiH became a single state consisting of two entities - the Muslim-Croatian Federation and the Republika Srpska. According to the Dayton Agreement, the NATO mission IFOR (Implementation Force) was stationed on the territory of BiH to monitor the peace process and fulfil the treaty. The office of the High Representative of the International Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina was created, with responsibility for the implementation of civilian aspects of the Dayton Agreement.

Although the conflict officially ended and the peace agreement was signed, Bosnia and Herzegovina
remain ethnically divided. The Bosnian political system is heavily influenced by ethnic division and tension.
The core issue remains unresolved and is central to the political dialog over the autonomy rights of the various ethnic groups.

Sources

"Pakistan sends more troops to Bosnia", 1995. UPI, 26 July. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/07/26/Pakistan-sends-more-troops-to-Bosnia/9114806731200/

Molotsky, I., 1996. "U.S. Linked to Saudi Aid for Bosnia", The New York Times, 2 February, https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/02/world/us-linked-to-saudi-aid-for-bosnians.html

"The Myth of Bratunac: A Blatant Numbers Game", 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090508095038/http://www.idc.org.ba/project/the_myth_of_bratunac.html.

Krišto, J., 2010. "Deconstructing a myth: Franjo Tudman and Bosnia and Herzegovina", Review of Croatian History, 6 (1), 37-66.

Perry, Valery, 2018. "Frozen, Stalled, Stuck or Just Muddling Through: the post-Dayton Frozen Conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina", Asia Europe Journal, 17 (1), 107-127.

Sarkees, Meredith Reid and Frank Wayman, 2010. Resort to War: 1816-2007, Washington, DC: CQ Press.

"UCDP - Uppsala Conflict Data Program: Bosnia-Herzegovina: Serb", 2019. Accessed 8 August 2019 < https://ucdp.uu.se/#conflict/389>