Milorad Dodik urges removal of high representatives and cites Kozara as symbol of Serb suffering

Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik said Bosnia and Herzegovina could survive if all decisions of the high representatives were revoked by legal act, arguing that foreign “absolute” authority is unnecessary. He noted differing US and Russian views on the timeline for ending the Office of the High Representative, with the United States favouring a one‑to‑three‑year closure and Russia and Republika Srpska demanding immediate termination. Dodik also criticised the appointment of a deputy high representative as contrary to the Dayton Agreement.

Speaking on the 84th anniversary of the World War II Battle of Kozara, Dodik described the site as “the symbol of all Serbian suffering”, recalling that more than 80,000 Serbs were taken to Jasenovac and that thousands of civilians died or were deported. He warned that Serb history must not be forgotten or relativised. Republika Srpska president Siniša Karan echoed the commemoration, calling Kozara a reminder of the fight against fascism and the massive civilian losses suffered by Serbs and Orthodox Christians in 1942.

Both leaders used the ceremony to reaffirm a narrative of historic grievance and to call for continued vigilance in preserving their community’s memory.