Bosnia and Herzegovina's law enforcement forces attempted on Monday night to detain Milorad Dodik - the Bosnian Serb leader and president of Republika Srpska - on charges of undermining constitutional order. However, the operation was thwarted by Republika Srpska police forces, local and international media reported, BTA reports.
Bosnia's state court has issued an arrest warrant for Dodik and two of his associates after they refused to appear in an investigation related to controversial legislation aimed at the powers of the central government in Sarajevo. The laws adopted by the Republika Srpska parliament and signed by Dodik provide for restrictions on the activities of state institutions in the region, but were temporarily suspended by the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Despite the order, Dodik continues to move freely within Republika Srpska, accompanied by armed guards. Yesterday, he was caught in the city of East Sarajevo - an administrative center that also houses the headquarters of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA).
“I can confirm that SIPA officers were in the administrative center of Republika Srpska, but were unable to execute the court order due to resistance from the regional police“, SIPA spokeswoman Jelena Miovčić announced.
The attempt to serve the order ended with a tense verbal exchange and the withdrawal of SIPA officers.
Shortly after the incident, Dodik published a message on the social network X (formerly Twitter), in which he assured that he was “safe“ and that SIPA “has no jurisdiction in Republika Srpska“.
The conflict reflects deep tensions between the two main administrative parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina - the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (mostly Bosniaks and Croats) and the Republika Srpska (mostly Serbs), created after the Dayton Peace Agreement of 1995.
Dodik is at the epicenter of the most serious political crisis in the country since the war. In February, he was sentenced to a year in prison and banned from political activity for six years for ignoring the decisions of the international high representative Christian Schmidt.
An international arrest warrant was also issued last month, but Interpol refused to publish the so-called “red notice“. Dodik remains under sanctions by the US and UK for actions that violate the Dayton Agreement.
Known for his openly pro-Russian and separatist positions, Dodik continues to challenge the legitimacy of state institutions, challenging the fragile ethnic and political balance in Bosnia and Herzegovina.