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Bosnian Serb Leader Dodik Escalates Push for Secession Despite Arrest Warrant

Milorad Dodik advances separatist laws in Republika Srpska, defying Bosnia's constitutional order and international warnings.

President of Republika Srpska (Serb Republic) Milorad Dodik addresses his supporters reacting to court decision on charges that he defied rulings by an international peace envoy, in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Amel Emric/File Photo
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TOPSHOT - Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik (C) delivers a speech flanked by Serbia's President, in Banja Luka, northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, on February 26, 2025, following Milorad Dodik's one year prison sentence. Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik was sentenced on February 26, 2025, to a year in prison in a landmark trial for defying rulings made by an international envoy charged with overseeing the country's peace accords, after signing legislation that refused to recognise decisions made by Bosnia's international high representative, Christian Schmidt, and the constitutional court. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Milorad Dodik, leader of Bosnia's Serb Republic, has initiated a draft constitution granting the region sovereign authority, including the right to self-determination and the creation of a separate army and judiciary.
  • Bosnian state prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Dodik after he ignored a court summons and enacted laws barring federal judiciary and police from operating in Republika Srpska.
  • Dodik publicly challenged authorities to arrest him, vowing to resist with support from his regional police force and allies, including Russia and Serbia.
  • The crisis has drawn international condemnation, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and European leaders emphasizing the need to uphold the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended Bosnia's 1992-95 war.
  • The escalating dispute poses one of the most significant threats to Balkan stability since the conflicts following Yugoslavia's collapse in the 1990s.