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FEMYSO calls for international action to secure sustainable peace in Bosnia & Herzegovina

As the voice of Muslim Youth in Europe we call for immediate action to avoid grave consequences in Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH).

As an organisation we find it a complete dereliction of duty that numerous governments and multilateral institutions have remained silent in response to recent actions taken by Republika Srpska to cause division and escalate tensions in BiH.

The Dayton agreement signed in December 1995 provided a basis for all actors in Bosnia & Herzegovina to operate in a manner which prioritised peace. However, Republika Srpska officials are actively undermining the agreement, stoking tensions in order to meet their ambitions for a mono-ethnic state.

FEMYSO President Hande Taner said “FEMYSO is mandated by our Member Organisations to commemorate Srebrenica every single year, having spoken to local voices in BiH, we are deeply concerned that Europe is sleepwalking into another situation which could see a repeat of this devastating event which saw 100.000 perish and 1.1 million displaced only a few decades ago.”

FEMYSO echoes demands from Bosnian civil society and calls for the following actions from European leaders:

– Punish Milorad Dodik and his partners for violating the Dayton Agreement;
– Actively support actors who work on a multi-ethnic Bosnia and Herzegovina;
– Avoid language that equates the actions of aggressors to the victims of said aggression;
– Take all necessary actions to prevent a conflict that would inevitably spill over to other countries in the Balkans and in the wider region.

FEMYSO remains committed and stands with all who call for peace in our region, and denounce all those that seek to divide and destroy our societies with their poisonous language and actions.

END

Notes:   

  1. FEMYSO (est. 1996) is a network organisation for 33 Muslim youth and student organisations across 20 European countries, and is the leading voice for European Muslim youth, developing and empowering them, and working to build a more diverse, cohesive and vibrant Europe.    
  2. For more media-related information or requests please email media@femyso.org.