In Sarajevo, on February 10th, hundreds of students protested due to authorities’ lack of accountability for the deaths of 27 individuals in early October and their delayed assistance to survivors.
The catastrophe resulted from heavy rain causing flooding and landslides on October 4, devastating central and southern Bosnia and Herzegovina by destroying homes, roads, and bridges.
Nineteen individuals perished in Donja Jablanica due to an illegal quarry collapse, with an investigation yet to commence. The incident exposed the challenges of coordinating funds in the fragmented Balkan nation with multiple governments.
Reconstruction efforts and aid allocation from the European Union and other foreign entities have been sluggish, prompting protesters to raise concerns about transparency and responsibility through banners outside the state parliament.
Imran Pasalic, president of the Sarajevo University Students Parliament, highlighted the students’ demand for accountability from those involved in the tragedy above Donja Jablanica.
Bosnia, still recovering from the ethnic divisions following the 1990s war with around 100,000 casualties, faces ongoing challenges in uniting its population.
In a show of solidarity, some students expressed support for their counterparts in Serbia, who protested a railway station accident that claimed 15 lives in November, escalating into a political predicament.