Bosnian Serbs Prepare Biggest 'Statehood Day' Celebration

Ignoring objections from Bosniak political leaders and international officials, Bosnia's Serbs prepared the biggest-ever celebration of their disputed January 9 'statehood' holiday, underlining the continuing divisions in the country.

Decorations have been in place for weeks, overshadowing those installed for New Year's Eve, with thousands of flags flying throughout Banja Luka.

One poster featured a picture of Republika Srpska's wartime leader Radovan Karadzic, whose appeal against his genocide conviction is pending, alongside that of the entity's current President Milorad Dodik.

There was an increased police presence in Banja Luka, the administrative centre of Republika Srpska, where the centre was closed to traffic ahead of the celebration, which marks the date in 1992 when the Bosnian Serbs declared the founding of Republika Srpska.

On Monday in Banja Luka, the youth wing of Republika Srpska's ruling Alliance of the Independent Social Democrats gave out flags and Republika Srpska 'passports' - small brochures with information on the entity and its tourism potential.

The celebration is going ahead despite the continuing repercussions of a state-level Constitutional Court ban in 2015 and complaints from the country's Bosniaks, who regard the establishment of Republika Srpska as the prelude to the 1990s war.

The central public focus of the celebration is set to be a Soviet military-style parade in which hundreds of police officers, firefighters, prison guards, members of the Civil Protection force and even members of the Republika Srpska Hunters' Association are to march along Banja Luka's main street.

January 9. Awards will be handed out, with recipients including former Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic. His successor...