Protests and Riots in Bosnia and Herzegovina

[acmilano]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O9FRHxe_eA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hundreds protesting the country's rampant unemployment, which has nearly reached 40 percent, gathered in Sarajevo and several other cities on Saturday. Stones were thrown at the home of the head of the cantonal government in the north-western city of Bihac, but the gatherings were otherwise peaceful.

It came as a marked change from Friday, when at least 200 were injured and protesters stormed a number of government buildings across several cities, with some of them set on fire. In Sarajevo,Bosnia's presidency building and the national archive were set alight. In Tuzla, where the protests began on Wednesday, the regional parliament was torched.

Calm had returned somewhat on Saturday, with citizens in Tuzla returning to the street to sweep up rubble and broken glass from the riots. Despite the resignation of the local government in the industrial city, however, the protesters are set to stick to their cause.

"I'm glad we did it," Sanela Fetic, an unemployed 35-year-old, told news agency Reuters. "Now we'll clean up the mess, like we'll clean up the politicians who made this happen."

Demonstrators had taken to the streets in Tuzla to protest against job losses and corruption. Four privatized formerly state-owned companies have collapsed, with one in four people unemployed. Protests had spread to other cities by Thursday, and turned violent in Sarajevo on Friday.

'20 years of accumulated rage'

The fine ethnic balance struck in the wake of the 1992-1995 Bosnian War has hindered much-needed financial reforms and the country's chances of joining the European Union. The political inertia has led to the high levels of unemployment.

"This is about 20 years of accumulated rage coming to the surface, and it's very difficult to assess what will happen next," political analyst Enver Kazaz told Bosnian newspaper Dnevni Avaz.

"The protesters come mostly from a generation of youngsters without hope, whose future has practically been taken away from them."

ph/tj (Reuters, AP, dpa)

DW.DE

http://www.dw.de/bosnia-protests-take-peaceful-turn-after-fridays-riots/a-17419454

 

 

 

Bosnians were working to clean the streets of their capital on Sunday, and assessing the political ramifications of three days of unprecedented unrest over unemployment, political paralysis and corruption that for some brought back painful memories of the Balkan country’s 1992-95 war.

Small protests were held in the capital, Sarajevo, where protesters threw stones at the home of the head of the cantonal government, in Mostar in the west and the central town of Bugojno.

But there was little sign of the kind of rioting that has left hundreds of people injured, most of them police officers.

Police in Mostar were out in force, stopping and checking cars entering the town, which is divided between Croats and Muslim Bosniaks. In Tuzla, the epicentre of the demonstrations, dozens helped to clear debris from the gutted building of the local government.

“I’m glad we did it,” said unemployed Sanela Fetic, 35, who took part in both the protests and the clean-up. “Now we’ll clean up this mess, like we’ll clean up the politicians who made this happen.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/bosnian-riots-we-will-clean-up-this-mess-as-we-will-clean-up-politicians-9117704.html

Returned to my hometown Sarajevo in sunday from visiting family abroad and found confusion and fear in the city. Everywhere people calling on burning of political parties headquoters and homes of corrupted politicians. Few local governments already resigned and protestors demand that Prime Minister Nermin Niksic resign,but he is refusing so far only bringing more fuel on fire.

This just had to happen. Afer the war in 1992-1995 we never really recover,thanks to horrible corruption and political bickering between political parties. People finaly snapped and violence started. I just hope that this won't turn into ethnic conflicts and new war. Hope for the best,but who knows what would happen. This country suffered enough already.

Edited February 12, 2014 by acmilano

[Mr. House]

Well I'd give an opinion, but I can't read the damn thing.