More than twenty-six years after the civil war, when more than 100,000 people lost their lives, Bosnia and Herzegovina is once again on the verge of collapse.

Milorad Dodik, leader of the Serb-dominated parts of the country, has said that he intends for Republika Srpska to withdraw from national joint institutions and build a parallel society with, among other things, its own army, tax authority and judiciary.

- What many have been hooked on and which has aroused such strong feelings is that he has, among other things, included the army in this.

That Serbian soldiers should be withdrawn from the national Bosnia-Herzegovina army and create their own Serbian army for Republika Srpska, says Andreas Karlsson at the Foreign Policy Institute, UI.

Risk of conflict

The message now risks increasing the risk of political and military conflict.

And the UN voted on November 3 to extend the international peacekeeping force in the country.

- It evokes memories of a war that was extremely brutal and characterized by war crimes and genocide.

So this is something that arouses strong feelings in the country and the outside world as well, says Andreas Karlsson.

It was through a peace agreement in 1995 that Bosnia was divided into two administrative units - the Republika Srpska with Serbian majority and the Bosnian Croat Croat Federation.

The two regions have a degree of autonomy with joint institutions at the state level, including the president, parliament and its cabinet, the army, the supreme judiciary and the tax administration.

The solution is judged to have been necessary for the peace agreement but has created difficulties for the political work.

"Not reconciled"

According to Andreas Karlsson, it is now in the interest of the Western powers, the USA and the EU, to mark against the outcome and keep Bosnia and Herzegovina together.

- The big problem for Bosnia and Herzegovina is that they have not moved forward when it comes to reconciliation between the various ethnic groups in the country.

If Bosnia and Herzegovina is to be able to move forward, it is necessary to start a functioning and lasting reconciliation process between these three major ethnic groups in the country.

And whoever manages to get one, I think would definitely be worth a peace prize in such a case.