On Monday, February 10, hundreds of students took to the streets of Sarajevo to protest the government’s inaction following deadly floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina last October.
The demonstrators accused the authorities of failing to take responsibility for the deaths of 27 people in the floods and not providing sufficient aid to survivors.
“Where are the donations? Where is the reconstruction? Where is the transparency? Where is the accountability?” a large banner displayed by the protesters outside the parliament building read.
Imran Pašalić, president of the student parliament at Sarajevo University, explained that the protest was aimed at holding those responsible accountable for the deaths, including the 19 people killed by a landslide in an illegal quarry above Donja Jablanica.
Some protesters also expressed solidarity with students in Serbia, who are organizing their own anti-government demonstrations following a tragic railway disaster that killed 15 people.
In early October 2024, devastating floods and landslides swept through central and southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, destroying infrastructure and homes. The village of Donja Jablanica was particularly hard-hit, where the collapse of an illegal quarry claimed the lives of 19 individuals trapped beneath heavy stones.
