As the student-led anti-corruption protests continue across Serbia, students across neighbouring countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro have also taken to the streets demanding better governance. These protests come after massive anti-graft demonstrations broke out in Serbia, hinting at government instability across the Balkans.
In the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, the protests began after students took to the streets to demand answers behind the government's lack of action during the 2024 October floods.
In October 2024, around 29 people were killed after floods in the region triggered a landslide of rubble from an illegal quarry.
The protests, which started as a way to seek answers from Bosnia's divided government about the flood but have no developed into protests demanding for more transparency from the government and its agencies.
As per Imran Pašalić, president of the Student Parliament of the University of Sarajevo, the protests are not only to "seek justice for the victims, but also the responsibility of the institutions that failed to protect citizens."
Echoes Of Unrest Reach Montenegro
In Montenegro, which borders both Bosnia and Serbia, students are demanding the removal of top security officials due to two separate mass shooting incidents.
In less than three years, Montenegro saw two mass shootings which resulted in the death of 23 people, including children.
The most recent mass shooting took place in January 2205 which resulted in the deaths of 12 people, including two children.
Chanting "killers" and "resignations", students protested outside the Interior Ministry in Podgorica, seeking the resignation of Interior Minister Danilo Šaranović and Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Defense Aleksa Bečić.
As per students, the victims died on the watch of these security officials. "Since they failed to protest us, they must step down," student leader Milo Perović told AP.
What Triggered The Protests In Serbia?
Student protests in Serbia broke out after a canopy collapse at a railway station in Novi Sad. The collapse, which took place on November 1, led to the deaths of 15 people.
Students have now been protesting for 100 days as they continue to demand from the government. The protests have now expanded from seeking answers for the canopy collapse to the ongoing corruption within the Serbian government.
While President Aleksandar Vucic described the protests as a "colour revolution funded by foreign agents," PM Milos Vucevic and Novi Sad mayor Milan Djuric submitted their resignations stating they did not want to "further raise tensions in society."
These resignations also follow after attacks were carried out against the protesting students by men allegedly sent by the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).
Instability Across The Balkan Nations
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the recent flood disasters revealed the problems in channelling funds in the fragmented country. Despite donations from the European Union and other foreign governments, authorities have been slow to dispense the aid.
Adding to the tensions is Bosnia's divided government. The Balkan country, which was part of Yugoslavia, was ethnically divided after the war in the 1990s.
However, the student protests go beyond this ethnic divide. Bosnian students have expressed their support for the anti-government protests in Serbia.
The student protests across all three former Yugoslavian nations reflect the current state of the Balkan nations, which continue to remain plagued by complaints of corruption, mismanagement and incompetence.
Adding to this, Croatia and Slovenia have also expressed their support for the ongoing student protests in the neighbouring countries.
