Bosanski Šamac: Economy Unites Serbs, Bosniaks, and Croats

Bosanski Šamac is a municipality in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina where inter-ethnic intolerance has been reduced to a minimum, after the bloody conflicts that struck BiH in the early 1990s, writes the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

This was also evident yesterday, during the funeral and burial of the President of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) Sulejman Tihić, when, in addition to Bosniaks, his fellow citizens of other faiths, primarily Serbs and Croats, also came to his final farewell in the harem of the White Mosque in the city center.

Precisely about this coexistence and the joint efforts of the citizens of Bosanski Šamac to shape their community to suit everyone, spoke yesterday Reverend Josip Janjić, parish priest at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Bosanski Šamac, who came to pay his last respects to his, as he said, great friend Tihić.

- We have no other choice but to help each other. Only then can things get better for all of us – said Rev. Janjić to a Patria reporter.

- You just interrupted me while I was thinking about the days I spent with Tihić. He used to visit our church at least once a year, mostly in June, where we would talk for a long time. He was a true believer, and as such, he deeply respected us, and we respected him. Because of his and our approach, both sides could only benefit.

The municipality of Šamac is located on the right bank of the Sava River. In addition to the Sava, the Bosna River also flows through the city, where it empties.

The territory of the municipality of Šamac was significantly larger before the bloody conflicts, and it was inhabited by more than 30,000 residents. Now, part of the territory belongs to the municipality of Odžak and the post-Dayton municipality of Domaljevac-Šamac.

The city of Bosanski Šamac itself was mainly inhabited by Bosniaks (half of the population) but also by Croats, Serbs, and others, while the surrounding villages were inhabited by Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Serbs.

Due to its proximity to the navigable Sava River, developed railway infrastructure, proximity to Croatia, and extremely fertile land, the municipality was economically very developed. However, many facilities were destroyed in the conflicts, as well as due to poor post-war privatization.

At the beginning of 1992, Bosniaks and Croats were expelled from their homes, and about 7,000 Bosnian Serbs were settled in their place from other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today, all of that is changing back to the way it was.

In addition to Tihić, who was a well-known lawyer in this city before the nineties, Alija Izetbegović, the first president of the Presidency of independent Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Zoran Đinđić, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, were also born in Bosanski Šamac.

Predrag Marinković, one of the local politicians in Bosanski Šamac, explained to Patria that the situation regarding inter-ethnic relations in this place is now so good that he can no longer remember when an inter-ethnic conflict occurred between his fellow citizens.

Even the return of displaced persons in this place is better compared to other municipalities in Republika Srpska. More than 90 percent of the pre-war Bosniak population has returned to the city itself. This is largely due to the more favorable economic situation of this municipality compared to some others. Although many pre-war factories were destroyed, people earn money by engaging in agriculture and through smaller companies.

Those in the know say that the more favorable economic situation in Bosanski Šamac has precisely led to citizens of all confessions thinking more about development and progress than about inter-ethnic tensions.

- I often talked with Tihić about that coexistence. He often visited the cafe I go to. We would talk about everything, and mostly about the beauty of neighborly help – says Marinković.

- The fact that Tihić sincerely believed in life in Šamac is best confirmed by the fact that his son and his family returned to live here, his children go to school here – said Marinković, writes NAP.