Croats of Derventa outraged: For Čović, only Mostar exists

DERVENTA, (Patria) – The Croatian Jutarnji list has produced a report on Croats living in villages in the Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska near Derventa, and they have seen the difficult life of returnees. Young people have long been absent, as has help from the authorities. Almost all aid comes from Croatia.

Some of the interviewees told journalists that for the president of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, the Croats of Derventa do not exist, nor does the entire Posavina region. They feel forgotten and left to their own devices.  

Father Mirko Filipović arrived in 2003. He says that for years, in his annual report to the Diocese in Sarajevo, he has only filled in the Register of the Dead, while the Register of Baptisms remains empty.

He points out that today, around 800 Croats actually live in the Derventa area, which is probably the highest number of Croats in one place in Republika Srpska, but compared to the pre-war 22,000, it is almost at the level of a statistical error. Asked how he views the "love" between Čović and Dodik, he says:

- Čović should answer those questions, those are their matters and their thoughts, and I cannot influence that in any way. As for Croatia and its reaction, it reflects the problems Croatia is facing in its own country, so they take an interest in Bosnia only when there are some incidents here, and even then they go to Mostar. Does anyone else exist besides Mostar? Perhaps not. There is no systematic action across the entire territory, so that the diversity of views, perspectives, assessments... can be seen and decisions made based on that. That does not happen. Decisions are made by someone rushing to Mostar and picking up information from the same people they might later attack, and so it goes in circles - says Father Mirko, adding further clarification.

- But perhaps that is logical, because in Herzegovina there are people, society functions normally in some way, while here everything is reduced to remnants of remnants. However, on the other hand, it could be turned around. There is that story of Jesus about the good shepherd, who went to look for the lost sheep, leaving the other hundred until he rescues it. So, if one part of the people is in trouble, then more energy should be invested in them to help, correct... because there was no small number of people here. Excluding Mostar, more Croats lived in Posavina than in Herzegovina. What happened to people here did not happen because they wanted it – said Father Mirko.