Who is bothered by coexistence in Doboj?

Doboj is one of the few municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina where the majority of local authorities want to improve coexistence between the Serb population and Bosniak returnees, after the bloody conflicts that claimed hundreds of innocent lives in this city in 1992.

However, the efforts of the Mayor of Doboj, Obren Petrović, to try to turn citizens of all nationalities more towards the future and less towards the past are not supported by the authorities in the BiH entity of Republika Srpska, and perhaps the strongest resistance to coexistence in the city on the Bosna River is offered by the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), even to the extent that Petrović himself does not rule out the possibility that, if he continues to advocate for pro-Bosnian policies in Doboj, he could even be arrested, writes the BiH news agency Patria.

During the catastrophic floods in May 2014, which completely submerged the city, Obrenović was removed from the position of head of Civil Protection. The entity authorities resented him for accepting aid from the Federation of BiH.

Momir Zec, commander of the Majevica Brigade of the East Bosnian Corps of the VRS, against whom the Tuzla prosecutor's office filed a criminal complaint in 2007 on suspicion of committing war crimes, was appointed to Pertović's position.

The dismissal of Obrenović was personally ordered by the Prime Minister of RS, Željka Cvijanović, a close associate of the President of RS, Milorad Dodik.

Perhaps the most severe accusations against Obrenović so far came at the beginning of March this year. After Doboj was admitted to the Union of Municipalities of the Turkish World, which was a strategic move by Obrenović to attract Turkish investors to Doboj, the Serbian Orthodox Church called him a Serbian traitor and demanded the immediate annulment of his decision.

The public was once again shocked by news from Doboj on Friday, when it was announced that unknown perpetrators attempted to set fire to the state flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with the American flag, writes Patria.