Bosnians block roads over fuel prices

N1/Ilustracija

Bosnians travelling along several major roads across the country have on Sunday stopped their vehicles in the middle of the road for one hour to protest high fuel prices, mirroring Friday’s protest in neighboring Serbia.

The protest comes as a reaction to the third increase in fuel prices this year. The protesters say that, for them, an acceptable price for fuel would be between BAM 1,50 and BAM 1,70 per litre.

Roads were blocked in Tuzla, Banjaluka, Sarajevo, Jelah and other cities. The M 17 motorway, one of the country’s main roads, was blocked as well, while lines of vehicles between Doboj and Zepce were kilometres long.

Transportation companies have said they will gather everyone in this way daily at the same time until the Government starts listening to their demands.

The President of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated part, the semi-autonomous Republika Srpska (RS) entity, Milorad Dodik, reacted to the announced protest saying he will ask police to remove the vehicles from the road.

“You can’t stop your car somewhere on the street and endanger others or stop traffic, when someone might need an ambulance at that moment,” Dodik said, adding that the protest must be registered.