WASHINGTON, March 14 (FENA) – The entity of Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik is taking provocative steps to neutralize international oversight in Bosnia and Herzegovina and ensure de facto secession for his Republika Srpska, according to the US intelligence community’s annual threat assessment, a public document released every year prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

“The annual threat assessment of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence regarding the Western Balkans and Bosnia and Herzegovina is clear and straightforward,” stated the US Embassy in BiH on the X platform.

The report emphasizes that Dodik’s actions could prompt Bosniak leaders to bolster their own capacity to protect their interests and possibly lead to violent conflicts that could overwhelm peacekeeping forces.

The annual U.S. Intelligence Community Threat Assessment reflects the collective knowledge of the U.S. intelligence community and focuses on the most immediate and serious threats to the United States, mostly during the coming year. One of the categories of threats is potential internal insecurity.

The Western Balkans section of the report states that the region is likely to face an increased risk of localized inter-ethnic violence during 2024.

Nationalist leaders are likely to exacerbate tension for their political advantage and outside actors will reinforce and exploit ethnic differences to increase or protect their regional influence or thwart greater Balkan integration into the EU or Euro–Atlantic institutions, the report stated.