Any thought of separating any part of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated part, Republika Srpska (RS), and giving it to some new Croat-dominated third entity in Bosnia would be treason, the RS opposition coalition, Alliance for Changes, said on Friday.

The coalition, which is running in the upcoming October general election as the ‘Alliance for Victory’, is at odds with Milorad Dodik, the President of Republika Srpska, Bosnia’s Serb-dominated semi-autonomous entity, and his party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD).

The two are now competing in efforts to convince voters that their opponents are traitors of the Bosnian Serbs.  

Dodik’s SNSD and the Croat Democratic Union (HDZ) have recently announced the creation of a post-election coalition. The HDZ has for years been pushing for the establishment of another, Croat-dominated territorial unit in the country, one similar to the RS.

The RS opposition now warned that parts of Republika Srpska could be given by their opponents to that third territorial unit.

“Modrica, Derventa, Brod, Samac and Sipovo are part of Republika Srpska and any thought of having any part of the territory chopped off for the creation of a third, ‘Croat entity’, represents the worst kind of breach of the RS Constitution,” the Alliance said in a press release, adding that Dodik’s support for such a new entity represents “gambling with Republika Srpska and is equal to treason.”

“With Dodik, there is a realistic danger of losing territory,” the Alliance said.