An unprecedented disaster took over twenty lives and left survivors with harrowing stories. On that tragic night, they fought alone, unaware of what was happening. But could things have been different? Nearly a year before the tragedy, an initiative for launching the cell broadcast system was supported in the Federal Parliament. This system would have allowed telecom operators to send a warning message to citizens' mobile phones before an impending catastrophe. We investigated why the system hasn't been activated and what progress has been made so far.

Since the initiative in 2023, until April 2024, no significant progress was made. In response to repeated parliamentary inquiries, telecom operators rather than the government addressed the issue, indicating some readiness to proceed with implementation.

HT Eronet stated that they had begun defining a possible technical solution and sent inquiries to potential suppliers. They estimated that implementation would take about four to five months, but it depended on integration with the State Operational Center, authorized to send alert messages.

BH Telecom highlighted numerous challenges that the competent authorities needed to address promptly. They emphasized their availability for a working meeting with representatives of the relevant institutions once they received a meeting date from the Ministry.

Whether the meeting took place or what the Ministry of Transport of the Federation has done in nearly a year, we have not received an answer. The Office of the Federal Prime Minister also failed to respond regarding actions taken. Some members of parliament argue that the executive branch did not respond to legislative incentives.

Admir Cavalic, MP in the PFBiH, stated that while human suffering should not be exploited for political purposes, the truth is that if the FBiH Government had responded in time, two telecom operators could have started preparations—one of them had already contacted suppliers about the possibility of implementing this system. He added that probably, in this case, residents of Jablanica and nearby areas would have received a timely warning message on their mobile phones, detailing the type of danger, what they could do, and how much time they had.

While parliamentarians emphasize that they will not give up on this issue, experts note that a solution is not far off. Meteorologist Nedim Sladic stated that they should find a way to at least copy from Western countries if they cannot create something new. He said there is no shame in copying, as people could receive a phone notification informing them of dangerous weather conditions expected in a particular area, and this system could also be used for other emergencies in the country.

The range of dangers such a system can address is illustrated by Croatian rescue teams, who have been using it since August of last year. Niksa Sladojevic from Croatian Civil Protection explained that in 2024, the system was used four times for dangerous weather events, clearing explosive devices, the threat of harmful gas spread at a plastic dump, and warnings to Croatian citizens abroad in Lebanon about war dangers.

Sladojevic, who also participated in rescue operations in Jablanica, recounted the residents’ lack of awareness about the impending danger they faced. He mentioned that while stationed in Jablanica, they spoke with people who were very interested in the situation. Through these conversations, they realized that even by eight or nine in the morning, the residents had no idea about the situation just a few kilometers away in Donja Jablanica.

Now we know. Therefore, Sladojevic emphasizes that Jablanica, Konjic, and Fojnica must serve as a lesson to everyone as soon as possible.