The Bosniak-American Advisory Council for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BAACBH) would like to pay tribute to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and wish them a happy Independence Day. On this day in 1992, the citizens of BiH overwhelmingly voted, in a referendum held across the country and supervised by international election monitors, for an independent state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

A genocidal war engulfed BiH after the declaration; killing thousands and displacing half of the BiH’s pre-war population. Today, we are not only celebrating our country’s independence, but are also remembering the innocent victims. The Dayton Peace Accords ended the war, but BiH still faces a number of challenges in its process of Euro-Atlantic integration and NATO membership.

As we extend our congratulations to the people of BiH, BAACBH will continue to advocate for an indivisible and sovereign BiH integrated into the EU and NATO.