Serb Autonomous Region

The Serb Autonomous Regions (SAOs) were self-proclaimed administrative areas within Bosnia and Herzegovina during the early 1990s. These regions were established in areas with significant Serb populations as the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia began to disintegrate.1

The SAOs were part of a broader effort by Bosnian Serbs, supported by Serbia, to resist Bosnia and Herzegovina's move towards independence. This led to the Bosnian War (1992-1995), characterized by ethnic cleansing and widespread conflict. The SAOs were eventually consolidated into the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, later known as Republika Srpska. The conflict resulted in a high death toll and significant displacement of populations. The Dayton Accords in 1995 established a federalized Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Republika Srpska as one of its two main entities.234