Stop secessionist rhetoric or face sanctions, EU tells Bosnian Serb leaders

FILE PHOTO: EU flags flutter in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 2, 2019. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

(Reuters) - The Bosnian Serb leadership risks sanctions and a loss of aid should it continue to incite tensions among Bosnian communities with inflammatory rhetoric as used during the celebrations of its statehood day on Sunday, the EU said on Monday.

Jan. 9 marks the date in 1992 when Bosnian Serbs declared independence, triggering a war in which 100,000 were killed. It also coincides with the Serbian Orthodox Christian holiday.