On 14 March 2025, several tens of students protested in front of the University campus in Sarajevo, demanding accountability for the tragic loss of lives in Jablanica due to the floods and illegal quarry collapse. The protesters are urging for a societal shift in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Supply-chain Risk Briefing: Bosnia and Herzegovina Student Protests

1. Summary

On March 14, 2025, dozens of students at the University of Sarajevo campus in Bosnia and Herzegovina held peaceful protests demanding accountability for the Jablanica floods and illegal quarry collapse incidents. The current scale of protests remains limited, with direct supply-chain impact assessed as low-level.

2. Supply-chain impact

• Mining industry: With the illegal quarry collapse emerging as a core protest issue, potential for increased regulatory pressure and operational suspension demands on Bosnia's quarrying and mineral extraction industry
• Construction materials supply: If quarry operational constraints intensify, disruptions may occur in domestic supply of construction materials such as stone and aggregates, increasing need for alternative sourcing from neighboring Croatia and Serbia
• Inland logistics network: Should social unrest spread, could act as temporary delay factor for Balkan inland logistics networks centered on Sarajevo
• Infrastructure reconstruction projects: Strengthened transparency demands in flood damage recovery processes raise concerns about slowed progress in related construction projects

3. Watch points

• Protest expansion: Need to track potential spread of protests beyond Sarajevo to major cities and scale increases that could lead to transportation disruptions in logistics hub areas
• Quarry regulation trends: Important to monitor government crackdowns on illegal quarries and spillover effects on legal quarry operations