On 14 March 2025, an older man attacked a female student in Obrenovac, attempting to strangle her until a group of people and police reacted and prevented greater consequences. The student marched from Loznica to Belgrade to support the student protests and shouted 'we are not giving Jadar away', alluding to Rio Tinto and the Serbian government's mining endeavors, and was attacked shortly after that.

Supply-chain Risk Briefing

Summary

On March 14, 2025, in Obrenovac, Serbia, a female student participating in protests against Rio Tinto's Jadar mine development was attacked. The victim was assaulted immediately after marching from Loznica to Belgrade chanting "We will not give up Jadar," but major harm was prevented through intervention by citizens and police. This is classified as a medium-level violence incident, representing a case where social conflict related to mineral development has escalated to individual-level attacks.

Supply-chain impact

• Rio Tinto's Jadar mine project aims for lithium production and could impact securing lithium, a critical raw material in the electric vehicle battery supply chain
• Increased likelihood of delays in mining permits and operational startup schedules due to spreading anti-mineral development protests within Serbia
• Social instability in the Balkans region could negatively impact Europe's mineral supply diversification strategy
• Protest activities in the Belgrade-Obrenovac corridor raise concerns of temporary disruptions to regional logistics movement
• From an ESG perspective, community conflicts may influence international investors' willingness to participate in the project

Watch points

• Track Serbian government policy changes regarding the Jadar mine project and negotiation progress with Rio Tinto
• Monitor whether student protests and local resident opposition activities expand in scale and government response approaches
• Observe alternative project reviews and investment direction changes for securing European lithium supply chains