Since last summer’s arrest of Radovan Karadzic, General Ratko Mladic is the top remaining fugitive from the war in Bosnia. Mladic served as commander in chief of the army of the Serb Republic in Bosnia during the war, and the indictment against him handed down by ICTY accuses him of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
Mladic has evaded capture for more than a decade now. However, just this week, articles in the Manchester Guardian and International Herald Tribune expressed optimism about the search, with Serbian official Rajim Ljajic averring Mladic will be arrested.
Arresting Mladic will be difficult for the Serb government, since he remains very popular domestically. However, the EU has pressed Serbia to make the arrest, and the Serbian government continues to seek a path to EU membership. With membership looking very desirable in an uncertain economic climate, conditions may finally be right for the government to apprehend Mladic despite his domestic popularity.
