KUTI RESIDENTS HAVE BLOCKED LOCAL ROAD FOR FIVE DAYS, CITY AUTHORITIES DO NOT SEE THEM

MOSTAR, FEBRUARY 2 /SRNA/ –Residents of Kuti village outside Mostar have been blocking the local road for five days to protect the property of Serb returnees and to prevent deminers hired by a foreign investor from clearing the Zukulja hill to open a quarry.

A few days ago, workers of the Mine Action Centre in BiH /BHMAC/ were supposed to bring deminers into the area at the investor's request. However, the residents blocked the passage on the local road, which is partially privately owned as it passes through private properties and was opened for the residents' use. Since the investor has not given up on their intention to bring deminers to the future quarry site, the villagers have been blocking the road for days. They say what saddens them most is that none of the city administration officials see or hear their problems. The residents point out that it is sad that the Mayor of Mostar, Mario Kordić, only visits certain neighborhoods when there are garbage issues, but does not see his residents who have been standing on the road for days, fighting for their land for years and months. Resident Krsto Lozo says they have been standing guard on the road for five days and will stay there as long as necessary. "We will not let them pass and destroy us! We will persist in this fight. The road is now blocked. This is private land! A man from Serbia came over the weekend and blocked it. Now we are using an alternative route over private land to get to our homes," Lozo said. He emphasized that the fight continues and there is no surrender. "We don't want anyone to get rich off our land. We have children too; they need to have decent life in the future. We want to make sure they can live here," Lozo added. Among the residents protesting and blocking the road is Nebojša Radić, a priest from Bijelo Polje, who said he regretted not being able to join the people earlier, but now that he is here, he will stand by them. "I'm here to help them protect their homes and their lives. This is a healthy environment, but with the construction of the quarry, it is likely that this will no longer be the case," said Priest Radić. For years, the residents of Kuti, mostly Serb returnees and their Bosniak and Croat neighbours, have been trying to prevent what they claim is the illegal opening of the quarry, fearing that the area will become a new Donja Jablanica. As their last line of defence, they are using the fact that the road to the quarry is being cleared through their land. For years, they have been blocking the investor's trucks with their bodies; they also have to fight against certain city services that are determined to clear a path for the private quarry of foreign investors.