There is concern for the safety of Muslims and Croats in Banja Luka in the wake of reports that abuses in the Serbian controlled town are on the increase. Recent cases have included the reported arrest and ill-treatment of two prominent members of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), the main Muslim party. A report on 1 October spoke of attacks on elderly people, including rape. Although the perpetrators are often unidentified, they appear to be soldiers or irregulars, and their actions fit into a systematic pattern aimed at forcing non-Serbs from the area. Other forms of pressure have included call-ups into the Bosnian-Serb army, or the bombing of houses and religious objects such as mosques.
