The leaders of the SDS felt the large Bosniak and Croatian population, living in the zones they had claimed as part of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, presented a major obstacle to the establishment of their State.

The establishment of this State and the protection of its boundaries therefore implied, in time, the complete evacuation, or "ethnic cleansing", of practically all Bosnian Bosniaks and Croats.

[citation needed] Crises groups were formed to act as organs of coordination and execution of the main elements of the operational phase of the plan and to take over the administration of the regions and the municipalities.

His position enabled him to facilitate the ethnic cleansing by putting all of the instruments of State power (media, central administration, housing authority, health service, police, legal system, means of production and employment) in the hands of the governing bodies and those persons committed to an ethnically pure Serb State.

The Trial Chamber of the ICTY was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that during the period covered in the Indictment and already before then, Brđanin was a leading political figure in the ARK and held key positions.

[3] Brđanin’s application for early release was rejected in 2020 based on the seriousness of his offences and due to his failure to demonstrate that he was sufficiently rehabilitated.

Dodik wrote that "with Brdjanin’s death we have lost a true patriot who sacrificed a large part of his life for freedom and existence of the Serb people in this region".