Sarajevo- The courts in Bosnia and Herzegovina face "serious challenges" in trying war crimes cases outstanding from the 1992-95 war and need international assistance, Human Rights Watch said in Sarajevo Thursday.

The New York-based organization said thousands of unresolved cases remained before the courts in the Bosnia-Herzegovina Republic of Srpska, some of them involving serious crimes.

"Victims have been waiting for more than a decade to see justice done," Human Rights Watch spokesman Joshua Franco said.

Prosecutors' offices lacked sufficient staff, cooperation between prosecutors and police, and between police in different zones, were problematic, the organization said.

In addition, the legal system suffered from "serious deficiencies."

The report was published on the organization's website, www. hrw. org. (dpa)