Judges at The Hague have rejected a request to split the war crimes trial for ex-Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladic into two separate trials.

The court said Thursday that splitting the indictment could prejudice Mladic, make the proceedings less manageable and unduly burden witnesses.

Prosecutors requested the separate trials, fearing Mladic will not be able to survive a lengthy trial covering all the charges against him due to his frail health.

The 69-year-old Mladic is charged with genocide and war crimes in the 1992-to-1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He has been accused of crimes against humanity, including planning the death of 8,000 Muslim men and boys over a six-day period in 1995.

Mladic was treated earlier this week for a possible case of pneumonia.

A spokeswoman for the Hague-based international war crimes tribunal confirmed Tuesday that Mladic was given medical treatment in a hospital but would give no further details, citing patient confidentiality.

Authorities located Mladic in May and extradited him to The Hague after 16 years on the run.