The government of the Yugoslav republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina declared its independence from Yugoslavia in April 1992. Over the next few years (1992-1995), Bosnian Serb forces targeted both Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) and Croatian civilians. These events included the killing of more than 100,000 people (80% were Bosniak), as well as the displacement of 2 million. These events happened in, and around, the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Sarajevo. This genocide was committed by units of the Army of the Republika Srpska under the command of General Ratko Mladić in 1995, and by Bosnian Serbs and Serbia in 1992. To learn more about the Bosnian War, we must take a look into the past. In this essay, I will inform about the details leading up to, during, and after the war.
A detailed look at the history of Yugoslavia and Bosnia can give a closer look at the events leading up to the Bosnian War, and why it occurred. After the end of World War I and the fall of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires, these groups joined together to form a country of their own: Yugoslavia. During the first few years after the new country was created, tensions developed due to varied political views. Bosnia was caught right in the middle of this developing tension. During World War II, Josip Broz was the glue that held the country of Yugoslavia together. He did this by ruling under a communist/socialist dictatorship, and ensuring that no ethnic group dominated. A peaceful co-existence existed, and authorities made sure to defuse any ethnic tensions and develop an overall Yugoslav identity. But, after Josip Broz died in 1980, old tensions arose and the peace faded away. Many tried to come to power, but Slobodan Milosevic ended up rising to power in 1987. Slobodan Milosevic started a terrifying propaganda campaign that was fueled off of feelings of hatred. Slobodan Milosevic had a vision of an ethnically pure Serb-dominated state, and this understandably terrified the other regions and led them to question their future in the republic. The idea of independence began to spread throughout the regions, and Slovenia and Croatia were the first to declare their independence. Most of the regions were not able to leave Yugoslavia peacefully, due to high tensions between ethnic groups, and war broke out. Bosnia was the most multi-ethnic out of Yugoslavia’s republics, and it suffered the worst fate. As worldwithoutgenocide.org states, “The multi-ethnic republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina quickly became the site of the deadliest warfare and the target of ‘ethnic cleansing.” ( Sandro Krkljes). These events that gradually took place over 40+ years resulted in a genocide of grand proportions.
The events that took place during the Bosnian War were tragic; the genocides resulted in the fatality of about 100,000 people, and the displacement of around 2 million. The majority of the killing took place in July 1995, during the Srebrenica genocide, where 8,000 were killed. Starting in April 1992, Serbia began to “ethnically cleanse” Bosnian territory. Serbia and ethnic Bosnian Serbs used military weapons to attack Bosniaks; they surrounded Sarajevo. Bosniaks were taken to concentration camps, raped, murdered, tortured, and starved. In July 1995, General Ratko Mladic gathered Serb forces; they set their sights towards the town of Srebrenica. The force against the Serbs was extremely weak; they were only protected by 450 Dutch peacekeepers with light fuel and expired ammunition. Due to these terrible circumstances, Srebrenica lost to the Serb forces in only one day. 25,000 women and children were expelled from the town, 15,000 were being hunted down, and approximately 3,000 were killed. Endgenocide.org states, “The atrocities committed at Srebrenica are considered to be the worst on European soil after the Holocaust.” (FIND AUTHORS). Though Bosnian government forces tried to defend the areas, Bosnian Serb forces were in control of nearly three-quarters of the country. Several peace proposals were attempted and failed when the Serbs refused to give up any territory. The United Nations did not do much to help, as they refused to intervene in the conflict in Bosnia. The U.N. tried to establish “safe areas,” some of which included Srebrenica and Sarajevo, but these did not prove to be effective. Each area failed and was ethnically cleansed. The U.S. government refused to intervene. But, in May 1993, the International Criminal Tribunal at The Hague was created by the U.N. Security Council (which later helped charge more than 160 individuals). In 1994, NATO initiated air strikes against the Bosnian Serbs in order to the stop the attacks. According to hmh.org, “In December 1995, U.S.-led negotiations in Dayton, Ohio (The Dayton Peace Accords) ended the conflict in Bosnia, and a force was created to maintain the ceasefire.” (FIND AUTHORS). The horrors that took place from 1992-1995 have left a stain in our history.
The Bosnian war ended in 1995 with a peace agreement negotiated in Dayton, Ohio. According to ushmm.org, “It established two state “entities” the Serb Republic, which includes Srebrenica, and the Bosnian Federation joined by a weak central government.” (FIND AUTHORS). After the war, major assistance came in the form of reconstruction efforts, UN agencies, foreign governments and militaries, and around $14 billion for aid. Although the Dayton Accords were very successful in stopping the war, it is said that it is not a permanent solution. And has only further divided Bosnia’s ethnic groups. Although refugees had the right to return home, only a small amount of the population has gone back to Srebrenica. The International Criminal Tribunal at The Hague has charged more than 160 people and convicted more than 60. Those included in the convictions were Serb, Croat, and Bosniaks. Endgenocide.org states, “It was ruled in 2001 that genocide occurred in Srebrenica, and in 2007 the International Court of Justice stated that Serbia violated the Genocide Convention by not doing enough to prevent it.” (FIND AUTHOR). Slobodan Milosevic ended up receiving 3 indictments, out of the accused 66, from The International Criminal Tribunal at The Hague for crimes in 1999, 1991, 1992, and 1995. Ratko Mladic was finally captured, after escaping arrest for over a decade, and is faced with 11 charges. Over 20,000 people are still missing, and many survivors have to live not knowing what has happened to those they knew. Endgenocide.org explains, “In 1995, President Bill Clinton founded the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) to aid in the search and identification of missing persons found at disaster sites or war zones using forensic methods that matches the DNA of survivors to the unearthed remains.” (FIND AUTHORS). Around 7,000 bodies have been identified in Srebrenica. Life after the Bosnian war has been devastating for most, although an effort is being made.