Bosnian Genocide
Summary of Genocide - Timeline
May 25, 1993: The
UN Security
1991: Republics of Council establishes
Slovenia and
the ICTY
Croatia declared
independence
from Yugoslavia
199
1
1992: Bosnia’s
independence from
Yugoslavia
recognized by the
US and European
Union
July 11-19, 1995:
Srebrenica
genocide:
Bosnian Serb
forced killed over
8,000 Bosnian
Muslim men and
boys.
Summer 1995: Bosnian
Serb army prepared to
“capture and cleanse”
the 3 towns in eastern
Bosnia, declared as
“safe havens” by the
international community
in 1993.
December 1995:
Peace agreement
negotiated in
Dayton, Ohio known
as the Dayton
Accords
1996
August 1995:
NATO intervention:
3 weeks bombing
on Bosnian Serb
positions
Map
Background
Bosnia is one of several small countries
(about a third the size of England) that
emerged from the break-up of Yugoslavia.
Population of 4.5 million.
Bosnia-Herzegovina is a mountainous
country.
a multicultural country created after World
War I by the victorious Western Allies.
Captured by Nazi Germany in WWII but
gained independence again after German
defeat.
Joseph Tito was the communist leader who
reunified Yugoslavia.
Josip Broz Tito
Yugoslavia was a mixture of ethnic and religious
groups that had been historical rivals, even bitter
enemies,
– Serbs (Orthodox Christians),
– Croats (Catholics)
– and ethnic Albanians (Muslims).
Maintained ties with the USSR and the US
during the Cold War, playing one superpower
against the other.
When he died in 1980 Yugoslavia went into
political and economical turmoil.
New Leader was Slobodan Milosevic who
rekindled a lot of the religious hatred between
groups.
Location of Ethnic Groups
Perpetrators
When: April 1992- December 1995
Who: Bosnian Serbs, Slobodan
Milosevic
Radovan Karadzic
(1945-present)
Supreme
Commander of the
Bosnian Serb Army
Slobodan Milosevic
(1941- 2006)
President of Serbia
Ratko Mladic
(1942-present)
Bosnian Serb military
leader
Slobodan Milosevic
Victims
Casualties: Over 100,000 (between
130,000 and 150,000)
– Causes: Execution, torture, exhaustion
Targets: Primarily Bosnian Muslims (65%
Muslims, 22% Serbs, 8% Croats, and 5%
Others)
– Serbs – Orthodox Christians
– Croats – Catholics
– Bosniaks – Muslims
Refugees: Hundreds of thousands
The Genocide occurred because of the breakup
of the former Yugoslavia. (Former countries
were wanting independence.)
– In June 1991, Slovenia and Croatia (regions in
Yugoslavia) both declared their independence
resulting in civil war.
Slobodan Milosevic ( a Serb) was the leader of
Yugoslavia. He didn’t care about Slovenia (no
Serbs – actually he was pushed out by the
Slovenians)
Instead he focused on Croatia where Serbs
were a minority.
Genocide
Slobodan Milosevic
led the Serbs and
had a huge military
advantage
Troops were ordered
to gather up mass
Muslims and shoot
them or force them to
flee their village.
Fighting Begins
Croatia
Milosevic's forces invaded in July 1991 to 'protect'
the Serbian minority.
They bombarded the outgunned Croats for 86
consecutive days and reduced a main city to
rubble.
The Serbs began the first mass executions of the
conflict, killing hundreds of Croat men and burying
them in mass graves.
The response of the international community was
limited.
An arms embargo was imposed for all of the former
Yugoslavia by the United Nations. (Didn’t help because
Serbian forces were best armed forces in the region.)
Fighting turns to Bosnia
In April 1992, the U.S. and European
Community chose to recognize the
independence of Bosnia, (a mostly Muslim
country)
Milosevic attacked Sarajevo (Bosnian
Capital)
Serb snipers continually shot down helpless
civilians in the streets, including over 3,500
children.
Serbs began to roundup local Muslims
similar to the events that occurred under
the Nazis.
The term “ethnic cleansing” was coined
during this time.
The Genocide
Young child who
was murdered by
military officers.
Police regularly
committed human
rights abuses in the
form of torture or
physical abuse.
People young and
old were thrown in
trucks and shipped
off to their deaths.
Escapees were shot
or decapitated if
caught.
Response to Serb Actions
Despite media reports of the secret camps, the mass
killings, and the destruction of Muslim mosques and
historic architecture, the world community remained
indifferent.
The U.N. deployed troops to protect the distribution of
food and medicine to dispossessed Muslims.
the U.N. strictly prohibited its troops from interfering
militarily against the Serbs.
An arms embargo was imposed earlier, now economic
sanctions were imposed.
Throughout 1993, confident that the U.N., United States
and the European Community would not take militarily
action, Serbs in Bosnia freely committed genocide
against Muslims.
Breaking point
In February1994, a marketplace in Sarajevo was struck
by a Serb mortar shell killing 68 persons and wounding
nearly 200. This got the world’s attention.
Because of international media attention, calls for
military intervention against the Serbs began.
President Clinton gave warning to Serbs and Milosevic
through NATO demanding that the Serbs withdraw from
Sarajevo. The Serbs quickly agreed and a was declared.
UN peacekeepers went in, to build safe spots, but the
Serbs attacked the safe spots and attacked the
peacekeepers. NATO troops responded.
The Serbs retaliated by taking hundreds of U.N.
peacekeepers as hostages and turning them into human
shields. Some of the worst genocides began.
UN, NATO and RUSSIA work for
peace
1995 NATO
launched air
strikes against
the Bosnian
Serb military
Dayton Accords
= peace
agreements
NATO began massive strikes which hurt the
Serbs badly.
BBC ON THIS DAY | 5 | 1994
Faced with the heavy NATO bombardment
and a string of ground losses to the MuslimCroat alliance, Serb leader Milosevic was
now ready to talk peace.
A cease-fire was struck and NATO sent in
60,000 troops to protect it.
Aftermath
By the time the UN went in, over 200,000 Muslim
civilians were murdered.
More than 20,000 were missing and feared dead,while
2,000,000 had become refugees.
This genocide was, according to U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State Richard Holbrooke, "the greatest
failure of the West since the 1930s."
Milosevic was charged with genocide by the UN but he
constantly objected to and denounced the credibility of
the charges.
Milosevic to face genocide charge
Milosevic’s trial never finished, there were several delays
due to judges resigning and Milosevic’s health.
Milosevic was found dead in his jail cell in March of
2006.
Historic bridge reopens in Bosnia
Manjaca Prison Camp
Srebrenica Genocide
Bosnian Serb forces seize Srebrenica on July 11,
1995
In a period of one week, Bosnian Serb forces
executed 7,000 to 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and
boys.
UN Peacekeepers
In Srebrenica, U.N.
peacekeepers stood by
helplessly as the Serbs
under the command of
General Ratko Mladic
systematically selected
and then slaughtered
nearly 8,000 men and
boys between the ages
of twelve and sixty - the
worst mass murder in
Europe since World War
II.
Srebrenica Genocide
The worst massacre that occurred in Europe
since the Holocaust
Srebrenica victims still being exhumed from
mass graves across the region
Mass Grave in Srebrenica
After the Genocide
Up to 200,000 men, and boys over 13 years old,
were killed.
Bosnian women and girls were held captive,
raped and released when they were pregnant
with Serbian babies
The slaughtering was carried out by strict
military orders.
Thousands of bodies were buried in mass
graves.
There are still 20,000 people listed as missing in
Bosnia.
Kosovo Crisis – Now
Independent
Kosovo is a province in
Serbia sacred to Christian
Serbs
90% of its inhabitants are
ethnic Albanians who are
Muslim
Milosevic stripped Kosovo of
its autonomy and established
martial law
Ethnic cleansing of Albanians
began
NATO held air strikes against
Serbs
What’s Happened Since?
December 1995 – Dayton Accords: Brought peace
to Bosnia and created to entities, the Republic of
Srpska and Bosnian Federation
2001 – The ICTY ruled that genocide had occurred
in Srebrenica.
2007 – The International Court of Justice
determined that Serbia violated the Genocide
Convention by not doing enough to prevent
genocide in Srebrenica.
February 2015 – The United States moves to deport
at least 150 Bosnians living in the US who were
believed to have taken part in the conflict.
International War Crimes Trial for:
Slobodan Milosevic
Tried by the ICJ for
crimes against
humanity
Trial lasted 4 years
Prior to sentencing in
March 2006 he died
in jail
“The tragedy of Srebrenica will
forever haunt the history of the
United Nations.” –Kofi Annan
What does this suggest?
What Issues arise from this event?
There are echoes of the Holocaust here too.
– How easy is it to imagine the Bosnian conflict taking place in
your own part of the world? If it seems unlikely, what are the
conditions that make it so? Could those conditions be created in
areas where conflict is likely?
Issues arising from Bosnia include the huge problem of
displaced persons and refugees - and asylum-seekers.
There is also the issue of military intervention to stop
war. Military intervention sustains people's belief that
armed conflict will always be the way to go.
The UN and world leaders ignoring the whole event.
Quick facts to write:
The former Yugoslavia was a mixture of ethnic and
religious groups that had been historical rivals and bitter
enemies,
– Serbs (Orthodox Christians),
– Croats (Catholics)
– and ethnic Albanians (Muslims).
Bosnia emerged from the break-up of Yugoslavia.
Slobodan Milosevic rekindled a lot of the religious hatred
between groups.
Genocide occurred because regions were wanting
independence.
Serb forces started mass execution of the Croats then
turned attention to Bosnia once they declared
independence.
The term “ethnic cleansing” was coined during this time.
The UN and other countries did very little (trade
sanctions) until a marketplace in Sarajevo killing
many innocent civilians.
International media called on action.
UN and NATO troops were sent in. Safe spots
were created.
Some UN officials were captured and held
hostage.
NATO conducted massive strikes against Serbs.
Ceasefire achieved after 200,000 people were
killed and 2,000,000 displaced.
Milosevic was arrested and face UN war tribunal
but died before it concluded.
http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/Ge
nocide/bosnia_genocide.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/st
ories/august/30/newsid_2510000/2510299
.stm