Context: Yugoslavia Fractures
In the aftermath of World War 2, Yugoslavia was transformed into a federation of six supposedly equal states (and two autonomous regions). They were led by Tito, who broke with the communist motherland of Russia and went their own way. Tito died in 1980, and Yugoslavia began to be pulled apart by growing nationalist feeling. Wars began in the early nineties as Slovenia and Croatia declared independence, the battle over the former lasting just ten days, the battle over the latter lasting several years.By 1995, Bosnia-Hercegovina had also declared independence, and was torn apart by a war between the Bosnian-Serb minority (aided by Serbian paramilitaries and the old Yugoslavian army under Serbian command), and the rest of the state, which as times warred within itself. The Bosnian Serbs were aiming to ethnically cleanse Serb lands, which is to say evict, torture, rape or kill all non-Serbs until none remained.
The Massacre at Srebrenica
By July 1995, tens of thousands of refugees from the Serb onslaught had taken refuge in the Bosnian city of Srebrenica, which had been designated a safe area by the UN UNPROFOR mission, and which was guarded by six hundred poorly armed Dutch peacekeepers called Dutchbat 3, of which only half were fighting troops. The city was under siege in July, and food and fuel was running out. When Serb troops began to shell Srebrenica itself, Bosnian Muslims were refused the return of their weapons by the Dutch. On the 9th July, as more refugees flooded in, a peacekeeper was killed by Bosnian Muslims as the Dutch pulled back; meanwhile, the Serbs had taken a group of Dutch soldiers hostage.In response to more Serb shelling, The Dutch called in close air support from the UN, but this was cancelled when the Serbs stopped. The Dutch then told the Serbs that the aerial bombardment would begin if they didn’t retreat. They didn’t, but the air support was initially prevented by an error. When it finally began slowly on the 11th, it was called off after Serb threats to their Dutch hostages. Shortly after Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic was able to travel into Srebrenica, and tell the Bosnian Muslims that if they handed over what weapons they had, then they would be spared.
On the 12th, the Serbs allowed women and young children to board buses to take them out of ‘Serbian’ territory, but all men aged between twelve and seventy seven were separated out and taken for what was claimed to be interrogation. It is believed that just over 20,000 women and children were allowed to leave, while 15,000 armed Bosnian Muslims broke out. On the 13th, Serb forces begin the mass execution of the Bosnian Moslem men and boys. Meanwhile, the Dutch surrendered around 5,000 Muslims who had sheltered in their military base in return for fourteen of the Serb hostages. Over the next few days, around 7,000 of the Bosnian Muslim men and boys were executed. It is the worst atrocity to be seen in Europe since World War Two. On the 16th, the Dutch peacekeepers withdrew.
