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President Milosevic
The death of Yugoslavian leader, Josip Broz Tito, in 1980, allowed for Slobodan Milosevic (Serbia’s current leader at the time) to also become the leader of Yugoslavia. Milosevic used his power to influence and promote Serb nationalism in other Yugoslav states such as Bosnia. The result: secret concentration, mass killings, destruction of Muslim mosques and historic architechture. The world community remained mostly indifferent despite media reports. -
Lasva Valley
The Lasva Valley massacre marks the beginning: the destrcution of mosques and Bosnian homes, the murders of civilians, and the first acts of looting occurred. -
Ahatovici
The Bosnian- Serbian Army heavily shelled the village of Ahatovici. The men of the village (ages 17- 63) were taken hostage and put on a bus. The 56 men on the bus were told that the bus’s radiator had boiled over and that they should lie face- down on the floor. The Serbian gunmen “went to go fecth water,” but really walked 30 yards up the side of a hill before firing on the vehicle with a bazooka and autmoatic weapons; grenades were also tossed onto the bus. 47 of the entire 56 men died. -
Vote for Bosnia Independence
The Bosnia vote for independence took place on April 6 1992. At least 5 peaceful demonstrators died that day in addition to the 30 wounded when Serb militants opened fire on them in Sarajevo. -
The Shut Down Siege
Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic blocked all roads leading to Sarajevo and shut down the airport. This move trapped about 400,000 Bosnian people and cut them off from food, water, medicine and electricity. For the residents who avoided death by ammunition, starvation posed an even greater danger.
UN officials stated that 7,272 FLIGHTS BROUGHT IN 81,948 TONS OF AID INTO SARAJEVO. HOWEVER, THE EFFORT WAS SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF THE AIRPORT CLOSINGS AND AIRLIFT SUSPENSIONS THAT RESULTED FROM SHELL -
Early May of 1992
U.S. officials become aware of the concentration camps. However, they do nothing to stop the 677 detention centers from incarcerating people.
General concentration camps for men; Rape camps for women and children
The WORST camp: Omarska- where thousands of men and young boys were kept in metal cages and killed in groups of 10- 15 every few days. -
Mount Vlasic
In August of 1992, Bosnian men were told that they were part of a prisoner exchange. Instead, 200 men were brought to a ravine, shot and pushed over a 100-meter high cliff. Twelve victims survived by hanging onto bushes and tree, but were further abused at the hospital where they were treated for their wounds. -
October of 1992
EU (European Unino)’s Lord David Owen and former I.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance advised a draft constitution organizing Bosnia into a decentralized federation (Vance-Owen plan.) Bosnian Serbs rejected this plan. -
Summer of 1993
The trapped people built a link from Sarajevo to the outside world via an 800-meter wood and iron tunnel. The tunnel was used to transport weapons and wounded victims. -
April of 1993; Ahmici massacre
The Ahmici massacre is considered the biggest conflict between Croats and Bosnian government. The Croat forces shelled the entire Bosnia- part of the village and no one was spared. The Croats destroyed two mosques and killed an estimated 120 people that day; the youngest being a three-month old baby who was machine- gunned to death and the death of the oldest victim- a 96-year old woman. -
Several events
At a soccer game, at least 15 people died and 50 were wounded from a mortar attack.
Red Cross trucks were raided and destroyed.
In maternity wards, motherd and infants were ruthlessly killed.
People were killed in line for water. -
U.S. takes action
1994
The United States decided to take on a more active role (so they thought.) They decided to back diplomacy with the threat of NATO air power in protecting safe areas and UN peacekeepers. -
A Plea to the President
A plea was made to President Bill Clinton for military intervention against the Serbs after a mortar shell strike in a marketplace in Sarajevo: 68 killed- over 200 wounded. -
US Special Envoy- 1994
The US special envoy helped to reach a cease-fire between Bosnian Croats and Muslims.
A five nation Contact Group (United States, Russia, Britain, France,and Germany) drafted the 51/49 territorial compromise that all sides eventually accepted. -
Radovan Karadzic
Radovan Karadzic is charged with a wide range of crimes: genocide, extermination, murder, crimes against humanity, and violating the Geneva Conventions. He was formally charged in 1995 for administering the killing of thousands of people through sniping and shelling in the siege of Sarajevo, and later for the Srebrenica massacre. He was arrested in Belgrade after being on the run for 13 years. -
Tuzla
The Army of Republika Srpska shelled a group of young people in the city of Tuzla: 71 people were killed and more than 200 wounded. All of the victims were civilians between the ages of 18-25 (the majority.) Three days later another shelling took place from the same position. -
Separation
Over 20,000 Bosniak women, children, and elderly were bussed out of the front line to Muslim-controlled territory. There, they were separated from the men and boys. The men and boys were taken by buses to execution sites where they were killed by automatic weapons and machine guns. 8,000 Bosniak males from Srebrenica were systematically slaughtered and then their bodies hauled to mass graves. -
Dayton- Peace Agreement
November 1- November 21, 1995
Important People:
Serbian President Slobodan Milosavic
Croatian President Franjo Tudman
Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic & Bosnian Foreign Minister Muhamed “Mo” Sacirbey
French President Jacques Chirac
U.S. President Bill Clinton
UK Prime Minister John Major
German Chancellor Helmut Kohl
Russian Prime Minister Vikto Chernonmyrdin
The Dayton Peace Agreement designated 51% of the country to the Croat-Muslim Federation and 49% to Republika Srpska, or t -
After Statement
In 1996, SFOR (stabilization force) sent 20,000 American troops to prevent new hostilities. According to Richard Holbrooke, the chief architect of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the country would not have survived without the presence of the troops. -
The End??
The Bosnian government declared the siege of Sarajevo over. The population had decreased by over 430,000; this decrease in population is not completely related to death, many Bosnians escaped. -
Slobodan Milosevic
Slobodan Milosevic was arraigned in May of 1999, but was found dead in his cell at The Hague on March 11, 2006. Unfortunately, his trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity has ended without a verdict. -
Ratko Mladic - Ongoing
Ratko Mladic has been accused with genocide, extermination, murder, deportation, inhumane acts, and other crimes against Bosnian civilians committed during the 1992-1995 Serbian aggression against Bosnia. A fugitive from the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), he is suspected to be hiding either in Serbia or in Bosnia’s Republika Srpska. As of now, Serbia is not allowed EU membership until they hand him over to the court.
