Srebrenica massacre

The Srebrenica Massacre, also known as the Srebrenica Genocide, was one of the darkest and most tragic episodes in modern European history. It took place in July 1995 during the Bosnian War (1992–1995), when Bosnian Serb forces systematically killed more than 8,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and boys in and around the town of Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The massacre occurred despite the area being designated a United Nations “safe area”, and it remains the worst act of mass killing in Europe since the Second World War.

Background: The Bosnian War and Ethnic Conflict

The Bosnian War erupted in 1992, following the disintegration of Yugoslavia. Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia in March 1992, but the multi-ethnic republic—comprising Bosniaks (Muslims), Croats, and Serbs—quickly descended into violent conflict.
The war was characterised by fierce ethnic nationalism and campaigns of “ethnic cleansing”, especially by Bosnian Serb forces who sought to create a “Greater Serbia” by expelling or exterminating non-Serb populations. Under the leadership of Radovan Karadžić (political leader) and General Ratko Mladić (military commander), the Bosnian Serb army (VRS – Vojska Republike Srpske) launched brutal operations across eastern Bosnia.
By 1993, several predominantly Bosniak enclaves—including Srebrenica, Žepa, and Goražde—were surrounded by Serb forces and subjected to months of siege, starvation, and bombardment.

Srebrenica as a UN “Safe Area”

In response to the worsening humanitarian crisis, the United Nations Security Council, through Resolution 819 (April 1993), declared Srebrenica a “safe area” under UN protection, where civilians were to be free from armed attack or any other hostile act.
The UN deployed a small contingent of peacekeepers—mostly from the Dutch battalion (Dutchbat) under the command of Colonel Thom Karremans—to monitor the situation. However, the peacekeepers were lightly armed, poorly supported, and lacked the authority or capability to confront the heavily armed Serb forces surrounding the enclave.
By mid-1995, Srebrenica was overcrowded with over 40,000 Bosniak refugees, including civilians displaced from other parts of eastern Bosnia. Food, medicine, and ammunition were scarce, and morale was collapsing.

The Fall of Srebrenica (July 1995)

In early July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces, commanded by General Ratko Mladić, launched a major offensive to capture Srebrenica.

• 6–10 July 1995: The Serb army advanced on Srebrenica, facing minimal resistance from the outnumbered Bosnian government defenders.
• 11 July 1995: The town fell to Serb forces. General Mladić entered Srebrenica triumphantly, declaring its “liberation” in front of television cameras.

Thousands of terrified civilians fled to the UN base at Potočari, about 5 km north of the town, seeking protection from the Dutch peacekeepers. Meanwhile, around 15,000 Bosniak men attempted to escape through the forests toward Tuzla, a Bosnian government-controlled area, but were hunted down by Serb troops.

The Massacre

After the fall of Srebrenica, Bosnian Serb forces began systematically separating men and boys (aged roughly 12 to 77) from women, children, and the elderly.

• 12–13 July 1995:
  • Women and children were forcibly deported to Bosnian government territory by buses organised by the Serbs.
  • Men and boys were detained in schools, warehouses, and fields near Potočari and Bratunac.
• 13–17 July 1995:
  • Over the next several days, Bosnian Serb soldiers executed the captured men and boys at multiple sites, including warehouses, fields, and school gymnasiums.
  • Prisoners were shot at close range, their bodies dumped in mass graves and later reburied in secondary sites to conceal evidence.

In total, more than 8,000 Bosniak males were killed in cold blood, while thousands of women and children were expelled in an act of ethnic cleansing.
UN forces, overwhelmed and lacking reinforcements, were unable to intervene effectively. The massacre unfolded under the gaze of the international community, exposing the failure of UN peacekeeping and international diplomacy.

International Reaction and Aftermath

1. Global Outcry: News of the massacre, initially emerging through survivors’ testimonies and satellite imagery, shocked the world. The massacre was recognised as a grave failure of the United Nations and the Western powers to protect civilians.
2. NATO Intervention: The Srebrenica tragedy galvanised international resolve. In August 1995, NATO launched airstrikes against Bosnian Serb positions, contributing to the eventual Dayton Peace Agreement (December 1995), which ended the Bosnian War.
3. Discovery of Mass Graves: Over the following years, mass graves were discovered around Srebrenica. Forensic experts and humanitarian organisations like the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) identified victims through DNA analysis.
4. International Criminal Tribunals:
   • The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), established in 1993, indicted and prosecuted numerous individuals for war crimes and genocide.
   • Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić were both convicted of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, receiving life sentences.
   • Several other officers and political leaders were also convicted.
   • The ICTY officially ruled that the Srebrenica killings constituted genocide, a judgment later upheld by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2007.

Legal and Historical Recognition

The Srebrenica Massacre has been legally and historically recognised as genocide, fulfilling the definition under the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

• It involved the deliberate, systematic killing of a specific ethnic group—Bosnian Muslims—with the intent to destroy it in part.
• The massacre is also classified as part of a broader campaign of ethnic cleansing during the Bosnian War.

The UN, European Union, United States, and numerous national governments have since commemorated Srebrenica as a site of genocide and collective remembrance.

Commemoration and Legacy

1. Srebrenica–Potočari Memorial and Cemetery: Established near the UN base, this memorial site serves as the official resting place for thousands of victims whose remains have been exhumed and identified. Annual commemorations on 11 July mark the anniversary of the massacre.
2. Symbol of International Failure: The massacre exposed the inadequacies of UN peacekeeping operations and the limitations of international diplomacy in preventing atrocities. It remains a powerful reminder of the need for timely intervention to protect civilian populations.
3. Reconciliation and Denial:
   • While many Bosnian Serbs have acknowledged the crimes, genocide denial persists among some political leaders and communities in Bosnia and Serbia.
   • The massacre continues to influence ethnic relations, political discourse, and the fragile peace in the Balkans.
4. Global Lessons: The failure at Srebrenica has shaped modern humanitarian and peacekeeping doctrines, influencing the creation of the “Responsibility to Protect” (R2P) principle adopted by the United Nations in 2005.