Bosnian Genocide 1

Bosnia seceded in 1992, despite the strong objection from its Serbian population. The Yugoslav Army, comprised of a majority of Serbs, invaded the country and put the Bosnian city of Sarajevo under siege. Civilians were shot by hidden snipers while attempting to get food and water. People became trapped in their towns with the constant threat from Serbian forces.

The ethnic Bosniaks were sent to concentration camps, subjecting the population to mass murder, torture and sexual brutality. The European Union (EU) was unable to negotiate a settlement and the United Nations (UN) did not have the ability to affect change in the early years of the conflict.

The UN attempted to make the cities of Sarajevo and Srebrenica “safe zones” but had been unsuccessful in this effort. The only safe zone in Bosnia that did not fall under Serbian control was the city of Sarajevo but it remained under siege for the duration of the war.

The war in Bosnia began as a territorial conflict between the Army of the Republika Srpska (Serbs) and the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosniaks and the Croat forces from the Croatian Defense Council). The goal of the Serbian forces was to exterminate and expel Bosnian Muslims and Croats to create a pure Serbian republic.

After the initial attacks on cities Serb forces would send in soldiers to seek out all the men. Intellectuals and leaders were either executed or sent to concentration camps along with any men and boys of fighting age. Those left behind and those sent away would experience being savagely beaten, tortured, starved and in many cases executed.