Over 200,000 people, mostly civilians, have died in the Yugoslav conflict. Millions have become refugees. Families have been separated and whole villages destroyed. Along with the rows of gravestones that mark the Bosnian landscape, the memories of war, for both young and old, will linger long after the fighting ends.
"Sooner or later, there will be vengeance here. It may take two years, it may take 10 years. But we will get them."
"There is not even a stone in this country that is not sad. All three nations here are bitter. The war here will go for as long as the river keeps flowing."
"We are condemned. War always happens. That is how we are."
The words of these Bosnians describe the nature of the conflict that has raging in the former Yugoslavia from 1992 to 1995. Indeed, the mistrust and animosity between the ethnic groups in the region can be traced back through the centuries.
The Balkans have long and troubled history, dating back to the legendary battle of Kosovo in 1389, where the Orthodox Christian Serbs were defeated by the Muslims of the Ottoman Empire. This ushered in 500 years of Muslim rule and the Serbs' long struggle for nationhood. It was in another period of ethnic and political unrest that a Serbian nationalist assassinated the Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo in June 1914, an act which led to the outbreak of World War I. In 1918, the modern state of Yugoslavia was established, and by 1945, six republics were recognized as forming the Yugoslav republic: Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro. Throughout the Cold War, the ethnic divisions in Yugoslavia were held in check by the strength of the Yugoslav leader Tito and the power of communism. The death of Tito in 1980 and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe during 1989 and 1990 led to the eventual disintegration of Yugoslavia.
On June 25, 1991, the Yugoslav republics of Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence from Yugoslavia despite repeated threats by the Yugoslav government that such action would lead to war. On June 27, 1991, the armed forces of the Yugoslav federal army attacked Slovenian military forces in order to prevent the secession. Hostilities broke out in Croatia in July. Despite repeated calls for the cessation of hostilities by the European Union and other members of the international community, the conflict expanded. On September 25, 1991, the Security Council adopted a resolution expressing deep concern about the fighting in Yugoslavia and its consequences for the countries in the region. It stated "that the continuation of this situation constitutes a threat to international peace and security." The resolution expressed support for an immediate cease-fire and negotiations between the parties. I t also provided that "all States shall, for the purposes of establishing peace and stability in Yugoslavia, immediately implement a general and complete embargo on all deliveries of weapons and military equipment to Yugoslavia."
Throughout the early stages of the Yugoslav conflict, the Security Council issued repeated calls for a peaceful resolution to the dispute, but to no avail. On February 21, 1992, the Security Council established the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) to facilitate the development of a suitable environment for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Its original mission was to deploy peacekeepers in areas designated as United Nations Protected Areas: Eastern Slavonia, Western Slavonia and Krajina. Its mission gradually expanded as the Yugoslav conflict deteriorated and spread.
In addition to the hostilities in Slavonia and Croatia, tensions were increasing in the Yugoslav republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina between Bosnian Serbs, Muslims and Croats. In 1991, the Bosnian Serbs began seeking greater autonomy from the government in Bosnia-Herzegovina and closer ties to the Serbian dominated Yugoslav federal government. In contrast, the Muslim and Croat population of Bosnia-Herzegovina sought to distance itself from Yugoslavia. On March 1, 1992, the republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina held a referendum on whether to seek independence from Yugoslavia. While the referendum was approved by a majority of the Bosnian electorate, the Bosnian Serbs boycotted the referendum in protest. The republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina declared independence soon thereafter. Almost immediately, hostilities broke out in Bosnia-Herzegovina between the Bosnian Serbs, Muslims and Croats. Aided by the Serbian government, the Bosnian Serbs soon gained control over many disputed areas. The Bosnian government was hampered in its struggle against the Bosnian Serbs because of the arms embargo, which continued to apply to the republics of the former Yugoslavia.
The Security Council adopted several resolutions urging the parties to accept a cease-fire and a mediated solution to the conflict. Several UN brokered agreements failed to stop the fighting. The United Nations established "no fly zones" and designated safe areas to prevent further attacks by the Bosnian Serbs against the non-Serb population. UN peacekeepers were sent to protect these areas and provide humanitarian assistance to the millions of refugees that had been displaced because of the conflict. Despite these efforts, the Bosnian Serbs continued to attack, hampering UN relief efforts. The city of Sarajevo, once a proud symbol of Yugoslavia's ethnic diversity, was subject to extensive bombing and sniper attacks, and thousands were killed in these indiscriminate attacks. Since the formation of UNPROFOR, approximately 110 peacekeepers died in the Yugoslav conflict and over 800 were injured. Hundreds of peacekeepers were held hostage by the Bosnian Serbs when the United Nations and NATO threatened military action.
Massive human rights violations have been a terrifying characteristic of the conflict including systematic rape and genocide, leading the establishment by the Security Council of a Yugoslavian War Crimes Tribunal.
