The Genocide in Srebrenica from July 11-19, 1995, and the Aftermath of the Genocide

Abstract

In the final quarter of the 20th century, with the end of the Cold War, the conflict that took place in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995 represented one of the final chapters of suffering in the region since 1878 and marked a genocide unprecedented in human history. The world witnessed the genocide, which began in April 1992 with the outbreak of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina over a span of 3.5 years. Yet, much like the situation in Gaza today, nations that define themselves as members of the civilised world remained silent, indirectly supporting this atrocity. The genocide that commenced in Srebrenica on July 11, 1995, culmi7 nating in the massacre of over 8,000 men and boys within a week, was judged by an international judicial body—the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia—as if it were an isolated incident of genocide confined to Srebrenica. Tragically, the tribunal treated these crimes as individual offenses rather than state crimes, convicting those involved on various charges but failing to address the full scope of the atrocity. While the world was introduced to the genocide and crimes against humanity in Bosnia7 Herzegovina under the name of the Srebrenica Genocide, the Bosniak people continue to remember and hold fresh in their memories the inhumane crimes and genocide committed across all of Bosnia7 Herzegovina. The tribunal’s failure to address the extensive genocide perpetrated by Serbs, Montenegrins, and Croats over more than three years, without specifying any country, has left the conscience of the Bosniak people unsettled. Today, as you travel through Bosnia7Herzegovina, you can frequently see the inscription “Don’t Forget Srebrenica, 11 July 1995” on building walls, stones, and everywhere. The purpose of these inscriptions is to ensure that the suffering experienced is never forgotten by younger generations and to prevent such tragedies from occurring again in this region.

Keywords

• Srebrenica
• genocide
• mass graves
• UN Protection Force
• safe area

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