What Happened in the Bosnian War? Part One
On 29 February 1992, the multiethnic republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, constituting Catholic Croats, Orthodox Serbs and Muslim Slavs, passed a referendum for independence from Yugoslavia.
However, not all Bosnian Serbs agreed with the move, although the rest of the population did, as they were trying to cede from Serbia, alarmed by the Serb leader, Slobodan Milosevic's attempts to seize control of federal government and his repressive measures in Kosovo.
Under the pretence of protecting the Serb minority in Bosnia, Serbian leaders channelled arms and military support to Serbian nationalist minorities in Bosnia.
Initially many Bosnians believed that the Yugoslav National Army would protect them, but before long is was clearly evident that the National Army was under the control of Milosevic.
On 6 April 1992, the Bosnian Serbs began their siege of Sarajevo, cutting off Muslim, Croat and Serb residents from food, utilities and communications.
For three years, the world watched normal people attempting to go about their daily routines while avoiding sniper fire.
Throughout Bosnia, Bosnian Serb nationalist militias and the Yugoslav National Army began a policy of ethnic cleansing against the non-Serb civilian population.
They captured towns, ransacked houses and apartments, separated men and women, detaining them in camps, killing many men and raping many women.
Millions of Bosnians and Croats were forced to flee their homes, resulting in the worst humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War Two.
However, the response of the international community continued to be very limited, the UN responded by imposing economic sanctions on Serbia and deployed troops to protect the distribution of food and medicine, but they strictly prohibited its troops from intervening militarily.
However, not all Bosnian Serbs agreed with the move, although the rest of the population did, as they were trying to cede from Serbia, alarmed by the Serb leader, Slobodan Milosevic's attempts to seize control of federal government and his repressive measures in Kosovo.
Under the pretence of protecting the Serb minority in Bosnia, Serbian leaders channelled arms and military support to Serbian nationalist minorities in Bosnia.
Initially many Bosnians believed that the Yugoslav National Army would protect them, but before long is was clearly evident that the National Army was under the control of Milosevic.
On 6 April 1992, the Bosnian Serbs began their siege of Sarajevo, cutting off Muslim, Croat and Serb residents from food, utilities and communications.
For three years, the world watched normal people attempting to go about their daily routines while avoiding sniper fire.
Throughout Bosnia, Bosnian Serb nationalist militias and the Yugoslav National Army began a policy of ethnic cleansing against the non-Serb civilian population.
They captured towns, ransacked houses and apartments, separated men and women, detaining them in camps, killing many men and raping many women.
Millions of Bosnians and Croats were forced to flee their homes, resulting in the worst humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War Two.
However, the response of the international community continued to be very limited, the UN responded by imposing economic sanctions on Serbia and deployed troops to protect the distribution of food and medicine, but they strictly prohibited its troops from intervening militarily.
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