Serb Paramilitaries in Bijeljina, Bosnia, Spring 1992.
The Genocide:
Following the breakdown, the Serb-dominated Yugoslavian army teamed up with Bosnian Serb military forces, combined together to amass a military force of around 800,000 soldiers.
Although the troops changed their badges, the army vehicles that remained behind still bore the traces of the letters "JNA." Compounding matters for the Muslims and for those Serbs and Croats who remained loyal to the idea of a multiethnic Bosnia, the United Nations had imposed an arms embargo in 1991 banning arms deliveries to the region. This froze in place a gross imbalance in Muslim and Serb military capacity. When the Serbs began a vicious offensive aimed
at creating an ethnically homogeneous state, the Muslims were largely defenseless. (Powers pg. 249
This is an important point to recognize. Because of the actions of the United Nations, a large population was left defenseless against their aggressors, with no support coming from outside forces. It comes down to the basic principal that you are responsible for your own safety. One needs to be prepared for the worst, because the worst has a habit of happening.
Bosnian Serb soldiers and militiamen had compiled lists of leading Muslim and Croat intellectuals, musicians, and professionals. And within days of Bosnia's secession from Yugoslavia, they bagan rounding up non-Serbs, savagely beating them, and often executing them. Bosnian Serb units destroyed most cultural and religious sties in order to erase any memory of a Muslim or Croat presence in what they would call "Republika Srpska" (Powers pg. 294)
These actions by the Serb forces shows the intent to commit genocide. The people were targeted simply because of their ethnic origin and attempts were made at destroying their culture. Musicians are no threat to a standing army. They are simply staples of a people and a culture.
During the event, non-Serbs had a curfew imposed from 4 p.m. to 6 a.m.
They were also forbidden to:
1. Meet in cafes, restaurants, or other public places.
2. Bathe or swim in the Vrbanija or Josavka Rivers.
3. Hunt or fish.
4. Move to another town without authorization.
5. Carry a weapon.
6. Drive or travel by car.
7. Gather in groups of more than three men.
8. Contact relatives from outside Celinac (all household visits must be reported). 9. Use means of communication other than the post office phone.
10. Wear uniforms: military, police, or forest guard.
11. Sell real estate or change homes without approval.
The world knew what was going on, and no one decided to step up and put a stop to it. Secretary of State James Baker was quoted saying during the conflict, "The United States happily stepped aside. It was time to make the Europeans step up to the plate and show that they could act as a unified power." He also stated "Yugoslavia was as good a first test as any." The Bosnians had no outside support, and no weapons to defend themselves.
In 1992, Bosnia's Muslim president Alija Izetbegovic pleaded his case with the United Nation's Security Council. He stated:
I completely agree with Mr. Bush's statement that American boys should not die for Bosnia. We have hundreds and thousands of able and willing men ready to fight, but unfortunately they have the disadvantage of being unarmed. We need weapons. (Powers pg. 263)
There was no support from the United States and President Bush. He stated, "There are enough arms there already. We've got to stop the killing some way, and I don't think it's enhanced by more and more weapons" (Powers pg. 263). A foolish response to says the least. The weapons already there were largely held by the Serb forces and the plan to "stop the killing some way" was to sit on their hands and do nothing.
Look for my next post discussing concentration camps in Europe and the escalation of the genocide by Serbian forces.
No comments:
Post a Comment