Bosnian Genocide

Bosnian Genocide

On July 11, 1995, Bosnian Serb forces captured the town of Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia during the Bosnian War. The town had been declared a United Nations “safe area” for Bosniak civilians, but it was surrounded and overrun by the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) led by General Ratko Mladić.

Following the capture, Bosniak men and boys were separated from women and elderly civilians. Thousands were executed in mass killings, while others were transferred to detention sites. Women, children, and elderly were forcibly deported, with homes and property looted or destroyed. UN peacekeepers were present but unable to prevent the atrocities.

Estimates indicate that more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed during the Srebrenica massacre. The events are classified as genocide by international courts and were part of broader ethnic cleansing campaigns in Bosnia and Herzegovina during 1992–1995. Survivors were displaced, and many villages were depopulated or destroyed.