Thousands of people took to the streets of Bosnia to participate in a solemn peace march, marking the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. The march, which commenced on July 8, covers a distance of 100 kilometers and retraces the path taken by Bosniak men and boys who were brutally killed while attempting to escape Srebrenica during the Bosnian War.
This year's march saw nearly 4,000 participants, the organizers reported. The event serves as a prelude to the official commemoration of the massacre, observed on July 11 each year. The genocide in Srebrenica stands as the only recognized act of genocide in Europe since World War II.
Ethnic tensions continue to persist in Bosnia, with Bosnian Serbs advocating for greater autonomy and expressing their desire for separation. This ongoing sentiment adds to the significance of the memorial march, as it symbolizes the deep-rooted divisions that continue to plague the region.
Participants in the march shared their motivations for taking part in the commemorative event. Resid Dervisevic, who marched in 1995, expressed his obligation to honor the memory of his fallen brother, friends, and war comrades.
"I come here to remember my brother and my friends, war comrades, who perished here. I believe it is my obligation, our obligation to do this, to nurture and guard (our memories)," said Resid Dervisevic.
Another survivor, Osman Salkic, described the mixed emotions experienced upon returning to the site, where countless lives were lost in 1995, juxtaposed against the current state of affairs.
The Bosnian War erupted in 1992 following the breakup of Yugoslavia, as Bosnian Serbs rebelled and launched an offensive to establish their own state and join Serbia. The conflict claimed the lives of more than 100,000 people until a peace agreement brokered by the United States brought an end to the war in 1995.
In July of that year, over 8,000 Bosniak males were separated from their families by Serb forces, pursued through the forests surrounding Srebrenica, and systematically killed. The perpetrators attempted to conceal the evidence by dumping the victims' bodies into mass graves scattered throughout the region.
The actions of the pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik have raised concerns about further instability. Dodik denies that genocide occurred in Srebrenica, despite two rulings by United Nations courts affirming it. The discovery of newly identified victims' remains each year serves as a reminder of the atrocities committed.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague has convicted and sentenced Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, the wartime Bosnian Serb political leader, and ex-military commander, respectively, to life imprisonment for their roles in orchestrating the genocide.
So far, the remains of over 6,600 victims have been recovered and laid to rest at a sprawling memorial cemetery outside Srebrenica. On July 3, 30 additional victims will be buried at the site, further underscoring the lasting impact of the genocide on the region.
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