Thousands participate in the annual memorial march through the forests to commemorate the 1995 massacre, Euronews has reported.
In eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, a traditional peace march was held to remember the Srebrenica massacre, the deadliest mass killing in Europe since World War II. On July 11, 1995, the town was invaded by Bosnian Serb forces, and in the following days, around 8,000 Bosnian Muslims were killed in the surrounding areas.
According to organizers, approximately 4,000 people embarked on the 100-kilometer journey this year. Along this route, Bosnian Muslims attempted to escape but were captured and executed.
Survivors of the genocide shared their thoughts:
"I participate in this march to revive the memories that are still vivid in my mind - memories of my brother and friends who lie here."
"Various emotions overwhelm me when I come here and remember all the people who were killed in 1995 and compare it to the current situation."
Bosnia and Herzegovina, aspiring to join the EU, still faces political and ethnic tensions. Recently, authorities in Banja Luka, the capital of Republika Srpska, threatened to hold a referendum on secession and passed a law suspending decisions of the Constitutional Court in Sarajevo.
Srebrenica is one of the cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia, triggering a war involving Bosnian Muslims, Serbs, and Croats, which lasted until 1995.
The UN declared Srebrenica as one of six "safe areas" in 1993, free from any military action, and deployed several hundred Dutch peacekeepers there. The "blue helmets" were supposed to turn the city and its surroundings into a demilitarized zone.
In the eastern part of Bosnia, under Bosnian Serb control since 1992, there were three Muslim enclaves - Srebrenica, Zepa, and Gorazde. In 1994, Serbs failed to gain control over Gorazde, as they were pushed back through airstrikes and diplomatic pressure. In turn, Bosnian Muslim forces launched attacks on Serbian settlements.
In the summer of 1995, General Ratko Mladic launched a large-scale offensive on Srebrenica. Facing no resistance, the Serbs invaded the enclave and took all UN "blue helmets" hostage. On July 12, women, the elderly, and children were loaded onto buses and transported to areas controlled by the Bosnian government.
Muslims who remained, armed with weapons, formed columns and were allowed to leave Srebrenica for Tuzla. During the march, skirmishes broke out. There are accounts suggesting that the Serbs partially shelled the column, while Muslims claim that gunfire erupted in the forest at night, and it was unclear who initiated it. There is evidence that some Muslim captives were executed.
The figures regarding the number of victims vary in the media and at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) - from 5,000 to 27,000 killed Muslims.
According to the Memorial Center in Potohari, at least 8,372 people died as a result of the massacres in July 1995.
According to the estimates of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), between 8,000 and 8,100 people went missing following the fall of Srebrenica in 1995.
To date, the commissions have managed to identify around 7,000 people who perished in Srebrenica.
The International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the UN International Court classified the Srebrenica massacres as genocide.
In the post-war years, the ICTY and Bosnian courts issued several indictments for crimes committed in Srebrenica. The tribunal considers former Bosnian Serb political leader Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic as the main individuals responsible for the mass killings of Muslims.
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