Srebrenica massacre shocked the world

On July 11 1995, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were slaughtered by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica, an enclave declared a “safe area” by the United Nations and protected by UN peacekeepers.

The slaughter is considered Europe’s worst massacre since the end of the World War II.

The Bosnian Serb troops that perpetrated the massacre were led by General Ratko Mladic, who was arrested in Serbia yesterday and will now face war crimes charges that include genocide for his role in Bosnia’s 1992-1995 war.

Serb troops under Mr Mladic’s command laid siege to the eastern town of Srebrenica at the start of the war. The town’s pre-war population of 35,000 of mainly Muslim Bosniaks nearly doubled as many more villagers from the outlying areas poured in.

The enclave, which is close to the border with Serbia and surrounded by high, dense mountains, endured constant attacks.

The UN Security Council declared Srebrenica a “safe area” in April 1993, a month after the top commander of the UN peacekeeping force in Bosnia, French general Philippe Morillon promised those trapped inside the enclave that they would be under UN protection.

Despite this, the attacks continued and a security council mission that visited Srebrenica two years before the slaughter reported that the Serb troops were perpetrating “a slow-motion process of genocide”.

In July 1995, Mr Mladic’s troops started another large-scale attack on the town. Realising that the town would be overrun, thousands of residents swarmed a UN military base where hundreds of Dutch peacekeepers were based.

The Dutch peacekeepers, outnumbered and outgunned, allowed the Serb forces to take away thousands seeking refuge inside their base after Mr Mladic promised they would not be harmed.

The troops separated men and women. The women were put on buses and sent to Bosnian government-held territory. The men and boys were systematically executed in the nearby woods and fields over several days, their bodies buried in mass graves.

Reactions

• “Today is an important day for the families of Mladic’s many victims, for Serbia, for Bosnia, for the United States, and for international justice. While we will never be able to bring back those who were murdered, Mladic will now have to answer to his victims, and the world, in a court of law. ... On this important day, we recommit ourselves to supporting ongoing reconciliation efforts in the Balkans and to working to prevent future atrocities. Those who have committed crimes against humanity and genocide will not escape judgment.”

US President Barack Obama, from the G8 summit

• “President Karadzic is sorry for Gen. Mladic’s loss of freedom and he looks forward to working with him to bring out the truth about what happened in Bosnia.”

Wartime Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic, who is on trial for genocide, through his lawyer in The Hague.

• “This is a historic day for international justice. This arrest marks an important step in our collective fight against impunity.”

United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, during a visit to Paris.

• “Mladic will finally be held accountable – to Bosnia and the world. ... Once again, we have seen that crimes against humanity will not escape the long arm of justice. His arrest also should allow the people of Serbia to take an important step towards integration into Europe and the international community.”

Former US President Bill Clinton

• “I’ve always found it difficult to believe that the Serbian security people didn’t know where he was.”

Richard Goldstone, the prosecutor who indicted both Mr Mladic and Mr Karadzic in 1995.

• “These victims have endured unimaginable horrors – including the genocide in Srebrenica – and redress for their suffering is long overdue. ... We believe that it can have a positive impact on reconciliation in the region.”

Serge Brammertz, chief prosecutor of the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal

• “An important moment for the Mothers of Srebrenica.”

Statement from 6,000 women who lost relatives in the 1995 massacre, through their lawyers in Amsterdam.

• “This is a huge moment for the principle that people who engage in genocide will eventually be brought to justice, but also for Serbia. ...It’s an interesting example too of the way that Europe and the prospect of European Union membership can act as a magnet for changing the behaviour of countries, changing their political system. So it’s big news and good news.”

Former British PM Tony Blair

• “His arrest is a clear message to accused like Omar al-Bashir and potential accused like Muammar Gaddafi that justice never forgets.”

Richard Dicker, director of Human Rights Watch’s International Justice Programme

• “It’s a very courageous decision of the Serbian President. It is a step towards integration of Serbia into the European Union some day soon.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

• “Nato has been a guarantor of security in the Balkans for the best part of two decades and today we have seen an important step towards a Europe that is whole, free and at peace. ... We remain committed to assisting the whole region.”

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.