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99-500: During the 1992–95 Bosnian War , the village was badly damaged in the 1993 attack , and over 70 men and women were killed by the ARBIH , half of them being civilians. In 1971 there was a shootout between men from Kravica and men from Konjević Polje . In 1991, it was reported that the neighbouring Serb-inhabited Kravica and Bosniak-inhabited Glogova "had bad blood". The village was attacked on 7 January (Serb Orthodox Christmas) 1993 by

198-668: A ceasefire was agreed in January 1992. The JNA also attacked Croatia from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In July 1991, representatives of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), including SDS president Radovan Karadžić , Muhamed Filipović , and Adil Zulfikarpašić from the Muslim Bosniak Organisation (MBO), drafted an agreement known as the Zulfikarpašić–Karadžić agreement . This would leave SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in

297-736: A peace plan was presented by EC mediator José Cutileiro , which proposed the independent state of Bosnia to be divided into three constituent units. Agreement was denounced by the Bosniak leadership on 25 February. On 28 February 1992, the Constitution of the SR BiH declared that the territory of that Republic included "the territories of the Serbian Autonomous Regions and Districts and of other Serbian ethnic entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including

396-485: A referendum on independence that was boycotted by Bosnian Serbs, in which 99.7% voted in favor. On 6 April 1992, the European Union formally recognized the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared its independence on 7 April 1992. On 12 August 1992, the reference to Bosnia and Herzegovina was dropped from the name, and it became simply Republika Srpska . During

495-544: A committee to investigate the events. The committee released a report in October 2004 with 8,731 confirmed names of missing and dead persons from Srebrenica: 7,793 between 10 and 19 July 1995 and further 938 people afterwards. The findings of the committee remain generally disputed by Serb nationalists, who claim it was heavily pressured by the High Representative, given that an earlier RS government report which exonerated

594-591: A coordinative and representative political body. The governing coalition of Bosnia and Herzegovina collapsed after the parliament of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo passed a 'memorandum on sovereignty' on 15 October 1991 that was opposed by Bosnian Serb members. After the walkout of Bosnian Serb representatives, the memorandum was adopted. It declared the republic a sovereign and independent state and rejected "any constitutional solutions for

693-460: A deliberate provocation on the day of the referendum. Nikola Gardović , the bridegroom's father, was killed, and a Serbian Orthodox priest was wounded. Witnesses identified the killer as Ramiz Delalić , a gangster who had become a brazen criminal since the fall of communism and was stated to have been a member of the Bosniak paramilitary group the " Green Berets ". Arrest warrants were issued against him and another suspected assailant. SDS denounced

792-645: A federation of the other four republics. That was rejected by the Milošević administration. On 25 June 1991, Slovenia and Croatia declared independence. An armed conflict in Slovenia ensued, while clashes in areas of Croatia with substantial ethnic Serb populations escalated into a full-scale war . The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) abandoned efforts to reassert control over Slovenia in July while fighting in Croatia intensified until

891-533: A figure the OTP stated "[does] not reflect the reality", particularly the labeling of all casualties as "victims". Studies show a high number of military casualties compared to civilian. The Sarajevo -based Research and Documentation Centre , a non-partisan institution, found that Serb casualties in the Bratunac municipality amounted to 119 civilians and 424 soldiers. Some Serb sources maintain that casualties and losses during

990-517: A former member of the paramilitary forces supporting the attack on the district of Prijedor , was found guilty by the ICTY of crimes against humanity , grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions , and violations of the customs of war at Omarska , Trnopolje and Keraterm detention camps. In Omarska region around 500 deaths have been confirmed associated with these detention facilities. According to

1089-603: A future Yugoslav community which would not include both Croatia and Serbia". In response, on 24 October 1991 the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) formed the Assembly of the Serb People of Bosnia and Herzegovina as the representative body of Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina and declared that the Serb people wished to remain in Yugoslavia. Bosnian Serbs claimed that this was a necessary step since

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1188-470: A group of selected Serb officers of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) with the purpose of organizing Serbs outside Serbia, consolidating control of the fledgling SDS parties and the positioning of arms and ammunition. The plan was meant to prepare the framework for a third Yugoslavia in which all Serbs with their territories would live together in the same state. Journalist Giuseppe Zaccaria summarised

1287-522: A lesser extent, Croat and Bosniak forces. Events such as the siege of Sarajevo and the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre later became iconic of the conflict. The massacre of over 8,000 Bosniak males by Serb forces in Srebrenica is the only incident in Europe to have been recognized as a genocide since World War II . The Serbs, although initially militarily superior due to the weapons and resources provided by

1386-637: A meeting of Serb army officers in Belgrade in 1992, reporting they had adopted an explicit policy to target women and children as the vulnerable portion of the Muslim social structure. According to some sources, the RAM plan was crafted in the 1980s. Its existence was leaked by Ante Marković , the Prime Minister of Yugoslavia , an ethnic Croat from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The existence and possible implementation of it alarmed

1485-674: A number of Bosnia and Herzegovina's numerous historical geographic regions, but (due to the above-mentioned nature of the inter-entity boundary line ) it contains very few of them in entirety. Likewise, various political units existed within Republika Srpska's territory in the past but very few existed entirely within the region. Representatives of main political and national organizations and institutions of Serb people in Bosnia and Herzegovina met on 13 October 1990 in Banja Luka and created "Serbian National Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina" as

1584-430: A referendum on independence. On 25 January 1992, an hour after the session of parliament was adjourned, the parliament called for a referendum on independence on 29 February and 1 March. The debate had ended after Serb deputies withdrew after the majority Bosniak–Croat delegates turned down a motion that the referendum question be placed before the not yet established Council of National Equality. The referendum proposal

1683-625: A result of the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia . A crisis emerged in Yugoslavia as a result of the weakening of the confederation system at the end of the Cold War . In Yugoslavia, the national communist party , the League of Communists of Yugoslavia , lost ideological potency. Meanwhile, ethnic nationalism experienced a renaissance in the 1980s after violence in Kosovo . While

1782-503: A source of controversy. The ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party has used these casualties for political purposes and as a means of diminishing the July 1995 crime committed against Bosniaks. In 2005, The ICTY Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) noted that the number of Serb deaths in the region between May 1992 and March 1995 alleged by the Serbian authorities had increased from 1,400 to 3,500,

1881-492: A sovereign Bosnia as a prerequisite for such a federation. On 25 March, Franjo Tuđman and Serbian President Slobodan Milošević held a meeting in Karađorđevo . The meeting was controversial due to claims by some Yugoslav politicians, the two presidents agreed to the partition of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 6 June, Izetbegović and Macedonian president Kiro Gligorov proposed a weak confederation between Croatia, Slovenia, and

1980-582: A state union with SR Serbia and SR Montenegro. The agreement was denounced by Croat political parties. Although initially welcoming the initiative, the Izetbegović administration later dismissed the agreement. Between September and November 1991, the SDS organised the creation of six " Serb Autonomous Regions " (SAOs). This was in response to the Bosniaks' steps toward seceding from Yugoslavia. Similar steps were taken by

2079-566: A statement before the Bosnian parliament on 14 October with regard to the JNA: "Do not do anything against the Army. (...) the presence of the Army is a stabilizing factor to us, and we need that Army... Until now, we did not have problems with the Army, and we will not have problems later." Izetbegović had a testy exchange with Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić in parliament on that day. After Karadžić wagered that

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2178-534: Is probably about 100...It is important to uncover the names of the perpetrators in order to accurately and unequivocally establish whether or not these were isolated instances." The International Crisis Group and the United Nations condemned the manipulation of their statements in this report. In 2004, the international community's High Representative Paddy Ashdown had the Government of Republika Srpska form

2277-581: Is well over 1,000 volunteers from Orthodox countries. The supreme commander of the VRS was General Ratko Mladić. The VRS was organized into six geographically based corps. During the first two years of the war, Republika Srpska issued its own unique currency, the Republika Srpska dinar . This currency was pegged to the Yugoslav dinar . The Serb, Croat and Bosniak authorities all issued their own dinar currencies in

2376-455: The 1992–1995 war in Bosnia . In 2006, a list of nearly 28,000 individuals who, according to the Republika Srpska authorities, were involved in Srebrenica massacre alone was released; 892 of those allegedly responsible still hold the positions in the local government of Republika Srpska. The arrests and trials of all war crime suspects are ongoing and their trials are planned to be held at the newly established Bosnian Herzegovinian Tribunal for

2475-579: The ARBiH forces under Naser Orić from the besieged Srebrenica enclave under the control of the ARBiH. 46 people died in the attack on the Serb side: 35 VRS soldiers and 11 civilians, and most of the houses were damaged. Men from Kravica participated in the Srebrenica genocide committed against Bosniak civilians and prisoners of war . In 1991, it had a population of 357, of whom 353 were declared as Serbs , with no declared Bosniaks , Croats or Yugoslavs . As of

2574-882: The Army of Republika Srpska during the Bosnian War . It claimed to be a sovereign state, though this claim was only partially recognized by the Bosnian government (whose territory the RS was recognized as nominally being a part of) in the Geneva agreement, the United Nations , and FR Yugoslavia . For the first six months of its existence, it was known as the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Serbian : Српска Република Босна и Херцеговина / Srpska Republika Bosna i Hercegovina ). After 1995,

2673-737: The CIA which was leaked by the press claimed that Bosnian Serbs were the first to commit atrocities, carried out 90 percent of war crimes, and were the only party who systematically attempted to "eliminate all traces of other ethnic groups from their territory". Ethnic cleansing dramatically changed the demographic picture of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many Republika Srpska officials were also indicted for creation and running of detention camps, in particular Omarska , Manjaca , Keraterm , Uzamnica and Trnopolje where thousands of detainees were held. Duško Tadić , former SDS leader in Kozarac and

2772-585: The Constitution of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 28 February 1992. Following Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of independence (which gained international recognition) and following the withdrawal of Alija Izetbegović from the previously signed Cutileiro Plan (which proposed a division of Bosnia into ethnic cantons ), the Bosnian Serbs , led by Radovan Karadžić and supported by

2871-601: The Dayton Accords were signed. The main belligerents were the forces of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina , the Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia , and the Republika Srpska , the latter two entities being proto-states led and supplied by Croatia and Serbia , respectively. The war was part of the breakup of Yugoslavia . Following the Slovenian and Croatian secessions from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1991,

2970-569: The Srebrenica massacre . On 2 August 2001, the Hague Tribunal found General-Major Radislav Krstić, the commander of the VRS Drina Corps at the time responsible for the Srebrenica massacre, guilty of genocide. Many other political leaders of Republika Srpska and VRS officers, have been indicted, tried, and convicted by the Hague Tribunal for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during

3069-726: The United Nations Security Council created the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ( ICTY ) at The Hague for the purpose of bringing to justice persons allegedly responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991. On 24 July 1995, the Hague Tribunal indicted Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity; on 14 November 1995, both men were indicted again on charges specific to

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3168-475: The 15th and 17th centuries, were listed with UNESCO as world heritage monuments. Many Catholic churches in the same territory were also destroyed or damaged especially during 1995. In addition to sacred monuments many secular monuments were also heavily damaged or destroyed by VRS forces such as the National Library in Sarajevo. The Library was set ablaze by shelling from VRS positions around Sarajevo during

3267-561: The 2013 census, it has a population of 567 inhabitants, all Serbs. Bosnian War Military stalemate International recognition of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a sovereign state October 1992–94 : October 1992–94 : May 1992–94 : 1994–95 : [REDACTED] Alija Izetbegović ( President of Bosnia and Herzegovina ) [REDACTED] Haris Silajdžić ( Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina ) [REDACTED] Sefer Halilović ( ARBiH Chief of Staff 1992–1993) [REDACTED] Rasim Delić ( ARBiH Commander of

3366-775: The 2nd day of the Bosnian independence referendum , 1 March 1992, as the first death of the war. The Sijekovac killings of Serbs took place on 26 March and the Bijeljina massacre on 1–2 April. On 5 April, after protesters approached a barricade, a demonstrator was killed by Serb forces. The war was brought to an end by the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina , negotiated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio between 1 and 21 November 1995 and signed in Paris on 14 December. The war came about as

3465-582: The Bosnian Croats. In August 1991, the European Economic Community hosted a conference in an attempt to prevent Bosnia and Herzegovina from sliding into war. On 25 September 1991, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 713 , imposing an arms embargo on all former Yugoslav territories. The embargo had little effect on the JNA and Serb forces. Croatian forces had seized weaponry from

3564-522: The Bosnian Muslims could not defend themselves if a state of war developed, Izetbegović observed that he found Karadžić's manner and speech offensive and it explained why the Bosniaks felt unwelcome, that his tone might explain why the others federated by Yugoslavia felt repelled, and that the threats of Karadžić were unworthy of the Serbian people. Throughout 1990, the RAM Plan was developed by SDB and

3663-638: The Bosnian Serb assembly voted to create the Army of the Republika Srpska ( VRS ; Vojska Republike Srpske ), and appointed Ratko Mladić , the commander of the Second Military District of the Yugoslav federal army, as commander of the VRS Main Staff. At the end of May 1992, after the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Second Military District was essentially transformed into

3762-649: The Bosnian Serbs proclaimed the "Republic of the Serbian People in Bosnia-Herzegovina" (SR BiH, later Republika Srpska ), but did not officially declare independence. The Arbitration Commission of the Peace Conference on Yugoslavia in its 11 January 1992 Opinion No. 4 on Bosnia and Herzegovina stated that the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina should not be recognised because the country had not yet held

3861-647: The Bosnian War erupted, the JNA formally discharged 80,000 Bosnian Serb troops. These troops, who were allowed to keep their heavy weapons, formed the backbone of the newly formed Army of the Republika Srpska. There was also volunteers from Christian Orthodox countries. According to the ICTY, volunteers from Russia, Greece, and Romania fighting for the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) numbered between at least 500 to more than 1,500. Other estimate vary depending on sources, with some estimate from 529 and 614, other claim that number

3960-515: The Bosnian government. On 15 October 1991, the parliament of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo passed a " Memorandum on the Sovereignty of Bosnia-Herzegovina " by a simple majority. The Memorandum was hotly contested by the Bosnian Serb members of parliament, arguing the Constitution required procedural safeguards and a two-thirds majority for such issues. The Memorandum

4059-439: The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at that time, defined that no major changes were to be granted short of a unanimous agreement on all three sides. The Party of Democratic Action (SDA), led by Alija Izetbegović, was determined to pursue independence and was supported by Europe and the U.S. The SDS made it clear that if independence was declared, Serbs would secede as it was their right to exercise self-determination. In

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4158-696: The Croat leadership organised autonomous communities in areas with a Croat majority. On 12 November 1991, the Croatian Community of Bosnian Posavina was established in Bosanski Brod . It covered 8 municipalities in northern Bosnia. On 18 November 1991, the Croatian Community of Herzeg-Bosnia was established in Mostar. Mate Boban was chosen as its president. Its founding document said: "The Community will respect

4257-407: The Federation. In 1992-1993, the curriculum of Republika Srpska underwent changes to conform more towards Serbia. Adaptations were made in the subjects of history, social sciences, history and geography while religion became compulsory. In 1996, education was 6.1% of the Republika Srpska budget. There were 90 secondary schools and 54 vocational schools. The University Act of 23 July 1993 propelled

4356-829: The General Staff 1993–1995) [REDACTED] Enver Hadžihasanović ( ARBiH Chief of Staff 1992–1993) [REDACTED] Leighton W. Smith Jr. (Commander of AFSOUTH ) [REDACTED] Franjo Tuđman ( President of Croatia ) [REDACTED] Gojko Šušak ( Minister of Defence ) [REDACTED] Janko Bobetko ( HV Chief of Staff) [REDACTED] Mate Boban (President of Herzeg-Bosnia until 1994 [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Slobodan Milošević ( President of Serbia ) [REDACTED] Momčilo Perišić ( VJ Chief of Staff) [REDACTED] Radovan Karadžić ( President of Republika Srpska ) [REDACTED] Ratko Mladić ( VRS Chief of Staff) [REDACTED] Fikret Abdić (President of AP Western Bosnia ) ^ From 1992 to 1994,

4455-403: The JNA during the Battle of the Barracks . The embargo had a significant impact in Bosnia and Herzegovina at the start of the Bosnian War. The Serb forces inherited the armaments and the equipment of the JNA, while the Croat and Bosniak forces obtained arms through Croatia in violation of the embargo. On 19 September 1991, the JNA moved extra troops to the area around the city of Mostar . This

4554-444: The JNA, eventually lost momentum as the Bosniaks and Croats allied against the Republika Srpska in 1994 with the creation of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina following the Washington Agreement . Pakistan ignored the UN 's ban on the supply of arms and airlifted anti-tank missiles to the Bosnian Muslims, while after the Srebrenica and Markale massacres, NATO intervened in 1995 with Operation Deliberate Force , targeting

4653-420: The Main Staff of the VRS. The new army immediately set out to achieve by military means the six "strategic objectives" of the Serbian people in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the goals of which were reaffirmed by an operational directive issued by General Mladić on 19 November 1992). The VRS expanded and defended the borders of Republika Srpska during the Bosnian War . By 1993 Republika Srpska controlled about 70% of

4752-481: The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH), largely composed of Bosniaks, and the Croat forces in the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) on the other side. Tensions between Croats and Bosniaks increased throughout late 1992, resulting in the escalation of the Croat–Bosniak War in early 1993. The Bosnian War was characterised by bitter fighting, indiscriminate shelling of cities and towns, ethnic cleansing, and systematic mass rape , mainly perpetrated by Serb, and to

4851-525: The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was not supported by the majority of Bosnian Croats and Serbs . Consequently, it represented mainly the Bosniaks . 1993 1994 1995 The Bosnian War ( Serbo-Croatian : Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started on 6 April 1992, following several earlier violent incidents. It ended on 14 December 1995 when

4950-445: The Republika Srpska Office of Relations with the ICTY issued the " Report about Case Srebrenica ". The document, authored by Darko Trifunović , was endorsed by many leading Bosnian Serb politicians. It concluded that 1,800 Bosnian Muslim soldiers died during fighting and a further 100 more died as a result of exhaustion. "The number of Muslim soldiers killed by Bosnian Serbs out of personal revenge or lack of knowledge of international law

5049-439: The Republika Srpska including real-estates and businesses taken during the war. Many constitutional changes were also made to change the social character of the Republika Srpska from mono-ethnic to a multi-ethnic entity and thus including Bosniaks and Croats as constituent people of Republika Srpska. Some of the names of the cities that were changed during the war by the authorities of Republika Srpska were changed back. Most of

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5148-427: The Republika Srpska off, preventing it from redeeming its currency there and refusing to send more due to the CBCG's lack of foreign exchange assets. Afterwards, Republika Srpska did not form its own currency and continued to use the Yugoslav one. In 1999, it adopted the convertible mark . Unemployment was a major problem which the war exacerbated. Nearly a third of the workforce was in industry, mining and energy and

5247-406: The Republika Srpska was recognized as one of the two political entities composing Bosnia and Herzegovina . The borders of the post-1995 RS are, with a few negotiated modifications, based on the front lines and situation on the ground at the time of the Dayton Agreement . As such, the entity is primarily a result of the Bosnian War without any direct historical precedent. Its territory encompasses

5346-419: The Serbs was dismissed. Nevertheless, Dragan Čavić , the president of Republika Srpska , acknowledged in a televised address that Serb forces killed several thousand civilians in violation of the international law , and asserted that Srebrenica was a dark chapter in Serb history. On 10 November 2004, the government of Republika Srpska issued an official apology. The statement came after a government review of

5445-484: The Srebrenica committee's report. "The report makes it clear that enormous crimes were committed in the area of Srebrenica in July 1995. The Bosnian Serb Government shares the pain of the families of the Srebrenica victims, is truly sorry and apologises for the tragedy." the Bosnian Serb government said. In April 2010, a resolution condemning the crimes committed in Srebrenica was rejected by representatives of parties from Republika Srpska. In April 2010, Milorad Dodik ,

5544-444: The War Crimes. The trials of all suspected war criminals are expected to last for years to come. Two days after international judges in The Hague ruled that Bosnian Serb forces had committed genocide in the killing of nearly 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995. "The government of the Republika Srpska expressed its deepest regret for the crimes committed against non-Serbs and condemned all persons who took part in these crimes during

5643-409: The Yugoslav presidency. With additional votes from Montenegro, Serbia was thus able to heavily influence the decisions of the federal government. This situation led to objections from the other republics and calls for the reform of the Yugoslav federation. At the 14th Extraordinary Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia, on 20 January 1990, the delegations of the republics could not agree on

5742-403: The authorities of the Bosnian Serb controlled town Banja Luka must pay $ 42 million to its Islamic community for 16 local mosques destroyed during the 1992–1995 Bosnian war . The prosecution proved that genocide was committed in Srebrenica and that General Radislav Krstić, among others, was personally responsible for that. Olga Kavran, Deputy Coordinator, ICTY Outreach Programme In 1993,

5841-410: The breakup of Yugoslavia, Srpska's President Radovan Karadžić declared that he did not want Srpska to be in a federation alongside Serbia in Yugoslavia, but that Srpska should be directly incorporated into Serbia. On 12 May 1992, at a session of the Bosnian Serb assembly , Radovan Karadžić announced the six "strategic objectives" of the Serb people in Bosnia and Herzegovina: At the same session,

5940-478: The changes were done as to retract effects of ethnic cleansing and allow refugees to return, but also as a response to numerous reports of human rights abuses that were taking place in the entity. However, most of the changes had very little effect on a return of more than a million refugees. Intimidation of returnees were quite common and occasionally escalated into violent riots as in the case of Ferhadija mosque riots in Banja Luka in 2001. Consequently,

6039-448: The civil war in Bosnia" the statement said. Between May 1992 to January 1993, Bosniak forces under the leadership of Naser Orić attacked and destroyed scores of Serbian villages in the areas around Srebrenica. Evidence indicated that Serbs had been tortured and mutilated and others were burned alive when their houses were torched. While it is established that Serbs suffered a number of casualties, their exact nature and numbers have been

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6138-431: The crisis in Yugoslavia deepened after the adoption of amendments to the Serbian Constitution allowing the government of Serbia to dominate the provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina . Until then, Kosovo and Vojvodina's decision-making was independent, and each autonomous province had a vote at the Yugoslav federal level. Serbia, under newly elected President Slobodan Milošević , gained control over three out of eight votes in

6237-403: The democratically elected government of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina for as long as exists the state independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina in relation to the former, or any other, Yugoslavia". Borisav Jović 's memoirs show that on 5 December 1991 Milošević ordered the JNA troops in BiH to be reorganised and its non-Bosnian personnel to be withdrawn, in case recognition would result in

6336-496: The fall of 1991, the SDS organised the creation of " Serb Autonomous Regions " (SAOs) in Bosnia where Serbs formed the majority consisting of the SAO East and Old Herzegovina , SAO Bosnian Krajina , SAO Romanija and SAO North-Eastern Bosnia . They comprised nearly one-third of Bosnia's municipality and about 45% of its ethnic Serb population. Similar steps were taken by the Bosnian Croats. A Bosnian Serb referendum that asked citizens whether they wanted to remain within Yugoslavia

6435-409: The findings of the State Commission for the Documentation of War Crimes on the Territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 68.67% or 789 congregational mosques were either destroyed or damaged during the Bosnian War by the VRS and other unidentified individuals from the Republika Srpska. The majority of destroyed mosques had been classified as Bosnian-Herzegovinian national monuments; some, mostly built between

6534-407: The following morning at key transit points across the city and were manned by armed and masked SDS supporters. Republika Srpska (1992%E2%80%931995) Republika Srpska ( RS ; Serbian Cyrillic : Република Српска , lit.   ' Serbian Republic ' , pronounced [repǔblika sr̩̂pskaː] ) was a self-proclaimed statelet in Southeastern Europe under the control of

6633-439: The goal of Serbian nationalists was the centralisation of Yugoslavia, other nationalities aspired to the federalisation and the decentralisation of the state. Bosnia and Herzegovina, a former Ottoman province, has historically been a multi-ethnic state. According to the 1991 census, 44% of the population considered themselves Muslim (Bosniak), 33% Serb, and 17% Croat, with 6% describing themselves as Yugoslav. In March 1989,

6732-406: The government of Slobodan Milošević and the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), mobilised their forces inside Bosnia and Herzegovina to secure ethnic Serb territory. The war soon spread across the country, accompanied by ethnic cleansing . The conflict was initially between Yugoslav Army units in Bosnia which later transformed into the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) on the one side, and the Army of

6831-423: The killing and claimed the failure to arrest him was due to SDA or Bosnian government complicity. A SDS spokesman stated it was evidence that Serbs were in mortal danger and would be further so in an independent Bosnia, which was rejected by Sefer Halilović , founder of the Patriotic League , who stated it was not a wedding but a provocation and accused the wedding guests of being SDS activists. Barricades appeared

6930-463: The leaders of the six Yugoslav republics, and the two autonomous regions, to discuss the crisis. The Serbian leadership favoured a federal solution, whereas the Croatian and Slovenian leadership favoured an alliance of sovereign states. Bosnian leader Alija Izetbegović proposed an asymmetrical federation in February, where Slovenia and Croatia would maintain loose ties with the four remaining republics. Shortly after, he changed his position and opted for

7029-426: The legal formation of post-secondary education in Republika Srpska, governing two Universities: The University of Banja Luka and University of East Sarajevo . UNESCO estimated there were more than 10,000 University students in 1996. In November 1995 the Dayton Agreement was signed by presidents of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia that ended the Bosnian war. The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH)

7128-574: The main issues facing the Yugoslav federation. As a result, the Slovene and Croatian delegates left the Congress. The Slovene delegation, headed by Milan Kučan , demanded democratic changes and a looser federation, while the Serbian delegation, headed by Milošević, opposed it. In the first multi-party election in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in November 1990, votes were cast largely according to ethnicity, leading to

7227-449: The multi-ethnic Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina – which was inhabited by mainly Muslim Bosniaks (44%), Orthodox Serbs (32.5%) and Catholic Croats (17%) – passed a referendum for independence on 29 February 1992. Political representatives of the Bosnian Serbs boycotted the referendum and rejected its outcome. Anticipating the outcome of the referendum, the Assembly of the Serb People in Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted

7326-619: The non-Serb population, creation and running of detention camps (variably also referred to as concentration camps and prisoner camps), and the destruction of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian cultural and historical heritage. The gravest of those offenses were the Srebrenica Genocide in 1995, where nearly 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were systematically executed by the VRS, and the long military siege of Sarajevo that resulted in 12,000 civilian casualties. A highly classified report by

7425-578: The people of Serbian nationality had voted in favor of remaining in a joint Yugoslav state, would be territory of the federal Yugoslav state. On 9 January 1992, the Bosnian Serb assembly adopted a declaration on the Proclamation of the Republic of the Serb people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 28 February 1992, the constitution of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbian: Srpska Republika Bosna i Hercegovina / Српска Република Босна и Херцеговина)

7524-502: The perception of the JNA as a foreign force; Bosnian Serbs would remain to form the nucleus of a Bosnian Serb army. Accordingly, by the end of the month only 10–15% of the personnel in the JNA in BiH were from outside the republic. Silber and Little note that Milošević secretly ordered all Bosnian-born JNA soldiers to be transferred to BiH. Jović's memoirs suggest that Milošević planned for an attack on Bosnia well in advance. On 9 January 1992,

7623-467: The period prior to the creation of the safe area gave rise to Serb demands for revenge against the Bosniaks based in Srebrenica. The ARBiH raids are presented as a key motivating factor for the July 1995 genocide. The Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) was founded on 12 May 1992 from the remnants of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from which Bosnia and Herzegovina had seceded earlier in 1992. When

7722-458: The population, largely boycotted the referendum). The Serb political leadership used the referendums as a pretext to set up roadblocks in protest. Independence was formally declared by the Bosnian parliament on 3 March 1992. During the referendum on 1 March, Sarajevo was quiet except for a Serbian wedding being fired upon. The brandishing of Serbian flags in the Baščaršija was seen by Muslims as

7821-632: The positions of the Army of the Republika Srpska, which proved key in ending the war. The war ended after the signing of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Paris on 14 December 1995. Peace negotiations were held in Dayton, Ohio , and were finalised on 21 November 1995. By early 2008, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia had convicted forty-five Serbs, twelve Croats, and four Bosniaks of war crimes in connection with

7920-681: The pre-war non-agricultural unemployment rate was at 27%. In 1996, UNESCO estimated that the unemployment rate in Republika Srpska was 90%. Following the signing of the Dayton Accords, recovery in Republika Srpska was slower than in the Federation, as it received only 2-3% of the Western Aid to Bosnia. There was zero growth. Inflation was at 30%. Non-agricultural unemployment was at 60%, the average wage at 60 Deutsche Marks and pension at 33 DM. Government expenditures were also drastically higher than in

8019-442: The prime minister of Republika Srpska, initiated a revision of the 2004 report saying that the numbers of killed were exaggerated and the report was manipulated by a former peace envoy. The Office of the High Representative responded and stated that: "The Republika Srpska government should reconsider its conclusions and align itself with the facts and legal requirements and act accordingly, rather than inflicting emotional distress on

8118-509: The regions in which the Serbian people remained in the minority due to the genocide conducted against it in World War II", and it was declared to be a part of Yugoslavia. The Bosnian Serb assembly members advised Serbs to boycott the referendums held on 29 February and 1 March 1992. The turnout to the referendums was reported as 64%, with 93% of voters voting in favour of independence (implying that Bosnian Serbs, who made up approximately 34% of

8217-456: The same day the US and European Economic Community (EEC) recognised Bosnia and Herzegovina. Misha Glenny gives a date of 22 March, Tom Gallagher gives 2 April, while Mary Kaldor , and Laura Silber and Allan Little give 6 April. Philip Hammond claimed the most common view is that the war started on 6 April. Serbs consider the Sarajevo wedding shooting , when a groom's father was killed on

8316-529: The siege in 1992. While the individuals responsible for destruction of national heritage have not yet been found, or indicted, it has been widely reported by international human rights agencies that the "Bosnian Serb authorities issued orders or organized or condoned efforts to destroy Bosniak and Croatian cultural and religious institutions". In other cases such as the Ferhadija Mosque case ( Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina v. Republika Srpska ) it

8415-483: The start of the Bosnian War, caused the first casualties of the Yugoslav Wars in Bosnia. In the first days of October, the JNA attacked and leveled the Croat village of Ravno in eastern Herzegovina, on their way to attack Dubrovnik in southern Croatia. On 6 October 1991, Bosnian president Alija Izetbegović gave a televised proclamation of neutrality, it included the statement "it is not our war". Izetbegović made

8514-806: The success of the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action (SDA), the Serb Democratic Party (SDS), and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ BiH). Parties divided power along ethnic lines, so the president of the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was a Bosniak, the president of the Parliament was a Serb , and the prime minister was a Croat. Separatist nationalist parties attained power in other republics, including Croatia and Slovenia. Meetings were held in early 1991 between

8613-532: The territorial provisions were enforced to comply with the agreement. After the war numerous laws were passed by the Republika Srpska authorities under the auspices of the international community acting through the Office of the High Representative (OHR). Many laws dealt with the issues and consequences of the war and served to repair some of the problems created such as annulments of ill-fate contracts that required non-Serbs to "voluntarily" turn over their properties to

8712-599: The territories they controlled, printing large excess of money to finance their operations which resulted in high inflation. The electronic payment system of Republika Srpska was integrated with the system of the Republic of Yugoslavia and Republika Srpska's National Bank saw itself as a branch of the Central Yugoslav Bank in Belgrade. The inflation experienced in Yugoslavia thus transferred to Republika Srpska causing hyperinflation and eventual collapse of its currency in 1994. The National Bank of Yugoslavia (CBCG) also cut

8811-539: The territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina with final agreement ( Dayton Agreement ) in 1995 appropriating to Republika Srpska control over 49% of the territory. In 1993 and 1994, the authorities of Republika Srpska ventured to create the United Serb Republic. Since the beginning of the war, the VRS ( Army of Republika Srpska ) and the political leadership of Republika Srpska have been accused of war crimes , crimes against humanity , genocide , ethnic cleansing of

8910-441: The views concerning Republika Srpska are different among various ethnic groups within the Bosnia and Herzegovina. For Serbs, the Republika Srpska is a guarantee for their survival and existence as a people within these territories. On the other hand, for some ethnic Bosniaks, who were ethnically cleansed from Republika Srpska, the creation, existence, name and insignia of this entity remains a matter of controversy. In September 2002,

9009-514: The war in Bosnia. Estimates suggest over 100,000 people were killed during the war. Over 2.2 million people were displaced, making it, at the time, the most violent conflict in Europe since the end of World War II. In addition, an estimated 12,000–50,000 women were raped , mainly carried out by Serb forces, with most of the victims being Bosniak women. Clashes between Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs in Bosnia started in late February 1992, and "full-scale hostilities had broken out by 6 April",

9108-451: Was adopted and declared that the state's territory included Serb autonomous regions, municipalities, and other Serbian ethnic entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (including regions described as "places in which the Serbian people remained in the minority due to the genocide conducted against them during World War II "), and it was declared to be a part of the federal Yugoslav state. From 29 February to 2 March 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina held

9207-777: Was adopted in the form as proposed by Muslim deputies, in the absence of SDS members. As Burg and Shoup note, "the decision placed the Bosnian government and the Serbs on a collision course". The upcoming referendum caused international concern in February. The Croatian War would result in United Nations Security Council Resolution 743 on 21 February 1992, which created the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR). During talks in Lisbon on 21–22 February

9306-411: Was debated anyway, leading to a boycott of the parliament by the Bosnian Serbs, and the legislation was passed. The Serb political representatives proclaimed the Assembly of the Serb People of Bosnia and Herzegovina on 24 October 1991, declaring that the Serb people wished to remain in Yugoslavia. The Party of Democratic Action (SDA), led by Alija Izetbegović, was determined to pursue independence and

9405-640: Was defined as one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina and comprised 51% of the territory. The Republika Srpska (RS) comprised the other 49% with Banja Luka serving as its capital. As a result of Operation Storm , nearly 200,000 Serbs fled from Croatia and a large portion of them found refuge in Bosnia , especially in Republika Srpska. After the signing of the Dayton agreement, more than 60,000 Serbs left Sarajevo and other parts of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina whether by choice or force, particularly after

9504-483: Was found that: "Banja Luka authorities had actively engaged in, or had at least passively tolerated, discrimination against Muslims on the basis of their religious and ethnic origin." and that "[...] the Serb government [Republika Srpska], had failed to meet its obligation under the Human Rights Agreement to respect and secure the right to freedom of religion without discrimination." A local magistrate ruled that

9603-469: Was held on 9 and 10 November 1991, passing in favor of staying within Yugoslavia. The parliamentary government of Bosnia and Herzegovina (with a clear Bosniak and Croat majority) asserted that this plebiscite was illegal, but the Bosnian Serb assembly acknowledged its results. On 21 November 1991, the Assembly proclaimed that all those municipalities, local communities, and populated places in which over 50% of

9702-463: Was protested by the local government. On 20 September 1991, the JNA transferred troops to the front at Vukovar via the Višegrad region of northeastern Bosnia. In response, local Croats and Bosniaks set up barricades and machine-gun posts. They halted a column of 60 JNA tanks, but were dispersed by force the following day. More than 1,000 people had to flee the area. This action, nearly seven months before

9801-491: Was supported by Europe and the US The SDS made it clear that if independence was declared, Serbs would secede as it was their right to exercise self-determination. The HDZ BiH was established as a branch of the ruling party in Croatia, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). While it called for the independence of the country, there was a split in the party with some advocating secession of Croat-majority areas. In November 1991,

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