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62-605: Up until the 1992-1995 Bosnian War , the town was known as Skender Vakuf. During the war, the town was renamed Kneževo by the Serb authorities as part of their ethnic cleansing policies. Accordingly, many media outlets in the region continue to refer to the area as Skender Vakuf-Kneževo. A Roman basilica has been found in Imljani and Javorani , and the remains of the Roman road from Servitium ( Banja Luka ) to Levsaba ( Travnik ) were also found in

124-668: 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

186-736: 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

248-460: 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

310-645: 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

372-470: 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

434-606: A height of 1,493 metres (4,898 ft). Aside from the town of Kneževo, the municipality includes the following settlements: Imamovići Mušanovići After the war, the majority of the old Skender Vakuf municipality became part of the new Kneževo municipality of the Republika Srpska entity. Four Croatian pre-war settlements became part of the new Dobretići municipality of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity. The municipality houses several cultural monuments, such as

496-522: 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

558-637: 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

620-430: 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

682-678: 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

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744-492: 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

806-1274: 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 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,

868-582: 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

930-566: 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

992-527: A top-secret document entitled ‘For the organization and activity of organs of the Serbs people in Bosnia-Herzegovina in extraordinary circumstances’ was drawn up by the SDS leadership. This was a centralized program for the takeover of each municipality in the country, through the creation of shadow governments and para-governmental structures through various "crisis headquarters", and by preparing loyal Serbs for

1054-404: Is located between the rivers Ugar , Vrbas and Vrbanja and surrounded by the mountain chains of Čemernica and Ranča to the west, Vlašić to the south and Ježica to the northeast. The municipality has an official altitude of 864 metres (2,835 ft), but in reality it ranges from 600 to 1,493 metres (1,969 to 4,898 ft). Kneževo is 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of Banja Luka by

1116-564: Is under sanctions from the United States for "failing to arrest and turn over war crimes suspects to an international tribunal." The sanctions prohibit any transfer of funds and material from the United States to the SDS and vice versa. The party is on the list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons by the Office of Foreign Assets Control U.S. agency. Radovan Karadžić founded

1178-585: 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

1240-659: 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,

1302-927: The Old Church of St. Nicholas from 1757, the 18th-century Church of Prophet Elijah. In Imljani there is a monument dedicated to the 43 fallen soldiers of the Army of Republika Srpska who fell on the Vlašić battlefield on 20 March 1995. The mayor of Knezevo is Bore Škeljić, of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS). According to the 1991 census, the municipality consisted of: Bastaji, Bokani, Borak, Bregovi, Brnjići, Bunar, Čarići, Ćukovac, Davidovići, Dobratići , Donji Orašac, Golo Brdo, Gornji Orašac, Imljani , Javorani , Kobilja, Kostići, Kričići - Jejići, Melina, Mijatovići, Milaševci, Mokri Lug, Paunovići, Pavlovići, Prisika, Rađići, Skender Vakuf, Slipčevići, Šolaji, Vitovlje Malo , Vlatkovići, Vukovići, Zapeće, Zasavica, Zubovići and Živinice. In 1995,

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1364-824: 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

1426-655: 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

1488-572: 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

1550-588: 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

1612-631: 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

1674-463: The Bosnian parliament voted on sovereignty on 15 October 1991, a separate Serb Assembly was founded on 24 October 1991 in Banja Luka , in order to exclusively represent the Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The following month, Bosnian Serbs held a referendum which resulted in an overwhelming vote in favor of staying in a federal state with Serbia and Montenegro, as part of Yugoslavia. In December 1991,

1736-696: 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

1798-556: 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

1860-603: 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

1922-494: The M56 motorway. Neighbouring municipalities are Čelinac (far north), Kotor Varoš (east), Travnik , Dobretići , Jajce (south), Mrkonjić Grad (west) and the city of Banja Luka (northwest). The southern border is defined by the border of the Republika Srpska with the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina , the country's other entity. The mountainous region in the south is forested and inpenetrable; its limestone mountains reach

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1984-657: 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

2046-623: 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

2108-505: The SDS lost its status as the leading party in Republika Srpska and the main Serb party in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), led by the president of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik . Despite making minor gains in the 2010 and 2014 elections, by 2018 the party had fallen to below 20% of the parliament, the lowest seat standing in its history. The party

2170-579: The Serb Democratic Party in 1990. The party aimed at unifying the Bosnian Serb community, as Jovan Rašković 's Serb Democratic Party did with the Serbs in Croatia, and staying part of Yugoslavia (as the "Third Yugoslavia" with Serbia and Montenegro ) in the event of secession by those two republics from the federation. Throughout September 1991, the SDS began to establish various " Serb Autonomous Regions " throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. After

2232-509: 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

2294-494: 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

2356-449: 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

2418-433: The following morning at key transit points across the city and were manned by armed and masked SDS supporters. Serb Democratic Party (Bosnia and Herzegovina) The Serb Democratic Party ( Serbian : Српска демократска странка/Srpska demokratska stranka or СДС / SDS ) is a Serb political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina . Its current leader is Milan Miličević. In the parliamentary elections of October 2006,

2480-439: 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,

2542-406: 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

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2604-481: 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

2666-565: 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

2728-422: 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

2790-449: 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

2852-474: The municipality included Bastaji, Bokani, Borak, Bregovi, Čarići, Ćukovac, Golo Brdo, Imljani, Javorani, Kobilja, Kostići, Malići, Mokri Lug, Paunovići, Rađići, Kneževo, Šolaji, Vlatkovići and Živinice; the southwestern settlements of Davidovići, Dobretići, Kričići and Melina became part of the municipality of Dobretići in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Bosnian War Military stalemate International recognition of Bosnia and Herzegovina as

2914-456: 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,

2976-406: 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

3038-489: 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

3100-454: 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

3162-411: 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

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3224-427: 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

3286-517: 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

3348-405: The takeover in co-ordination with the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA). Historically, the party had a strong ultranationalist , separatist and Islamophobic ideology . Recently, the party switched from far-right and adopted more moderate conservative views, with some of those views even going in favor of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a whole, and not just Republika Srpska, with perhaps one of

3410-426: The vicinity. Tombstones of the Stećak type date back to the 14th and 15th centuries, when the area was part of the Kingdom of Bosnia . The town was founded during the reign of the Ottoman Empire . It was first mentioned in the records of a Muslim judge from Jajce in 1693, while there is no record of it in the census of the Bosnia Eyalet of 1604. Two generations of imams are mentioned in the records, which means it

3472-514: 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",

3534-473: 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

3596-411: 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

3658-439: Was destroyed, along with the New Mosque, in 1992 during the Bosnian War . In the Korićani Cliffs massacre of 21 August 1992, some 200 Bosniak and Croat detainees were massacred in the municipality by the Bosnian Serb police and army forces from Prijedor. After the Bosnian War, a part of the municipality was split off to form the Dobretići municipality of the entity of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina . Kneževo

3720-409: Was most likely founded in the latter half of the 17th century. The architecture of the Old Mosque in Skender Vakuf also indicates it was built in the latter half of the 17th century. The charitable endowment ( vakuf ) that is reflected in the town's traditional name Skender Vakuf (after Ali-dedo Skender) contributed to its urbanization. The Old Mosque was significant and one of the first in the region. It

3782-413: 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

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3844-438: 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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