Srebrenica Massacre Essay

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David Desperito History 311 Section 2 Research Paper 13 November 2014 Srebrenica Massacre The Srebrenica Massacre was the deadliest genocide on European soil since the Second World War. It was a brutal, senseless mass murder that occurred in Srebrenica, in Bosnia & Herzegovina, in July of 1995. The killing was perpetrated by the Bosnian Serb Army, also known as the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS). Their goal was to cleanse the area of all Muslims, also known as Bosniaks in this region. They were under the command of General Ratko Mladić and killed around 8,000 Muslims in the summer of 1995. This paper will be focusing on Mladić’s reasoning and role behind this mass murder/ethnic cleansing in Srebrenica, as well as the Dutch and their role played during this genocide. First, it is important to understand the events that led up to the massacre. Beginning in the early 1990s, Serb forces sought to take control of the small town in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, Srebrenica. In 1992, Serb military gained control of the town, deporting and killing Bosniak (Bosnian Muslims) men in the area. Later that year in May, Bosnian forces recaptured the town from Serb forces. The Serb forces left their impact on the town however as the Serbs began taking over surrounding towns which shrunk the size of the already tiny Srebrenica. The overpopulated town became even more densely populated as many more Bosniaks migrated to the town. The Serb forces had destroyed the town’s water supply and food and other essential products became very scarce. In March of 1993, it seemed as though salvation had arrived as the UN Commander in Bosnia, French General Philippe Morillon, declared the refugees in Srebrenica under the protection of the United Nations. In 1995 tensions begin to escalate in the region rapidly. Early on in 1995, the United Nations sent members to the area to try and

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