MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003
MSF SPEAKS OUT MSF Speaks out
In the same collection, “MSF Speaking Out”:
- “Salvadoran refugee camps in Honduras 1988” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2003 - April 2004 - December 2013]
- “Genocide of Rwandan Tutsis 1994” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2003 - April 2004 - April 2014]
- “Rwandan refugee camps Zaire and Tanzania 1994-1995” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2003 - April 2004 - April 2014]
- “The violence of the new Rwandan regime 1994-1995” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2003 - April 2004 - April 2014]
- “Hunting and killings of Rwandan Refugee in Zaire-Congo 1996-1997” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [August 2004 - April 2014]
- ‘’Famine and forced relocations in Ethiopia 1984-1986” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [January 2005 - November 2013]
- “Violence against Kosovar Albanians, NATO’s Intervention 1998-1999” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [September 2006]
- “War crimes and politics of terror in Chechnya 1994-2004’” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [June 2010-September 2014]
- “Somalia 1991-1993: Civil war, famine alert and UN ‘military-humanitarian’ intervention” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [October 2013]
- “MSF and North Korea 1995-1998” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [November 2014]
Editorial Committee: Laurence Binet, Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, Marine Buissonnière, Rebecca Golden, Michiel Hofman, Paul Mac Phun, Jerome Oberreit, Darin Portnoy - Director of Studies (project coordination-research-interview-editing): Laurence Binet - Assistant: Martin Saulnier - Translation into English: Mark Ayton, Leah Brumer, Kristin Cairns, Amanda Dehaye, Nina Friedman, Justin Hillier, Derek Scoins, Caroline Serraf (coor- dination), Ros Smith-Thomas, Karen Stokes, Karen Tucker, Riccardo Walker - Editing/Proof Reading: Liz Barling, Rebecca Golden - Design and Layout: tcgraphite - Video research: Martin Saulnier - Website Designer and Administrator: Sean Brokenshire.
Thanks to Wouter Kok for research and translation from the Dutch press, to Juliette Estival for part of Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier’s interview. Thanks to MSF Australia team for their support. Produced by the Médecins Sans Frontières International Movement MSF Australia is in charge of the design, running, update, and promotion strategy of the website http://speakingout.msf.org
2 © Médecins Sans Frontières. June 2015 FOREWORD MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003
This publication is part of the “Médecins Sans Frontières Speaking Out” case studies series prepared in response to the MSF International Council’s wish to provide the movement with literature on MSF témoignage (advocacy).
The idea was to create a reference document that would be straightforward and accessible to all and help volunteers understand and adopt the organization’s culture of speaking out.
It was not to be an ideological manual or a set of guidelines. Témoignage cannot be reduced to a mechanical applica- tion of rules and procedures as it involves an understanding of the dilemmas inherent in every instance of humanitarian action.
The International Council assigned the project to a director of studies, who in turn works with an editorial committee composed of MSF representatives chosen by the International Board for their experience and expertise. They serve in their capacity as individuals and do not represent their national sections.
Faced with the difficulty of defining the term témoignage, the editorial committee decided to focus the series on case studies in which speaking out posed a dilemma for MSF and thus meant taking a risk.
Key information sources -MSF volunteers’ written and oral recollections — are reconstructed by highlighting docu- ments from the period concerned and interviewing the main actors.
The individuals interviewed are chosen from lists prepared by the operational sections involved in each case. Speaking in the language they choose, these individuals offer both their account of events and their assessment of MSF’s re- sponse. The interviews are recorded and transcribed.
Document searches are conducted in the operational sections’ archives and, as far as possible, press archives.
The research is constrained by practical and financial issues, including locating interviewees and securing their agree- ment and determining the existence, quality and quantity of archived materials.
The methodology aims at establishing the facts and setting out a chronological presentation of the positions adopted at the time. It enables the reconstruction of debates and dilemmas without pre-judging the quality of the decisions made.
The main text describes events in chronological order. It includes excerpts from documents and interviews, linked by brief introductions and transitional passages. We rely on document extracts to establish the facts as MSF described and perceived them at the time. When documentation is missing, interviews sometimes fill the gaps. These accounts also provide a human perspective on the events and insight into the key players’ analyses.
Preceding the main texts collected, the reader will find a map, a list of abbreviations and an introduction that lays out the context of MSF’s public statements and the key dilemmas they sought to address.
In addition, a detailed chronology reconstructs MSF’s actions and public statements in regional and international news reports of the period.
3 MSF Speaks out
Each case study was written in French and translated into English and is available in both languages.1
These case studies were essentially designed as an educational tool for associative members of the organisation. With the hope of broadening their educational scope the studies are now being made available to the public for free, on the website www.speakingout.msf.org, the various English and French-language websites of individual sections of Médecins Sans Frontières, and on Google Book.
We hope you find them useful.
The Editorial Committee.
September 2013
1. Document excerpts and interviews have been translated into both languages.
4 CONTENTS MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003
People interviewed and their position at the time of the events...... 6
Personalities in Political and Military Positions at the Time of the Srebrenica Events...... 7
Acronyms...... 9
Map...... 10
Introduction...... 12
MSF and Srebrenica 1993-2003 ...... 15
Enter the enclave and open a mission...... 16
Working like prison doctors...... 28
Witnessing the fall of the “safe area”...... 45
Witnessing the fall of the enclave...... 47
Denouncing the surrender of the ‘safe area’...... 68
No peace agreement without justice...... 83
Toward an appeal to establish the french responsibilities...... 91
Critical support to the French parliamentary fact-finding commission...... 102
Reaction to the reports on Dutch responsibilities...... 124
Epilogue...... 131
5 MSF Speaks out
PEOPLE INTERVIEWED AND THEIR POSITION AT THE TIME OF THE EVENTS
Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier MSF Legal Advisor
Dr Jean-Hervé Bradol MSF France President, 2000-2007
Dr Rony Brauman MSF France President, 1982-1994, MSF Foundation Research Director from 1994
Dr Georges Dallemagne MSF Belgium Director of Operations
Dr Graciela Diap MSF Medical Coordinator for the former Yugoslavia, October 1993 to April 1995
Fabien Dubuet MSF France Deputy Legal Advisor, 1995-2005
Dr Marc Gastellu-Etchegorry MSF France Deputy Director of Operations, 1992-1997
Graziella Godain MSF France/Belgium Field Coordinator in Srebrenica, October 1993 to April 1994
Dr Eric Goemaere MSF Belgium General Director, 1994-1997
Wouter Kok MSF Holland Medical Coordinator in Sarajevo, Bosnia, December 1991 - September 1992, then various positions in MSF-Holland Bosnia desk September 1992 - 1996
Dr Jacques de Milliano Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director 1984-1996
Stephan Oberreit MSF Belgium/France General Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia May-November 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000 - 2006, Interviewed in 2015
Pierre Salignon MSF France Deputy Programme Manager, in charge of programmes in the former Yugoslavia, 1992-1996, Interviewed in 2015
Eric Stobbaerts MSF Belgium/France General Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, December 1993 to April 1995
Dr Renaud Tockert MSF Belgium Programme Manager for the former Yugoslavia 1993-1995
Wilna van Aartzen MSF Holland Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, 1991-1993, then Head of the Emergency Desk, then Director of Operations
Christina Schmitz and Daniel O’Brien, the MSF volunteers present in Srebrenica during the fall declined to be interviewed
6 PERSONALITIES IN POLITICAL AND MILITARY POSITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE SREBRENICA MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 EVENTS
Madeleine Albright US Ambassador to the United Nations Kofi Annan Deputy UN Secretary-General in charge of Peace Keeping Operations from March 1993 to December 1996, UN Secretary General from January 1997 to December 2006 Yasushi Akashi UN Secretary-General’s Personal Representative for the war in the former Yugoslavia Boutros Boutros-Ghali UN Secretary General from January 1992 to December 1996 Hervé de Charrette French Minister of Foreign Affairs from May 1995 to June 1997 Jacques Chirac President of the French Republic from May 1995 to June 2007 Warren Christopher US Secretary of State from January 1993 to January 1997 Bill Clinton President of the United States from January 1993 to January 2001 General Jean Cot French Commander of UNPROFOR from March 1993 to March 1994 Major Robert Franken Deputy Commander of the UNPROFOR Dutch battalion in Srebrenica General Jean Heinrich Director of French Military Intelligence from 1992 to 1995 Alija Izetbegovic President of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina from October 1990 to October 1996 General Bernard Janvier French Commander of UNPROFOR from March 1995 to January 1996 Alain Juppé French Minister of Foreign Affairs from March 1993 to May 1995, Prime Minister from May 1995 to June 1997 Radovan Karadzic President of Republika Srpska (Serbian Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina) from December 1992 to July 1996 Wim Kok Prime Minister of The Netherlands from August 1994 to July 2002 Nikola Koljevic Vice-president of Republika Srpska in Bosnia-Herzegovina Radislav Krstic Chief of Staff of the Republika Srpska’s army in Bosnia-Herzegovina Lieutenant Colonel Tom Karremans Commander of the UNPROFOR Dutch battalion in Srebrenica Admiral Jacques Lanxade Chief of Staff of the French army from 1991 to 1995 François Léotard French Minister of Defence from March 1993 to May 1995 Jean-David Levitte Diplomatic Advisor to French President Jacques Chirac from 1995 to 2000 François Loncle President of the French Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission on Srebrenica John Major Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from November 1990 to May 1997 Hans van Mierlo Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs from August 1994 to May 1998 Slobodan Milosevic President of the Republika Srpska in in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1989 to 2000 François Mitterrand President of the French Republic from May 1981 to May 1995 David Owen Co-president of the Conference on the former Yugoslavia General Ratko Mladic Commander-in-Chief of the army of the Republika Srpska in in Bosnia-Herzegovina
7 MSF Speaks out
General Philippe Morillon French Commander of UNPROFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina from September 1992 to July 1993 Naser Oric Commander of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina armed forces in the Srebrenica enclave Jan Pronk Dutch Minister of Cooperation for Development from November 1989 to May 1998 Paul Quilès President of the National Defence and armed forces Commission of the National Assembly from 1997 to 2002 Lieutenant General Rupert Smith British Commander of UNPROFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina from January 1995 to 1996 Franjo Tudjman President of the Republic of Croatia from May 1990 to December 1999 Cyrus Vance Co-president of the Conference on the former Yugoslavia Joris Voorhoeve Dutch Minister of Defence from August 1994 to May 1998
8 ACRONYMS MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003
AFP Agence France Presse AP Associated Press BBC British Broadcasting Corporation DAS Delegation for Strategic Affairs (French Ministry of Defence) DGSE General Directorate for External Security (French Ministry of Defence) DPKO Department for Peacekeeping Operations (United Nations) DRM Department of Military Intelligence (French Ministry of Defence) Dutchbat Dutch battalion, UNPROFOR ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross IFOR Implementation Force (NATO Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina) MDM Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) MSF B Médecins Sans Frontières Belgium MSF F Médecins Sans Frontières France MSF H Médecins Sans Frontières Holland NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation NBC National Broadcasting Company (US) NIOD Dutch Institute for War, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies WHO World Health Organisation (UN) Oxfam Oxford Commitee for Famine Relief PSF Pharmaciens Sans Frontières (Pharmacists Without Borders) SAS Special Air Service (UK army) UN United Nations UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNMO United Nations Military Observer UNPROFOR United Nations Protection Force for the Former Yugoslavia
Extract from MSF archives or press clippings. Extract from interviews conducted in 2000 and 2015 MSF people who participated and/or witnessed the events.
Click to access the reference material list. Then click on the refering number to access the video. 9 MSF Speaks out
BUDAPEST
HUNGARY SLOVENIA ROMANIA LJUBIJANA ZAGREB CROATIA Gasinci VOJVODINA BUCAREST
BELGRADE Bihac Banja Luka Tuzla BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA Srebrenica Zenica Zepa SARAJEVO SERBIA Gorazde BULGARIE Split SOFIA Mostar Pristina MONTENEGRO S KOSOVO TURQUIE Dubrovnik SKOPJE MACEDONIA
ITALY ALBANIA
GRÈCE Médecins Sans Frontières Missions ‘Safe Areas’ under UN protection
10 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003
Tuzla Kladanj Bratunac Potocari
Srebrenica
SARAJEVO
UNPROFOR base Attacks by Zepa the Bosnian Serb forces YOUGOSLAVIA 0 5 km 10 km BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
11 MSF Speaks out
INTRODUCTION
In 1992, after the former Yugoslavia disintegrated, the Bosnian Serb forces took control of most of eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina and tried to forcibly bring all non-Serbs under its rule. The city of Srebrenica became a besieged and overcrowded enclave, serving as a refuge for the region’s Muslim population. The Muslim population only received erratic supplies and was subject to the good will of the Serbian troops that regu- larly bombed the city. In March 1993, General Morillon, Commander of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in Bosnia- Herzegovina, finally managed to enter the enclave with a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) convoy after months of a blockade. He promised the population that they would not be abandoned. Srebrenica, as well as Zepa, Sarajevo, Tuzla, Gorazde, and Bihac, became demilitarised “safe areas” under the protection of UNPROFOR. A Médecins Sans Frontières team also entered Srebrenica in General Morillon’s wake and informed the media about conditions there. During the following weeks, MSF opened a medical and health programme in the enclave. For two years, its volunteers worked in, what some considered an open-air prison. MSF provided relief that kept a population suffering a suffocating siege, alive. On a number of occasions, MSF informed the media about the difficulties it was having obtaining permission to deliver supplies, medicine, and even volunteers. On 6 July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces attacked Srebrenica. In the days that followed, the two MSF volunteers, who were helping the wounded, witnessed the military offensive by Bosnian Serb forces. The Serbs took control of the enclave, forcibly evacuated the population, while separating and detaining men over the age of sixteen. Srebrenica was taken on 11 July 1995; UNPROFOR and NATO soldiers did not provide any military resistance to the capture of the “safe area” or make any effort to protect the population. The UNPROFOR Dutch peacekeeping contingent, of which certain members were being held hostage, did not offer any resistance. NATO’s air strikes were too little and too late. They had no impact on the situation on the ground. Twenty-two MSF staff members and Srebrenica hospital employees were reported dead or missing. Throughout this period, MSF provided detailed accounts to the media about everything its team was witnessing in the enclave and issued frequent appeals urging protection for the population. Another MSF team provided relief to tens of thousands of refugees who had fled Srebrenica for Tuzla. They recorded their eyewitness accounts. During the weeks following the enclave’s fall, it was discovered that Serbian forces had massacred more than 8,000 male adults and adolescents over the age of 16. Charges and arrest warrants were issued against Bosnian Serb leaders Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic. The media revealed that General Mladic and General Janvier, the UNPROFOR Commander, had apparently entered into an agreement that conditioned the release of the captive peacekeepers on the suspension of air strikes. MSF published its Srebrenica team’s logbook as well as the eyewitness accounts recorded in Tuzla. The team responded to media queries about its relations with the Dutch peacekeepers, whose passive behaviour was questioned. 12 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003
After the Dayton Peace Accords1 on the former Yugoslavia were signed in December 1995, MSF publicly urged the parties not to let the desire for peace impede justice or the establishment of responsibility for the events that occurred in Srebrenica. On 19 November 1999, the UN report on the Srebrenica events acknowledged the organisation’s “errors in judgment” and asked the member states involved in the conflict to investigate their own responsibility. In July 2000, based on this report and encouraged by the creation of an Investigative Parliamentary Commission on Rwanda in 1998, MSF’s French section called for the establishment of a French Parliamen- tary Commission to look into France’s responsibility for the events leading up to the Srebrenica massacre. Its goal would be to understand how political, military, and humanitarian strategies and failures led to the abandonment and massacre of part of the “safe area” population even though the zone was supposed to be protected – then learn the necessary lessons based on the results. It was essential to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of international military operations that were designed to protect civilian populations and that have been growing in number in recent years. In November 2000, a Fact-finding Parliamentary Commission was finally set up, and MSF contributed critical active support by providing the legislators with key facts. This information could help them ask questions likely to elicit answers that could shed light on the events. All of this information, as well as MSF’s comments, were sent to the media and posted on a dedicated website. When the commission’s report was published in November 2001, MSF publicly stressed that while the report did acknowledge the responsibility of the armed forces, it gave a free pass to political leaders. In 2002 and 2003, the Dutch section of MSF issued a public statement about the various reports published at the request of the Dutch authorities. These reports spread responsibility for the tragedy among all play- ers in the international community. MSF’s message focused on the need to draw the necessary conclusions from the Srebrenica crisis in terms of protecting civilians from the violence of war. MSF publicly urged the United States and United Kingdom to launch investigations into their own respon- sibilities for the Srebrenica events. Throughout this period, MSF faced a host of questions and dilemmas: • By agreeing to provide a minimally acceptable level of relief to a besieged population, wasn’t MSF contributing, like prison doctors, to the strategy of the besieging troops while concurrently softening their image? • Contrarily, wouldn’t calling for the evacuation of civilians who wished to leave have been equivalent to abetting the ethnic cleansing policy of the besieging army? • Having trusted the UN Protection Force’s commitment to protect the enclave and its population, must MSF accept partial culpability for or complicity in the UN’s abandonment of the enclave and the ensuing massacre of the population? Didn’t MSF give the population the false impression that it would be safe as long as the team was present?
1. The Dayton Peace Accords provided the general framework agreement for peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina. This peace agreement was reached at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio, USA in November 1995 and formally signed in Paris, France on 14 December 1995. 13 MSF Speaks out
• Is it the role of a humanitarian medical organisation to issue an appeal for an investigative parliamen- tary commission then, once it is established, to actively monitor it with a critical eye? • Contrarily, how can MSF not try to understand the circumstances and responsibilities, which, at the global level, led to the abandonment and massacre of a population to which its teams had provided relief? Can MSF be content with calling for a parliamentary investigation without ensuring that it asks the types of questions likely to elicit answers that shed light on the events? • By failing to also explore the shadowy areas of the agreements signed between the Bosnian Serbs and Bosnians, doesn’t MSF risk acting as a prosecutor of only UN and Member State practices and not other actors? • Should Srebrenica be viewed as an accident of history or as a clear-cut example of the impossibility of protecting populations under international mandates established by the UN?
14 bring suppliesduringthefour-month winterperiod. months of hardship intheenclave, was theonlyoneto convoy, whichentered on18November 1992afterseveral deigned toallow through. Indeed,aninternational relief dependent onthesuppliesthatbesiegingforces They were livinginextremely squalidconditions, wholly The populationof Srebrenica rose from 8,000to40,000. to fleetheirhomesandseek refuge intheenclaves. Bosnian Muslimsfrom thesurrounding villageswere forced frequent attackby Bosnian-Serbianforces. Thousandsof transformed intoenclaves, undersiege, andsubjectto Srebrenica, whosemajoritypopulations were Muslim,were The citiesof Sarajevo, Bihac, Gorazde, Zepa, Tuzla, and expel BosnianMuslimsfrom theregion. Bosnia-Herzegovina. They ledmilitaryoperations there to Bosnia’s Serbian forces took control of most of Western After theformer Yugoslavia was dismantledin1991, MSF AND SREBRENICA 1993-2003 On the crest of the surrounding mountains, Serbian forces are Extract: anaesthesia. hospitals hadtotreat the injured without the useof drugs or the peoplewere living in conditions verging onfamine; the civil warstartedinApril.According toheads atthe UNHCR, which hadbeencutoff from the rest of the worldsince the made twovainattemptstobring new supplies tothe town, blocked for three days bySerbian forces. The UNhadalready 70,000) inBosnia onSaturday 28November 1992after being reached the besieged Muslim townof Srebrenica (population An aid convoy sent by the United Nations successfully Extract: 7 March 1993(inFrench) ‘One of the Necessities of War.’ LeMonde(France), the Transfer of People isInevitable and Represents ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ inWestern Bosnia. Forthe Serbs, French) (France)/Reuters (UK),1December1992(in ‘Bosnia: Srebrenica GetsFresh Supplies,’ LeMonde measures are asfollows: the recall tobaseof relief convoys Herzegovina of essential international humanitarian aid. The a series of measures thatwouldresult indepriving Bosnia- on Wednesday 17Julythatshe hadtaken, albeitreluctantly, down arms. The High Commissioner, Sadako Ogata,announced At the UNHCRheadquarters, they havebeenforced tolay Extract: the media. to sendsuppliesintoTuzla andSrebrenica. MSFinformed equipment todisplacedpeopleinZenica, but was unable For itspart,MSFBelgiummanagedtosupplyessential operations intheregion. relief aid intoBosnia-Herzegovina, suspendedall for Refugees, admittingitsineffectiveness ingetting From 18 to 21February 1993, the UN High Commissioner convoys. UNHCR, which wouldbe satisfied with merely escorting the civilians and the injured coulddefinitely be done without the than the humanitarians,’’ explaining thatthe evacuation of ‘‘We want toshow,’’ he stressed, ‘‘thatweare more humane of populations is, inhis eyes, ‘‘one of the necessities of war.’’ to other regions where they are inthe majority. The transfer tions, the Muslims willhaveno choice buttoleaveand move of ethnically homogeneous territories. Under these condi- the ground.’’ Forhim,thismeans the possession and control tional community willbeforced torecognise the situation on Muslim populations. ‘‘Sooner orlater,’’ he said, ‘‘the interna- cussing apeaceplanwhich wouldreturn these regions to cians and diplomats were only‘‘prolonging the agony’’ indis- On Thursday, Major Pandurevic publicly declared thatpoliti- people. […] decided toseizeensure territorial continuity for their enclaves inWestern Bosnia, Srebrenica, which they have waiting inambushaboveone of the lastremaining Muslim Monde (France), 19February 1993(inFrench) Made by the High Commissioner for Refugees,‘ Le ‘ International Aid Suspended inBosnia. Decision
15 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
sent by the UNHCR and blocked in Eastern Bosnia, and the Srebrenica. On several occasions, it was blocked by Bosnian- immediate suspension of all aid in regions under Serbian con- Serbian forces, which confiscated its medical supplies. trol; the suspension of all UNHCR operations in Sarajevo and the withdrawal of the majority of its personnel, maintaining General Morillon, commander of the United Nations a minimal presence in this besieged town of 380,000 inhabit- Protection Forces (UNPROFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, ants; the suspension of humanitarian convoys and airlifts to tasked in particular with protecting the UNHCR’s humani- Sarajevo; and UNHCR operations in Bosnian regions main- tarian aid convoys, traveled to the enclave at the head of a tained at a reduced level where activity is still possible. […] convoy that was also blocked by Bosnian-Serbian forces on “While we were focusing all our efforts on helping victims, several occasions. Following a short visit to the enclave of the parties were confusing humanitarian aid and political Cerska, he said that he had not seen “any trace of massacres.” interests,” Ogata announced, adding, “Our humanitarian efforts have become the laughingstock of political leaders, and I deeply regret that their management has forced me to take such a decision.’’ ‘While General Morillon Declares That He Has Not Seen ‘Any Trace of Massacres,’ The Humanitarian Organisations Take Stock of the Dramatic Situation in Western Bosnia,’ Le Monde (France), 9 March ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Continues its Distribu- 1993 (in French) tion Programmes in Bosnia,’ Press Release, MSF Belgium, 19 February 1993 (in French) Extract: As of Tuesday 9 March, the UN was meant to be undertaking Médecins Sans Frontières will continue to distribute emergency a relief mission in the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica, which is aid in Bosnia from its logistical bases in the former Yugoslavia. under attack from Serbian forces, in an attempt to evacuate In doing so, MSF is ignoring the call, declared on Wednesday by hundreds of wounded people and to bring in vital supplies. the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, to stop all humani- General Philippe Morillon, Commander of the UN Protection tarian operations in Bosnia. Although not deliberately dis- Forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina, confirmed his announcements tancing itself from the best intentions of the UNHCR’s on Saturday that he had not seen ‘‘any trace of massacres’ announcement, which was made in recognition of the total during his short visit to Cerska, where no inhabitants disregard for human rights by the various parties to the con- remained. These statements were contradicted by informa- flict, Médecins Sans Frontières believes that mass efforts to aid tion from the UNHCR and ham [amateur] radio stations, the Bosnian civilian population are more necessary than ever. which described the dramatic situation in western Bosnia. Above all, it is the inhabitants of the sealed-off towns in northern and central Bosnia that are suffering from the blockade forced upon them by Serbian, Croatian, and Muslim forces. The towns of Tuzla and Srebrenica in particular, have been deprived of regular supplies of food, basic drugs, and fuel After a dozen days of negotiations and waiting, the MSF for the past several months. For the last fortnight, MSF’s team finally decided to join the UNPROFOR convoy. On Belgian section has managed to supply 400 tonnes of essential 11 March, it was authorised by Bosnian-Serbian forces items (food, blankets, etc.) to warehouses in Zenica (Central to enter Srebrenica. MSF Belgium announced the news Bosnia). From Zenica the supplies are distributed among in a press release. Bosnian refugees and the displaced. Even today, an 80,000- tonne convoy carrying emergency relief will reach the popula- tion of Tuzla, a Bosnian town surrounded by Serbian forces. ‘Former Yugoslavia – Convoys Finally Make it Through,’ Press Release, MSF Belgium, 11 March 1993 (in French)
According to the most recent information collected on the ENTER THE ENCLAVE ground, relief convoys sent by the UNHCR and the UNPROFOR, accompanied by MSF-B teams, have finally received authori- AND OPEN A MISSION sation to move into the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica and the town of Konjevic Polje in northeast Bosnia. An MSF team has been present in Srebrenica since 13:00 GMT to administer first aid to the besieged inhabitants and the town’s refugee population. At the Serb checkpoints, the team was allowed to bring in most of the medical equipment and drugs intended In late February 1993, while the Bosnian-Serbian forces for the relief operation. Indeed, at midday today, two MSF-B were launching an attack, an exploratory team from MSF [volunteers] reached the town of Konjevic Polje, where they Belgium made another attempt to obtain authorisation attempted to set up an aid operation. 16 from Serbian authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina, to enter friends. ourselves. Itplayedoutwell and wewereproudof ourBelgian of them, because it was something we would have liked to do so wewere100%behindthem.We wereactuallyabitenvious mission. That wasn’t merely a coup, but a real starting point, the MSFteamsstayedbehindandthatwasstartof a whole journeywasquiteunforgettable. the middle of the night, we met some Bosnian supporters. The on withoutwaitingfor us. Theyletusgetonboard.Then,in and caught up with Morillon’s tank, which had calmly carried UNPROFOR truckcoveredinKevlar sheets. We carriedonbyfoot didn’t haveascratchonthem,becauseitwastheonly he wasgoingtofindmeinbitsandpieces!TheBelgiansoldiers already gone past, came back with the emergency kit, thinking the anti-tank mine! Eric Dachy, who was in the vehicle that had disappeared. Thewheelclosesttothefootboard hadrolledover and thefootboard Ihadbeen standing on had completely off. Ten metresfurther, thetruckexploded onananti-tankmine, because Iwaswearing my bulletproof vest. So,Ihad tojump onto thefootboard astheypassed.However, I wastooheavy drove withoutstoppingsotheydidn’tgetstuckandIjumped MSF caronfoot andwasovertaken bytheBelgiantruck.They vehicles gotstuckinthesnow. Ihadtogetoutandpushthe truck fromtheUNPROFORcarryingsugaranddrugs. Several included Americanswithsatelliteequipment,andaBelgian MSF car, a UNHCR car, a car carrying soldiers from the UN, which In theconvoy, therewasa small tanktransporting Morillon, an forces ataroundfiveintheevening.Itwasalreadyreallydark. man’s land between the pro-Serbian forces andthe Bosnian over thenormalroadweremined.We endeduparrivinginno down tinysnowymountaintracks, claimingthatthebridges allowed in,takingconsiderablerisks. Infact, theSerbssentus Srebrenica thenext day.At theendof 10daysorso,wewere try to make friends with them and to negotiate our entry into these people were mixing in our hotel. So every evening we’d would come for dinner and there were Serb soldiers, too. All vers, UNforces, UNHCRpersonnel,andhumanitarianagencies phere wasprettyunusual.EveryeveningtheEuropeanobser- Srebrenica whateverittakes.’ We wereinahotelandtheatmos- then Morillonarrivedandsaid,‘Okay, I’mgoingtogetinto Serbs and see how we could get in, among other things. And, [river]. Every morning, we went to try and negotiate with the on the other side of the bridges that stretch over the Drina Srebrenica for 10daysorso.We wereblockaded inasmalltown, Dr Rony Brauman, MSF France President 1982-1994, forces in the region. We had tried to get back into We wereunderfullattackfromSerbandpro-Serbian in withMorillon’s convoy.Then,whenthegeneralleft, We thought it was great when Georges Dallemagne got MSF Belgium, Interviewed inJuly2000(in French) Dr Georges Dallemagne, Director of Operations, MSF Foundation Research Director from 1994 Bosnian-Serbian forces floodedintothehospital. Many of thepeopleinjured duringthebombingsof the every dayfrom starvation andlackof medicalattention. team discovered that dozens of inhabitants were dying Arriving at the enclave on the night of 11 March, the MSF happen or what we were going to find. happen orwhatweweregoingto find. was anexploratory missionandwedidn’tknowwhatwasgoing to own blood),andmore. We mighthavesavedoneortwopeople. It but westilltriedtooperate, treat,givetransfusions (usingour nothing totreatthemwith.EricandIaredoctors, notsurgeons, of these people diedfromlackof treatment,becausetherewas At theendof the day, hewasincapableof ‘seeingthewar.’ Most incapable of goingtoseethesechildrenbathedintheirownblood. hospital, gave a little speech, and then turned away. He was and see the war.’ I’ll always remember that Morillon came to the floor, moaning,andIwenttofindMorillon,sayinghim,‘come overwhelmed. Thereweretwolittlegirlswithbroken legsonthe people bleedingeverywhere. Thestaffmemberswerecompletely something outof Dante’s Inferno crowded thetown.We wentto thehospital.Thesituationwaslike through the night, and thousands and thousands of people Cola] boxes onstreetcorners. Thereweresmallfireslike thatall It was dreadfully cold and for fuel they were burning Coke [Coca shouting, crying.Thewoundedwerebeingcarriedinwheelbarrows. get outof thehousetosavethemselves. You couldhearpeople their pajamas, injumpers, somebarefoot. Theyonlyhadtimeto the night,fleeingbombing of neighbouringvillages. Theycame in enclave of Konjevic Polje. evacuate injured people from the neighbouring besieged Muslim enclave of Srebrenica, and the second destined to light convoystopassthrough, the firstledbyhimself tothe who obtained authorisation from the Serbauthorities for two General Morillon himself, commander of UNPROFOR in Bosnia, the morning and crossed the border inthe afternoon. It was The convoytransporting 80tonnes of relief leftBelgrade in American airdrops. although the besieged towndid receive supplies from would make itthe firstone to make itthere since 10December, traveling tothissame enclave couldcross Serblines. This The MSF team’sarrival givessome hope thataUNconvoy release issuedbythe organisation inBrussels. were transporting atSerbcheckpoints, according toapress to abandon most of the drugs and medical equipment they cessful inentering the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica, buthad Yesterday, ateamfrom Médecins Sans Frontières wassuc- Extract: tially was comprised women and children who arrived in tially wascomprisedwomenandchildrenwhoarrivedin I’ll alwayshavehorriblememoriesof thattown.Itessen MSF Belgium, Interviewed inJuly2000 French) (in Le Soir(Belgium),12March 1993(inFrench) ‘The FirstHumanitarian Aid for the Srebrenica Enclave,’ Dr Georges Dallemagne, Director of Operations, ; an absolute nightmare with ; anabsolutenightmarewith -
17 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
On 12 March, the inhabitants of Srebrenica refused to I demand, first, an immediate halt to the Serb offensive as let the MSF team leave the enclave. They felt that their was promised me in Pale. Two, the immediate and complete presence would act as a potential guarantee against implementation of all ceasefires agreed. Three, the imme- further violence. Clinging to the same hope, they also diate and permanent deployment of the necessary U.N. mili- stopped General Morillon and his team. On 13 March, tary observers. Four, the opening of a road corridor from from the balcony of the post office building, the General Srebrenica to Bratunac to Konjevic Polje to Zvornik. addressed them: ‘‘Don’t worry. I’ll stay with you.’’ He UNPROFOR engineers will repair the small bridge blown up demanded the end of the Serb offensive, the application between Srebrenica and Bratunac. Five, the opening of an air of ceasefires, the establishment of relief corridors to corridor to Srebrenica to evacuate the hundreds of seriously Srebrenica, and the deployment of observers from the injured. Six, the immediate release of the convoys, this time UN. V1 for Srebrenica, which is at present stuck in Zvornik. To the population in Srebrenica, I say: (a long pause and then the same voice in faltering Serbo-Croat, which translated says) don’t be afraid, I will stay with you. ‘U.N. Commander Denies Being Held in Bosnian Town,’ Reuters (UK), Sarajevo, 13 March 1993 (in English). We said to the Serbs that we were coming back the next Extract: day, but then when we wanted to leave the next day, the In a radio broadcast from Srebrenica, a town in east Bosnia people told us, ‘No, you’re staying with us.’ As doctors, we were under Serb siege for 11 months, General Philippe Morillon moving quite easily around the enclave; we were warmly welco- denied an earlier report by a spokesman for the U.N. High med, and people were sharing what little they had to eat with Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that he had been pre- us. The soldiers who’d accompanied us stayed with them. They vented from leaving. Morillon demanded an immediate end to were very scared of being taken hostage. At around two or three a Serb offensive in the region and the opening of relief cor- in the morning, Morillon woke us up and told us, ‘I’m leaving. ridors to trapped Moslem towns. He spoke in a ham-radio My camp leader will take care of the rest of the operation.’ He [amateur] transmission from Srebrenica, where he went on hung about in the enclave the whole night and then, when he Thursday. It was picked up by amateur radio operators in clearly wasn’t able to get out, he came back. The next day, when Sarajevo, and re-broadcast by Bosnian radio. […] he woke up around midday after his attempt to abscond, he’d The UNHCR spokesman reported earlier that Moslem forces in changed his mind and his strategy, announcing, ‘I’ll stay in Srebrenica were refusing to allow Morillon to leave until a Srebrenica, set up my headquarters and protect this enclave.’ It U.N. convoy for the town was allowed to enter. The convoy is was at that moment that official UN protection was established, presently blocked on the Serbian border by Bosnian Serbs and thus this immense responsibility from the international who are refusing to allow it to cross into Bosnia. community as regards the future and destiny of the enclave. We all stayed another day to help in the hospital, and then we left. At any rate, we weren’t the right people. They needed a surgical team with supplies, a large MSF team to get the hospital back ‘Text of U.N. General’s Speech From Besieged in order. Srebrenica,’ Reuters (UK) Sarajevo, 13 March 1993 (in English). Dr Georges Dallemagne, Director of Operations, MSF Belgium, Interviewed in July 2000 (in French) Extract: General Morillon speaking from Srebrenica. “When I was appointed Commander of Bosnia-Herzegovina Command I decided to place myself in Sarajevo because that was the place where the population was most at risk. I placed myself The MSF exploratory team left Srebrenica on 14 March. On there for symbolic reasons to reduce their danger. […] their return to Brussels, they spoke to the media about the dramatic situation in the enclave and the challenge Last week it became clear the Serbs were not stopping their posed by General Morillon’s strategy. A press conference offensive in eastern Bosnia Herzegovina, not so much because was held on 16 March. they needed to capture territory, but because they had become outraged at the discovery of the mass graves at Kamenica. I have tried to make them understand that justice for all war crimes should be dispensed once the fighting has ceased and ‘Morillon Playing Last Card in Stakes for Moslem peace has been established. But they did not want to listen. Enclave,’ Agence France Presse, Banja Koviljaca, They had decided to take justice into their own hands. Fully 15 March 1993 (in English). conscious that a major tragedy was about to take place in Srebrenica, I deliberately came here and I have now decided to Extract: stay here in Srebrenica in order to calm the anguish of the The U.N. flag is at last flying over the besieged Moslem 18 population and in order to save them, or try to save them. enclave of Srebrenica, thanks to a courageous stand by the tional difficulties: multiple thorough checks bySerbsoldiers; Dallemagne was accompanying also had to deal with addi way through the various roadblocks, the expedition thatDr Heading off withallthe authorisations required toforce their each other for aration. [...] can manage to fetch them [...] There are riots; people fighting the town,butonlythe sturdiest from among the populace cise. The parcels land twoorthree kilometres maximum from what was said at the start, the drops are now extremely pre are, of course, aninadequate stopgap[measure]: contrary to In thiscontext of precarious survival,the American airdrops The hospitals I’ve visited in Africa are often inbetter shape. performed under torchlight, sterilisations without electricity. exhausted and out of supplies and equipment. Operations are neighbouring homes. The fivedoctors working there are And thisdoesn’t include the victims crammed together in all injuries are from bombings -pieces of shrapnel aboveall. in 150 injured, three-quarters of whom are men, and 80% of With amaximum capacityof 96beds, the hospital hastaken foot […] thing butthe clothes ontheir backs. When they aren’t bare- for sevenoreight hours inthe snow. They don’t haveany- each day, through the neighbouring mountains, afterwalking placed shows no sign of slowing down: more and more arrive this everynight, butthe influx of the desperate and dis- outside inthe glacial wind. Children die from the coldlike the ground. Many are homeless, sothey are forced to stay five orsix days; others are eating berries oracorns picked off refugees from Konjevic Polje. Many of them hadn’teatenfor There are stillsome 30,000peoplethere, of which halfare truck full of medical equipment and a light-armoured vehicle. there, isacarfrom the High Commissioner of Refugees, a Commander inBosnia, General PhilippeMorillon, who isstill convoy, inaddition tothe vehicle of the UNPROFOR last Friday ishalf destroyed and deliberately starved. Inthe fying: the townthatamixed UNand MSF delegation entered in shock at the harsh realities. And his testimonial is edi of Operations atMédecins Sans Frontières Belgium,remains Herzegovina, via Belgrade, DrGeorges Dallemagne, Director besieged enclave of Srebrenica, ineasternBosnia His voice islow, tired. Backfrom afour-day triptothe Extract: who leftSrebrenica Sunday. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, orDoctorsWithout Borders) said Georges Dallemagne, adoctor for the aid agency of hislastcards, perhapshisstrongest, tosavethe town,’’ be enough toprevent itsfall. ‘‘General Morillon isplaying one to stopcontinuing Serbian attemptstotake it,may stillnot believe thatMorillon’s act,inpledging toremain inthe town Herzegovina, General Philippe Morillon. But many locally commander of U.N. peacekeeping forces inBosnia- 1993 (inFrench) Edouard Van Velthem, LeSoir(Belgium),16March ‘A Terrifying Testimonial onthe Bosnian Ordeal,’ - - - Serb stronghold. Belgrade switched immediately tored inPale, the Bosnian misled us for weeks. The green light that we received from However, whatisintolerable isthatthe localmilitary leaders Tuesday, and agreed to respect the temporary ceasefire. Morillon, authorised the passage of the UNrelief convoyon Commander Halilevic, yielding tothe entreaties of Philippe Serb and Bosnian Chiefs of Staff,General Mladic and refugees inSrebrenica appeared yesterday evening withthe tion isatastandstill. […]Afragile hope for the injured and are being delayed, promises are being broken and the situa - all the necessary equipment. […] However, authorisations involves getting a surgical team in place in Srebrenica with Today, the emergency issuefor MSF’s “frontline brigade’ plished the onlyhumanly possibleaction. the following day. Hats off toGeneral Morillon: he accom- forted, and we ourselves were able to go without any trouble the Serbs-couldbeevacuated. [...]The peoplewere com- men aged 16 to 60 were considered potential war criminals by all of the injured, and not justthe women and children -since speech, raised the UN flag, and promised to stay there until will. Yet, General Morillon turned things around: he made a high tension and, iftruthbetold, wewere held against our moment ourbackswere turned. There wasone moment of prevented usfrom leaving, indread of being killedthe the Muslim population. [...] As weattemptedtodepart, they narrow, icy mountain roads; and the subdued welcome from a bridge in tattersoverthe main road; being forced to take the UNevacuated onehundred wounded from theenclave. number of observers were deployed there. Thenext day, 3 thathewould remain intheenclave until asufficient into Srebrenica. He announced to French TV channel France bring anew convoy of suppliesfrom theUnitedNations On 19March, General Morillonobtainedauthorisationto lines atthatmoment;for howlong,Ihavenoidea. ped theoffensive thatwasunderwayandstabilisedthefront in Srebrenicatopublicattention-andmaybetemporarilystop shocked and I think my account brought what was happening because ItoldthemeverythingI’dseen.hadbeenextremely had givenfirst-handaccounts. Mytestimonialwasquitebrutal people had come back from Srebrenica and very few of them conference thathadahugeimpact,becauseveryfew When wegotbacktoBrussels, weorganisedapress MSF Belgium, Interviewed inJuly2000(in French) Dr Georges Dallemagne, Director of Operations at
19 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
‘Morillon Pledges to Stay in Srebrenica Until U.N. lime to the tragic, into vague, indifferent entertainment? Monitors Arrive,’ Agence France Presse, Paris, 19 Included is the soap opera of the convoy destined for March 1993 (in French). Srebrenica: Will it get through or not? Answer, tomorrow, maybe. Extract: ‘‘I shall not leave until there are sufficient numbers of The President of Médecins Sans Frontières, Rony Brauman, observers deployed here,’’ he said in a radio interview with with Mr Cavada, showed honourable reluctance in the face of France 3 television. Morillon, who earlier succeeded in the humanitarian spectacle. “It’s when children die that it’s bringing the first U.N. relief convoy in three months to obscene,’ Kouchner replied to him, with, for him, the brutal Srebrenica. After a nine-day standoff with Serbian forces, he force of evidence. If we didn’t hear General Morillon every said the trucks would leave again on Saturday ‘‘to evacuate evening, wouldn’t we already have forgotten about him? the first wounded’’ along with women and children. […] Wouldn’t he have been buried beneath the daily media ‘‘We have unloaded all the humanitarian aid into warehouses flotsam, the terrorism in Algeria, Rocard’s most recent gaffe? and we began distribution,’’ he told the French television The mother in the snow with her baby, wouldn’t she have channel. He said he had gone Friday morning to Mali Zvornik, been chased off by another mother, a sailor’s wife, marching where the convoy was waiting, to get the trucks moving, through the streets of a French town? Two days of attention adding: ‘‘It was a good thing as otherwise I don’t think any- in a row - that’s a lot to ask for! thing would have happened.’’ He earlier told AFP on a radio link with Zagreb that upon his return to the enclave, he was met with jubilation at the head of the convoy Friday after- noon. ‘‘They were deliriously happy, people were crying for ‘A General on the Balcony,’ Rony Brauman, Le joy,’’ he said. Ham radio operators from Sarajevo quoted Monde (France), 3 April 1993 (in French) Morillon further as saying: ‘‘After bringing them hope we have brought them life. It was quite moving. For anyone who saw Extract: it, they were unforgettable scenes.’’ Morillon added that a General Morillon, in charge of a so-called protection force, further relief convoy would arrive in Srebrenica in the coming has never gone out of his way to condemn the violence done week and that he hoped to establish a series of convoys at to those trying to defend themselves, and yet he has always the rate of one a week. shown great understanding for the attackers. During a trip to Sarajevo, I heard him giving the Bosnian army a stern rebuke to arouse anger amongst the Serbs by fighting artillery fire with more fire. In short, he is the type of person who has the gall to claim to resist while we know better. We are ready, if The media and western public opinion commended their enemies give us the green light, to bring them some- General Morillon’s action. The President of MSF France, thing to eat from the communal graves to the far interior of Rony Brauman, was one of the few to publicly point out the detention camps. the limits and the harmful consequences. As for ‘Doctor [Radovan] Karadzic,’ one of the most visible war criminals in this region, he is credited here for letting a relief convoy through, with a desire for peace recognised by ‘Delayed Photos,’ Le Monde (France), 19 March everyone and serving as an accessible representative. While 1993, (in French) words once carried meaning, the United Nations Protection Force should be rechristened Ethnic Cleaning Observation Extract: Force. Daladier never hid his shame over Munich, or Blum his We found the general at the beginning of the “march of the fury for being unable to intervene in Spain. century.’ Cavada [Jean Marie, journalist]: “Hold on, general, I’ll pass you over to Bernard Kouchner,1 and also Mr Mendiluce, We exhibit the undeniable physical courage of a soldier -- Correspondent for the United Nations High Commissioner for that is, after all the job -- to cover-up the incessant power- Refugees in the former Yugoslavia.’ “We’re ready to join you,’’ lessness and the cowardice of our behaviour. Yet, with a said Kouchner, admiringly. In return, surrounded by snow, single gesture of bravura, provided it is shown on TV, our mud, and death, the general doled out a few kind words to pitiful resignations are wiped away. My reluctance in the face Bernard Kouchner . of the humanitarian spectacle comes from this, and my con- viction that the ‘indecent death of a child’ does not warrant Should we be sorry that the general is with us in this almost any other indecent act. When are we going to notice that, permanent link-up, at the end of this ham radio set that once again most of the carnage took place when the allied connects him to the rest of the world? That he poked his troops landed, and similarly, in Mogadishu? When are we nose into the mill that transforms everything, from the sub- going to remember that, even when they are dying of hunger, Somalis are not animals to whom we can throw, without any qualms, a few life-saving but measly scraps under the burning
1. Co-founder of MSF, Bernard Kouchner left the organisation in 1979. In 1993, he sun? What I dread deeply with regard to the growth of the 20 was Minister for Health and Humanitarian Action in France. humanitarian spectacle in Bosnia and in Somalia is that times due to alackof means toleaveSrebrenica. Onthe one outside world. His planned departure was pushed back several deplorable conditions and without any direct contact with the absolutely vital.Forseveral days, he worked and livedthere in dition). The drugs brought inbyaprevious convoy proved (no electricity orwater;equipment destroyed orinpoorcon the hospital, which completelylacked the most basic resources standby for several days. He performed the first surgeries in had also left again in the meantime), after having been on return tothe townon21March withGeneral Morillon (who The firstsurgeon, Thierry Ponthus, hadleft,butwasableto makes usinsidiously inhuman. mechanised, mediatised, and sterilisedhumanitarian action there weren’tanyreactions. wasn’t heldingreatesteem.Iwastheonlyonetosayit,but gues found itquitefunnythatIwasdiggingintoMorillon.He to bring down a French general. Our Belgian and Dutch collea- him, whowasn’triskinganything,sincetheSerbsweren’tgoing Dallemagne andtheothersweretentimesmoreinflatedthan speak with him. And then, there was this heroic general aspect. However, MSF was on the ground, so in the best position to right torespond’way, becauseIhave nostandingtodoso. elegantly. Ididn’twanttodoitinan‘Iprotestandhavea misplaced. SoIwrotethisletter, whichhepublished,quite Schneidermann’s enthusiasmabout himwascompletely Morillon. Me, IthoughtthatMorillonwasadoerand Monde. enclave, gave hisfirst-hand accountintheFrench dailyLe The MSF surgeon, who stayed 10 days in the bombarded women andchildren. on 28and30March, whichinturn,evacuated over 5,000 destitution, despitethearrival of two convoys of supplies The team was working with a terrorised population in utter bombing from Bosnian-Serbianforces. mission toevacuate thewounded was interruptedby health logisticianjoinedhim.On24March, anUNPROFOR Srebrenica. Aweek later, ananaesthetist,adoctor, anda On 20 March, a surgeon from MSF Belgium entered Extract: Dr Rony Brauman, MSF France President 1982-1994, ‘media’ columninLeMonde, launchedintoadiatribeon It was a response to Daniel Schneidermann who in his Memo, MSF Belgium(inFrench) ‘Srebrenica, Stateof Playasof 21April1993,’ MSF Foundation Research Director from 1994, Interviewed in2015(in French) - start, “even for amputations, when they’d already performed it upon himself to teach them the rudiments of surgery at the theatre that“doesn’t deserve the name.’’ WhileDrPontus took and sick, whom they operated onbytorchlight inanoperating rience, battledday and night for months to savethe injured his stay, five general practitioners, without any surgical expe At the hospital inSrebrenica, where he spent the majority of all hope of seeing itspresent conditions improved. present for aslong aspossiblefor apopulation thathaslost assumed the role of symbolic representative, and willremain the evacuations, needs remain enormous. MSF hasalso Belgrade tohead toSrebrenica withthe first convoy. Despite Eric Kamp (GP)and Jos Vrancken (logistics) isonstand-by in Now, ateamcomposedof Johannes Van DerBijl(surgeon), tions. […] helicopter toTuzla and tocontinue improving sanitarycondi- Hans Ullens decided tostayhelp evacuate the wounded by like one of the last convoys to still get backinto Srebrenica. town during the first week of April with what then seemed working. The securityconditions forced the teamtoleavethe back on and the five local doctors were motivated to continue into some kind of working order, the water supply was put For three weeks, the teamlaboured toputthe hospital back The ceasefire was being more or less respected at that time. logistics), wasmoved into Srebrenica atthe startof April. tist), Piet Willems (surgeon) and Hans Ullens (health prised of Martin De Smet (GP), Norbert Scholtzen (anaesthe- for help inside the townwasstillhuge. Anew team,com- and hisaccount leftno room for doubt: the inhabitants’ need Thierry Pontus wasabletoget outof Srebrenica on29March time, firing never stoppedoverthe town. would then beginamassive attackonthe town.Forthe whole and ourMSF representative toleaveoutof fearthatthe Serbs the Muslims inSrebrenica didn’t want the UNPROFOR,UNHCR, relief goods from passing through, whileonthe other hand, hand, the Serbswere preventing the UNHCRconvoyscarrying confront atruehumanitarian crisisalone. were denied safepassage bySerbbesiegers. He wasforced to without histwoassistants ananaesthetist and anurse who Pontus entered Srebrenica in General PhilippeMorillon’s jeep, has beencutoff from the worldfor 11months of war. Thierry bring aid tothe peopleof thistowninWestern Bosnia, which enclave of Srebrenica. He did hisbestduring these days to the first foreign doctor tohavespent 10 days inthe Muslim geon, who made itbacktoBelgrade onTuesday 30March, is A member of MSF (DoctorsWithout Borders), the Belgian sur- He’s having trouble expressing what he’s just lived through. Thierry Pontus isinshock. He’s looking for the right words. Extract: 1 April1993(inFrench) of Médecins Sans Frontières. LeMonde(France) of the Inhabitants of Srebrenica from aMember ’Bosnia-Herzegovina,‘ Testimonial on the Ordeal -
21 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
almost 400,’ he explains that the most serious problem was General Morillon, UNPROFOR commander in Bosnia- infection due to the lack of sterilisation equipment and Herzegovina, who forced their hand. After snatching assur- washing facilities, since Srebrenica’s water is not safe. ances during the difficult negotiations, General Morillon The town, which had a population of 9,000 before the war, announced this weekend that, “Srebrenica is saved; it’s irrevo- has seen an influx of tens of thousands of refugees [dis- cable.’ And yet his gamble seems far from having paid off. […] placed] from neighbouring Muslim pockets that have fallen into Serb hands. In Srebrenica’s school, “as big as a sec- While the French general managed to bring some 20 military ondary school back at home,’’ the refugees are piled in, observers from the UN (Canadians, to be precise), the Serbian 80-100 per classroom, in catastrophic health conditions. One forces are strongly opposed to the deployment of more of the most tragic images that the doctor can’t forget is a observers in the Muslim pocket with an UNPROFOR infantry baby with its stomach torn open by a shell; it died in the arms company. The leader of the Serb separatist government in of one of the Canadian ‘‘blue berets.’ The infant was injured on Bosnia-Herzegovina, Vladimir Lukic, whom General Morillon Wednesday 24 March at the time when the blue berets were met Sunday evening in Pale, let it be known that he had never carrying out an evacuation of inhabitants by helicopter, an given his consent, but nevertheless promised an answer operation that had to be cancelled since the Serbs were tar- within three days. ‘‘This question, which is part of the overall geting the landing strip. plan for the deployment of observers across the territories in Bosnia-Herzegovina, remained open,’’ he specified. Lukic also MSF, which over the next few days is sending out a new sur- insisted on the fact that the relief convoys should only be geon, an anaesthetist, and a logistician, intends to continue ‘‘accompanied by a minimal armed escort.’ As for demilita- its activities in Srebrenica, even if those in charge of organ- rising the enclave, announced as impending by General ising the relief mission are under no illusions. The UN Morillon on Sunday, Lukic denied that consent was given. The observers that have been moved into the enclave have, in obstacles to the progress of relief operations in Srebrenica fact, admitted in front of Dr Pontus that, ‘‘with the support of and other sensitive points in Bosnia-Herzegovina have clearly the regular army units (Yugoslav) deployed on the Bosnian not all been overcome. […] side, the Serbs can cross the line whenever they want.’ While the situation has just deteriorated, “we’re worried that the In an article published this weekend in Vojska, the official MSF and UNPROFOR teams will be kept as safeguards by the journal of the Yugoslav army, Bosnian Serbs attacked General Muslims,’ stresses the doctor, concluding that, “the relief Morillon’s action in support of Srebrenica to feed the idea workers are very uneasy because if the women and children that the UNPROFOR is biased in the Bosnian crisis. According are evacuated, only the men remain, and then we won’t be to them, the French officer has not only ‘‘abused’’ his posi- able to do anything more to save the town.’’ tion, but also misled the Serb people and the Bosnian-Serb army. They claim that General Morillon went to Srebrenica “to feed and arm the Muslims’’ In order to help them restart their initiative on the ground and perhaps even “win the war in On 28 March, a new ceasefire was signed. A relief convoy Western Bosnia.’ entered Srebrenica and evacuated 2,400 people to Tuzla. Military observers from the UN were deployed in the enclave. General Morillon ensured that Srebrenica was saved, while Bosnian-Serb military leaders accused him On 31 March, the United Nations Security Council of going to Srebrenica to arm and feed Muslims. extended the UNPROFOR’s mandate to 30 June. On 6 April, the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees announced they wanted to evacuate 10-15,000 civilians from Srebrenica. Many observers perceived this move as a risk that could ‘Despite the Truce in Bosnia, General Morillon’s encourage the ethnic cleansing practised by the Serbian gamble is far from having paid off,’ Le Monde forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina. (France), 31 March 1993 (translated from the French) Meanwhile, the United States waved around the threat of removing the embargo on arms deliveries to Muslim Extract: Bosnians. The convoy that arrived Sunday evening in the besieged town left again on Monday for Tuzla, in the Muslim area, evacuating nearly 2,400 people, of which several hundred required medical attention. This convoy was originally only meant to evacuate ‘The UNHCR Wants to Attempt a Massive Operation 900 inhabitants from Srebrenica, but it was literally assaulted in Srebrenica, Bosnia: To Evacuate Thousands of by desperate woman and children the moment it left. […] If Civilians?,’ Agnès Gorissen, Agence France Presse/ the Bosnian Serbs finally seem to be honouring their promises Le Soir, 6 April 1993 (in French) at a time when, as General Mladic observed on Friday, “the media have turned Srebrenica into the centre of the world.’ The Extract: humanitarian operation to help the Muslim enclave still seems This accounts for nearly one-third of the current population 22 to profoundly infuriate the Serbs - as does the attitude of of Srebrenica. Originally, the town only had a population of along the Danube. […] deciding tostrengthen checks onthe embargo against Serbia The WEU (Western European Union) also made a move in the Bosnians ifthe Serbsdo not respect the UN’speaceplan. again raised the possibility of lifting the arms embargo on the American Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, once into Srebrenica. […]Seeming toputpressure onthe Serbs, two weekstosend 150soldiers and some militaryobservers further aid. The UNPROFORhasbeennegotiating for the past this enclave a zone under UN protection in order to bring in that another option wasstillunder consideration: tomake Furthermore, the High Commissioner Sadako Ogataspecified finally beenallowedtoset off again.[...] blocked midday onTuesday bythe SerbsinZvornik,buthas UNHCR. Significantly, the firstconvoyof 18trucks was 5,500 peoplehavealready left the enclave thankstothe gees are tobeevacuated asapriority for the UNHCR.Some -- the firstinFebruary and the others in March. These refu- Cerska and Konjevic Polje pockets thatfellinto Serbhands refugees [displaced],coming principally from Kamenica, 6,500 peoplethatgrew withthe arrivalof 20,000to30,000 further actof failure toputonthe UN’s slate. The organisa- engaged incondemnable practices, thisevacuation isone And even if John McMillan were right, if the UN has not power, it’seasytoimagine the fate of Srebrenica. to get involved, willtake itscourse. Giventhe imbalance of the war, inwhich the international community does not want therefore bequickly assimilatedinto the fighting forces. And the town willbefit males of anage tobeararms thatwill and the elderly –are evacuated, the onlyones remaining in clearly not fighters –the injured, the sick, women, children, territories they have conquered. However, once those who are enclave, which represents abreach, asortof “anomaly,’ inthe have the firm intention of reducing [the population of] this in fact, one further sign thatBelgrade and itslocalallies still the sending inof additional ‘‘blueberets’’ toSrebrenica. It is, tainly not bychance thatthe Serbshave, until now, opposed clearing a new region of its original population. For it’s cer ther victory on a silver platter to the Serbian forces while name of humanism isatmost, basic and risksoffering afur- Many Muslims remain inopposition toapractice that,inthe green light for thismass evacuation. To besure, the Bosnian President, AlijaIzetbegovic, gavethe fate thatawaitsthem ifthey remain exposed toSerbattack. terror under which these peopleare living and the terrible scrambles causing several deaths and giving some idea of the departure of whitetrucks from Srebrenica hasledtobloody organisation wasparticipating in“ethnic cleansing.’ Yet each John McMillan, strongly denied thatthe UN’sspecialised Indeed, anHR[Human Rights] representative inSarajevo, Extract: 7 April1993(inFrench) Evacuated. RescueorPurge ? Muslim Enclave of Srebrenica WillBePartially ‘Besieged bythe SerbsinWestern Bosnia, the ’LeMonde(France), - about thepopulation’s desperate situation. were evacuated. TheMSFvolunteers spoke to the media against Bosnian-Serbianforces toholdontotheenclave, their soldiers, whowere seriouslyinjured incombat authorities refused to allow any refugees toleave until convoy, which was leaving empty. TheBosnianMuslim some of the team left the enclave with an UNHCR team. On15April, due tointensified bombardments, and were treated by localstaff, supportedby theMSF Some 100 seriously injured people arrived atthe hospital On 12April,bombardments over Srebrenica intensified. Srebrenica. teams todeal withany new emergency interventions in Médecins Sans Frontières isassembling additional medical regardless of the circumstances. respect, and toensure thatothers respect, itsapplication, in warzones, butalsoengages the signatory Statesto Geneva Conventions, provides for the protection of civilians sors. International humanitarian law, as defined by the defenseless civilians will remain at the mercy of the aggres- Even ifevacuation missions are moving forward, 30,000 effect and prevent wide-scale abuseifthe towndoes fall. reinforced. This greater presence might have a dissuasive Wholly effectiveaction isonlypossibleifthe relief teams are besieged enclave, which isonthe point of collapse. two members of Médecins Sans Frontières are present inthe United Nations observers, sevenmembers of the UNPROFORand representative from the UNHigh Commissioner for Refugees, five sary resources tomeet the needs of the population. Onlyone organisations ispresently insufficient, and they lackthe neces- tion of Srebrenica. The number of personnel from international international presence inaneffort tobring relief tothe popula- Médecins Sans Frontières haslaunched anappealtoreinforce the town betaken. population aswell astoavoid large-scale abuses, should besieged Srebrenica inorder tomeettheneedsof the the various UnitedNationsinternationalrelief teamsin On 7 April, MSF publicly asked for reinforcements for as many human livesaspossible. the Serbadvance. Inthiscase, itdoes havethe duty tosave Srebrenica, asifithaddecided once and for allnot toobstruct tion isacting, inthiscase, asifithadgivenupdefending Release, MSF, 7April1993(inFrench) International Presence inBesieged Srebrenica,’ Press ‘Médecins Sans Frontières RequestsReinforcement of
23 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
‘Médecins Sans Frontières’ Testimonial on the as an organised surrender of the Muslim forces. On 17 Besieged Town – The Refugees in Srebrenica are April, Resolution 820 reinforced the embargo against Terrorised,’ Agence France Presse /Le Soir (Bel- Serbia. V2 gium), 16 April 1993 (in French)
Extract: The refugees in Srebrenica are terrorised, Hans Ullens explains ‘Have the Blue Berets Arrived Too Late? Srebrenica’s soberly. He heads up the Médecins Sans Frontières Holland Ordeal Has the UN’s Back to the Wall and is humanitarian organisation’s team. Contacted Thursday eve- Somewhat Isolating Belgrade,’ Edouard Van ning by radio in Tuzla, his voice crackles through the speakers Velthem, Agence France Presse/Belga/Le Soir of the amateur radio, which endeavours to improve the sound (Belgium), 19 April 1993 (in French) quality of this link with the Muslim enclave in Western Bosnia, besieged for weeks by Bosnian-Serbian forces. Ullens Extract: had his three medical colleagues, two surgeons, and one A race against time. Although the fundamentals were already anaesthetist, leave on Thursday. For the time being, the situ- achieved through arms, yesterday in Srebrenica, the interna- ation is difficult. ‘‘It’s too dangerous,’’ he explains in French. tional community started to put in place emergency relief A specialist in drinking water, he decided to stay. with the “blessing’ of satiated Serb soldiers. This included: evacuation to Tuzla by helicopter for the first seriously His colleagues took advantage of the [outbound] convoy wounded; a food convoy of some 20 trucks from the UN High from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Commissioner for Refugees, planned to arrive in the enclave (UNHCR), of which five trucks were given permission by the today; and the deployment of 150 Canadian blue berets to Bosnian Serbian forces to pass. The convoy left empty- achieve, in three days, demilitarisation of the town and its handed, with the local authorities refusing to allow any refu- placement under UN protection […] Anything can still gees to depart, while 500 seriously wounded were unable to happen in a situation as confused as this, where often uncon- be evacuated by helicopter. Only five elderly people were trolled combatant leaders only half-listen to the orders of allowed to mount a truck with the five doctors. They arrived their superiors. Then, and above all, the Serbs, even without on Thursday evening in Tuzla, and from there the MSF doctors actually entering the centre of the city, will have already traveled to Belgrade. achieved most of their objectives: to extend their “safe cor- ridor’ and complete their ethnic cleansing. Did not Radovan Since Monday’s bombardments, explains Hans Ullens, “we’ve Karadzic himself wish for the intervention of UNPROFOR spent most of the time in our building. We can’t go out unless forces along all the front lines? In Srebrenica, it’s a done deal. we have an armoured vehicle, and even then only for a short And the military leader of the Bosnian Serbs, General Mladic, while. Before these bombardments, which the UN reported 57 has every reason to be satisfied as well: owing to the cease- deaths and 100 injured, all the refugees were sleeping in the fire concluded under the aegis of General Morillon, the blue streets. Since then, everyone has been trying to find shelter berets have to collect all the arms from the Muslim fighters, wherever they can, most often in the basements of houses. defeated by the powerful enemy fire. […] The population is terrorised,’ he underscored. […] The bomb- ings are less intense than last Monday, but continue. “The At any rate, one thing is certain: Srebrenica’s ordeal marks a Bosnian Serbian forces are some two kilometres from the turning point in the Bosnia-Herzegovina war, for the warring town and, in theory, nothing stands in their way of capturing parties as much as the international community. The Security the town,’ adds Ullens, whose voice occasionally trails off on Council’s emergency meeting this weekend and the adoption the radio. On his arrival to Srebrenica three weeks ago, he of a resolution with regard to increasing the embargo against noted the refugees’ deteriorating situation. While the food Belgrade, which has led to greater isolation of Serbia than supplied by the UNHCR is just about sufficient, albeit not very that declared on Iraq, should not leave any illusions. We’ll varied, stocks are diminishing. Before Monday’s bombard- need far, far more if we hope to influence the war. ments, there were enough drugs, to the extent that the team asked on Friday for a stop on sending more. Since then, stocks have significantly depleted.
Reaping the benefits of media coverage of the flash visit of a UN delegation to the enclave, On 25 April, MSF reminded the press that Srebrenica is in the process of On 16 April 1993, UN Resolution 819 demanded that becoming a “health bomb.’’ Srebrenica be treated as a safe area and called for an immediate increase in UNPROFOR forces in the enclave. A ceasefire and demilitarisation agreement was signed between the Bosnian Serb and Bosnian Muslim forces, stipulating that any paramilitary units, with the exception of UNPROFOR forces, must leave the town at the end of 24 the operation. For many analysts, this was interpreted knowledge no one hadyetdied of the sickness, he said. 48 hours if not treated, de Milliano warned. However, to his among children, he said. The illness canbecome fatal within water isafactor behind the spread of diarrhoea, especially Frontières (MSF, or Doctors without Borders). The lack of Milliano, an official with the Dutch branch of Médecins Sans said. “Srebrenica hasbecome ahealth bomb,’’ said Jacques de minimum 20 litres needed daily to avoid an epidemic, doctors rationed tothree litres (6pints) of wateraday, instead of the Water is dirty, scarce, and barely safe to drink. Each person is Srebrenica’s swarming population is deteriorating rapidly. toll, international doctors are reporting thatthe health of fighting and living inovercrowded conditions hastaken its fighters mounted an offensive here lastyear. Butayear of swollen byatleast30,000refugees [displaced]since Serb to residents of Srebrenica, amostly Moslem town,which has The U.N. mission spent the day Sunday inspecting and talking Extract: signed by their leader, Radovan Karadzic, three days earlier. of the UN. the division of Bosnia into ten semi-autonomous regions and received the backing Vance and ECrepresentative Lord Owenfrom January 1993on.Thisplaninvolved 2. The ‘Vance-Owen peace plan’wasnegociated bythe UNSpecial EnvoyCyrus rejected theVance-Owen Peace Plan on 5Maythemembers of theBosnianSerb‘parliament’ Despite thethreat of internationalmilitaryintervention, the point of suicide.’ the Serbs of Bosnia not “to continue a war at any cost, up to time what could not be achieved in the trenches.’ He asked even painful, but they make it possible to achieve in peace Cosic declared that“the conditions offered are not ideal, international community, Yugoslavia’s President Dobrica turn, thatthe Serbscouldnot enter into awaragainst the event of aforeign militaryintervention. […]Explaining in decisions.’ He warned of the risksof general chaosinthe desperate situation towhich the only response was desperate the international community of “putting Bosnian Serbsina justified the decision made byhis‘parliament’ byaccusing ratify the peaceplanfor Bosnia-Herzegovina. […]Karadzic ‘parliament,’ meeting onWednesday 5May inPale, refused to After 17 hours of dramatic negotiations, the Bosnian Serb Extract: (in English). Flown Out,’ Agence France Presse, 25April1993 ‘U.N. Delegation VisitsSrebrenica, 161Wounded French) in Bosnia,’ LeMonde(France), 7May 1993(in Recommended Tougher Actions Against the Serbs Announcement of aReferendum, Washington ‘After Fresh Rejection of the Peace Planand the 2 , despiteitbeing - demilitarised zonewas enlarged. UN forces intheplaceof soldiers. InSrebrenica, the a ceasefire agreement allowed for the deployment of of “safezonesunderUNPROFORprotection.’ On8May, of Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zepa, Gorazde, and Bihac to the list United NationsSecurityCouncil,addedtheenclaves plan. Thesameday, Resolution824,adoptedby the Herzegovina inorder toforce themtoacceptthepeace an economicembargo againsttheSerbsof Bosnia- On 6May, Yugoslavia (SerbiaandMontenegro) declared sures” inthe event thatnone of the parties comply. the threat of resolution 824totake “any additional mea - larly huge problems with its water supply. All that remains is protected area three weeks ago, the town is facing particu- approach.’” And tocitethe example of Srebrenica, declared a tecting the populations living there is ‘quite a cynical text believe thatdeclaring ‘safeareas’ without really pro- western members of the council who opposed adopting this tected areas are tantamount toattacksonthe UN.“The the aggression, the message being thatany attacksonpro - diplomat. The goal isinfact toincrease the political costof safe area. “This presence will be purely symbolic,” explains a in Bosnia by50militaryobservers, i.e. fiveobserversineach This resolution authorises the reinforcement of the UNPROFOR Extract: was the choice of the people and not just of the parliamentar On 18May 1993, during areferendum held to show thatit retreat asubstantial distance from the front lines. tarised zones withtheir arms and ‘orders’ Serbian forces to The final agreement authorises Muslim forces toleave demili- stationed, the demilitarised zone only needs to be extended. tially “demilitarised” and where 340Canadian blue berets are of UNforces instead of soldiers. InSrebrenica, already par- Srebrenica and Zepa, inWestern Bosnia, and the deployment for the “bilateral” demilitarisation of the Muslim enclaves of five Muslim towns as“safeareas,” another agreement aims Resolution 824,adopted bythe SecurityCouncil thatdeclared “generally” respected byMonday morning. Following agreement came into force midday Sunday and seemed tobe Serbs and Muslims in Bosnia, the new “general ceasefire” Bosnia, General Morillon, betweenthe military leaders of the under the supervision of the UNPROFOR commander in Signed Saturday inSarajevo after30hours of negotiations Extract: 1993 (inFrench) Towns asSafeAreas,’ LeMonde(France), 8May ‘The SecurityCouncil Declares FiveMore Bosnian French) in Bosnia,’ was Concluded BetweenSerband Muslim Soldiers of the UNPROFOR,aGeneral Ceasefire Agreement ‘The War informer Yugoslavia –Under the Auspices Le Monde (France), 11 May 1993 (in -
25 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
ians, 96% of Bosnian Serbs rejected the Vance-Owen Peace convoys; Plan and voted for the independence of the ‘Serb Republic of 10. Decides that […] Member States, acting nationally or Bosnia--Herzegovina.’ through tegional organisations or arrangements, may take, under the authority of the Security Council and subject to close coordination with the Secretary-General and UNPROFOR, all necessary measures, through the use of air power, in and ‘After Rejecting the Vance-Owen Plan in Droves, around the safe areas in the Republic of Bosnia and Bosnian Serbs Declared Themselves Open to ‘Any Herzegovina, to support UNPROFOR in the performance of its New Initiative’ Le Monde (France), 21 May 1993 mandate […] (in French)
Extract: This peace plan, which intended to split Bosnia-Herzegovina into 10 autonomous provinces, was rejected by 96% of In late June, Franjo Trudjman and Radovan Karadzic, Bosnian Serb voters. And 96% of them also voted in favour of the Croat and Bosnian-Serb leaders, agreed on a plan to an independent “Serb Republic,” 70% of which would be in partition Bosnia--Herzegovina into three ethnic entities Bosnian territory. The rate of participation was calculated at (Serb, Croat, Muslim), which the Muslim leader Alija 92%. “The first step in our struggle is over. […] The Serbian Izetbegovic refused to ratify. The opinion of observers people have taken their destiny in their hands by deciding is that this plan sanctions the ethnic cleansing policy that it will never surrender its nationhood.” led by the Bosnian Serb authorities.
Over the following months, the negotiations evolved at the rhythm of military advances on the ground and repea- ted delays regarding the application of UN decisions: the On 4 June, Resolution 836, adopted by the UN Security deployment of blue berets in the ‘safe areas;’ NATO air Council, allowed the UNPROFOR to retaliate in the event strikes; reinforcement of the embargo; etc. of aggression against any of the six Muslim enclaves declared ‘protected areas’ and the Member states, acting nationally or through regional organizations to use air power to support UNPROFOR. ‘The UN Missions in Yugoslavia: Evasions,’ Le Monde (France), 25 September 1993 (in French)
Extract: UN Resolution 836 (1993) Adopted by the Security The UN has become a place where failing political action is a Council at its 3228th Meeting, on 4 June 1993. substitute for humanitarian action. The guiding rule of this humanitarian intervention was to operate only when the con- Extract: sent of all the warring parties was obtained. The resolution of The Security Council. […] the Security Council authorising the use of force to guarantee 4. Decides to ensure full respect for the safe areas referred to the safe passage of relief to the people went practically in resolution 824 (1993); unheeded, and time and time again, we have seen soldiers 5. Decides to extend to that end the mandate of UNPROFOR obstructing convoys despite their UN armoured vehicle pro- in order to enable it, in the safe areas referred to in resolution tection. Moreover, this humanitarian action was not politi- 824 (1993), to deter attacks against the safe areas, to mon- cally neutral. The most striking episode in this respect was itor the cease-fire, to promote the withdrawal of military or Srebrenica, in April 1993, where we saw General Morillon, paramilitary units ether than those of the Government of the commander of the ‘blue berets’ in Bosnia, save the small Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to occupy some key Muslim enclave besieged by the Serbs in return for its sur- points on the ground, in addition to participating in the render and the disarmament of Muslim fighters by the delivery of humanitarian relief to the population as provided UNPROFOR forces themselves. The permanent members of the for in resolution 776 (1992) of 14 September 1992; Security Council have also been discredited, notably in the eyes of non-aligned and Muslim countries, by adopting a […] series of resolutions intended to show their firmness but 9. Authorizes UNPROFOR, in addition to the mandate which were never applied, or applied much later. In May defined in resolutions 770 (1992) of 13 August 1992 and 1992, Resolution 757 declared an embargo against Serbia, 776 (1992), in carrying out the mandate defined in para- which everyone knew would be nothing more than a sieve, graph 5 above, acting in self-defense, to take the necessary which it was until April 1993. At this time, the council trans- measures, including the use of force, in reply to bombard- formed the pseudo-embargo into a far more impenetrable ments against the safe areas by any of the parties or to blockade, the effect of which would be very quickly gauged armed incursion into them or in the event of any deliberate on the regime in Belgrade: they had lost a year. obstruction in or around those areas to the freedom of In October 1992, the council declared Bosnia a no-fly zone 26 movement of UNPROFOR or of protected humanitarian for the Serb air force, but without reprisals. It was violated Herzegovina tocompensate for politicalinertia. concerns abouttheuseof humanitarianaidinBosnia- general assembly meeting,MSFFrance reiterated its Yugoslavia. Inthepress release publishedfollowing the French sectiontodevelop programmes informer Srebrenica. Adebateensuedonthe necessityfor the theless underscored thatMSFhadfulfilleditsrole in alibi for politicalinertiainBosnia-Herzegovina. Henever- malaise intheface of theuseof humanitarianaidasan the president of MSF France spoke of theorganisation’s On 15May, inhis annualreport tothegeneral assembly, reinforcements totheteaminSrebrenica. Yugoslavia and to seek joint medical personnel to provide the Belgiansectiontosetupajointmissioninformer In April,theFrench sectionof MSFdecidedtoinvite it hadrecognised asamember inMay 1993. its charter, willthus acceptthe disintegration of astatethat United Nations, breaking one of the fundamental precepts of will establishthe splitting of Bosnia. Bowing toforce, the now supports an Owen-Stoltenberg plan that, if accepted, abandoned before itwasevenrejected byBosnian Serbs. It pitted Croats and Muslims against eachother. Then, this was played a role in starting the second Bosnian war: the one that didn’t have, far from it,onlystrengths and which, aboveall, In Bosnia, the UNfirstsupporteda Vance-Owen planwhich pared thanevertogiveuptheir secessionist warfare. militia in Krajina are still armed to the teeth and less pre supposed to enforce has still not been applied: the Serb adopted in February 1992 and which 14,000 ‘blue berets’ are plexing tosaythe least. The CyrusVance planfor Croatia, the former Yugoslavia –the drafting of peaceplans –isper- negotiate onthe ground. Lastly, the other UNintervention in arrested and with whom the UNPROFORiscontinuing to international courtintended totrywarcriminals who nobody into being, due tolackof ‘blueberet’ reinforcements, and the tect Sarajevo and five Muslim enclaves, which never came sions, we might also mention the safe areas intended to pro- While on the subject of resolutions without any repercus tional community” lostall credibility overit. Americans (whateverthey say)eachbenefited. The “interna- engage inashowdown informer Yugoslavia, Europeans and obstructed any militaryairintervention. Not wishing to Bosnia: hostages, the designated target of reprisals, another ambiguity regarding the presence of ‘blue berets’ in between the Americans and Europeans hadhighlighted of ensuring the banwasrespected. Thisfirstpoint of conflict pressure from the Americans, the Council put NATO in charge hundreds of times withimpunityuntil, inMarch 1993,under - - need toaccomplishit. that MSF fulfilsits role, thatthisisourmission and thatwe the use of humanitarian action in Bosnia, it is indisputable MSF isinSrebrenica, regardless of the judgment we cast on Srebrenica, and wehope thatother missions are underway. If team of five MSF workers is knuckling down to work in simply want tomention that,atthisverymoment, aBelgian regard tothe useof humanitarian action inBosnia. [...]I mustn’t hide it,tothe malaise thatwehaveexperienced with sections, inbothCroatia and Serbia, aswellas, and we significant, effective presence of MSF’s Dutchand Belgian engagement inBosnia. Such dithering isdue bothto the All through the year, wehavedillydallied regarding our Extract: 2) To quickly find experienced human resources. nated from Belgrade. Operations] ajoint Belgian/French mission inTuzla, coordi- 1) To offer Georges Dallemagne [MSF BelgiumDirector of Decision: one anaesthetist. tician. MSF France needs tofind one doctor, one surgeon, and - Srebrenica: MSF Belgiumhasfound one nurse and one logis- Yugoslavia […] Extract: sons givenfor the political renunciation inBosnia. General Assembly firmlycondemned the humanitarian rea- is due tothe deteriorating situation on the ground, the MSF nying relief convoys. Whilereiterating how essential the aid nations havemerely contented themselves withaccompa- its attendant woeswhen there wasstilltime, the European Bosnia-Herzegovina. Refusing to outlaw ethnic cleansing and nation of allregarding the useof humanitarian action in humanitarian action and politics havehighlighted the indig- Debates atthe General Assembly on the relationship between Extract: May 1993(inFrench) at the 22nd General Assembly of MSF France, 15 Annual Reportfrom the President of MSF France April 1993(inFrench) Minutes of MSF France’s Operations Meeting, 27 1993 (inFrench) in Bosnia,’ MSF France PressRelease,18May Takes Exception tothe Use of Humanitarian Action vening inCertainPopulations inDistress, and Concerned About the Growing Problems of Inter- ‘Médecins Sans Frontières’ General Assembly is
27 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
In June, an agreement was made between the Belgian and therefore that the position we needed was in the enclaves, i.e. French sections to now jointly manage the programmes Srebrenica, Gorazde, and Zepa. Everyone agreed on this. It was in the enclaves of Srebrenica and Gorazde. typically the kind of place we should have been in, because it was a situation where we finally had the chance to do what we knew how to do: medical activities and witnessing.
Minutes from MSF France’s Board Meeting on June Dr. Marc Gastellu-Etchegorry, MSF France Deputy, 1993 (in French) Director of Operations, 1992 to 1997, Interviewed in 2015
Extract: Former Yugoslavia - Marc Gastellu (Deputy Director of Operations) At the last General Assembly, there were discussions on the In June 1993, MSF opened an office in Pale, the question of whether interventions in the former Yugoslavia headquarters of the Bosnian Serb authorities, hoping to were necessary or not. Marc Gastellu hence visited the region facilitate relations with them. to observe the actions of the Belgian and Dutch sections, comprehend the difficulties encountered, and identify areas for further reflection. […] In the enclaves of Gorazde and Srebrenica, where the town was experiencing considerable ‘ Message from MSF B General Coordinator in problems with hygiene, a supply of drinking water was estab- Belgrade to MSF H General Coordinator in Zagreb,’ lished and a surgical programme was developed. In addition 15 June 1993 (in English), (edited.) to medical support, these actions are hugely positive in terms of presence and solidarity. To compensate for the problems in Extract: recruiting personnel for these missions, MSF France will team I know that the MSF team in Sarajevo has contacts with Pale up with the Belgians. […] for negotiations and distributions. So the idea is the presence of a liaison officer (which is absolutely necessary) for the Marc Gastellu noted the difficulties the teams had in differen- work that is done from Belgrade, for Serbian Bosnia and tiating themselves from the UNPROFOR, their only contacts. Muslim enclaves in Pale, and also for traveling to other parts This lack of perspective prevents them, in his opinion, from of Bosnia. This liaison officer would be accompanied by a being able to [objectively] assess the local position. He also medical person for assessments […] Basically it will not saw the continual wearing of bulletproof vests as an escala- make a big difference since we are already in permanent con- tion of the usual forms of protection adopted by MSF. The tact with Pale for more than a year. presence of MSF in Karlovac has helped to show how the situ- ation has evolved. MSF France often has a bad reputation there, and is frequently confused with MDM [Médecins Du Monde] and its poster campaign.3 Plus there is huge opera- tional complexity and real danger resulting from the eyewit- ness accounts being rendered public.4 All these reasons led WORKING LIKE PRISON DOCTORS Marc Gastellu to conclude that MSF France should not work this region. Its intervention in the field should be restricted to giving support to the other sections in the Gorazde and Srebrenica enclaves. A disclosure by any interested section whatsoever could put teams on the ground at risk, so any In Srebrenica, the MSF team focused on water supply and public pronouncements should be given as a joint message sanitation, and on rehabilitating buildings in preparation from all three sections. for winter. However, the Bosnian Serb forces maintaining the siege, only allowed inadequate amounts of aid through, and only erratically. The long waits for UN Sanctions Committee approval exacerbated the situation. The team The Belgians were clearly keen for us to go, no doubt due wondered about the reality of the protection supposedly to the question of resources, but also to give us a piece ensured by the peacekeepers’ presence. of the action. They opened the door for us. In Serbia, we didn’t have much to do, I knew it. In Croatia, there would have been things to do but it wasn’t where a humanitarian positioning had reason to be. In Bosnia, the Dutch had the ground covered and ‘Blockade of MSF Programmes in the Enclaves,’ there was no point duplicating their efforts. My conclusion was Letter from MSF General Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia to the UNHCR Special Envoy, 6 Sep- tember 1993 (in English). 3. In its ad campaign, Médecins du Monde compared the president of Serbia, Milosevic, to Hitler. 4. In particular, the report Nettoyage ethnique dans la région de Kozarac (Ethnic Extract: 28 cleansing in Kozarac), published in December 1992. After one year of war, the fear of another long and harsh winter threatened, ifprogress isnot made soon. our representatives, MSF aswellUNHCRand ICRC, may be national aid community will fulfill their mandate. Security of not arrived, the Srebrenica population isdoubtful the inter - winter, becausenew shipments of medical supplies haveyet receive shoes orclothes insufficient quantity before the quate food ration tothe refugees, becausechildren did not were expressed, becauseconvoysare not bringing anade- our negotiations inPale. […]Becausepromises of shelters is active in the enclaves, I urgently request your support in Serb areas. As the single implementing partner of UNHCRthat However, wedo not envision alarge shelter program inthe authorities haverequested. atory missions in Trnovo, Sokolac, and Petrovac as the Pale hospitals inEasternBosnia, and weare conducting explor - uting basic drugs and surgical materials tothe Serbian suing abalanced program basedonneeds. We are distrib- Serbian side, inthe so-called“Serbian enclaves.” MSF ispur- Humanitarian Aid) request anequivalent MSF program onthe authorities (MOH aswellthe Commission Board for been purchased and are currently stored inBelgrade. The Pale rehabilitation project for 2,000refugees inSrebrenica have blocked. The necessary materials for the firstphase of our the MSF program inSrebrenica, aswellinGorazde, is tinuing series of delays and refusals from the Pale authorities, than medical supplies into the enclaves. Becauseof thiscon- MSF is facing a complete refusal to bring any material other After two weeks of negotiations with the Pale authorities, ties inPale, and the Sanctions CommitteeinNew York. This aid isdependent onthe good willof the Serbian authori is entirely dependent onthe timely arrivalof international aid. sion and anxiety of the population are growing. Their survival system, clothing, and shoes, are stilljustpromises. The ten winter such assalt,repair materials, cement for the water many promises, onlywheat flourisarriving. Essentials for the further stresses the already weakened population. Despite The hospital isonlyone example of the numerous social, and able orhasthe powertoget drugs from outside into the area. the anaesthetist, and the stomatologist. None of them are Frontières. There are no localpeopletoreplace the surgeon, drugs and high qualified medical stafffrom Médecins Sans (before itwasonlyadispensary) iscompletelydepending on the hospital, the firstinstitution which wasorganized, are no peopleand material tostartupthese institutions: e.g. there isno energy source, there are no institutions, and there Serbs are ruling the area. There are no localresources and short-term and eveninthe long-term aslong asthe Bosnian impossible toprovide the structure for self-sufficiency inthe outside worldand isforced into self-sufficiency. However itis The population of Srebrenica iscompletelyisolatedfrom the 5. Conclusion. Extract: tember 1993(inEnglish). Coordinator inSrebrenica toMSF Paris, 16Sep- Population of Srebrenica,’ Hans Ullens, MSF Field ‘Report onthe Deteriorating Situation of the - - tance thantowitness the latter. possible, we prefer the retreat of all protection and assis- cold and misery. If the free passage of relief material isnot To die of mortar shells isfinally more humane thantodie of implemented bythe UNand the humanitarian organisations. it isstillorchestrated by the Bosnian Serbsbutcompletely from earlythisyeariscoming backwithone littledifference: in Pale and amassive aid programme. […]The nightmare any control orinterference from the Bosnian Serbauthorities corridor for material toSrebrenica controlled byUNwithout the tragedy is not far off. The only solution is an immediate optimism turns into bitterness now. Everybody realizes that end of the nightmare and there wasageneral optimism.This When UNPROFORarrivedinMarch, peoplethought itwasthe ting rid of hisanimals. […] people withaSerbian manager who isonlyinterested inget- a cheap labour force for them. They run a farm of 45,000 The UNand the humanitarian organisations onlyfunction as to come insothey are the managers of allrelief programmes. extermination camp. They are deciding on [which] materials to the Bosnian Serbs who are turning it slowly into a legal The UN declared Srebrenica as a safehaven but in fact sold it hostile population isacompleteillusion. or Tuzla. The idea of aself-sufficient enclave surroundeda by run these institutions and they willnot come from Sarajevo same problems. There are no qualified persons availableto legal institutions, which need tobecreated. They allface the weeks for equipment orders. […] even for UNagencies like the HCR,havetowaitupthree to wait two months for the green light to import drugs, but and nitpicking. Not just for us, anNGO, which sometimes has brought toahaltbythe UNSanctions Committee’sinertia the besieged regions. Onthe other hand, everything hasbeen Wednesday’s discussion with the Pale authorities on access to mous Serbian checkpoints seems tohaveimproved since last the humanitarian organisations. The situation atthe infa- cracy of the Sanctions Committeeallhamperthe activities of tion for their owncommunity, and the especially the bureau- demand the equivalent of each convoy to the Muslim popula- tions imposedby the Serbian militaryauthorities, which The slowness and complexity of the negotiations, the condi- besieged enclaves. […] south toBrcko inthe north; and lastly, for the Muslims in Albanians; for the easternBosnian Serbsfrom Trebinje inthe grammes from Belgrade: for the Serbian Serbsand Kosovar Sans Frontières, she coordinates three different activitypro- Bekoyan catches her breath. Head of Mission atMédecins tected. […]At the other end of the phone line, Geneviève So far, the so-called UNsafeareas are practically unpro- Extract: Le Soir(Belgium)25September1993(inFrench). ‘MSF calls for help for Bosnia,’ Edouard van Elthem,
29 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
MSF was the only source of care in Srebrenica, there was tion, which provides assistance to all people in distress. no one else. We managed to bring in a large supply of However, we are a non-political organisation and therefore drugs in 1993, and we survived on that. Then the supply ran out. cannot accept any political manipulation of any of our actions. In eight months, we managed to bring in only one order of drugs in March 1994, just a month before I left. We were living on leftovers, on what the Canadian peacekeepers were giving us. The ICRC also managed to get us some drugs despite the fact The enclave phenomenon crystallised the danger to the that officially they provided only non-medical aid. We could only population held hostage not just by the Serbs, but also get absurdly small quantities via official channels. At that point, by its own extremists, the Bosniak militias. They symbolised a we took whatever we could get! We had to negotiate constantly certain unacceptable resistance to the Serbs. There were radicals with the Bosnian Serb military. I would go talk to the captain on both sides. There weren’t only nice Bosniaks inside. I spent at the entrance to the enclave about every two or three days. He eight months around them, and they weren’t joking. They were would say to us, ‘what are you doing here, anyway? What good organising commando operations. They would all shoot does it do? We’re going to get this place back, in any case!’ Then morphine before heading up to the mountains in the middle of he would add, ‘the Muslims stink!’ We would negotiate a pass. the night to kill Serbs. You really had to be a bit high to do that. Then the next day, when we’d get to the checkpoint, they would You could call it self-defence, but only to a point. The Serbs took fire at us. The captain would say, ‘there’s nothing I can do about advantage of that to say, ‘you said it was a demilitarised zone, it, I don’t control the snipers up there.’ It was a constant and they’re shooting at us.’ And they used that as an excuse to showdown. We had the sense that those guys were determined, fire on civilians. It automatically entitled them to that type of that they’d do anything, they’d never let go. They were like reprisal. I talked about it with the Bosniak commander. I told bulldogs holding onto a piece of meat. You could hurt them, do him, ‘every time you have one of those operations, the next day anything to them, but they’d never open their jaws. there’s shooting from all sides and a child gets shot.’
Graziella Godain, MSF France/Belgium Field Graziella Godain, MSF France/Belgium Field Coordinator in Srebrenica, October 1993 to April 1994 Coordinator in Srebrenica, October 1993 to April 1994
In December 1993, the MSF coordinator in Srebrenica In late 1993, under pressure from the Serbs, UNPROFOR complained to UNHCR about the obstacles being created temporarily decided not to deploy the Dutch contingent to any humanitarian activity that the Bosnian Muslim (Dutchbat) scheduled to replace the Canadian battalion authorities running the enclave did not control. in the Srebrenica and Zepa enclaves. The Canadians had been a great help to the populations by helping MSF teams as much as possible.
‘ Message from Hans Ullens, Médecins Sans Fron- The handover did not happen until March 1994. The Dutch tières Coordinator in Srebrenica to UNHCR Repre- peacekeepers set up their base at Potocari near the sentative in Belgrade,’ 17 December 1993 (in Podgorica factory within the enclave, but outside the town English). of Srebrenica. The means they were deploying there suggested to the MSF team that security was getting Extract: beefed up. Before, the cooperation between the local authorities and humanitarian organisations was more or less good. Now, this cooperation has been exchanged for a continuous sabotage of all relief activity, which is not completely under their con- ‘UNPROFOR Decides not to Deploy Blue Helmets trol. The local authorities do not seem to accept that humani- in Two Muslim Enclaves,’ Le Monde (France), 25 tarian organisations are recruiting their own personnel. They December 1993 (in French). want to force them always to pass through their channels. They want all relief material that arrives in Srebrenica to be Extract: exclusively distributed by people they appoint. Although a Under pressure from Serbian forces in Bosnia, UNPROFOR has lot of things went wrong in their own distributions, every temporarily decided not to protect the Muslim-populated person involved in these distributions organised by the ‘safe areas’ of Zepa and Srebrenica, in the eastern part of the humanitarian organisations is the victim of a continuous dis- country. The mission was to have fallen to the Dutch Air information campaign from the local authorities. Mobile Brigade, whose commander confirmed in a radio inter- view on Wednesday, 22 December that its departure had been We have the impression that the humanitarian aid is becoming postponed indefinitely. more and more the subject of an internal political power The decision came down from UNPROFOR headquarters, fol- struggle and its real objectives are of secondary importance to lowing the recent refusal by the Serbian military to allow a 30 it. Médecins sans Frontières is a humanitarian relief organisa- reconnaissance patrol brigade into the two protection areas. provide resources, andtostay for awhile. the impressionthattherewasadeterminationtoreinforce, to up twooperatingrooms, while theCanadianshadnone. We got with anultrasoundunitandcuttingedgeequipment.Theyset had onlyonetiny, verysparsely equippedroom.TheDutchcame It wasimpressive. Bywayof medicalequipment, theCanadians There weren’talotmoreof them, buttheyretooledeverything. They movedthepeacekeepers’ baseintothePodgorica factory. Dutch arrivedwithmanymoreresourcesthantheCanadians. was arenewedfeelingof securityinMarch1994,becausethe came throughtheCanadians;theywereahugehelptous. There us donationsbecausewecouldn’tgetanythingin.Alotof things base, Visoko, theyweregettingdrugsuppliesinandthengiving weekends intheclinics scattered around thetown.Viatheir Canadian doctor was doing mobile consultations with us on the 5. Backtranslation transports incentral Bosnia. given anew assignment, most likely protecting humanitarian already announced thatthe Dutchdetachment wouldbe tate the placement of UNforces, the Defence Secretary had Kooijmans considered it“unacceptable” thatthe Serbsdic- the Bosnian Serb army. Though Dutch Foreign Minister Pieter would havedispleasedRatko Mladic, Commander-in-Chief of to havebeenheavily equipped, and whose involvement there starting 18January belong toacombatunitthatwas The 1,100Dutchsoldiers who were supposedtobedeployed Srebrenica, wewillbeready todo so.” be necessary to allow the rotation of Blue Helmets in clear,” he said, “thatshould the useof airpowerturnoutto eastern Bosnian Muslim enclave “intolerable.” “It isvery Minister John Major calledUNPROFOR’s situation inthe Canadian soldiers. At hispress conference, BritishPrime difficulty infinding Blue Helmets totake over from the 180 problem was due not justto the Serbblockade, butalsotothe spokesperson announced Tuesday inSarajevo thatthe the Serbs oppose. Withregard toSrebrenica, aUNPROFOR peacekeeping contingent inthe Srebrenica enclave, which reopen Tuzla, and to allow the replacement of a Canadian asking UNPROFORofficials toestablishemergency plans to That same day, Allied leaders announced thatthey were Extract: Coordinator inSrebrenica, October1993toApril1994, T effort. Theyweretakingcareof thepopulation.The he Canadianpeacekeepers weremakinganenormous Monde (France), 25December1993(inFrench). to Attempt anAction onTuzla and Srebrenica,’ Le ‘The Threat of NATO AirStrikes –Westerners Want Graziella Godain, MSF France/Belgium Field Interviewed in2000,(inFrench) 5 work by themselves inseveral of theregion’s hospitals. authorities, for example, expatriate surgeons should relayed outlandish,unacceptabledemandsfrom the held Bosnia-Herzegovina. TheMSFteamssometimes most vulnerable populationsof SerbiaandSerbian- the enclaves. Inthe field, the teams were helping the exchange for lettingMSF teamsandequipmentinto level of aidin Serbian parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina in which demandedthattheorganisation provide thesame regarding thehagglingby theBosnianSerbauthorities, Opinions within MSFvaried as towhat position to take grafted itself,and which hadbeenrunning for ayear. with the Brussels/Belgrade programme, onto which MSF Yugoslavia verylateand hadtodevise coordination schemes pointed out,the fact thatMSF France got involvedin keeping aclose eye onthe budgetary surge, givenasKarim knowing thatrepresents areal danger. We are also assistance inSerbian Bosnia (anevaluation isinprogress), Gorazde, aswell.We wouldhavetoprovide humanitarian done mainly byMSF teams. MSF’s presence isessential in pital couldn’t function. Rehabilitation and sanitation are also tired inadifficultcontext. Without MSF, the Srebrenica hos- teams havetodeal withsecurityproblems, peopleare getting what wehavetopayget where we’re needed and thatthe finding abalance. Considering the size of the budgets and Rony Brauman raises the problem of political orientation and the UNtoget accesstothe enclaves. the confiscation of material. MSF should distance itself from authorities, the difficulty getting accesstothe victims, and include the lackof goodwill of the Serbian militias and Pale the work isnecessary butfaces multiple obstacles. These enclaves, and priority isgiventothe ‘enclave’ mission, where Belgian coordination inGorazde, Srebrenica, and Zepa A joint programme isbeing conducted inBelgrade under Extract: sufficient numbers of verycompetent doctors and other med- MSF toensure the safety of individuals. As there are already each individual knows hismission [role] verywell. It enables deploys teams. This makes the action more effective, and tries inconflict opposesindividuals working alone. MSF obeys precise rules. MSF’s general securitypolicy for coun- that MSF’s humanitarian action policy inthe former Yugoslavia tals from the Health Minister, MrKalinic. Letme remind you surgeon positions in the Orvar, Brcko, and Nevesinje hospi- You submitted, inparticular, requests tousfor three general Extract: Board of Directors Meeting,’ (inFrench). ‘Minutes from the 12January 1994MSF France French). the former Yugoslavia, 15January 1994(in Legal Advisor tothe MSF Coordination Team in Letter,’ from Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF
31 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
ical personnel (nationals) in the former Yugoslavia, MSF’s alibi project. I’m going to conduct a visit.’ Sometimes we do policy since the start of the conflict has been primarily projects simply because it is very important that we be there focused on supply. Regarding your question to me, please with the population. But that wasn’t the case there. After a year note the following: of doing the project, we found shampoo bottles and packages of compresses with MSF labels in the shops in Serbian hospitals. 1/ Humanitarian law ties freedom of movement for humani- I was shocked. In the Republika Srpska hospitals, near the tarian relief in conflicts to the impartiality of humanitarian border, the Serbs wouldn’t let us treat civilians because it was organisations (Article 18 of Additional Protocol II of the a military zone. Those hospitals, for military only, were very well Geneva Conventions). MSF gives its guarantee as an impartial stocked, not just by MSF, but also by other organisations, humanitarian organisation for the distribution of aid to funded by the European Union. And, it seemed unforgivable to civilian populations throughout the former Yugoslavia. me that MSF didn’t decide to stop sooner, knowing that the 2/ In relief activities, humanitarian law always distinguishes Ministry of Defence had enough money to supply those hospi- between what must be undertaken by the national authori- tals. Then we did evaluations in the small health care facilities ties, on one hand, and what can only be implemented via an that no one had ever taken the time to visit. It was as clear as impartial humanitarian organisation, on the other (Articles day that those facilities had been completely overlooked 7, 9, 10, 11, 14 and 18 of that same protocol). Hence, MSF because the people that used them, the elderly and women, has also offered its impartiality, in order to have the right to were absolutely not the authorities’ priority. So we reprogram- enter and leave the enclaves, in accordance with humani- med the project to target those health care facilities. Our impact tarian law. The decision to deploy surgical teams in these was nothing special, but we were able to go see what was sites is based on two specific factors: happening in the villages far from the front line. The consulta- - The lack of any local surgical capacity, despite the need tions enabled us to see that the treatment of the civilian popu- for a large number of operations each day; lation, especially the old people and the patients in the mental - The inability of the health and civil authorities con- health care facilities, was truly shameful. Life was extremely cerned to provide for those needs, due to the military difficult for the people living in Republika Srpska, though the blockade of those areas. situation wasn’t as serious as it was in the enclaves. Information 3/ MSF endeavours to assure the international community was being manipulated, and the soldiers were given priority. It that the only criterion for distributing aid is the urgency of was important to MSF to know all that, even if it wasn’t so much the needs. Hence, MSF is always obligated to assess the needs from a witness account perspective. as accurately as possible, adapting its operational constraints to the greatest possible extent. Dr Graciela Diap, MSF Belgium/France Medical Coordinator for the former Yugoslavia, October 1993 to April 1995, Interviewed in 2000 (in French)
The programmes in Serbia began well before we began working in the enclaves. It was obvious that there were difficulties in Serbia because of the war. But those difficulties It was obvious that the Serbs were deriving some politi- were due mainly to the war effort. I don’t think the drugs we cal benefit from our presence in Srebrenica. There was supplied really covered the basic needs. We had no direct pres- some disagreement about the situation analysis with MSF ence in the field. We might suppose that the material aid we Belgium, who thought they should buy their presence in were providing could be converted fairly quickly into financial Srebrenica, in a sense, with distributions to the Serbs. We [MSF and political means, since Serbia could also take advantage of France], on the other hand, felt that our presence in Srebrenica that façade. In 1993, some people were justifying that activity suited the Serbs because there was a deal that wasn’t exactly by saying that it would enable us to get access elsewhere. But clear with the Bosniaks, and concern about their public image. we still had to negotiate access to the enclaves afterward. I That’s why UNPROFOR was there, as well as UNHCR and ICRC, participate, to a very limited extent, in discussions on how best but it was more matter of form, since they only visited once a to approach those negotiations. One might wonder whether we week, whereas we had a substantial and ongoing presence. That would have had access to the enclaves even without those formality was not immaterial; it was important to everyone, and programmes in Serbia. I think the answer is yes. had political significance. In the spring of 1994, I went with an MSF Belgium delegation to negotiate continuous access to the Dr. Marc Gastellu-Etchegorry, MSF France Deputy, enclaves in exchange for the distribution of hygiene and clea- Director of Operations, 1992 to 1997, ning products in Serb villages. The problem was that some of Interviewed in 2015, (in French) the Serb villages were Serbianised Bosniak villages. We arrived in Pale, where – since it was a ski resort – the Republika Srpska government had taken up residence in a hotel. Instead of being taken to an office, we were taken to the hotel dining room, All we knew was that in order to get medicines into the where we were surprised to find twenty or so people sitting enclaves we had to do a distribution in Republika Srpska. around a big square table and Republika Srpska TV cameras. We But there are ways, and then there are ways. There was an realised that it was all a propaganda set-up, but it wasn’t a big in-depth discussion on the project, which everyone considered deal. Seated on my left was Mrs Karadzic, who introduced 32 a pretext project. When I got there, I said, ‘we shouldn’t do an herself to me as ‘Madame Karadzic, Freudian psychoanalyst.’ victim kitsch! victim kitsch! story ended there. It remains, however, a great moment of gave us. Since weneverreceivedthesamplestoanalyze, the genocide. Therewerealmostnodrugsonthelistof needsthey do withthewar, populationdisplacement,oraccusations of It wasahouseholdshoppinglist,havingabsolutelynothingto their order for toilet paper, cotton wool, and sanitary napkins. almost immediatelythesubject changed from thegenocideto the alarm.Thatseemedtocompletelysatisfyeveryone, and conduct acampaignagainstthepeopleresponsibleandsound give usthevialssothatwecouldanalyzethem,andwould provided theinformation wasverified.Alltheyhadtodo them that all MSF means would be placed at their disposal, important matterthat it couldnotjuststopthere. Iassured but that it was good they told us about it because such an words? I told them we had been unaware of the whole story, to dramatisethingsabit,bebitmoreemotionalwithyour children are threatened in that way, wouldn’t you normally tend slightly mechanical aspect of what they were saying. When your the enormityof theaccusationandtheirapparentcalm, It was fairly disconcerting. There was also a disconnect between rest. rid of theSerbianpeople, andsoperfectlyconsistentwiththe genocide. Inanycaseitwaspartof aglobalconspiracytoget had jeopardisedthefutureof theBosnianSerbs, andhencewas been assassinated.Becauseitwasdirectedagainstchildren, the 300,000childrentheywereabouttoimmunisewouldhave halted thevaccinationcampaignatlastminute;otherwise, they received sad confirmation that the poisoning wasreal,and Christian-Islamic plot – that was their big story! In Germany, along withtheVatican andAl-AzharUniversity.TheGermano- the SerbsconsideredGermanySatan’s helper, theirenemy’s ally, contained poison, and had it checked in Germany. At the time, believe their eyes when they saw the result saying that the vial tory, whichgavethethingsomecredibility.Theycouldn’t one of thesamplestestedfor verificationatanEnglishlabora- inject their children with lethal doses. As a precaution, they had UNICEF werepoisoned.Sotheybasicallybeinginvitedto ted thecrazyaccusationthatmeaslesvaccinationssentby of thesurgerydepartment,soundingnotveryconvinced–repea- logy department at the YugoslavMinistry of Health and the head from theMinistry, includingtheformer headof theepidemio- heard of it!Severalpeople–well-trainedpublichealthdoctors Bosnian Serb children, the UN-organised genocide. We had never Next came the information about the plan to exterminate Everyone playedhisorhercardsfairly discreetly, fairly elegantly. took positionshostiletoSerbianrights.’ Noneof usreacted. slightly heavy, butvery diplomatic, allusionsto ‘people who today! Thediscussionbeganbefore dinner, withsomeclearand That wasthelittlecherryontopthatIstillgetakickoutof Dr Rony Brauman, MSF France President 1982-1994, MSF Foundation Research Director from 1994, Interviewed in2015,(inFrench)
States rejected for financial reasons. 10,000 troops thattheUNrequested, whichtheUnited force was increased by 3,500troops, rather thanthe Yugoslavia was extended by sixmonths. Thesizeof the On the1April1994,UNPROFOR’s mandateintheformer the Dutch were doing in the west. the Dutchweredoinginwest. our presenceinRepublika Srpska. We didmuchlessof itthan minor health centre rehabilitation, a standard activity, to justify where thepatientswerelivinginappallingconditions. We did in healthcentres. We alsotriedtoworkinapsychiatricfacility ment: wehadnopermanentstaffon-sitebutdiddistributions that suppliedeasternRepublika Srpska. Therewasanagree- hostage. That dynamic, withtheBosnianSerbforces pres- again, the Bosnian Serb forces took some UN peacekeepers air strikes onGorazde. To dissuadethemfrom doingit Several weeks aftertheoffensive began,NATO launched of itspopulation. of theenclave anddescribed thedisastrous situation in the enclave condemned the constant bombardment a Bosnian Serb offensive. MSF which had two volunteers enclave where there was anMSFteam,was targeted in From lateMarch tolateApril1994,Gorazde, theother Boutros-Ghali, for “financial reasons.” requested byUNPROFORcommanders inthe fieldand byMr. United Statesrefused toagree tothe totalnumber of troops implementation of itsmandate.” […]OnWednesday, the view toproviding UNPROFORwiththe means necessary for question of reinforcements againone month later“witha this wasonlya“firststep,”and thatitwouldconsider the did succeed ingetting the Security Council todeclare that requested bythe Secretary-General. France and Great Britain mission waslimitedto3,500 troops, rather thanthe 10,000 Because of the United States, however, reinforcement of the for the former Yugoslavia byanadditional sixmonths. mandate of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) On Thursday, 31March, the UNSecurityCouncil extended the Extract: 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000-2006, Coordinator inthe former Yugoslavia May- November administrator andnursewhomanagedasmallstock There wasanMSFbaseinPale, inahouse, withan 1994 (inFrench). tional BlueHelmets,’ LeMonde(France), 2April ‘United Nations Authorises Sending 3,500Addi - Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General Interviewed in2015,(in French)
33 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
suring UNPROFOR, would repeat itself on a regular basis According to Major Roy Thomas, Head of the UN Military thereafter. V3 Observers (UNMOs), forty observers had been placed under house arrest in Serbian-controlled areas of Bosnia, and another one had simply disappeared, with his interpreter, after leaving the Muslim enclave of Zepa (in eastern Bosnia, ‘Bitterness Tinged with Satisfaction in Sarajevo northwest of Gorazde) while entering Serbian territory. As after NATO Air Raid on Serbian Forces Surrounding Serbian forces had broken off relations with UNPROFOR, Gorazde,’ Le Monde (France), 12 April 1984 (in efforts to locate the Dutch observer were futile. The forty French). military observers confined since Monday had been threat- ened with arrest if they left their homes, which had been Extract: under surveillance by Serbian soldiers and police patrols ever During a mid-afternoon radio link on Sunday, Olivier van Bull, since. […] a Belgian doctor with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), con- firmed the alarming information from Bosniak authorities. By Elsewhere, a number of Blue Helmets remained trapped on his account, the right bank of the Drina – where the hospital is Tuesday in the hangars being used to store Serbian heavy located – could come under Serbian control “within the next weapons removed from the hills around Sarajevo since a few hours.” “The population is in state of panic; thousands are 20-kilometer exclusion zone was created around the Bosnian fleeing to the western bank. The situation is critical, and we capital in February. To deter them from leaving, the Serbian have no way to evacuate the hospital, which shelters 250 militiamen had placed strings of mines in front of the build- wounded,” he said, adding that since morning, the town had ings’ entrances. Serbian forces also used mines to block sev- been under “constant bombardment.” […] At 16:30 hours on eral companies of Blue Helmets deployed on the hills Sunday, General Rose was informed of the worsening situation overlooking Sarajevo. Those men were charged with moni- by his observers on the ground and finally asked his Commander- toring the ceasefire, which was for the most part, respected in-Chief, General Lapresle, for “close air support” as “civilians, since being signed in February, but was weakened in recent UN military observers, and humanitarian personnel are in days by mounting tensions. Similarly, elements from the danger.” General Lapresle referred the matter to Japanese dip- Scandinavian UNPROFOR battalion have been held with their lomat Yasushi Akashi, the Secretary-General’s Representative, convoy since Sunday afternoon at the Serbs’ Kobiljaca check- who decided to request NATO action. points, between Kiseljak and Sarajevo. Blocked by mines, the Swedish peacekeepers were forced to sleep in their lorries It took the North Atlantic Alliance only 25 minutes to approve and survive on nothing but the bottled water brought them the UN’s request and set the air strike procedure in motion. by their “captors.” […] At 18:22 hours, two American F-16 fighters began bombing positions on Bosnian soil for the first time. General Ratko Humanitarian personnel, for their part, were barred on Mladic, Commander of the Serbian Forces, had received two Tuesday from leaving Serbian territory without authorisation. express warnings of the danger his troops would face should That was confirmed, during the day, by the UNHCR spokesman they not halt the offensive. His Chief-of-Staff, General in Sarajevo, Chris Janowski, who explained that shipments of Manojlo Milovanovic, merely replied that “no Serbian artillery humanitarian aid to Banja-Luka, Tuzla, Gorazde, Zepa, and shells fell [Sunday] on Gorazde.” Srebrenica had been suspended due to the closure of Serbian checkpoints. He added that if the shipment of supplies to populations in need did not resume within ten days, the situ- ation would become “critical.” ‘In Response to the NATO Air Strikes, Bosnian Serbs Use Intimidation Against UN Peacekeepers.’ Le Monde (France), 14 April 1994 (in French).
Extract: On 1 March 1994, the Bosnian Muslim and Croatian After air strikes against their positions in Gorazde on Sunday authorities decided to create a Bosniak-Croat Federation, and Monday, Bosnian Serb forces announced that they were which would be put in place in the following months. On breaking off all relations with UNPROFOR, and ordered that 26 April 1994, the Contact Group on Bosnia-Herzegovina, no UN personnel be allowed past Serbian checkpoints. Result: including the United States, Russia, Germany, France, and several thousand UN peacekeepers deployed in Sarajevo the United Kingdom, was created to obtain a ceasefire and found themselves practically confined to the besieged city, revive diplomatic efforts toward a sustainable peace. On where the only way out that did not cross Serbian lines was a 5 July 1994, the Contact Group proposed a new division back door route leading to the capital’s airport, a route upon of Bosnia-Herzegovina, giving 51% of the territory to which snipers quickly trained their sights on Tuesday. the Bosniak-Croatian Federation and 49% to the Bosnian Serbs, who rejected it. However, a more serious situation faced the peacekeepers deployed in Serbian-held territory: they became hostages, In mid-September 1994, the Bosnian Serb forces tighte- trapped in hostile territory, separated from their command ned the siege of Srebrenica, letting through only a quarter 34 post and in most cases, denied freedom of movement. […] of the humanitarian convoys. UN Resolution 943 compli- prepared astatementfor thepress. MSF expressed itsconcernstotheUNSecurityCounciland that thesewere vitaltopreparing theenclaves for winter. materials onthelistof embargoed goods, despitethefact cated thesituationby leavinglogisticalandsanitation and UNHCRtoget their assessment of the situation. Then: in Pale toward ameeting during the day; contact the ICRC c) In the morning, wait to see whether there is any movement their owndevices. [...] winter, jeopardising the survivalof these populations leftto of food, hygiene products and supplies needed toprepare for essential medicines inthese places[…],aswelldeliveries for these civilian populations. MSF underlines the lackof worsening whatisalready anextremely precarious situation years. MSF isconcerned aboutthisnew blockade, which is These populations have been imprisoned for more than two urgent inthe Muslim enclaves of Gorazde and Srebrenica. b) Inthe field, the sanitaryand medical situation remains a) Prepare atext inBrussels withthe following content: Extract: still families without shelter since no more logistical mate snowed thisweekend inGorazde and Srebrenica. There are No more oxygen inSrebrenica. […] Winter is here early. It authorisation for the medicines, which are now running out. 1994, and the beginning of next week. Butwestillhaveno Permission was giventotravel thisweekend of October10, though thatseems tohaveimproved inthe lastfewdays. No movement of our volunteers for the past two weeks, prepare for winter. mention the banondelivery of logistical materials needed to the militaryauthorities toallowMSF convoysthrough, not to than amonth. Forthe pasttwoweeks, systematic refusal by 1) No MSF convoys in the eastern Bosnian enclaves for more Extract: or “withabsurd conditions”). new information added (something like “again in a week” content, send apress release inthe same stylebutwith - ifthe meeting takes placebutlittleorno satisfactory - ifnothing concrete bynoon, send the press release Bosnia, asdefined inthe Geneva Conventions. humanitarian convoysfor the civilian populations of for the right of accessand free movement for these the lastconvoy).MSF isasking the competent authorities and the Muslim enclaves for more thantwoweeks(date of 1) MSF condemns the lackof accesstoSerbian-held Bosnia 29 September1994(inFrench). in the former Yugoslavia at the MSF Belgrade Desk, Message from Eric Stobbaerts, MSF Coordinator ber 1993(inFrench). Deputy Programme Manager atMSF France, 8Octo- in the former Yugoslavia, toPierre Salignon, Message from Eric Stobbaerts, MSF Coordinator - Security Council toget the resolution revised. draft sent a week ago. Also, at the same time, go to the MSF media response (press conference) along the lines of the - Ifrefused orimpossiblepromised inafewdays, then an get authorisation for ourconvoys. - Audience withthe vice-president of the Serbian Republic to My suggested action strategy for thisweek: entered, butnone from MSF. […] UNHCR convoys!Since then, twenty-seven lorries have delivery of humanitarian aid tothe enclaves (mainly food) by for the exchange of Serbian prisoners […]inexchange for a exchange took place on 6 October. The agreement provides (ICRC and unofficial UNHCRpresence inSarajevo). The and Muslim authorities regarding aprisoner of warexchange agreement inSarajevo lastweekbetweenthe Bosnian Serb 3) ThatbanaffectsonlyMSF convoys. Indeed, there wasan need toaskthatthe resolution berevised. materials headed for easternBosnia’s Muslim enclaves. We itarian agencies (MSF, ICRC and UNHCR)convoysof logistical that the Pale authorities imposed two months ago on human- action. The resolution isevenconsistent withthe restrictions Belgrade government’s limitsoninternational humanitarian measures already instituted byBelgrade, itupholds the Srpska). That’s where there’s aproblem. By approving the terisation programmes inMuslim enclaves (and inRepublika the rehabilitation and sanitation programmes and the win and medicines. Those definitions cannot beadequate, given goods essential for allhumanitarian needs: clothing, food, consist of abanonallcommercial and militarytransit, except Belgrade government’s measures against itsneighbour, which tance of the latestBosnia peaceplan.[...]It approved the Bosnia bythe government of Serbia, inthe context of accep- addresses the issueof the embargo imposedonSerbian-held 2) [...]SecurityCouncil Resolution number 943[…] rials are getting into these pockets. population. humanitarian needs essential for the survivalof the civilian “clothes, food, and medication” necessary to cover the destined for Serbian-held Bosnia, withthe exception of the transit of commercial ormilitarymaterial through the FRY border betweenthe FRYand Bosnia-Herzegovina. It restricts (FRY). It approves the decision of Belgrade toclosethe tional sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia this resolution details measures intended toeaseinterna- Security Council onSeptember2nd 1994.As you are aware, Gorazde and Zepa) following resolution 943 adopted by the populations in eastern Bosnia’s Muslim enclaves (Srebrenica, organisation is facing in getting relief aid to the civilian I wouldlike todraw your attention tothe difficulties our Extract: 1994 (inEnglish). of the United Nations Security Council, 13 October Letter from MSF toSirDavid Hannay, President -
35 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
However, it must be noted that the list of materials, drawn up ICRC and the UNHCR. But we were very frustrated, very worried, by the Security Council, that are exempt from the embargo by the deteriorating situation. And then there were bombings, does not include “logistical and sanitation material”. With wounded – in a word, life in a captive territory. the oncoming of a third winter under siege, this type of mate- rial is of the utmost necessity for the shelter-repair pro- Pierre Salignon, MSF France Deputy Programme grammes carried out by our teams in the enclaves of Manager, in charge of programmes in the former Srebrenica, Gorazde and Zepa. For this reason we request Yugoslavia, 1992-1996, Interviewed in 2015 (in French) that, as is in your power, the list of humanitarian materials exempt from the embargo be extended to include the mate- rials necessary to give shelter to the populations in need. These materials are essential for the survival of the enclaves’ civilian populations who are currently living in war-torn shel- In December 1994, the situation continued to deteriorate ters. These programs are of an exclusively humanitarian in Srebrenica, where the MSF team was kept at a virtual nature, seeking to help 2,000 families who are still living in standstill for over two months, without any supplies. On precarious shelter in Gorazde as well as 1,000 others in 12 December, MSF’s general coordinator in the former Srebrenica. Our Belgrade-based team is unable to transport Yugoslavia who had expressed his concerns to the Agence the logistical material that it has stocked in hangars there France Presse a few weeks earlier, asked headquarters to (see annexed list). As a result of the inadequate arrival of consider a communication campaign. In a press release supplies, our programs in the enclaves have been at a stand- sent to the western correspondents in Belgrade on 16 still for weeks. Awaiting the vote of a new resolution detailing December, he reported that another wave of Muslims, a more appropriate definition of the humanitarian materials victims of ethnic cleansing, had arrived in Tuzla. In exempt from the embargo and considering the urgency to retaliation, Bosnian Serb forces refused to let any convoys resume this program before winter, directives could be carrying medicines enter the enclaves for four months, addressed to the United Nations’ monitors in Ex-Yugoslavia. until March 1995. They could authorise a more flexible application of resolution 943 in the field with regards to logistical material destined for eastern Bosnia’s Muslim enclaves. The future of the enclaves’ 100,000 inhabitants is uncertain and depends on ‘Moslem Enclaves are “Prisons,” Say Charity Doc- the help of the international community for survival. tors,’ Agence France Presse, 24 November 1994, (in English).
Extract: Once we managed to get a lorry or team in, the position Eric Stobbaerts, who worked for a year in the enclaves of would gradually begin to harden. It could take one or Gorazde and Srebrenica said the estimated 100,000 people two or three months, and then it would escalate again. We living in the enclaves “have been cut off from the outside defended access to the enclaves in several steps, ending with world for three years.” Speaking to journalists Thursday, public statements. We did that several times, either from Stobbaerts who is the MSF coordinator in ex-Yugoslavia, said Belgrade, or from Brussels, or Paris. First we would appeal to that in addition to economic hardship, the population was the UN peacekeepers, then to the government, then to the under enormous psychological pressure to stay put in what he Secretary-General of the United Nations, and then we would called “prisons open to the sky. The pressure comes from the take a position in the press. We put out press releases on a Serbian army on the outside and from the inside to discourage regular basis – sometimes just from Belgrade – simply to remind people from leaving the Bosnian enclaves,” Stobbaerts said. the authorities that we were there. “If the enclaves were opened, the people would leave the region,” Stobbaerts said adding: “there is a risk people will Dr Renaud Tockert, MSF Belgium Programme Manager give up and go despite having a right to live in this region. in the former Yugoslavia, 1993 and 1995, Interviewed What is more, to leave the region everyone has to pay about in 2000, (in French) 2,000 German marks to the Serbian army.” With the approach of winter, Stobbaerts said the situation of the enclave inhab- itants had become critical.
There were public statements, especially from Belgrade, Before the war, Srebrenica housed 6,000 people. There were but no press releases. It was more a response to journa- now 23,000 people trying to survive in the enclave -- 80 lists’ questions. We were extremely cautious. We were really doing percent of them refugees from other villages taken over by everything in little steps: getting access, negotiating to get a the Serbs, he said. In the towns, the people depend entirely foothold from the Belgrade side. And then we were getting to on food handouts and MSF medical aid. Srebrenica via Belgrade and the border at the edge of Macedonia But the Serbs have allowed only a minimum of supplies to get and the Serbian area, and so everything had to be negotiated. through. Stobbaerts said Serb forces only let the odd supply We had to be in the enclaves, so we were trying to stay there. We lorry into the enclave when the situation became really were backed into a corner, but we weren’t giving up. We tried to desperate. 36 be creative, to get medicines through, to maintain ties with the He said the only foods available in the Moslem enclaves were people everyday,” he said. workers there witness the underlying desperation of these having towaitfor ahighly unlikely solution tothe crisis. MSF people living inthe enclaves are inanimpossiblesituation of organisation tobeallowedgo into the enclaves. “The tarian aid. He said MSF was the only non-governmental problem inSrebrenica and Gorazde wasaccesstohumani- lower resistance to disease. Stobbaerts said the number one caused nutrition deficiencies and leftthe population with flour, oil,tinned meat, and powdered milk.The diet has the securityof the teams). can bedone? (NB:thanksfor coordinating withthe field for check withcommunications inBrusselsand Paris toseewhat possible recourse from the international community. Canyou obvious abandonment by these people [UNPROFOR] and little in the process of playing out?At what level? We resent an because there are toomany risks. Whatunderhanded game is any more UNhumanitarian convoysineasternBosnia, morning, UNPROFOR announced that it doesn’t want to escort few pathetic tons of food in,toprevent afamine. This in the same boat. Only the UNHCR can still manage to get a Pale’s objective is obvious: to push MSF to leave. The ICRC is sniper fire are getting worse each day, and confiscations. […] I should add the general insecurity; the sporadic shelling and shelter for the winter? Sothe pressure isenormous. August. Whatcanbedone for the peoplewho stilldon’t have populations in danger. For MSF, no logistics convoys since have tothinkaboutsurviving and perhapsabandoning these tinuing ourprogrammes and soonno more food. Soonwe’ll since they canno longer leaveorenter, withno fuelfor con- We are stilltrying toget itback.The teams are like hostages, Saturday, anMSF Jeep wasconfiscated asitleftSrebrenica. tions for the weekwere refused withno explanation. On longest I’veseensince Igot here. Again, today the authorisa- sibility of aconvoyorevenexpatriate movement. Thisis been atatotalstandstill for almost twomonths, withno pos- situation is becoming ever more tragic. As you know, we’ve civilian populations of the enclaves ineasternBosnia. The There needs tobeamedia campaign; acryof alarmfor the Extract: Once again,on Friday 16December, ahundred people(to be Extract: (in French). Belgium Operations Director, 12December1994 dinator in the former Yugoslavia, to the MSF Message from Eric Stobbaerts, MSF General Coor- Belgrade, 16December1994(inFrench). Reuters, BBC and former Yugoslavia sent toAgence France Presse, Press Releasefrom the MSF Coordinator inthe ‘16 December1994:Ethnic Cleansing Continues,’ Le Figaro correspondents in wave of deporteesarrive, andwe putoutapressrelease, not the GeneralCoordinator, happenedtobe in Tuzla. Hesawthe them. Somepeopleevenarrived withoutshoes. EricStobbaerts, there wasacheckpointwhereall theirpropertywastaken from the border.’ As theycrossed,nottheborder, butthefrontline, belongings withyou,butyoucan take yourvaluablesandcross Once theyhadpaidwere told,“youcan’ttake allyour port to the border.’ On the other side of the border was Tuzla. They weretold,‘thereisacharterthatwillfacilitate yourtrans- have topay.’ Ithinkatthetimeitwas200DeutscheMarks. leave. At thatpoint,theyweretold,‘ifyouwant toleave, you was so difficult that eventually the Muslims would want to for heatorpickingvegetables fromthegarden.Livingtogether of the house, preventing the Muslims from burning the furniture take indisplacedBosnianSerbs. TheSerbsliterallytookcontrol comfort. awaits them, they are apathetic, inshock. They need ditions. Terrified bytheir new lotand the unknown fate that relatives orfriends who take them inunder verymeagre con - tional agencies await them and give them shelter. Many find village; itcan take uptotwelvehours. There, the interna- are taken and dropped, itisalong walktothe first Muslim stripped of their possessions. From the front line, where they system isorganised and methodical; they payand then are their ownpeople, they were finally forced toleave. The men from adetention camp.Afterthreats and evictions from week. They allcome from the Bijeljina region, some of the their neighbours and brothers. We expect another wavethis the Tuzla region. Lostand abandoned bythose who were once week) washed up,survivorsfrom anunexpected shipwreck in other peoplewho havearrivedsince the beginning of the exact: 39 women, 40 men, and 17 children, added tothe 17 therefore risking sickness and possibledeath bycold. few hundred families are stillwithno proper shelter and are the winter and rehabilitation materials for the enclaves asa population of EasternBosnia. MSF alsorequests accessfor order toreach anacceptablestandard of lifefor the enclave ried and requests accessfor the humanitarian convoysin situation may turn dramatic very soon. MSF is extremely wor- season. There is no other inputfrom the outside world. This few fertilefieldsare now totallysterile, especially inthis should be roughly 2,500 Kg/cal per person per day). The very ular amount of calories necessary for a person every day person perday inSrebrenica and 875kg/cal inGorazde (reg- enter the enclaves wasequivalent to905kg/calories per ln the month of November, the amount of food allowedto They forced BosnianMuslimsstilllivingintheareato Bijeljina wasaSerbianstrongholdinRepublika Srpska. 19 December1994(inEnglish). Winter Advances,’ PressRelease,MSF Belgrade, Bosnia, Which isGradually Deteriorating asthe nitarian Situation in the Enclaves of Eastern ‘MSF isExtremely Preoccupied Aboutthe Huma-
37 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
realising what the consequences would be. For the next four kg/cal per person, per day. In fact, UN food convoys were months, we couldn’t get a single authorisation to get medicines allowed in only in strict and insufficient quantity in the last into the enclaves. months, creating a general weakening of the civilian popula- tion (see figures in annex). Dr Graciela Diap, MSF Belgium/France Medical Coordinator for the former Yugoslavia, October 1993 In 1994, on our way to the enclaves, Médecins sans Frontières to April 1995, Interviewed in 2000 (in French) teams have also been victims of several instances of totally arbitrary confiscation of humanitarian supplies considered by Bosnian Serb authorities as strategic elements (6 bottles of oxygen, 68 boxes of drugs, communication and protection materials, boxes of food for the Médecins sans Frontières In January and February 1995, the Bosnian Serb team, 1 Toyota vehicle). This has hampered the impact of our authorities further increased their demands in terms relief operations. The Pale authorities have been ‘investi- of what MSF had to provide in Bosnian Serb territory in gating’ the situation for several months now and have prom- exchange for being allowed to get relief supplies into the ised to give back the confiscated items. enclaves. MSF continued to refuse to dispense aid without assessing the needs beforehand. Every international The problems mentioned above clearly indicate the denial of leader, who might possibly put pressure on the Bosnian humanitarian principles as stated in the Geneva Convention, Serb authorities, was informed of these difficulties. and the various UN resolutions on the protection of the so- called ‘safe areas.’ Because our supplies and our humanitarian activities remain substantial for the sake of these besieged populations of eastern Bosnia and because the situation may Letter from Dr Philippe Biberson, MSF France soon be dramatic, we request your support in helping us to President and Dr Eric Goemaere, MSF Belgium solve the present problem with regard to the Bosnian Serb General Director to the UN and European Officials authorities. in Charge of the former Yugoslavia, 12 February 1995 (in English).
Extract: Letters from UN and European Officials in Charge Today, we would like to draw your attention to the impossi- of the former Yugoslavia to Dr Philippe Biberson, bility our organization has been facing for several months in MSF France President and Dr Eric Goemaere, MSF getting relief aid into besieged territories of Srebrenica, Belgium General Director (in English). Gorazde, and Zepa. This situation is the result of the contin- uous blockade imposed by the Bosnian Serb authorities on Extract: the humanitarian convoys of Médecins sans Frontières in vio- From the Permanent Mission of Germany to the UN, 24 lation of the general right of humanitarian initiative provided February 1995 for by the Geneva Convention to impartial organizations (art. Thank you for your letter […] conveying information […]. 9 GC 1,2,3, art. 10 GC 4). Accessibility to the areas has always This information is most useful with regard to our evaluation been difficult, but has become totally impossible over the of the situation in Bosnia for our work in the Security Council. last few months. The humanitarian situation is now critical: From the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation • For more than 3 months (since early November 1994), our to the UN, 28 February 1995 organisation has been refused access to supply the enclaves The Russian Federation is deeply concerned […]. The Security with medicine and medical material. Given that Médecins Council has been made aware of this matter and issued a sans Frontières is the main supplier of medicines in these number of Presidential Statements. The Council is going to enclaves, there are now major shortages of basic medicines keep the situation under review on a constant basis. (see annex: list of medicines in shortage sent by our medical From the UN International Conference on the former teams in Gorazde and Srebrenica). As a result, the health of Yugoslavia, 28 February 1995 these besieged populations is at high risk, especially that of However, the Contact Group of five nations has been the main children and the elderly. political vehicle for dealing with Bosnian Serbs for nearly a • Concerning winterization programs, since August 1994, all year now. […] Your information would, therefore, best be the programs have been greatly limited by the systematic made directly to the five governments’ ministers dealing with refusal of the Bosnian Serb authorities to allow convoys with foreign affairs. logistical, sanitation, and rehabilitation items into the From National Security Council of the USA, 9 March 1995 enclaves. This increases the precarious situation and misery I share your concern and frustrations and hold in very high in which these civilian populations live. regard all your organisation has done to ease the suffering of • Médecins sans Frontières has also been following the gen- so many in Bosnia. […] We have little leverage over the eral food supply coming into the enclaves in order to monitor Bosnian Serbs. We will, however, continue to call for the possible risks of malnutrition or other health related prob- unhindered flow of humanitarian aid throughout Bosnia. lems. The figures for the end of 1994 and the beginning of 38 1995 are low considering international standards of 2,000 6. Pharmaciens Sans Frontières orPharmacists without Borders Ex-Yugo. That’sit,wefinally got authorisation from the Extract: get thismatter solved for tomorrow. Let’sseethe results. medical staff)butshould besolved. Ihaveputallefforts to of expatriate staff will be a tough part too (because it is tact withKaren to forward necessary information. Movements some convoysin.It isthe onlysolution left.Iwillbe incon- [Bosnian Serb Army] hates airdrops) just as a tool toforce We discussed the need of airdrops, maybe (because BSA let’s prepare for anemergency. ICRC clearance refused. […]Solet’sstopbeing paranoid and Dutchbat convoywithPSF/MSF-H from Tuzla wasrefused, and UNHCR refused unlabelledMSF medicines, and why the therefore berefused for all agencies. Thisis why for example, ical items rather than food to weaken an army. Medicines will reason. Militarily speaking, you better cut the supply of med- Herzegovina] offensive before the end of the ceasefire isthe This issue is military. The real threat of a BiH [Bosnia and authorities canofficially use. is justatrick togaintime; the onlytoolthatthe civilian declaration, the planof distribution for the middle of March All the negotiation about a document, political aspect of our To summarize -Now itisclearfor me: thisissueisnot MSF. Extract: cooperation withthem. very soonbeinthe position tocheck [stop]completelyour shown enough understanding for ourarguments and wewill except for UNWHO and UNHCR,other organisations havenot regard tothe aid division provided byyou.Unfortunately, to our opinion, unequal treatment of the Serbian side with ings tocallyourattention tothese facts and tothe, according Republika Srpska. My colleagueshavetried atseveral meet- Sarajevo and those under the control of the authorities inthe institutions which are under the control of the authorities in ratio of the number of inhabitants and the number of health ments inthe field, respectively, and not according tothe real in principle, isplanned according toneeds and yourassess- We are not atallsatisfiedwithyour explanation thatthisaid, Extract: PSF Social Welfare of the Republika Srpska toUNICEF, Letter from the Ministry of Health, Labourand letter, 26 June 1995(inFrench). The Mission,n°198Satirical MSF France News - February 1995(inEnglish). former Yugoslavia toMSF Brussels&Paris, 24 Message from MSF General Coordinator in the English). 6 , MDM, MSF Sarajevo, 22 February 1995 (in sent ustheir heartfelt thanks. Yuck! region. Those verypoliteBosnian Serbmilitaryauthorities but alsotothe Serbian militaryhospitals inthe Sarajevo donated a small number of supplies tonot just the military, leaving behind bars. Onatotallyunrelated note, wehavealso out of prison.Justaswell.But,sadfor the peoplethey’re Gorazde and three in Srebrenica. For them, it’s like getting military service […]As areminder, wehavetwopeoplein obviously didn’t wasteany time toasting the end of their Soup-with-Croutons (Salignon), who isinPale for the event, Whatchamacallit). The Srebrenica guys, ledbyPierre Onion not yet for Gorazde; we’ll believe it when we see it (like Saint Gorazde. The rotation happened this weekend in Srebrenica, Bosnian Serbsfor teams toleaveand enter Srebrenica and Charter, haven’tyou??? MSF treat Serbian civilians orsoldiers. […]You haveread the emergency donations, evenifsome peopledon’t like seeing civilian and military. Which clearlyexplains why wemay make been many victims onbothsides these pastfewweeks– dirty warand eachside usesunsavoury methods. There have fighting eachother and willing to do anything to win. a It’s committed in1992and ’93.[…]Now there are twoarmies the Serbs’ responsibilities in this conflict and the massacres the nature of the warhere hasbeenchanging. Not toforget It’s alsoimportant toknow thatfor the pastseveral weeks, tals and war-wounded, inparticular, thatistheir mandate. whether you believe it or not. The ICRC deals with the hospi- has real medical value/impactfor the civilian population, refugees). That programme iscurrently working better and ties (privatehospitals, clinics, and fivepharmacies for held part)todistributemedicines tothirtyhealth care facili- know, MSF hasaprogramme ineasternBosnia (the Serbian- which community they belong to?Incaseyoudidn’t already suffering isanother thing, and whatdifference does itmake responsible for it, that’s one thing. That the populations are There is a war for the past three years. That the Serbs are […] happy, write stupidities by all means. But allow us to respond. – and moreover, Serbian military hospitals??? Ifitmakes you everything. […]You made reference toadonation tomilitary tone, thatdoesn’t giveyoupermission tosayanything and tion. Whilewe’re familiar withThe Mission’s provocative that wewere atthe veryleastsurprisedbythe ex-Yugo sec- We justread the latestissueof The Mission, and one cansay Greetings from Pale Extract: cations Department, 27June 1995(inFrench). Programme Manager tothe MSF France Communi- Message from Pierre Salignon, MSF France Deputy
39 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
We brought the list of medicines we wanted to distribute The new teams arrived, and found themselves ill prepared for to the Bosnian Serb leaders, and they told us, ‘OK, we’re the situation. They have nevertheless, found enough to do going to do it 70/30 – 70% for the Serbs and 30% for the medical work, and the morale is a bit better. Generally Bosniaks.’ We replied that we didn’t talk about percentages but speaking, the situation is getting worse, and we have been about needs. We told them what situation we found in Republika very tough in insisting on not paying the Serbs compensation Srpska and what supplies we planned on providing. Then we in exchange for what goes into the enclaves. Other humani- told them what the situation was on the other side, and gave tarian actors are less demanding. As an example, we estimate them the list of medicines we felt we needed to deliver. Then that 30% of what the UN WHO sends goes to the Serbs. There began the ‘clearance’ procedure – total bureaucracy! We needed is supposedly an evacuation programme for the wounded that a ‘clearance’ for the lorry, and one for the driver, and one for has never functioned, except in exchange for prisoners or the person accompanying the delivery, one for the medicines convoys going to the Serbian-held areas. We pulled out of we were transporting and one for the date. Most of the time, we that system and took a lot of grief for it from the UNHCR and would have everything ready and the ‘clearances’ would be the ICRC (and from NGOs in general). We are very isolated, denied. Once, the person in charge was in the process of signing because there’s haggling going on everywhere. The enclaves the infamous ‘clearance’ when I saw a mushroom cloud erupt, are now a strategic – rather than military – issue. We have no through the window behind him. It was the first NATO air strike. good solution for now. The guy turned around, picked up the paper, and ripped it to shreds. I felt like crying. One fine morning we would receive the authorisation and take off. Then we might find ourselves waiting at a checkpoint, sometimes until the next day. And sometimes Infomatin, MSF Belgium’s in-house morning there were anti-tank mines along the way, and the soldiers update, 22 March 1995 (in French). would taunt us saying, ‘we can’t move them, but you’re welcome to get out and remove them yourselves.’ The situation in the Extract: enclaves was so critical that when we came alone, we would just The war context is felt everywhere; the US has rearmed the leave the drugs from our own emergency kits. Bosnian Muslims. In the enclaves, the situation is desperate. The people really are imprisoned, and have lost all hope; Dr Graciela Diap, MSF Belgium/France Medical dying means nothing to them anymore. They themselves say Coordinator for the former Yugoslavia, October 1993 they are condemned to death. Though there is still enough to April 1995, Interviewed in 2000 (in French) (but limited) food and medicine, the Serbian strategy is to let supplies dribble in slowly, the better to paralyze the population. MSF should change its strategy, and do more to give the lives While fighting broke out pretty much everywhere in of these confined, desperate people some meaning. In Pale Bosnia-Herzegovina, questions were again being raised (Bosnian Serb HQ), eight MSFers spent five days negotiating at MSF about the organisation’s role in the enclaves. with the authorities. They reached an agreement for trans- For months, MSF’s General Coordinator in the former porting aid to the enclaves; it requires the NGOs to report, Yugoslavia observed that most of the foreign military month by month, the materials to be brought in. A first leaders, diplomats, and journalists in the former convoy made it into Srebrenica and Gorazde, which allowed a Yugoslavia resigned themselves to the idea that the rotation in teams and a few tons of provisions and medicines enclaves were obstacles to the peace process. to enter. In conclusion, we absolutely must start talking about the enclaves again, and be more aggressive in our In the April issue of Contact, MSF Belgium’s in-house public statements (a meeting on Bosnia will be scheduled newsletter, he wondered whether MSF wasn’t acting as very soon). doctor-jailer in the enclaves, and shouldn’t speak out on behalf of those who wanted to leave.
‘On MSF’s Role in the Eastern Bosnian Enclaves,’ Eric Stobbaerts, MSF General Coordinator in the Minutes MSF-France Board of Directors Meeting, former Yugoslavia, Sarajevo, Pale, February 1995, 24 February 1995 (in French). published in Contact, MSF Belgium’s in-house newsletter, April 1995 (in French). Extract: The situation in the enclaves is becoming increasingly diffi- The tone and the author may surprise some of you. It is the cult. The teams have been running out of medical supplies result of enormous frustration while awaiting the outcome of (for two months) and logistical supplies (for five months). endless negotiations to resume our activities in eastern We’ve stepped up every possible type of pressure for getting Bosnia at a more sustained pace. It is certainly not a cry of supplies in, and are thinking that if we don’t succeed, we may surrender; after all, our paper’s motto is “A luta continua!” have to pull the teams out, because once they have nothing Having come to the end of a more than fifteen-month mission left, it will become extremely dangerous for them. That is a that grabbed me and tore my insides out, into which I threw 40 painful possibility. myself, body and soul, an unexpected thought suddenly came these end-of-millennium ghettos. any rate, if only to reaffirm the basis of our involvement in thank usfor it?We oweittoourselves tothinkaboutthat,at justified. Whatisthe price for defending an ideal? WillHistory of the new offensive everyone is‘expecting’ thisspring, it is deeper into thatthought ormake itourown,butonthe eve years, what does it matter?” Maybe it’s premature to go Srebrenica who said, “having towaitanother one yearorten comment from a19-year-oldwoman, arefugee [displaced]in that is, their wholeness? Shouldn’t webeappalledatthe a half-human, half-animal state, drained of their substance, human? Whatisthe fate of 100,000peopledoomed tolivein soil where they canenjoytheir freedom and their right tobe peaceful, unified soil is more beneficial (in human terms) – Shouldn’t wethinkthatthe fate of 100,000refugees on and bygrasping the suffering of these populations? tively, bygoing backtothe principles thatbrought ushere, Isn’t ittime tostartthinking differently, thinking objec- shape and sizeof downtown Sarajevo, and insuch astate?!! ethnic cleansing onbothsides –anideal now reduced tothe multi-ethnic ideal that is being gradually chipped away at by they no longer believe in?Whathashappened toBosnia, that those who are being imprisoned against their willfor anideal of those who want toleave, those who want tobefree again, of twoparties inconflict? Shouldn’t wespeakoutonbehalf Should MSF playthe role of jailer/prisondoctor, inthe service tion wants itsfreedom. methods and neglecting the essential: above all, this popula- political designs, bycomplying withtheir expeditious On the other hand, weare apartof Sarajevo’s (yetunclear) humanitarian scandal thatwouldattract toomuch attention. tions-cum-bargaining chips, thus sparing the torturer a stability of (not improving) the health statusof the popula- On one hand, weare serving Pale’s interests byensuring the What partare weplaying? these enclaves represent are obvious bothfor Pale and Sarajevo. Serbian frontline? The political and diplomatic stakes that grandmother and granddaughter as they tried to cross the summer, for example, the Gorazde enclave authorities killed a Should wecontinue toremain silent aboutthe fact thatthis by the authorities inthe enclaves. Soitisadouble-siege. under siege bythe Serbian Army, they are now alsounder siege wanted toleave. The fact isthatwhilethese populations are besieged population does not believe initeither. Roughly70% proposing the division, and inverymeticulous fashions. The the communities atthe startof the conflict. Now itisthe one tional community, which was so strongly opposed to dividing Everyone has surrendered, even that hypocrite, the interna Ultimately, aseveryone knows, these enclaves haveno future. What does the future hold? play inourintervention ineasternBosnia? […] to me from somewhere deep inside: whatrole are weledto - that’s whattheywereaskingfor. Iwasmetwith a chorusof people of Srebrenica be allowed to rejointheir people, since recommend moving the population and that we ask that the During my debriefing at headquarters, Isuggested that we and inthecaseof Srebrenicawewere notattunedenough. that intime. To me, MSF’s jobwastobe attuned thepopulation, becoming doctorsfor Serbianprisons. Idon’tthinkwerealised saying, andItoldmyselfthatultimately, atMSF, wewere mats were saying and what the people of Srebrenica were I madeakindof empiricalsynthesis between whatthediplo- were talkingdifferently. stabilisation in central Bosnia, and the people of Srebrenica ment betweentheCroatsandMuslims. Therewasakindof a statewascreatedinBosnia-Herzegovina,basedonanagree - is toleave, wewanttogobackourpeople.’ Inthe meantime, you MSFfor everythingyouare doing,butwhatwereallywant formal becauseIwasleaving, peopleweresayingtome, ‘thank Srebrenica before Ileft(inApril1995),thingswereabitmore ful lifewentby, thesituationchanged.Duringmylastvisitto ethnic Bosnia.However, asmonthafterterribleof dread- that beingtherewasawaytofight for recognition of amulti- in, theyunderstoodthereasonfor theenclave’s existence, and to bethere. Beyondsufferingtheinhumanesituationtheywere [internally displacedpeople].Theyhadthestrength,will In 1993,thepopulationinSrebrenicawasmadeupof ruralIDPs to getaspirinintoSrebrenica. the internationalcommunitywasn’treadytoriskathirdworldwar General Smith,theHeadof UNPROFOR,whobasicallytoldmethat Nations toparachutemedicinesintoSrebrenica.Iwentsee have anyaspirininthepharmacy–wedecidedtoaskUnited criticised that,butwewereinsuchapredicament–didn’teven of thinkingthattherewouldhavetobeairdrops. MSFhadalways In January1995,noconvoysweregettingin.We reachedthepoint bility of amulti-ethnicBosnia.Inthatsense, the Serbshadwon. or atanofficial meeting,buteveryonehadgivenuponthepossi- obstacle tothepeaceprocess. Obviouslytheyneversaiditinwriting and early’95),Srebrenicatheotherenclaveshadbecomean the monthswentby(anditbecameveryclearinwinterof ’94 would ensurethepopulation’s safetyandprotection. people themselves, wewerenaïveenoughtothinkthatthey Srebrenica andtheregionfor themselves. However, like the I wasconvincedthatitwouldn’thold,theykeep that theywouldleave. WhenIlefttheenclave[inApril1994], agreement. The people understood that if they could not stay, and wouldfall intoSerbianhandsinapoliticaldealfor apeace border, Srebrenicawasgoingtobeanissue, abargainingchip, too anchoredintheRepublika Srpska, andclosetotheYugoslav Coordinator inSrebrenica, October1993toApril1994, UNPROFOR leaders, diplomats, etc. To allthosepeople, as I wasinregularcontactwiththeUnitedNations, journalists, encirclement, its geographic location, too close to and encirclement, itsgeographiclocation,tooclosetoand Since 1994,thepeoplehaveunderstoodthatgivenits Graziella Godain, MSF France/Belgium Field Interviewed in2000(inFrench)
41 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
disapproval. I was told, “That is not MSF’s mandate, and it I often saw the [UN]HCR representative. We discussed the situa- would be playing into the Serbs’ hands.” tion of the people stuck in these enclaves. They were completely dependent and living in a sort of little Warsaw Ghetto reminis- I’m angry at myself for having left at that moment. The person cent of the worst period and wondering what was going to who was supposed to replace me wasn’t available, so they split happen next. But everyone was blocked by the political deal and my position in two. They temporarily put one coordinator in balance of power, which was evolving along with military opera- Belgrade and another in Split, and beefed up their job descrip- tions, such as airstrikes and troop deployments that froze tion. So Srebrenica was being coordinated from Belgrade. Yet, certain positions. And no one talked about the political deal a lot of the contacts for Srebrenica were in Sarajevo and Zagreb, even though everyone knew it was a real disgrace and a solution not Belgrade. Aside from the managers at headquarters, no one had to be found. had a good overall view of the situation anymore. They didn’t travel to the field every week to gather information. That reor- Pierre Salignon, Deputy Programme Manager, ganisation lost us information. MSF France, in charge of programmes in the former Yugoslavia, Interviewed in 2015 (in French) Eric Stobbaerts, MSF Belgium/France General Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, December 1993 to April 1995, Interviewed in 2000, (in French).
At the same time, the relationship between the MSF Srebrenica’s team and Opstina, the Bosnian Muslim “It’s a good thing that MSF went to the enclave with civil authority that governed the city, was put under the Morillon, stayed there, developed all these medical acti- spotlight over the selection of local staff employed by vities, fought to bring in doctors and live there, close to the MSF. The Bosnian municipal authorities were demanding people. I really think the most important factor was our pres- the resignation of the logistician, an employee who was ence there. But I think our presence may also have had a nega- essential for organising operations and who had resisted tive effect by giving the impression that everything was going corruption. He was summoned to join the Bosnian army well. The people of Srebrenica didn’t want to stay; they wanted under threat of imprisonment. This dispute had gradually to go to Tuzla. MSF was aware of this but didn’t share the extended to other members of the MSF staff. information. Why not? Because we felt it was important for the population to be respected and maybe also because of MSF’s arrogance, i.e. it was pleased with itself for being in the enclave, ‘the place where it should be’, without really analysing the Message from the MSF Coordinator in Srebrenica people’s suffering. And it’s important to acknowledge that.” to the MSF General Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, 9 March 1995 (in English) Dr Graciela Diap, MSF Belgium/France Medical Coordinator for the former Yugoslavia, October 1993 Extract: to April 1995, Interviewed in 2000, (in French) CC MEETING They want: 1/ [to] remove our logistician; he received a letter saying that he has to be present on [9/3 at 08:00 at the school ‘‘The enclave issue came up many times during meetings otherwise prison; He is the one with the most responsibilities of the MSF board of directors, of which I was a member. in the MSF mission The vice president at the time raised the question, ‘Isn’t MSF like 2 / rotation of all MSF staff; a list of our staff with the quan- the condemned person’s last meal?’ That’s exactly how he put it. tity and qualifications of the staff we need in the future has We talked about requesting the evacuation of the population, but to be given to them. Deadline: in 2 to 3 days; in 15 days all we ruled out that idea because we realised it was completely staff will be changed unrealistic and impractical. There was no political agreement on 3/ it is not an attack against MSF but it is cc]’d to] local staff the matter and discussing it publicly would prevent us from ente- of all organisations. ring the enclaves in the short term and result in a loss of contact.” WHY? (Our conclusion) - They want to show their power; Dr Renaud Tockert, Programme Coordinator in - They want to have their persons on the key positions of the former Yugoslavia for MSF Belgium, 1993-1995 the organisations, and so controlling everything; interviewed in 2000, (in French) - Ask [for] some taxes on the salaries
‘‘I don’t remember discussing evacuations. It wasn’t something the national political leaders involved in this issue were even willing to consider. 42 a positiveanswer for anopendiscussion. sary conditions torestart ourprograms, wekeep onexpecting Believing inacommon willingness tobring upallthe neces- operation. tinue]…without consequences for ourgeneral relief population, Iestimate thatthe situation cannot [...][con- […] [As weare] Unable torender some essential help tothe and maintain the hospital generator, asthe vehicles as well. The doctors have, inaddition totheir medical duties, tofill repairs. one of ourvehicles isbroken, and [there is]nobody for hygiene products, 6of them are more orlessnot accessibleas warehouse hasno storekeeper anymore. 12clinics are outof - allactivities cannot not depend onpharmacy, asthe main - hospital maintenance - rehabilitation program ties, due tolackof logistic support. drafting of ourstaffobliged ustocancel some of ouractivi- Practically, the confusing situation Iexposed and the ongoing Extract: military? What isthe relation betweencivilian administration and will bewithdrawn from their jobs. on the levelof Sarajevo. 30% of the workers incivil structures not allowedanymore inourhouse, discussions are being held and Meho and Mohamed (twoveryimportant logworkers) are There seems tobeno compromise possibility from their side sufficient assistance tothe population. ongoing problem withthe Opstina makes itdifficultto offer and medical material are blocking the activities, alsothe Not only the fact that lack of human resources and medicines Extract: local employees’responsibilities. other. We plantochange the jobdescriptions toreduce the and the ‘replacement’ staffthatwillbeimposedonusthe [There is]aproblem concerning the teamonthe one hand Srebrenica: Ourstaffwillbedrafted into the Bosnian army. Extract: pality, whichwasveryvindictive. Themajority of the ‘‘We hadseriousproblemswiththe Opstina,ormunici- English). sentative inSrebrenica, 24April1995(in former Yugoslavia tothe Ministryof Defence repre - Letter from the MSF General Coordinator inthe July 1995(inEnglish). Monthly ReportJune 1995, MSF Srebrenica, 8 1995 (inFrench). Minutes of the MSF Operations Meeting, 6June French politicalleaders. MSFrefused. gent ontheorganisation puttingthemintouchwith The Pale authoritiestriedtomake staffrotation contin- again underbombardment. the deteriorating situationintheenclave, whichwas in earlyJune, MSFreleased information tothepress on in theenclaves of Gorazde andSrebrenica. InBelgrade to reject any rotation of MSFexpatriate teamsworking From 15April,theBosnianSerbauthoritiesagainbegan king andtherewereonlyfour tosixexpatriates.” Providing medicalcarefor 45,000peoplewasahugeunderta- pate intheseoperationsandwealsoneededthemfor ourwork. raids onSerbianpositions. Mostof themdidn’twanttopartici- wanted toenlistouremployeescarryouttheircommando have trouble keeping our male staff. We had to resist when they The Opstinastartedtoforcibly conscriptmenandwebeganto population wasdepressedwhileBosniansoldierswereonedge. rotation. This contact willgivehimthe opportunitytohave ment tocontact […] Pale to[exert] pressure […]tohave the Their proposition was that MSF B/F asks the French govern- Extract: “impossible atthe moment torotate (MSF) teams.” ments,” Oberreit said adding that this was making it sary authorisations toenable the planned personnel replace- The Bosnian Serb authorities “are not delivering the neces tion plan. ingly difficult for MSF to coordinate an effective staff rota programme, whilethe Bosnian Serbswere making itincreas- said fighting ineasternBosnia wasplaying havocwith MSF’s Sans Frontieres (MSF, Doctors without Borders) said. Oberreit Oberreit the chief aid coordinator inBelgrade of Medecins ago, and stocks are running out also in Gorazde, Stephane food convoytoreach the Srebrenica enclave did sosixweeks “safe havens” there, an aid official said here Monday. The last tion inthe humanitarian situation of Bosnian Moslem in eastern Bosnia-Hercegovina have led to a sharp deteriora- Bosnian Serbintransigence coupledwithincreased fighting Extract: Coordinator inSrebrenica, October1993toApril1994, 20 June 1995(in English). Message from MSF Pale toMSF Srebrenica, 1995 (inFrench). Enclaves” “The Humanitarian Situation isWorsening inthe Graziella Godain, MSF France/Belgium Field Agence France Presse, Belgrade, 5 June Interviewed in2000(inFrench) - -
43 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
contact with the representatives of French diplomats. They I spent three weeks trying to receive the authorisations neces- hope that it will open new channels of negotiation and sary for rotating personnel and bringing in supplies. These nego- contacts. tiations were a bit surreal. We met Serbs living in chalets Imagine our surprise to hear this speech even if we under- surrounded by huge bodyguards. Our contact person was Nikola stand that there is a crisis between civilian and military Kolievic, Vice President of Republika Srbska and a professor of authorities in RS [Republika Srpska]. To be clear, they are English literature. He asked us to put him in contact with French trying to involve us in political matter[s] out[side] of our President Jacques Chirac and give him his phone number. I [jurisdiction]. The whole thing is touchy as you can imagine. refused, explaining that MSF was a non-governmental We must have new meetings with them tomorrow. After dis- organisation. cussions with HQs, we are thinking that this blackmail is hardly acceptable. […] After a while, I realised that I had to give something up so I There are two ways of solving this. told him that we couldn’t go below two volunteers in Srebrenica. First, the unacceptable one, which is to put our team in the He answered “Very good, that’s an argument that will help me.” enclaves, that’s you, as a kind of merchandise between Serbs Once the rotation took place, I called him to let him know and negotiators and French “occidental” diplomatic intervention thank him and he told me he was very happy and was coming over which we have no control at all, knowing that the Serbs to celebrate with us! He came carrying bottles of alcohol even will play this game very professionally – as they did with the though he was already completely drunk. I asked his armed blue helmets – and even more, putting an additional con- bodyguard to stay outside. So we spent the evening with straint on all future activities in the enclaves, as they can use Kolievic, who sang French songs to us and told us his life story. this manipulation every time they want… for any event they It was completely surreal.” want. Second, a difficult one, which is to refuse this burglar type of Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General bargain and say that we stick to our position: ask for access, Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia May- November a normal team rotation and continuation of all humanitarian 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000 - 2006, activities knowing that… this could very quickly have a boo- Interviewed in 2015 (in French). merang effect on different levels: in and out clearance for enclave and Pale teams, not probable but possible security constraints, maybe [staff would be] taken as temporary hos- tages, maybe even expulsion from the enclaves and Serb When Stephan and I were in Pale in June 1995, we saw Republic, you just name it. a great number of things. We saw UN cars and we heard that a certain UN official had visited the White House, the small If there followed an unacceptable Serb reaction to this pro- chalet that housed the Bosnian Serb parliament. We had no posal, then we might have to take other measures, which we idea what they discussed because we weren’t there. But Kolievic will not discuss here and now, but which we are already told us that ‘they were negotiating. The war is almost over and preparing. we’re going to get practically everything we want… Yes, there’s a deal on Srebrenica’. He didn’t tell us, ‘we signed this in We want to defend the second proposal tomorrow and keep exchange for that’ but he did give us phone and fax numbers you updated on any new development which follows during while saying, ‘here, give this to Mr Chirac’. It was completely the day. muddle-headed and very manipulative – just to see how far we were willing to go.” This implies that we would also ask you to play this business though, as we are doing here, and that there is no [deviation Pierre Salignon, MSF France Deputy Programme from] the official message. We know this is quite a hard Manager, in charge of programmes in the former bottom line for you all, we know that you are tired, fed up Yugoslavia, 1992-1996, Interviewed in 2015 (in French) […], but can you still hold on for a week or more?
We will do everything that lies in our power to back you up as much as possible. In late March, the United Nations Secretary-General asked the Security Council to replace UNPROFOR with three peacekeeping forces, one of them responsible for “When MSF entered the enclaves in 1993, there must Bosnia-Herzegovina, which would remain under a general have been five staff members in Srebrenica and three in command. Gorazde. In May 1995, we were only allowed three staff posi- tions in Srebrenica and two in Gorazde. And we had to wait for In mid-April, two soldiers from UNPROFOR’s French contin- volunteers to receive authorisation to enter so that the others gent were killed by snipers. could leave. After a while, those in the enclave under bombard- ment began to fall apart. They were in tears when we spoke to them by radio. I sang them songs to keep their spirits up and 44 make them laugh… shields todiscourage further strikes. UN peacekeepers hostage, whom they used as human Srebrenica, Gorazde andBihacby takinghundreds of Serb forces responded by bombingthesafeareas of Tuzla, On 25May, NATO finallyconducted airstrikes. Bosnian UNPROFOR feared for theirsoldiers’ lives. operations. TheMemberStateswithcontingentsin which didnothave troops ontheground, pushedfor air whether toretaliate withairstrikes. TheUnitedStates Disagreement andindecisionheldsway attheUNabout On 24 May, Bosnian Serbs bombed Sarajevo again. several cities, including safeareas. positions whileBosnian Serbforces retaliated bybombing allowed Bosnian government forces toseizeseveral strategic region. […]Inthe field, aweekof intense fighting has flict as well as NATO, which conducts air operations in the government and the other governments involvedinthe con- The headquarters willalso actasliaison withthe Belgrade Yasushi Akashi and French General Bernard Janvier. […] personal representative onthe warinthe former Yugoslavia] control of Japanese diplomat [and UN secretary-general’s less bemaintained inZagreb under the general command and operations in Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia will neverthe- March. Aheadquarters serving asaliaison betweenthe three keeping forces inCroatia, Bosnia and Macedonia asof 31 Council toreplace UNPROFORwiththree separate peace- Moreover, the UNSecretary-general asked the Security Extract: Bosnian Serbmilitias onSaturday morning, totalling 167 and 22UNmilitaryobservers, were still held captiveby to the UN, 145 peacekeepers, including 103 French soldiers Serbs haveturned UNsoldiers into human shields. According stronghold on Thursday and Friday 25-26 May, the Bosnian To stopthe NATO airraids, which struck targets near their Pale Extract: March 1995(inFrench). UNPROFOR’ ‘Three Separate Peacekeeping Forces toReplace (France), 28May 1995(inFrench). ‘Where and Who are the Hostages?’ LeMonde WITNESSING THEFALL OF THE“SAFE AREA” Agence France Presse/Reuters, 27 air strikes. the BosnianSerbsthatNATO would notcarryoutfurther in return for four of theirprisoners andfor assurances to western officials, France secretly negotiated their release edition, TheNew York Timesreported that,according to Bosnian Serb forces were freed on18June. Inits23June The lastgroup of peacekeepers heldhostageby the taken toan“unknown destination”. located at 12 different sites around Sarajevo, but some were hostages. They were held at weapons collection points controlled areas hadleftthese positions. rounded since 25May inseveral positions locatedinSerbian- announced thatmost of the peacekeepers thathadbeensur- and 111others fivedays later. InSarajevo, UNPROFOR The firstgroup of 120 prisoners hadbeen released on 2 June Stanisic, Serbian President Milosevic’s special envoy. […] Canadian peacekeepers, were handed over in Pale to Jovica one from Belgium(Commander GuySchandeler), and 11 made upof 15observersfrom different countries, including soldiers arrivedearlyyesterday evening inSerbia. The group, hostage byBosnian Serbs isnow over. Afinal group of 26 The caseinvolving the UNpeacekeepers and observerstaken Extract: former commander of United Nations forces, wassent from In addition, the officials said, Gen.Bertrand de Lapresle, the near Sarajevo. and onJune 17inthe Bosnian Serbs’headquarters atPale, place onJune 4in Zvornik,onBosnia’s border withSerbia, Bosnian Serbs, during the hostage crisis. The meetings took secretly with Gen. Ratko Mladic, the commander of the of United Nations forces inthe former Yugoslavia, twice met The officials said Gen. Bernard Janvier, the French commander food tobesieged Muslim enclaves, the officials said. seems tohaveopened the wayfor long-stalled deliveries of ther air strikes on Serb positions. Another part of the deal received assurances thatNATO warplanes wouldnot make fur- included many French troops, the Bosnian Serbsapparently In return for the release of the United Nations soldiers, which release must beunconditional, Western officials said today. Nations and Western governments were insisting that their taken hostage bythe Bosnian Serbsevenasthe United France negotiated for the release of United Nations soldiers Extract: 19 June 1995(inFrench). ‘Pale Releases UN troops’ English). The New York Times(USA) 23June 1995(in ‘France Held Secret Talks withSerbs’Roger Cohen, Agence France Presse ,
45 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
Paris to Bosnia, where he held a meeting with Bosnian Serb France’s message of firmness: the immediate and uncondi- leaders about the release of the hostages. The troops had tional liberation of all the hostages.” been seized by the Bosnian Serbs after NATO air raids on a “There were neither negotiations, nor bargaining,” Mr. Serbian ammunition depot. Doutriaux added. Throughout this period, France was among the governments publicly insisting that no private deals would be made with the Serbs. “The French took the leading role in securing the hostages’ release,” one official said. “The deal that freed them was done In early June, at France’s initiative, a 1,000-troop Rapid in the meetings with General Janvier and General de Lapresle.” Reaction Force independent of UNPROFOR was created. The idea of holding secret talks with the Bosnian Serbs was Its mission was to defend UN peacekeepers. firmly resisted by Lieut. Gen. Rupert Smith, the British com- mander of United Nations forces in Bosnia. The officials said the British officer was invited to the meeting on June 4 in Zvornik but refused to go. Tensions have been growing ‘West Takes Action in Bosnia’ Le Monde (France), between General Smith’s headquarters in Sarajevo and those 6 June 1995 (in French). of General Janvier in Zagreb, Croatia. The terms of the deal hammered out by the French generals Extract: are now clear. The meeting on June 4 in Zvornik, which took In view of UNPROFOR’s paralysis, the West, mainly the place just over a week after the hostages were seized, was European countries, had little choice. Either they accepted followed by a statement on June 9 in which the United the defeatism of UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Nations abruptly declared it would strictly abide by peace- who was willing to appease the Serbs by limiting UNPROFOR keeping principles – a firm signal that no more NATO air to a miniscule humanitarian role while ignoring its mission to strikes would occur. protect the Bosnian civilian population, or they would work This was the first demand of General Mladic and Radovan outside the UN framework to create an independent armed Karadzic, the leader of the Bosnian Serbs. force, similar to the United States’ effort in Haiti, to make the The officials said the French role in negotiating this guar- Serbs see reason, without being bound by the cumbersome antee was underscored this week when President Boris N. UN system. Meeting on Saturday 3 June in Paris at France’s Yeltsin of Russia said he had been assured by President initiative, defence ministers of the countries participating in Jacques Chirac of France that air strikes in Bosnia were over. UNPROFOR chose an intermediate solution. The officials said the meeting on June 17 in Pale between They set up a respectable force of several thousand troops General Janvier and General Mladic established the final that they called a‘Rapid Reaction Force” (RRF). Its objectives details. It allowed the last hostages to be released the next are to defend the UN peacekeepers, prevent them from being day in exchange for four Serbs captured by French soldiers humiliated or taken hostage again, and allow them to carry during a battle for a United Nations position in Sarajevo on out their mission. May 27. Two French soldiers were killed in that battle. These troops will not operate under the banner of the United The officials said that in exchange for his flexible attitude, Nations but will be wearing the uniforms of their own coun- General Janvier received a promise from General Mladic that try’s armed forces. The RRF will continue to work with the UN, he would allow United Nations food convoys to travel into however. Technically, the RRF is at the disposal of French Muslim enclaves. General Bernard Janvier, head of UN peacekeepers in the former Yugoslavia, and the UK’s Rupert Smith, UNPROFOR commander in Bosnia.
‘French Deny Seeking ‘Bargain’ with Serbs The New York Times (USA) 24 June 1995 (in English). On 3 June, Bosnian Serb forces seized the peacekeepers’ Extract: Slapovici observation point, located in the Srebrenica France said today that it had met with all warring sides in enclave. On 24 June, Bosnian Serb paramilitary troops Bosnia to press for the release of United Nations peace- attacked the village. keepers held hostage by Serbs but that it had not negotiated or bargained for their freedom. The population’s situation began to deteriorate; the few The comments were made in response to an article on Friday relief convoys that arrived only met 30% of the enclave’s in The New York Times that said French officials had negoti- food needs. ated with Bosnian Serbs to free more than 320 peacekeepers seized in May. […] Yves Doutriaux, a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman, said today in Paris that Gen. Bernard Janvier, the United Nations commander for the former Yugoslavia, and Gen. Bertrand de 46 Lapresle, his predecessor, “transmitted by various means Another teamentered Gorazde on2July. replace theirthree colleagues, wholeft theenclave. O’Brien were finally authorised to enterSrebrenica to and fieldmanagerChristinaSchmitzdoctorDaniel On 24June, atwo-person medicalteamcomprisingnurse UNHCR convoy is onthe wayin,and 3UNMOs [United Nations ... wehaveagood feeling [aboutthe road] because one YIPPEE !!![…] 08:30: We justreceived the clearance for lndia ... went backafterwards tothe initial position ... house, 1dead and 2wounded ...BSA entered the pocket and during the night (15inall),3near the hospital and the MSF Information from Srebrenica aboutshelling inthe pocket Extract: needed speaksfor itself. enter the enclave. The fact thatthisis30%of the amount During the whole month of June, four convoys of food could [Dutch UNpeacekeepers] leaving) we should beprepared for any kind of scenario (i.eDutchbat Emergency preparedness seems tobethe [current priority]: …[an] …old5Kmlong tunnel and attacked the village. On 24June some paramilitary entered inthe enclave through taken one. The UNopened twonew OP’s [Observation post]closetothe promised not totake more… taken by BSA [Bosnian SerbArmy] on3June by force. They One observation point …of the bluehelmets inSlapovici was more of akind of terrorism thanobvious targeting. shooting, some detonations take placeeveryday, butitis Single incidents like shelling of acertainplace, exchanges of course raises the tension. clear thatthey are prepared todefend the enclave, which of from the beginning the presence of armed fighters made it demilitarized, many young men show upinnew uniforms and It has been clearly seen this month that Srebrenica is not Extract: 1. Population condition a. Food and Brussels, 24June 1995 (inEnglish). Message from MSF Belgrade tothe MSF Desks inParis July 1995(inEnglish).(edited) reportJune 1995,MSF Srebrenica, 8 Monthly WITNESSING THEFALL OF THEENCLAVE that fighting was aboutto resume. around theenclave gave theMSFteamimpression In earlyJuly, movements by thearmedforces inand we reallyputitlike that?That’s atleasthowIrememberit now.” limit theeffectsof theviolence, becausetheywouldn’tdare’. Did going tohappen.We wanttobeinsidebecauseourpresencewill responsibility for thisdecision.We toldourselves, ‘We knowthat’s bringing intwo.We didn’tevenhaveasurgeon.ButItake leave. We had come to the point of sending three out while only protect them. We were dependent on people’s ability to enter and to attack.ButwetoldourselvesthatUNPROFORwasthere around the enclave’. Soalltheelements wereinplace for the Serbs go thatfar, thathejusthadtotellthemlettheteampass.” blocking ourway!Itoldhimitwasprobablynotnecessaryto come andbringhisownM16toshootthesoldierswhowere One of thelasttimesIcalledhim,hetoldmewasgoingto time therewasaroadblock;hesaidwouldtake careof it. their waybacktoBGD 17:00: We are sure now; Edwin, Catherine and Igor are on BSA […] convoy for Srebrenica isblocked by UNHCR hasnot [beengiven]the same chance. Today, their for BGD[…] Edwin, Catherine and Igor. After that, those 3have toleave They havenow onlyone hour and ahalftobebriefed by 14:45: they succeed inentering inthe pocket… YIPPEE!!!! [Belgrade].. Now wehave towait.Goodluck tothem […] 10:25: Our team (Christine and Daniel) just left BGD problems... Military Observers] left the pocket this morning without 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000-2006, Coordinator inthe former Yugoslavia May- November the Muslims are attacking us; they’re burning the villages the Muslimsareattackingus;they’reburningvillages ‘‘We wereworried.Karadzic hadstatedthat‘inanycase, Kolievic atan[UN]HCRmeetingandcalledhimeach “The teamwasstoppedateachroadblock.Ispotted in the former Yugoslavia, 1992-1996,Interviewed Pierre Salignon, MSF France DeputyProgramme Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General Manager, incharge of programmes Interviewed in2015(inFrench) in 2015(inFrench)
47 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
Sitrep Srebrenica 1 to 7 July 1995, MSF Srebrenica, On 7 July 1995, four Bosnian Serb tank divisions bombed 9 July 1995 (in English). the streets of Srebrenica. The MSF team transported the wounded to the hospital. Extract: During the first half of the week, it became obvious that both warring sides were preparing for the present scenario. BIH [Bosnia-Herzegovina army] were occupying all their Sitrep Srebrenica 1 to 7 July 1995, MSF Srebrenica, posts, BSA deployed soldiers all around the enclave, move- 9 July 1995 (in English). ments of tanks and heavy artillery have been observed. On the 2nd one woman got killed at OP Quebec (Northeast). Extract: Wednesday 7 July: MSF B/F activities: the drastic change of the security situation made us change our objectives. During the week we had decided to start again with the clinics in the villages, with family planning, with the consultations in the On 6 July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces attacked Bosnian social centre, […] but all these activities have to be post- army positions to the southeast and north of Srebrenica. poned … The enclave was under constant bombardment and the Hospital: The last two days of this week the hospital was MSF team took shelter. Thirteen wounded patients arrived overwhelmed with war injured patients. The staff have been at the hospital. working almost around the clock and are functioning very well in these difficult circumstances. But it is also very obvious that the workload especially for the local surgeon is too much. Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari, 6 to 22 July 1995 Soon we will have to open the shelter in the hospital, if we The MSF Srebrenica team logbook, 24 July 1995 have to deal with more than three severely wounded in the (in English). same time. […] UNPROFOR: Extract: Their new medical team has come in. In the last few days 00:30 6 rockets fall in the UN compound, of which 2 explode. medical help for the population was refused by Dutchbat. Between 04:30 and- 07:00 heavy shelling in and around Since the red alert stops all their activities, this opportunity Slapovici. should allow us to start a new more distanced involvement We wake up from the noise, dismantle the HF radio and move with them if necessary. to the shelter. From today on we are on dark orange/red alert All of a sudden the medical team of Bravo Company [The and it doesn’t change until the 12th. Dutchbat base] showed up and wanted to work in our […] UNMO counted 150 tank bombs, artillery and mortar program. bombs. We should take care to remain neutral. Between 08:30 and 09:00 AM 10 shells fall in town. The liaison team of Dutchbat is not giving any information […]Shelling continues during the day. regarding security to anybody, even not to UNMO. Final toll of the day is 13 wounded and 4 killed, although the number of dead people will be most probably much higher since they don’t arrive at the hospital. One collective centre (Containers) half way to Potocari got shelled - the inhabitants fled. On 8 July 1995, the Bosnian Serb forces continued to seize UNPROFOR observation posts, killing a UN peacekeeper and taking 20 others prisoner. They also continued to bomb the enclave. During the night of 8 July, they entered ‘Intense Fighting Breaks Out in the Srebrenica the city of Srebrenica. Enclave’ Agence France Presse, 6 July 1995 (in French).
Extract: Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari, 6 to 22 July 1995, Violent clashes between the Serbian forces and the Bosnian The MSF Srebrenica team logbook, 24 July 1995 government army broke out on Thursday morning in the Muslim (in English). enclave of Srebrenica, according to the spokesperson of the United Nation Protection Force (UNPROFOR) in Sarajevo. Extract: Six rockets were fired at the city at 00:35 am, according to Saturday 8 July: Few shells during the night. […], the sur- the same source. Less than one hour later, the city came geon [we trained] is on the edge of a breakdown so we under attack by mortar rounds, heavy artillery, light arms and urgently need our new [expat] surgeon. tank shelling. The morning was quiet; heavy shelling again since lunchtime UNPROFOR’s Dutch battalion stationed in Srebrenica was put (sometimes more than one shell per minute). 48 on red alert, the highest level in the force’s alert system. BSA has taken OP [Observation post] Foxtrot (near the former support from NATO. General Janvier, theUNPROFORcommanderrequested air to evacuate them. refugees. The municipal authorities still had no plans a visittoSlapovici schoolwhichwas sheltering4,000 MSF team.Duetothebombingteamhadcancel to theUNPROFORbaseinPotocari withoutinforming the Bosnian army. Thosebasedinthecitycentre withdrew posts were trapped between BosnianSerbforces andthe On 9 July 1995, peacekeepers based at UN observation Srebrenica. Sarajevo and are stating that they are happy with MSF in Local authorities have given interviews for Radio Tuzla and to return. […] ICRC hasbeenwaiting […]atYellow Bridge and hadfinally We hear planes flying -NATO? 2 Bihwithminor wounds come walking from the frontline. and down the road. APCs [Armoured Personal Carriers] are moving hectically up killed. […] OP Echo) and blewitup.One Dutchbluehelmet […]got The Bosnian Serbsonce againdefied and humiliated the UN Extract: is doing hisround betweenthe shelling etc. medical issuesinthe capsat[mobile satellitephone], Daniel Today we are still trying to go back to normal; discussing We hear rumours thatvillages get burned down. shell fellinto aroom fullof people. wounded over the day, young men with shrapnel wounds. One Throughout the day wehear heavy shelling. All together nine of Srebrenica […] part of the enclave and the [front] line is1kilometre south According tothe UN,BSA occupied apiece of the southern […] The visittothe school never takes placedue tothe shelling. afternoon. Ioffer logistical supplies […] Together withthe UNliaison teamweschedule avisitinthe Slapovici, who are mostly sheltered in the primary school. president requests assistance for the 4,000refugees from president takes placeinthe PTT[Post Office]building. The Sunday 9July: A meeting withUNMO, UNPROFORand the Extract: (in French). Agence France Presse/Reuters, 10July1995 ‘Srebrenica: Serbs Humiliate the UN’LeSoir/AP/ (in English) The MSF Srebrenica team logbook, 24July 1995 Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari, 6to22July1995,
only meant todefend itspositions against Muslim attack. terday evening thatitsarmy’s operations inthe enclave were attacked Srebrenica. Bosnian Serbtelevision reported yes- threatened the Serbs, saying itwouldcallinairstrikes ifthey Around 11 pm yesterday, welearned that UNPROFOR had just of Srebrenica and fired onthe city. […] Late inthe day, Radovan Karadzic’s fighters came within1km took 32Dutchsoldiers prisoner. […] tion postsaswellaUNPROFOR tankonSunday [9July]and the UN’sdesignated “safeareas”, they seizedthree observa- sive against the easternMuslim enclave of Srebrenica, one of peacekeepers thisweekend. Continuing their ground offen- patients. offer toprovide anarmoured vehicle for transporting battalion turned down MSF’s request for a surgeon but did overwhelmed. Thecommander of theUNPROFORDutch ving aninfluxof injured patients. Thesurgeons were Several shells fell near the hospital, which had been recei- with aNATO airstrike. The UnitedNationsandDutchofficials threatened them the populationfrom theenclave thefollowing morning. to thepeacekeepers, ordering them tostartevacuating On 10July, BosnianSerbforces delivered anultimatum month later. partially operational bymid-July and fullyoperational a to delays inbringing initsequipment. The unit should be Gorazde, Tuzla and Bihac. Butthe RRFcannot yetbeuseddue United Nations, withthe same statusasSarajevo, Zepa, region, which isone of the six“safeareas” designated bythe intervened inSrebrenica tostopthe offensive against this Reaction Force (RRF)hadbeenoperational, itwouldhave According toFrench government sources, ifthe Rapid area. […] while manning observation postsonthe perimeter of the safe located near the border withSerbia. They were taken prisoner hostages were taken to the neighbouring town of Bratunac, enclave Saturday and Sunday by Bosnian Serbs; some of the 30 DutchUNpeacekeepers, who were taken hostage inthe In addition, UNPROFORishoping togainthe release of some Monday morning. forces resume their advance, which they seemtohaveended country. Thissupportcouldleadtoairstrikes ifthe Serbian Muslim enclave of Srebrenica in the easternpartof the response tothe offensive byBosnian Serbsagainst the Yugoslavia requested NATO air support onSunday 9July in General Janvier, commander of UNforces inthe former Extract: 11 July1995(inFrench) Offensive ineasternBosnia’, LeMonde(France), ‘UNPROFOR RequestsAirSupportAfterSerbian
49 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
MSF issued a press release calling for medical facilities Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari, 6 to 22 July 1995, and personnel to be spared during the fighting. The MSF Srebrenica team logbook, 24 July 1995 (in English). (edited)
Monday 10 July: The surgeon and the hospital team have ‘Voorhoeve: “NATO Air Support in Bosnia is Ine- worked the whole night. vitable’ NRC Handelsblad (The Netherlands) The At )7:.00 the hospital is again totally overcrowded. Everywhere Hague, 11 July 1995 (in Dutch). screaming and crying people between the wounded and bleeding. Extract: Our car and the garbage truck are going back into the centre, NATO air support for the Dutch military in Srebrenica is inevi- hopefully not returning with more wounded. […] table, according to the Minister of Defence Voorhoeve. On the BBC we hear that BSA denies the offensive. How cynical Yesterday evening he called the deployment of NATO war- to hear this [...] planes “risky for the Dutch troops and the 30 hostages”, but Around 10:30 a shell falls opposite the hospital’s road. he is of the opinion that with the use of aerial attacks, the Fortunately we are both in the bunker, but we are horrified by advancing Bosnian Serb tanks can be stopped. Also Bosnian the noise and the fact that now the hospital is a target as well. Serb artillery positions could be target of attacks by NATO Briefly afterwards another shell, a bit further away. warplanes. Windows are broken in the pharmacy and in the hospital. “The attack on Monday evening gives reason for concern as to UN logistics offer help for fixing the windows. What a sign of what the Bosnian Serbs are up to in the coming days” said helplessness. Another UN informs us that despite some shelling Voorhoeve. Colonel Dedden of the Ministry of Defence’s crisis the situation in the enclave is stable. Well, difficult to believe! committee in The Hague yesterday declared that the situa- Meeting with the president [local authorities] in order to get tion in Srebrenica had returned to “within control”. The more information about the newly displaced in town and their Bosnian Serbs had achieved their objective to gain control living conditions. over a strategic road towards two mines. In the event of the Around 16:00 the shelling intensifies again in the centre […]; Bosnian Serbs attempting to capture the enclave, NATO air we also hear heavy machine guns and assume that the front- support would be called in, and in any case the Bosnian gov- line is moving closer. Ten minutes later the hospital receives ernment troops would not allow such an attempt (by the nine wounded, most of them civilians, extremities blown up, Serbs) according to Dedden. shrapnel wounds everywhere in the bodies etc. There has been contact between the commander of the Dutch […] the surgeon requests assistance from Dutchbat. I send a troops in Srebrenica and the 30 hostages on Monday, and telex, but knowing already that it will not be possible7. under the circumstances, they are OK, declared Dedden. And indeed the refusal comes quickly back by telex. My first contact with the DCO [Deputy Commandant] Franken - he offers us an APC [Armoured Personal Carrier] to transport the wounded from the centre. ‘Bosnian Serbs Demand Withdrawal of Peacekee- Ten minutes later the APC arrives at our house. It will be sta- pers from Srebrenica’ Le Monde (France), 12 July tioned at Bravo Company and we can always ask their 1995 (in French). assistance. We request confirmation from the UN that they are ready to Extract: pick us up with an APC if we demand it. The local Serbian commander delivered an ultimatum to the Our headquarter gets in contact with Mr. Bijweld [UNHCR spe- commander of 450 Dutch peacekeepers deployed in cial envoy], who is in contact with Dutchbat and with Akashi. Srebrenica, strongly urging him to begin evacuating the MSF Belgrade is in contact with ICRC and BSA. enclave at dawn on Tuesday [11 July]. The Serbian forces not In the evening people start to leave the centre gathering only demand that the 44,000 residents leave but that the around the hospital compound. All medical staff with family peacekeepers do so as well. They want them to evacuate enters our shelter. […] within 48 hours and abandon their weapons. […] Eventually BiH pushes the population back to their homes in During a trip to Athens on Monday [10 July], UN Secretary- the centre. The medical staff in our bunker however…want to General Boutros Boutros-Ghali said that “the United Nations have a solution and refuse to leave our shelter until then. They will, if necessary, call in NATO air strikes to protect the Muslim express their despair, their tiredness and their wish to leave enclaves if the Serbs attack”. […] Yesterday evening, Dutch their prison and to live in freedom. All our sympathy is with Defence Minister Joris Voorhoeve said that NATO raids were them and we don’t much mind their blackmailing. “inevitable” after the Serbian attack against the Dutch It takes a long time and much energy to convince them that it peacekeepers and that a NATO operation was “under is not possible to sleep with approximately eighty people in discussion”. our small shelter. Finally they move into the hospital.
7. Christina is aware that according to military regulations, when a battalion is conducting operations, its medical unit must devote all its resources to its 50 wounded soldiers and cannot provide them to other patients. in 30wounded patients yesterday, equivalent tothe number Belgrade, which has a team in Srebrenica, the hospital took According to a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) official in Extract: staff inBelgrade. radio messagessentby theteam tothecoordination daily newspaper Libération would publishextracts of relations withjournalists. Itwas arranged thattheFrench it debriefedtheBelgrade team,whichwas handling team was notindirect contactwiththepress. Instead, For securityandavailability reasons, theMSFSrebrenica medical installations tobespared. Médecins Sans Frontières today calledfor allcivilian and Srebrenica find themselves under attackonce again. After three yearsof war, the long-suffering inhabitants of as wellmilitaryinstallations are being hit. a deadly offensive. The shelling is indiscriminate, and civilian which has a population of 40,000, is once again the target of Despite itsstatusasa‘safezone’, the Srebrenica enclave, been hit. gets nearer. Already, several windows of the hospital have The 100-bedhospital iscompletely full, whilethe shelling difficult situation.’ shrapnel wounds, and are coping tremendously wellinthis lessly and efficiently with the patients, most of whom have tations. Said DrOberreit: ‘The localstaffisworking cease- whom were seriously wounded –three needed urgent ampu- wounded patients were brought into the hospital, five of In one hour, from 2.30-3.30pm(BST)today, sevenfurther medical team(twodoctors, asurgeon and agynaecologist). pital earlythismorning where they are working withthe local The MSF team(one doctor and one nurse) went tothe hos - MSF’s Belgrade-based Coordinator. kind; afterall,Srebrenica isasafearea.’ DrStefan Oberreit, was never giventhe protection toresist anattackof this ‘The hospital isparticularly vulnerable toshelling becauseit wounds. the pastfewdays, 10of whom havesince died of their In the localhospital, 50wounded havebeenchecked inover morning, once againtargeting the towncentre of Srebrenica. The heavy shelling which beganlastThursday resumed this civilian and medical installations Médecins Sans Frontières callsfor respect of vulnerable Extract: (France), 11July1995(in French). sive Continues inSrebrenica Enclave.’ Libération English). MSF B/F/H/UKPressrelease,10July1995(in “Srebrenica Hospital Overwhelmed withCasualties” ‘Bosnia: UN Threatens Serbs with Air Strikes. Offen - In Belgrade, the MSF coordination team considered two the Dutchpeacekeepers. enjoyed better conditions. The MSF team worked well with shelter 5,000displacedpersons inside thebase, which hygiene and security conditions. UNPROFOR agreed to shift camparound thebaseunderextremely precarious factory in Potocari. Some 20,000 people set up a make- UNPROFOR baselocatedintheabandonedPodgorica The patients were transferred to a field hospital on the the MSFteamdecidedtofollow andevacuate thepatients. The populationfledtowards thenorth of theenclave, and tanks. Authorisation was requested for athird strike. conducted two airoperations thatstruckBosnianSerb In the early afternoon of 11 July 1995, NATO warplanes hadn’t.” hadn’t.” wondering ifwehadmadeamistake. Butwedecided have beenmoreeffectiveandhad moreof animpact.Ikept inside, wouldthathavechangedanything?’Itcertainly ‘If shehadbeenabletodirectlydescribethesituationfrom the greater dangerandtaken uphertime. ButIkept askingmyself, But that wasn’t a good idea because it would’ve put her in interview her. would’ve beentobringthereportersintoourradioroom dealt with them from the Belgrade office. The other option to do interviews as well. She debriefed me so I was the one who She alreadyhadafullplate, soshe’dnevermanageifshehad with reporters. Shehadtobeprotectedandcontinueworking. viding itonlyfor patients brought tothe hospital. their injuries. MSF declined togiveanoverall death toll,pro- admitted tothe hospital overthe pastfour days died from admitted over the previous three days. About 10 patients of itspopulation. of the situation inacitythatthe Serbshadalmost emptied Srebrenica toitsBelgrade central office, providing anaccount Here are extracts of radio messages sent by the MSF teamin Extract: 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000-2006, Coordinator inthe former Yugoslavia May- November began. We decidedthatChristinawouldnotdealdirectly The press took an interest from the time theattack Libération (France), 14July1995(inFrench). Frontières StaffBearWitness from Srebrenica” ‘The World Here Has Collapsed.’ Médecins Sans Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General Interviewed in2015(inFrench)
51 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
options: call for the establishment of a humanitarian fifty five patients have arrived here, mostly war wounded. corridor in order to evacuate patients or request access to We have no medical supplies with us. the enclave by additional medical staff and supplies. Daniel makes a list for Dutchbat of the most needed drugs. In the meantime we request medical supplies from Belgrade, knowing that they will not arrive. After having had contact with Belgrade on the car radio, I Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari, 6 to 22 July 1995, visit the camp outside with [local staff]. The MSF Srebrenica team logbook, 24 July 1995 Approx. 20,000 people are seeking shelter around some (in English). (edited) destroyed buildings, trying to escape from the continuing shelling, [they are] shivering from the noise. Extract: DCO Franken [Deputy Head of Dutchbat] is trying to arrange Tuesday 11 July: We again experience people fleeing in small a trip into town with BSA in order to pick up medical sup- numbers to Potocari. plies from our stock however [General Ratko] Mladic tells us The UNPROFOR liaison team and the three British soldiers that everything is empty. who are directing the air strikes are coming out of the PTT Mladic requests UN buses for the evacuation of the dis- [Post Office] building and people start to run fearing air- placed, and offers food and medicine. strikes. […]The local doctors insist on evacuating [the 80 UNPROFOR accepts more than 5,000 women and children patients] to Potocari this morning in trucks. They mention inside the compound in the factory. …[what happened in]… Vukovar and are fearing the same There the water and food situation is a bit better - UNPROFOR - BSA entering the hospital and killing everybody. can provide 7000L water per day and can offer a daily food We prefer to keep the patients in the hospital due to its ration. Also the shelter makes a difference; they are inside, neutrality, but we accept the determination of the local doc- protected from the sun and the shells and they are out of the tors. They will organise it with two trucks. view of BSA. The town is very busy and tense, high presence of armed We are distributing towels, blankets, soap and buckets from soldiers in the hospital compound. Our constant appeal to our store in Potocari to the patients, and plastic sheeting for keep the hospital neutral by not allowing uniforms and arms the DP [displaced population] inside. on the compound doesn’t have any impact. UNPROFOR is trying to declare Potocari as safe haven again. Until noon it is relatively quiet. […] Then the shelling in the MSF Belgrade gets ready for two scenarios: a humanitarian centre starts again. corridor into central Bosnia-Herzegovina which we follow, or There are no casualties so we can stay in the shelter. request […] clearance for expatriates to come and assist We hear planes flying and can only guess about the bombs with medical and logistical material. falling briefly after. Shelling continues until approximately 2200 PM. We are informed that the patients have left to [go to] Bravo Company (the Dutchbat compound approximately 500m fur- ther away), but then a shell falls in this compound.[…] Around 3.00 PM, we hear planes and see them performing ‘Peacekeepers Withdraw, Thousands of Civilians Flee airstrikes. North. Besieged Enclave of Srebrenica Falls to Shortly after we run to the hospital […]. We see a long Serbian Troops’ Hélène Despic-Popovic, Libération stream of people fleeing towards the north (Potocari). (France), 12 July 1995 (in French). After a quick discussion with the capital [the MSF team in Belgrade] we decide to follow the population. Extract: […]Daniel leaves for Bravo company with one car, the local ‘A mass departure of the population had already begun during staff and the luggage , while we try to fit the patients in the the air strikes”, reports Stephan Oberreit, a Belgrade-based [other] two cars. There are about 20[patients] left. official of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Speaking by tele- We drive down to Bravo company, dropping the patients, phone, Oberreit relayed information he received from an MSF and I go back with a pick-up. In the meantime more patients doctor and nurse working in Srebrenica. “At 3:30 pm, the show up and I have to leave six old people behind since the time of our last radio contact, the team had just evacuated UN APC has already passed the hospital. the hospital with the last 15 patients. The others had left What a mess and chaos! earlier with local doctors. The staff had to make several trips People run in panic, carrying screaming children and their because they only have two cars. When telling us they had small bags, blue helmets walk with the fleeing population, just made their last trip, they said the Serbs had just entered shelling continues from the mountains, it is very hot, the the city. The city is in a state of panic and has been emptying road very overcrowded and dusty. A truck in front of us is out since early morning. A crowd of frightened and exhausted stuck in the mud; blue helmets move it manually. Then a people started walking to Potocari, which has a UN base, in truck stops and people are allowed to climb on it. We are search of safety.” just behind the truck and witness how the people almost kill each other in order to get a lift for the 4 km ahead. Finally we arrive in the UNPROFOR compound . The blue helmets have already set up a makeshift hospital in a dark 52 corridor. Doctors Without Borders team finally managed to join them UNPROFOR compound. According to latest reports, the ated during the afternoon. Allpatients are now inthe 65 patients leftthe hospital bytruck. 10more were evacu- behind to treat the wounded who continue to arrive. the patients ‘evacuation at 1:00 pm, the relief team remaining their safety.TheDoctorsWithout Bordersteamorganizedfor morning, bothpatientsandstaffwereincreasinglyworriedfor “ team at the heart of the enclave, explained this afternoon: Stephan Oberreit, who hasbeeninconstant contact withthe Doctors Without Borders’ Belgrade-based coordinator, nizing their evacuation. team treating the wounded at the local hospital and orga of one doctor and one nurse workswiththe localmedical The Medecins Sans Frontieres (DoctorsWithout Borders) team woods surrounding the enclave. heading outof town while others are taking shelter in the of refugees, terrified of animminent massacre, are now Potocari, inthe North-East of the enclave. Tens of thousands heading towards the UNPROFORbaseinthe village of troops and the heavy shelling inthe towncenter. Many are The entire population isfleeing the advance of the Serbian tect the 40,000civilians of the enclave. Serbs and the obvious inability of the United Nations topro- denounced the violation of the safehavenbythe Bosnian Frontières (also known asDoctors Without Borders) today United Nations UNPROFOR compound, Médecins Sans With the population of Srebrenica fleeing northwards tothe Extract: on foot through theforest andmountains. the destinationfor the15,000peoplewhofledenclave Zenica, towns close to Srebrenica that were likely to be MSF Holland’s relief operations were based in Tuzla and own version of thepress release. cians. In the event, MSF Holland ended up publishing its through itsinfluenceonpublicopinionandDutchpoliti- have created more of animpactontheUnitedNations Dutch, involving MSFHolland inthestatementsmight according tohim,becausetheUNPROFORbattalionwas projects elsewhere intheformer Yugoslavia. Furthermore, could compromise teamsecurityandthecontinuationof prior topublicationof the press release, arguing thatit Yugoslavia criticised the fact that he was not informed The MSFHollandprogramme managerfor theformer the violationof thesafearea by BosnianSerbtroops. called for a cease-fire. The organisation also denounced UN’s inabilitytoprotect theciviliansof Srebrenica and described thesituationinenclave, condemnedthe Two new press releases issuedby MSFBelgium/France With heavyshellingveryclosetothehospitalearlythis , 11 July 1995 (in English). Pressrelease,11July1995(inEnglish). USA MSF Relief Team Witnesses Srebrenica Population’s Panic’ - MSF Condemns Inability of UNtoProtect Civilians, ‘Entire Population of Srebrenica Flees‘SafeHaven’ “ - with them lateronthisevening. there and itishoped thatradio contact canbere-established and guaranteed protection for the Srebrenica population. the civilian population. MSF callsfor animmediate cease-fire safe area aswellthe United Nations’ inability toprotect condemns the Bosnian Serbtroops’ non-compliance withthe some 40,000people are trapped. Médecins Sans Frontières As of today, the Srebrenica safe area no longer exists and patients toUNPROFORcamps. team hadtomake several return tripstocontinue evacuating afternoon withthe transfer of the last10patients. The MSF the enclave. The evacuation of the hospital continued inthe nied bymedical staff,heading toward the northern section of At 13:00,lorries leftthe hospital with65patients accompa- woods. The citycentre hasbeenemptied of itspopulation. heading toward the outskirtsof the cityand the surrounding cred. Grippedwithpanic, small groups of peopleare also demanding toleavethe enclave outof fearof being massa- northern part of the enclave. Tens of thousands of people are taking refuge inthe vicinity of UNPROFORcampsinthe and huge numbers of civilians and hospital patients are As the Serb forces enter the city of Srebrenica, all personnel Extract: released apress statement not eveninforming usbeforehand. I am very sorry that you did not consider this agreement and material (tothe enclaves, Bihac, Sarajevo) […] the Serbsisneeded for many transportations of staffand tinuation of the projects isatrisk,because clearance from advocacy couldriskthe securityof expatriates. Alsothe con - frontlines and with all parties involved. Making statements/ high tension and high securityriskareas, onallsides of the The reason for thisisthatallsections have staffworking in doing so. Yugoslavia wouldconsult the other section desks before make any public statements aboutthe situation in the former MSF-Holland (Hans vanOort)thatany section wanting to Belgium (Renaud Tockert), MSF-France (Pierre Salignon) and A fewmonths ago itwasconfirmed (again!) between MSF- ments aboutcooperation betweenthe sections […] Moreover thisstatement isnot inline withprevious agree- way. We couldhavegivenyoumuch more support inthis. ment about Srebrenica. We regret you have done it in this Yesterday afternoon MSF-Holland received yourpress state- Extract: French). release, MSF Belgium/France, 11July1995(in Cease-Fire to Protect Srebrenica Population’ ‘Médecins sans Frontières Calls for Immediate glish).(edited) France project managers, 11July1995(inEn- for Bosnia-Herzegovina toMSF Belgiumand MSF Message from the MSF Holland project manager Press
53 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
Again MSF-Holland had to take precautions on behalf of its Yugoslavia were reaching a “major turning point” with signifi- staff present in Serb areas now […] cant political consequences. Voorhoeve also said that he had The other consideration is that MSF could take advantage of asked NATO to suspend its third air strike “following terrorist the fact that Dutchbat is present in Sebrenica. The Dutchbat threats” made by Bosnian Serbs against their hostages. presence has a very great impact on the Dutch public, as does The two ministers, however, rejected calling for a complete the Dutch involvement in the RRF. Involving MSF-H in making withdrawal of UN forces, which is not on the cards for the statements about the situation in the enclave could have time being, according to their advisers. “Despite everything, more impact as MSF-H has some influence on the opinion of the peacekeepers have saved lives and will continue to do so the Dutch public, and could therefore influence politicians to and that in itself justifies their mission.” However, public put more pressure on the UN etc. By merely informing us opinion could eventually turn against the peacekeeping mis- about your statement without involving us in the question sion despite all its sympathy for the Bosnian side. The army’s of…[your desired impact]…, an opportunity is missed to Crisis Centre is being inundated with calls from Dutch citizens increase public awareness in the Netherlands and as a conse- worried about the safety of the troops on the ground. quence put pressure on the UN. According to recent polls, the population is increasingly ques- tioning the need for a Dutch presence in Bosnia. On Tuesday evening, Voorhoeve recalled the acts of violence recently committed against the Bosnian Muslims and added a note of Message from the MSF Holland project manager concern about Srebrenica, “Forty thousand Muslims are vul- for Bosnia-Herzegovina to MSF Belgium and MSF nerable to ethnic cleansing. I fear a recurrence of the types of France project managers, 12 July 1995 (in En- events we have previously observed in similar situations.” glish).(edited)
Yesterday evening MSF had very good media coverage in newspapers and television, following the press release we Voorhoeve, the Minister of Defence, is a very decent man. wrote, based on the one you wrote. Barbara in Belgrade was But he was also impotent in the sense that he couldn’t interviewed live and I was quoted a few times in the news do anything. I remember him coming up for the press confe- this morning. A Dutch minister will ask for withdrawal of rence directly on the day after the fall and he said literally Dutchbat but insists on continuing to protect civilians. “something gruesome happened today”. So at least he was not We expect many more press inquiries today. in the “our guys did well” camp. His focus was on the popula- Can you keep us informed us much as possible, also by tion. I still remember him standing there, obviously suffering sending us the sitreps from the field? and making that statement. Our teams in Zenica and Tuzla are preparing contingency plans. Wouter Kok, MSF Holland Medical Coordinator in Sarajevo, Bosnia, from December 1991 to September 1992, then various positions in MSF-Holland Bosnia desk from September 1992 to 1996
During the evening of 11 July, a third air strike was cancelled at the request of the Dutch defence minister to protect the lives of the peacekeepers being held hostage. In the Netherlands, public opinion was concerned for On the morning of 12 July, Bosnian Serb forces threatened the soldiers’ safety. to bomb civilians fleeing the enclave if NATO conducted further air strikes, and demanded that Bosnian forces turn in all their weapons.
‘Netherlands Opposes a Third NATO Air Strike’ Le Monde (France), 13 July 1995 (in French). ’’Serbs Threaten to Bomb Refugees Fleeing Srebre- Extract: nica ‘Safe Area’ Le Monde (France), 13 July 1995 The Netherlands supplies 2,400 troops to UN forces in the (in French). former Yugoslavia. About 30 of them are being held hostage by the Serbs while 410 others tried Wednesday to negotiate Extract: their release as well as the evacuation of thousands of civil- The Serbs threatened on Wednesday morning to bomb the ians from the Srebrenica enclave. The Hague, with the sup- columns of fleeing refugees if NATO conducted further air port of France in particular, called for an emergency meeting raids, a threat that UN peacekeeping officials say they are of the UN Security Council. “taking seriously”. Humanitarian organisations report a lack On Tuesday evening [11 July], Defence Minister Joris of water, food and medical supplies. The Srebrenica hospital Voorhoeve called the violation of the safe haven a “large-scale has been evacuated. disaster” while his colleague, Foreign Affairs Minister Hans On Wednesday 12 July in New York, the Security Council 54 Van Mierlo, said that the UN peacekeepers in the former adopted a resolution calling for Secretary-General Boutros V5 ded accesstoallof itsdrugsandmedicalsupplies. field hospital,theDutchpeacekeeping contingentprovi- the patients to the village neighbouring Bratunac. In the The MSFteamopposed,invain, theevacuation of someof by soldiers anddogs. Most of themenwere heldseparately inabuilding guarded would notbere-established. while politicalleaderRadovan Karadzic saidthesafearea Serb television thatcivilianswere beingwell treated, General Mladic, theBosnianSerbcommander, toldBosnian the villageof Kladanj.Others were transported toTuzla. they were forced towalk nearlyeightkilometres toreach piled intobuses and dropped off near thefront line, where Thousands of women, children andelderlypeoplewere without any resistance from theUNPROFORcontingent. During thedayof 12July, thePotocari basewas captured German summitinStrasbourg. explained the French president whileattending the French- to fulfilits responsibilities. France cannot actonitsown, that he wasready tointervene and urged the SecurityCouncil exception of Jacques Chirac, who said onTuesday evening however, hadlittletosayaboutamilitaryoperation, withthe status of the safe haven” of Srebrenica. Western leaders, Boutros-Ghali to use “every means available” to “restore the their families are stilloutside.[…] The medical localstaffisverydifficult to motivate because From thatmoment weno longer lackany necessary drugs. facilities and drugs they have. switch tothe non-combat situation and offer allmedical It is not until later in the morning that Dutchbat decides to material are scarce. essary medicines; fluids, antibiotics, analgesics and dressing Situation inDaniel’s hospital remains fragile interms of nec- UNPROFOR tries tosetupa human blockade. BSA tries toenter the enclave withtanksatYellow Bridge. shelling startsagain.3-4fall inthe next 15minutes. However I am not able to offer assistance because at 09:45 outside. The displaced are very weak and apathetic after their night clinic,performing triage oraskind of rehydration tent. helmets to set up our three tents outside for either a small UN has no contact with BiH. We use the lull to ask some blue the displacedpeople. They demand allBiHweapons inexchange for the securityof Wednesday 12July:BSA announces aceasefire until 10:00. Extract:
V6 (in English). (edited) The MSF Srebrenica teamlogbook,24July1995 ‘Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari, 6to22July1995,’ V4
night outside. displaced population, who are forced tospend their second There are twowatertrucks offering drinking waterfor the accepts thatIwant topick upwounded and sick people. After that I am able to return to the camp outside. Mladic leave their family members. chance. People justjumponthe trucks. Relativeshaveto convoy. It isverychaotic; everybody wants totake their A fewhours later, at18:00the UNstartsupitsfirst medical house wehear alotof small arms fire. being guarded bymany BSA withGerman dogs. Around this Most of the men are being separated and taken toahouse people bybusesand trucks withincredible speed. At approximately 15:00BSA startstoevacuate the displaced monitor it. This iseasytosaysince no figures exist thatwouldletus Tuzla. whole population –including the men –willbetaken to deputy, who said that the UN wants the assurance that the The headquarters hasspoken toBoutros-Boutros Ghali’s order tojoinusinthiscrisis.[…] rial and Barbara, Guyand Eric isonitswayfrom Belgrade in The MSF convoyof 30tonnes of medical and logistical mate- walks away. planned evacuation, buthe justtells me todo my joband the civilians. I trytotalkMladic and toprotest against the tion of the wounded toBratunac Footballstation, followed by Then weare informed thatBSA/Mladic willstartthe evacua- The Dutch peacekeepers had allowed dozens of wounded hostage ifNATO warplanes intervened. refugees and killsome Dutchpeacekeepers they are holding base withno resistance afterthey threatened toshell the at midday into Potocari. They overran the United Nations Today, 1,500Bosnian Serbtroops backed bytanksadvanced confirmation of her account. Serbs killawoman and child, butthere wasno independent their journey. One refugee said she hadseenthe Bosnian Nations baseoutside Tuzla, where they were expected toend arrived inBosnian Government buseslatetonight ataUnited The Associated Press reported thatthe first1,500 refugees taken to.” crying and panic. They didn’t know where they were being with colleaguesinSrebrenica. “There wasscreaming and Doctors Without Borders, who spoke by radio from Belgrade “It wasquiteahorrifying scene,” said StephanOberreit of across the front lines tothe Government-held townand aid. miles away, where they were forced towalkthe lastsixmiles The refugees were dropped off outside Kladanj, about25 today outside Srebrenica, which wascaptured onTuesday. onto buses at Potocari, the United Nations base overrun loaded the first3,000women, children and elderly refugees The airwasfilledwithanguished cries asthe Bosnian Serbs Extract: 13 July1995(inEnglish). Territory ’ChrisHedges, TheNew York Times (USA) ‘Serbs StartMoving Muslims OutOfCaptured
55 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
people into their compound at Potocari on Tuesday night, but ’Bosnia: UN in a State of Shock After Fall of most of the 40,000 refugees “spent the night with nothing, Srebrenica’ Le Soir (Belgium), 12 July 1995 (in on the field surrounding the camp,” said Ron Redmond, a French). spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva.[…] Extract: Bosnian Serb television today showed tens of thousands of The several hundred Dutch peacekeepers, outnumbered 20 to refugees milling around the camp and women and children 1 according to UNPROFOR officers in Sarajevo, could not hold being escorted onto buses. The television footage showed no out very long and had to retreat to their headquarters at scenes of panic, but many of the refugees looked tired, dazed Potocari, with thousands of terrified refugees following in and frightened. their wake. The contingent’s commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Gen. Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb commander, was there, Tom Karremans, negotiated a temporary cease-fire this surrounded by bodyguards, to supervise the herding of the morning [12 July] with the Bosnian Serbs, whose political refugees onto buses and trucks. leader, Radovan Karadzic, has already ruled out withdrawing “You don’t have to be afraid of anything,” he told the refu- from the enclave. gees in the brief broadcast. “Slowly, please let the women Lacking any means of defence, Srebrenica quickly emptied of and children in front of you.” its 40,000 residents, signalling yet another mass displace- The general said, “In this first round we will evacuate women, ment with tragic humanitarian consequences. No one remains children and elderly and all those who want to leave this in the city; the entire population is on the road fleeing the combat area, without forcing them.” Serbian advance, said Stephan Oberreit, Belgrade representa- He told the television, “Srebrenica is free now,” but added, tive for the Médecins Sans Frontières organisation. “There are still small groups trying to put up resistance.” The Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, was even more confident. Although he promised that the captured civilians and peacekeepers were “completely safe and secure,” he said there was no chance that the safe area would be reconsti- During a press conference in Brussels, MSF Belgium tuted, something the Security Council demanded today. provided a first-hand account of the capture of Potocari “Srebrenica is our country,” he said from Pale, the Bosnian by the Bosnian Serb forces and the dramatic situation Serb headquarters near Sarajevo. prevailing there.
‘‘We immediately suspected they were going to attack ’Potocari Enclave Collapses – Srebrenica Popula- military-age men. The first alert came from Christina, tion in Hands of Bosnian Serb Forces – MSF who wondered if executions were taking place around Potocari. Belgium Press conference’, 12 July 1995 (in And then Potocari emptied very quickly, with the Serbs depor- French). ting people. The central Bosnian teams started seeing buses arrive. I asked them if there were men on the buses and they Extract: said there were. But there weren’t very many because they had Bosnian Serb forces have just taken complete control of the been killed in Potocari or had fled through the fields. This Muslim enclave of Srebrenica. They infiltrated the UNPROFOR [system] didn’t work very well. In retrospect, I think we could’ve peacekeeping compound and captured the population of sounded the alert more widely.” Srebrenica that had taken refuge there. The Serbs plan to evacuate the population through Bratunac, Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General beginning with women and children. Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia May- November MSF is deeply shocked by the fall of Srebrenica and is cur- 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000 - 2006, rently trying to protect and care for those we can help. Interviewed in 2015 (in French) During the press conference, MSF will describe the situation as it now stands.
The commander of the Dutch peacekeeping contingent ’MSF Calls for Immediate Access of Humanitarian negotiated a cease-fire with General Mladic, commander Aid to Srebrenica Population’. Press release, MSF of the Bosnian Serb forces. Belgium, 12 July 1995 (in French).
Extract: Part of the population remained outside the camp, finding shelter in partially destroyed buildings or forming groups along the side of the road. Within the camp itself, more than 7,000 people, mainly 56 women and children, have access to less than one litre [of troops. Some were even talkingaboutwithdrawing UNPROFOR fate of theenclave was nolongerunderconsideration. the various Statesinvolved, however, suggestedthatthe haven. Commentsby UNobservers andpoliticalleaders of available resources for re-establishing theSrebrenica safe safe area. Italsourged thesecretary-general touseall all partiestogive aidorganisations free accesstothe the BosnianSerbforces toendtheiroffensive andfor In Resolution1004,theUNSecurityCouncilcalledfor to protect the population. agencies, such as[UN]HCRand ICRC, isabsolutelynecessary sands of displacedpersons. The presence of international delivery of emergency material assistance to tens of thou- A decision must betaken during the day regarding the only waiting for the required authorisations. ready torespond withallthe supplies necessary. They are Médecins sans Frontières teams inBelgrade are standing essential medicines. extremely limitedand weare beginning tohaveshortages of those who stillneed medical care. Stocksof drugs are wounded havealready beentreated, butweneed toidentify problems among this vulnerable population. Some of the to protect them from the heat and toprevent dehydration Tents were setupinthe camp to shelter women and children, displaced persons and distributedblankets and containers. The Médecins Sans Frontières teamsetupshelters for the and water. water] perday perperson.The most urgent needs are for food particular means overanother”. “We are simply saying”, he Paris “isnot, of course, imposing any obligation touseone soever tothe statusof the enclaves,” nevertheless added that while stating that France cannot “accept any challenge what- Bassir Pour. French UNAmbassador Jean-Bernard Mérimée, the useof force, reports ourNew York correspondent, Afsané meeting, no country other thanFrance made any reference to In their formal statements during the Security Council intention of applying. […] during the war in Bosnia: passing resolutions they have no resumed a cherished practice that has become all too common happen inSrebrenica. OnWednesday the SecurityCouncil adopted unanimously, haveno real significance: nothing will from the city. But in reality, the terms of this resolution, date” and demanding thatthe Serbs“immediately withdraw” Srebrenica safearea incompliance withthe UNPROFORman- all availableresources tore-establish the statusof the adopted a resolution calling for the secretary-general‘to use On Wednesday 12July, the United Nations SecurityCouncil Extract: 1995 (inFrench). tion of Using Force’ LeMonde(France), 14July ’UN ‘Demands’ SerbWithdrawal Without any Inten - It hadn’tevenlasted halfanhour. Iasked theMP’s whatthey When Iarrived, theministerhadalreadyfinished hisbriefing. taxi andreachedTheHague45 minuteslater. and thelegislatorshadalready gonetothechamber. Itooka put theprotectionof civiliansontheiragenda.Itwas11:00 Hague tospeakmembersof parliamentandasked themto Srebrenica was scheduled for noon in The Hague. I called The and Iknewthatasmallparliamentarymeetingonthefall of feeling aboutit.Iwonderedwhatwecoulddo.Itwas10:00 on sitehadseenpeoplebeingputinbusesandthattheyabad MSF France and MSF Belgium], who told me that MSF volunteers of Srebrenica’s civilianpopulation. Dutch contingent,totake aninterest intheprotection members of parliament,obsessedwiththefate of the of MSFHolland,hadbeentryinginvain toconvince In theNetherlands, JacquesdeMilliano,general director tant” for the UNtoremain inBosnia. reiterated thatBillClinton considers it“desirable and impor- in Bosnia”. […]InWashington, aWhiteHouse spokesperson events willhave“serious repercussions for the UN’spresence take‘several days’’ before determining whether the Srebrenica UK Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind said he believes itwill withdrawal. Bosnia issue makes no mention, however, of atroop minister’s office following asmall ministerial meeting onthe tion.” The statement released Wednesday bythe French prime not re-established, the entire UNPROFORmission isinques- “If the enclaves are violated and the Srebrenica safearea is doing inBosnia and draw the necessary conclusions”, he said. munity does not respond, we have to ask what UNPROFOR is incapable of fulfilling itsmission. “Ifthe international com- again said thatUNPROFORshould leave Bosnia ifitproved In the Senate onWednesday, French President Jacques Chirac scenario, wouldguarantee the enclave’s security. stop talking nonsense”, said Sacirbey, asking who, in such a drawal inexchange for demilitarising Srebrenica. “We haveto rejected the proposal made by the British to seek a Serb with Wednesday, Bosnian Foreign Minister Muhamed Sacirbey Srebrenica and possibly for the other enclaves as well. On United Nations hasabandoned the idea of a“safearea” for Even though no officials willopenlyacknowledge it,the Who’s going tofight it?” alternative wouldbyawarbetweenthe UNand the Serbs. be the long-term solution for stabilityinthe country. The the easternenclaves near Serbia to the Bosnian Serbscould says adiplomat. Going evenfurther, he adds, “Abandoning “There’s nothing wecando ifthe Serbsdecide totake Zepa’’, Diplomats atthe UNdo not ruleoutthe fall of other enclaves. for such operations asthey consider usefuland feasible.” civilian and militaryauthorities, tomake ourforces available said, “thatweare prepared, ifdeemed possiblebythe UN Bernard Pécoul and Eric Goemaere[general directors of On Wednesday 12July, Ireceivedaphonecallfrom -
57 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
had talked about and they said, ‘We talked about the situation Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari, 6 to 22 July 1995, of the Dutch troops’. I then asked, ‘Did you discuss the protec- The MSF Srebrenica team logbook, 24 July 1995 tion of the civilian population?’ They told me, ‘We didn’t want (in English). (edited) to mention that problem because there were family members of soldiers in the room. That may have given the impression Extract: that we didn’t care about the Dutch soldiers over there’. At that Thursday 13 July: […] time in the Netherlands, it was impossible to talk about it. It At 7.00 AM the evacuation of the displaced people is con- was a total blackout, complete paralysis.” tinuing from the camp outside. Blue helmets are controlling the desperate crowd. Everybody who could have stopped this Dr Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director mass exodus should be forced to feel the panic and despera- from 1984 to 1997, Interviewed in 2000, (in French) tion of the people, leaving even their belongings behind [that] they managed to bring to Potocari. Everybody should see the violence on the faces of BSA, directing the people like animals to the buses. Children are screaming in the arms of their mothers, everybody runs for On 13 and 14 July, UNPROFOR’s camp and base were his/her life into an uncertain future. gradually being emptied of most of the refugees, who BSA refuses [to allow] our convoy in because they argue that were piled violently into buses by Bosnian Serb soldiers. BiH is still in the area and might shoot at the convoy […] The patients who could walk and the nursing staff were In the morning I mainly move between the makeshift camp also being evacuated. The men continued to be held outside and the UN compound, transporting sick, old and separately. The MSF team heard gunshots coming from hysterical people to our hospital, where Daniel takes them, the building where they were being held and a rumour together with the local nurses in charge. went around that there were dead bodies nearby. A man In the afternoon the number of patients gets too much and gave his child to an MSF nurse before being taken away the UN assists with a truck for transport. by the soldiers. V7 UN doctors are doing a kind of triage in the camp outside. A sun shelter with our plastic sheeting is being set up. The The MSF team learned that certain patients from the 12 UN is bringing a water truck, which is later looted by BSA. July convoy to Bratunac were separated when Bosnian Serb Rumours arise that behind the factory (where many people soldiers noticed they were not wounded. For the next are seeking shelter) there are dead bodies. MSF is asked if we evacuation convoy, they planned to keep the male medical would go there, but we refuse due to the touchy situation staff with them […] Breastfeeding mothers develop problems with their milk pro- UN officials condemned what they called ”odious acts” duction due to the stress. and “ethnic cleansing”. One old man dies during the evening; 7 deliveries (one still- birth) happened in the last 24 hours, most of them in these incredible conditions, without any privacy, everybody watching, without hygiene on a dirty stretcher, in a dark, Capsat message from MSF Srebrenica to MSF muddy and wet corridor. Belgrade, 13 July 1995 -11h41 UTC Time (in En- All in all 22 new patients got admitted today. glish) (edited) Today the conditions for the displaced inside the UN com- pound deteriorate in terms of sanitation - not enough Extract: latrines, the sewage of the existing toilets is overflowing. I am just copying the info of UNMO […] […] The UN medical convoy with our patients is moving now to At approximately 16:00 the camp is empty and after 30 min- Tuzla with a special escort of BSA personnel with personal utes BSA starts to evacuate the displaced people from the UN instructions from Mladic for security […] compound until 19:00. The blue helmets assist them to the I had one horrible experience – one BSA came with a man and gate and there they are put on the waiting buses/trucks. his baby. The man had nobody to take care of the baby. So I All nursing staff and most patients who were able to walk also had to separate the baby from the crying father while the BSA left with this convoy. Rumours say that some of the males took the father with him. were separated. There are rumours that at the back of the camp there are dead Having emptied both places from human beings, BSA wanted bodies. BSA…[is happy for me to]… go with UNMO, but they to inspect the UN compound. They spent 10 minutes in the don’t want to give [me] any guarantee of security. camp, being disgusted by the living conditions and the smell, Anyway I don’t think I should go – too risky, not confirmed, asked the patients and our female translator some questions, not clear where the dead bodies are. What is your opinion? received a list of the patients and left again.[…] I take [advantage of] the occasion and request a BSA escort in order to go back into Srebrenica. Together with an UNMO and the escort we drive quickly to the hospital, where we find 3 elderly patients sitting at the same place where I left them 58 two days ago. time for allthe peoplewho haveleft.[…] Bratunac and isallowedtocome in.How cynical –justin The UNHCRconvoywithfood etcarrives inthe evening in starting. […] started to love – now empty. Many BSA present, looting is What astrange feeling, going backinto atown–which Ihad and Ihavetocarrythe patients alone tothe pick-up. pital orsocial centre. Sowe hurry up, butof course Joseph BSA isquitenervous, expecting BiHinthe rooms of the hos- cover three more elderly inhabitants. one personsitting outside sowestopthere aswelland dis- They are ingood condition. Passing byoursocial centre Isee refugee leaves, thus “acting like the captain of asinking operating inthe‘safe area’’, “decided toremain until the last Colonel Karremans, commander of the Dutch peacekeepers Extract: order toavoid their anger. convoy] tomorrow willhavetobechecked byBSA here in I havedecided withFranken thatthe male part[of the arrived safely, including the men. tion from UNPROFORattheir destination thatthey had all them. He told me that this afternoon he received confirma- about the safetyof the men. Sevenlocalnurses accompanied and left to walk the 37 km remaining. They were very worried reached the border all patients who could walk were taken off it from aDutchbatnurse travelling withthe convoy:when it Here comes asecond version from Daniel […]who received he couldnot control who got inthe truck. […] [channels]. He isnot blaming usfor that.Iasked Daniel but disappeared. Franken informed ICRC and other high level course BSA wasfurious and tookall30men away. They have dressings of afewmen and they had[no injuries]. Soof from lastnight: before entering Bratunac BSA checked the Here comes Franken’s final version of the medical convoy others, youknow [about]. Franken, BSA is not touching the men who are not BiH. The I expect thatthe men willbetaken away. According to arrive today: should weleavewiththe lastpatients? staying withus. Now for yourselfincaseBarbara doesn’t MSF Staff–againwomen canchoose butIinsist onmen today with the crowd or tomorrow. Men should stay with us. UN. Medical staffare free tochoose whether they want togo able towalk,butwho don’t need amedical convoy from the negotiate withBSA for abusfor the oldpeoplewho are not evacuated. No medical convoytoday. Together with himIwill Meeting withFranken: weagreed firstonhaving allpeople Extract: Monde (France), 13July1995(in French). ‘Serbs Continue Ethnic Cleansing of Enclave’ Le glish) (edited) Belgrade, 13July1995-16:57UTC Time (inEn- Capsat messagefrom MSF Srebrenica to MSF ICRC tomonitorthetransfer of refugees. to provide relief. It also called for authorisation for the Tuzla, where itsteamswere doingeverything possible and water for the20,000refugees whohadarrived in supplies. Theorganisation alsoissuedanappealfor food to be allowed to bring in additional staff and medical convoy stillblocked attheborder, MSFrenewed itsplea media aboutthefate of theenclave’s men.Withits MSF andtheUNwere openlyexpressing concerninthe forces bombedthe Zepa enclave onThursday morning. UN-designated safeareas. According tothe UN,Serbian on Thursday toinflict the same treatment onfiveother arms”. Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serbleader, threatened soldiers inSrebrenica because they “refused to lay down their Serbian forces continued onThursday to‘neutralise’ Bosnian According toastatement released bythe Pale authorities, “striking example of ethnic cleansing”. […] demned “inthe most vigorous terms” whatshe calleda Sadaka Ogata,UNhigh commissioner for refugees, con- Yasushi Akashi, UNspecial envoytothe former Yugoslavia. ethnic cleansing committed against a UN safearea”, said community isjustifiablydisgustedbythe odious attackand ently herded onto football fields. “The international controlled townnorth of Srebrenica, where they are appar- Serbian militias. The others were taken toBratunac, aSerb- Only afewmen of fighting age were released, onThursday, by Ivanko. Their fate isunknown. the Serbian forces, said UNPROFOR spokesman Alexander could not cross the no man’s land onfoot were taken awayby any assistance. Thirty-three seriously injured people who they hadtowalkacross alone for several kilometres without expelled from the citywere driven tothe front lines, which peacekeepers, the 14,000 women, children and elderly people Loaded on buses and lorries without any supervision by the detained bythe Serbsas of Friday morning. […] at Potocari. Moreover, 55 Dutch soldiers were still being the area were pressured bySerbian forces toleavetheir base corroborating sources, Dutchpeacekeepers stillpresent in ship”, said the Netherlands’ defence minister. According to According to the MSF teamin Potocari, food and medical to allowaccess tothe enclave for humanitarian agencies. demics. MSF renewed itspleatothe Bosnian Serbauthorities Potocari are deplorable and MSF fears for an outbreak of epi- sanitary conditions for those who remain in the vicinity of sions of women and children to central Bosnia continue. The compound in Potocari, north of Srebrenica, while the expul- Thousands of terrified civilians still remain around the UN Extract: (in English). to the Enclave” MSF Press Release , 13 July 1995 nica Refugees -MSF Repeats itsPleafor Access ‘Conditions Deteriorating by the Hour’ for Srebre -
59 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
stocks are running out. From Srebrenica, MSF’s Dr. Daniel deplorable hygienic conditions”, says an MSF representative. O’Brien described the situation as deteriorating by the hour”. The humanitarian organisation and UNHCR were trying on Dr. O’Brien said that many wounded remained inside the Wednesday to obtain approval from the Serbian authorities to enclave in urgent need of assistance. bring supplies and medicine into the enclave. Two convoys It will take several days for all the refugees to be moved out of were blocked by General Mladic’s forces. Srebrenica. The MSF medical convoy, with two doctors and two logisticians on board, needs to be allowed in to care for the thousands of refugees remaining. However, the convoy remains at the border post of Zvrnik, a few kilometres from Srebrenica. ‘MSF: Women Refugees in Potocari Bear ‘Visible About 4,000 refugees have already been taken by bus to Signs of Abuse’ Agence France Presse (France), Kladanj, to the west of the enclave, 2,500 of these have 14 July 1995 (in French). already crossed into Tuzla. The MSF team of five in Tuzla, which set up a makeshift refugee camp for the refugees Extract: throughout the night, described the conditions there as Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) has “grave concerns” about alarming. The refugees are gathered on a stretch of road near the fate of displaced persons in Bosnia. “Muslim women have the airport, with no access to sanitary facilities. been arriving in Potocari with visible signs of abuse”, reports MSF is concerned about the absence of international moni- the humanitarian organisation, which was interviewed by toring of the current forced population movements. The AFP on Friday. agency renewed its call for the International Committee of Three hundred refugees, 650 of whom have injuries, are still the Red Cross to be allowed to monitor the transfer of in Potocari, 2 km north of Srebrenica, with two members of refugees. an MSF team; they came from the former UN safe area in Srebrenica, which the Bosnian Serb army now controls. On Thursday, an MSF nurse and a UN observer were able to go to the Srebrenica hospital, where they found three elderly ‘Srebrenica Becomes Latest Victim of Ethnic patients; they managed to bring them back to Potocari, Cleansing’ Le Monde (France), 14 July 1995 (in which serves as the base for the UNPROFOR Dutch battalion. French). According to MSF, 700 refugees, mostly men and just a few women are in Bratunac, a Serb-controlled town east of Extract: Srebrenica. Their fate is unknown. As a result, MSF has not A number of witnesses report that the Serbs subjected the received any news regarding an initial convoy of 33 wounded population to a “selection process” before expelling them. that was supposed to leave the Bratunac stadium. Bosnian Médecins Sans Frontières, for example, explains that the men Serb soldiers are not allowing entry to the site by either MSF were taken separately to offices, where they had to identify or six observers from the UN High Commission for Refugees themselves. Some of them have already been transported by (UNHCR), who are responsible for supervising aid distribution truck to unknown destinations. “The scenes of them being in the field. MSF and UNHCR officials have been negotiating loaded on the buses were terrifying. People were screaming since Thursday evening for authorisation to enter the and panicking”, report the on-site MSF representatives. The stadium. UN says that General Mladic ordered a “selection” of all men The humanitarian organisation stresses that most of the ref- over the age of 16, who were then assembled in the football ugee population in Potocari comes from south of the stadium in the small town of Bratunac along the border with Srebrenica enclaves. Nothing is known about the populations Serbia. […] from the neighbouring villages, who fled to unknown desti- According to Alexander Ivanko, a United Nations spokesman, nations, says MSF. the Serbs were apparently planning to interrogate the men to determine whether these civilians were guilty of‘war crimes”. In the minds of Serbs, who view all Muslims as “terrorists”, anyone who had carried a weapon is considered a “war crim- “20,000 Refugees from Srebrenica in Makeshift inal”. Zena Hasanovic, a young resident of Srebrenica expelled Shelters at Tuzla Airport” MSF Press Release, 13 Wednesday and sent to Tuzla, says she saw Serbian soldiers July 1995 ( in English). kill a woman and 10-year-old boy. […] The mass exodus of refugees continued on Wednesday. More Extract: than 1,500 people arrived in Tuzla in the evening, where they 20,000 newly arrived refugees from the Srebrenica enclave were taken under the wing of United Nations staff. […] are grouped together on an airstrip at Tuzla airport. The UN, The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) MSF and other organisations are taking care of medical needs, believes that “nearly the entire population of Srebrenica shelter, food and water. An MSF cargo flight with 12 tons of [which had a population of 44,000 before the offensive] has relief goods including tents, blankets and plastic sheeting is probably fled the city”. […] being flown into Tuzla and Kladanj, via Split, with two extra According to Médecins sans Frontières, which has a team on staff members on board. MSF presently has five volunteers in site, the most urgent needs are food and water. “It’s an Kladanj and three in Tuzla. extremely vulnerable population; many people have had 60 practically nothing to eat for weeks and have been living in Pierre, Pierre Pascal, and allyourfan club Lots of kisses Take care. We loveyouand do know thatyouwillbesoonwithus. Thanks for allthatyouare abletodo. new MSF teamand atleast supportyouphysically. requested in Potocari, is… [so that we can] … send you a we have applied, saying thatinternational aid is urgently in the place. We really want to be with you. All the pressure it’s difficult to believe that there’s only Christina and Daniel What you are doing in Srebrenica is really fantastic. Sometimes and the population. the tragedy tothe ‘outside world’. It’s ourwaytobewithyou our minds for a long time. As youasked us to, we are telling thinking of youallthe time and each word you write stays in We justwant tosaythatweare proud of youboth.We are Extract: the international community finds itself.Butthey implicitly unvarnished analysis of the humiliating situation inwhich French president and said they agreed inprinciple withhis Western capitals, of course, welcomed the strong words of the Extract: remain skeptical. Zepa andGorazde. HisEuropean andUScounterparts longer aquestionof retaking Srebrenica but of protecting protection of theotherenclaves. Itwas, heclaimed,no community totake military action toensure the On 14July, theFrench president urged the international Srebrenica itself. that there are needs tobemet bothincentral Bosnia and in There willcertainlybeapress release laterstressing the fact views. It isjustthatweneed tofind a more organised system. views for you.Stéphan and Barbara willstilldo the inter - Belgium and Anne GuibertatMSF France toorganise inter- that from now onyoualloweither Anouk orMichel atMSF interest from yournational journalists. We wouldsuggest Our teaminBelgrade isunable tocopewiththe present lnterviews and briefings from Belgrade Extract: (in English). (edited) gers to the MSF team in Srebrenica, 13 July 1995 Message from MSF Belgium/France project mana- French). Vernet, ‘Chirac’s PleaFacesUKand US Scepticism’ Daniel – 12:00(inEnglish). national toMSF Press Departments, 13July1995 Update on Bosnia-Herzegovina, from MSF Inter- Le Monde(France), 15July1995 (in underway totake over allof theenclaves. confirmed thegeneral impression thatanoperation was commander of BosnianSerbforces. Whatthey toldher French officers who had come to meet with General Mladic, Yugoslavia, stuckinZvornik withtheconvoy, ran into On thesameday, MSF’s medicalcoordinator intheformer cles and the lackof aspecificplan. delaying their response byhighlighting the technical obsta- created the Rapid Reaction Force withFrance, havebeen provide logistical support, and especially the British, who No one hasactually said no, butthe Americans, asked to encouraging. Gorazde and guaranteeing accesstoSarajevo, are hardly more new, minimal French proposals, i.e. providing protection for The head of statealsonoted thatthe first reactions tothe by the Bosnian Serbsmet withblunt refusal byFrance’s allies. his proposal toliberate Srebrenica byforce afteritwasseized With highly undiplomatic candour, Chirac said onFriday that done. for the idea ifaction istaken orblame others ifnothing is suspect France of wanting toplaythe hero bytaking credit The [Serb]liaison officer told me that: have beentrying since yesterday tomeet withMladic. former Yugoslavia] and aSerbliaison officer. The twoenvoys sent by Janvier [the French Commander of UN troops in the two special envoys(aFrench colonel and aRussian colonel) from Srebrenica asabird flies). It’s a delegation comprising Serbs”. Iran into them again today in another hotel (5 km of them French. He toldusthat“they were coming toseethe Yesterday evening inthe hotel weran into three soldiers, one Extract: - - - - days. days. this area would remain inaccessible for two to three [an MSF nurse] to Pale via Bratunac, he answered that Concerning my question aboutthe route for Alesandra was happening inZepa as had happened inSrebrenica. He answered “yes”when Iasked himifthe same thing why they were insuch ahurry. thrilled aboutthe coming victory and hadasked them He had been inBratunac the previous week, had been meeting happen) a certainlackof willonthe partof the Serbstomake the involved inmilitaryoperations. (Let’sjustsaythere was could not be reached since 03:00 because he was with the twoenvoys, without having seenMladic who He wouldbereturning toBelgrade thatday, probably 15 July1995(inFrench). former Yugoslavia to the programme managers, Message from the MSF medical coordinator inthe
61 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
If you had any doubts about the amount of planning for this Question of the day: Why is the evacuation of the patients operation, you won’t have any now. being blocked? […] We think along the same lines as Franken, that it is most likely due to the fact that there are among the patients in Bratunac a few BiH soldiers with a “good” record from their past. Of course, BSA could just remove them, but since the The MSF team in Potocari was busy organising a proper whole world is informed about the figures, they might like to evacuation of the last remaining patients as well as avoid negative press statements. Difficult to believe though... its own departure from the enclave. The operation was Saturday 15: Early in the morning the [whole] UN medical complicated due to the involvement of a wide range of team (20) is able to leave the enclave...[…] players and the Bosnian Serbs’ insistence on checking Mr Pronk, Dutch minister for humanitarian business, is in for Bosnian fighters among the patients. Tuzla, trying to organise the evacuation (who isn’t?). Medical situation is well under control. Together with the nurses and paramedics of the UN, assistance is being offered to the patients.[…] Capsat message from MSF Srebrenica to MSF We get the information that four of the patients in Bratunac Belgrade, 14 July 1995 -09:17 UTC Time (in En- require urgent surgery otherwise they will have to be included glish). (edited) in the mortality rate. […] Finally Franken organises a UN ambulance with a BSA escort Extract: and a UN nurse, but they return without patients since appar- Patients will not be evacuated by helicopter. Franken wants ently they were all young men (BiH?)[…] ICRC to do it, because the UN might not be able to reach According to Franken some men do arrive in Kladanj, but of Kladanj with their vehicles. course nobody can follow up any figures. Franken has been in contact with ICRC. No finalisation yet, Rumour of today is that a group of men (700-1000) are in the but it seems that we cannot leave today. stadium of Bratunac [having been] captured on their way to Stephan, should MSF at this stage not be more involved in Tuzla. […] the whole procedure of evacuation? This is the day of lists […] [Sh]ould it not be MSF who requests ICRC together in coop- Together with UNHCR we are preparing a list of all patients eration with UN? Please advise. with diagnosis. We are making a list of all local staff and of Please keep in mind the 30 trucks of UNHCR. Could they not their family members and will distribute it to UN, BSA etc. do it? I think the priority is to get the patients out soon. If it takes Sunday 16/7/95 too long BSA might take the job over. NORMED, the medical department of NORBATT [UN Norwegian We have seen how fast they have deported the whole popula- battalion], who seems to specialise in medevacs, takes tion and nobody was able to stop it. They want to empty the responsibility for the evacuation of the patients and leaves enclave. [Tuzla] at 13:30. It is not clear what will happen with Dutchbat afterwards. Then two different [sets of] information and you can guess Hostages? which one was right: the [MSF] convoy has passed Zvornik and is on its way to Bratunac. (Info from authorities in Bratunac) The convoy has been shot at in the surroundings of Zvornik Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari – 6 to 22 July 1995, and had to return (Info from the UN in Tuzla). […] The MSF Srebrenica team logbook, 24 July 1995 Another meeting takes place with BSA concerning the evacu- (edited) (in English). ation of the patients. Very cynical to have to discuss culture and art while outside a stream of Serbs is looting Srebrenica. Extract: […] Friday 14: ICRC is also trying again to organise the evacuation and will […]The patients are being moved into the medical bunker of ask only for the clearance for patients. Today they were with Dutchbat, which offers more light and space and hygienic a small delegation in Bratunac to check the POW’s [prisoners conditions.[…] of war]. According to Franken there are 7,000, but we cannot ICRC informs us in the evening that they plan to evacuate the confirm it. patients to Kladanj, but don’t yet have the clearance. Our MSF Belgrade is asking for our clearances in order to be able own evacuation and [that of] the local staff would be a sepa- to leave with the convoy tomorrow. rate issue. UNHCR is trying to evacuate all the patients by helicopter to On 16 July, several thousand people who had fled Srebrenica Sarajevo. on foot through the woods and had been reported dead, UNHCR Tuzla also plays the game and is planning to evacuate arrived in Tuzla where an MSF Holland team was working with the patients by convoy to Tuzla.[…] the refugees. A convoy of UNPROFOR arrives in the evening with new drugs, 62 food and 35,000L diesel (BSA confiscates the 30,000L!). […] a role inmonitoring and caring for patients. They carry We must keep inmind that bothdrivers and logisticians play must weareither the MSF emblemorthe good oldRedCross. sonnel inconflict situations. For identification purposes, they retically protected byconventions safeguarding relief per Our entire staff (six men and one female translator) is theo the localmedical teamisproviding care and transport. morning. For the time being, we have no access to this region; peared” toenter the Tuzla area. We willconfirmtomorrow Apparently BiHopened acorridor allowing some of the “disap gees (quite a few with light injuries) is en route via Kalesia. Breaking news: alarge influx(said tobearound 4,000) of refu UNPROFOR battalion’s phoneline. Reporters triedtoreach theMSFteamdirectly onthe evacuation inapress release. ICRC duringtheevening of 17July. MSFannouncedthe battalion were responsible were finally evacuated by the In Potocari, the last patients for whom MSF and the Dutch expressed thisconcerntotheDutchministervisitingTuzla. had towithdraw quickly. TheMSFHollandteamopenly the safetyof localpersonnel, iftheDutchcontingent safety of MSFstaffintheSrebrenica enclave, particularly MSF programme managers expressed concern about the Extract: and powdered milk. camps, mainly consisting of tents, blankets, watercontainers MSF hasalready sent 24tonnes of relief supplies tothe in Kladanj. MSF alsoopened areception centre for refugees stillarriving as wellsetting upseveral clinics. All efforts are focused onsupplying food and drinking water Srebrenica. around Tuzla airporttoprovide aid to20,000refugees from currently atworkinthe displacedpersons campsinand A Médecins Sans Frontières teammade upof 13expatriates is Extract: Extract: in Belgrade, 16July1995(inFrench). programme manager, tothe MSF coordination team Message from Pierre-Pascal Vandini, MSF France (in French). tion’ MSF BelgiumPressrelease,15July1995 ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Conducts Relief Opera- French). France programme managers, 16July1995(in Message by MSF Belgrade to MSF Belgium and - - - - and nursing aids –youname it. stretchers, drive ambulances and serve as hospital workers other national and international political factors. questioned whether he would have much influence in view of The ministersaid he completelyunderstood their concerns but stressed thattheir protection relies onDutchbat’spresence. fate of the refugees remaining inPotocari and Bratunac and is visiting the area. They [expressed strong concerns aboutthe The DutchteaminTuzla made contact withtheir minister, who after the wounded leaveand the ICRC pullsout? carried out. Second fear: will they [the Dutchbat] remain imal guarantees of protection oncondition thatitisquickly [the Dutch government] will accept an evacuation with min- Major pressure from the Dutchpopulation. The fearisthatit Dutchbat. The Dutchgovernment isinsisting onarapid withdrawal of make them alittletoovisible?[…] sure thatjournalists willcoverthisissue. And coulditalso ence of localstaffand request immunity for them? We’re not In ourmessage, do wehavetospecifically mention the pres- and Bratunac. We reiterated ourconcerns aboutthe populations of Potocari Amsterdam? Is there anything wecando from Paris, Brusselsand predict the future. nating aboutwhat’sgoing tohappenbecausenobody can which isessential. It’s not good for morale tokeep rumi- I believe thatourfearshavebeenpassedontoFranken, nying patients and families […]. we can convey our position regarding their role in accompa- While wecannot negotiate the actual evacuation conditions, and families children (the staff’s and wives, inparticular). For thatreason, wesuggest thatthey accompany the wounded had beensent tothe newspaper byMSF without her permission. messages sent byChristina Schmitz,the MSF field manager inSrebrenica, which 8. Inits14Julyedition, the French daily Libération published extracts from radio mistake regarding the Libération press information about her personal reactions. We made a - We must askChristina for her opinion when wegivethe 2) Communications leave, the capitalorhead offices could reject this proposal. If Daniel and Christina wishtoremain afterthe wounded remaining inPotocari and Bratunac. MSF, would be responsible for protecting all male prisoners viding any more likelihood of success. The ICRC, rather than Remaining wouldonlydelay their departure without pro- them, Daniel and Christina willstillhavetoleave. allow some orallof the Bosnian MSF stafftoaccompany If the wounded are evacuated and the Serbian army refuses to have already done toprotect the MSF personnel inSrebrenica. 1) MSF staff in Srebrenica. We cannot do any more than we Extract: team inBelgrade, 16July1995(inFrench). programme manager, to the MSF coordination Message from Pierre-Pascal Vandini, MSF France 8 article.
63 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
- The information provided to the press by Paris is screened personnel still present in Potocari are likely to accompany the on the basis of potential risks for the field team. wounded. MSF is calling for ICRC access to prisoners remaining - I don’t think that communications about Srebrenica cur- in Potocari and Bratunac to ensure their treatment complies rently have any impact whatsoever on the Gorazde team’s with the Geneva Conventions. safety or influence our requests to the Pale authorities. The Serbs are determined to do as they wish. - Communications after the departure of Christina and Daniel: Christina and Daniel should not be expected to participate in Organising the evacuation of the MSF team, and the any communications efforts in Paris unless they wish to do so 15 people it was responsible for, took four additional of their own volition. days because of multiple administrative, political, and security obstacles, particularly involving the fate of the evacuated Bosnian Muslims. MSF issued a press release in an effort to break the deadlock. Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari, 6 to 22 July 1995, The MSF Srebrenica team logbook, 24 July 1995 On July 21, the MSF team, composed of two expatriates (edited) (in English). and eight local staff members, their families, and two elderly people were finally evacuated from the enclave Extract: with the last convoy of UN Blue Helmets. Monday 17 July: Somehow some journalists managed to get the telephone number of the UN compound and start to harass us with requests for interviews. Since we don’t have our own appropriate communication means and since interviews might ‘MSF asks Pale and Belgrade Authorities to Issue endanger our evacuation we refer everybody to Belgrade.[…] the authorisations for the Evacuation of its Team Early in the morning we hear that NORBATT tried to leave and 15 Civilians from Potocari,’ MSF Belgium/ Tuzla again in order to [carry out] the evacuation, but they France press release, 19 July, 1995 (in French). got in trouble at the confrontation line, thus they returned. At 08:30 the ICRC convoy left their location (Bijelina) and are Extract: expected in Bratunac around noon. We are delighted about One week after the fall of Srebrenica, the Médecins Sans this news and get everything ready. Frontières team is still unable to leave Potocari. According to During the morning we (UNMO, UNPROFOR, MSF) have a the organisation’s doctor and nurse, the group also includes meeting with several BSA commanders. The agenda includes 15 civilians, including three children, two elderly people, and the medevac, the local staff plus MSF expats and the evacua- MSF’s Bosnian staff members. tion of Dutchbat. We hear that all local staff has an amnesty, However, MSF has not been able to obtain all the authorisa- being free to evacuate with us. It is very difficult to believe … tions required for their evacuation. BSA insists on an inquiry [into] all the patients before ICRC We ask that all necessary steps are taken to allow them to be can evacuate them. Of course ICRC has to be present for that. evacuated quickly and under proper security conditions. They however have put a deadline of noon for UNPROFOR to bring all patients to Bratunac. […] Meanwhile Daniel has distributed tranquilizers to […] vul- nerable patients.[…] ‘A fourth Plane for Tuzla,’ MSF press release, At 18:15 all patients are in the ICRC’s cars and leave Potocari 19 July, 1995 (in French). except 7 men, who were separated by BSA and who were transported by the UN to Bratunac, and then handed to ICRC Extract: […]. The rest of the patients in Bratunac got also on the The Médecins Sans Frontières team in Potocari hopes to be convoy apart from 11. Andrei, the UN anaesthetist was there able to evacuate this afternoon, taking with them 13 local to monitor the treatment of the patients and Andrei from staff members and the last two wounded patients, a woman UNMO joined him that evening. of 80 and a man of 81. Two MSF staff members remain in Kladanj and are ready to treat other refugees from Srebrenica.
MSF press release, 17 July 1995 (in French). Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari 6 to 22 July 1995, The MSF Srebrenica team logbook, 24 July 1995 (in Extract: English) (edited.) The medical evacuation of 59 wounded and patients from Bratunac and 43 from Potocari, requested since last Thursday, Extract: is now underway. The ICRC arrived in Potocari late in the Tuesday 18 July: Although having the clearance for Tuzla, we morning. are hesitating, mostly due to the fact that security cannot be MSF insists that the evacuation must include all wounded and guaranteed, that we don’t know the road at all, that we 64 patients as well as local relief staff and their families. MSF cannot have a UN escort, or an escort from BSA further than UNPROFOR, but wehavetogo onourown withaCroatian After long discussions we are not able to continue with The convoygoes verysmoothly until the Croatian border. joins the convoyuntil the Croatian border. to hand usourpassportsatthe Serbian side of the bridge and Guy, the technical coordinator for MSF Belgrade isfinally able Srebrenica, are awaiting usatthe Bosnian side of Iron Bridge. press and Commander Karramans, Head of UNPROFOR in […] Mladic together withabig delegation including Serbian part of the convoy, which altogether consists to163vehicles. three carstogether with UNMO and UNHCRare withinthe first Two minutes pasttwelvethe convoystartstoleavePotocari. Our cars, the radios are onstand-by and the tanksare full. bers plus the two old lucky refugees find their place in the leave; the eight local staff members plus their 5 family mem - Friday 21July:At eleven o’clockweare getting ready to thinking thatweare not mentally wellany more. requests for ourindependent clearance inPale, without them – how toget the message toBelgrade, thatthey canstopthe telephones have been removed already. This is not very easy Belgrade orothers inorder not toendanger the convoy. All However until tomorrow night weare not allowedtoinform to leavewiththe DutchconvoyonFriday 21 Julyat12:00. and Mladic, everybody living inthe UNcompound willbeable informed that, asresult of the meeting betweenRupert Smith In ameeting at22:00withUNHCRand DCOFranken weare ance.[…] been informed by the militaryatPale about ourcivilian clear- clearance isnecessary and the BSA atYellow Bridge hasn’t However anew problem comes up–allof asudden amilitary BSA and FRY. could eventually betaken afteralocalagreement between The latterisrefused. [It wasagreed that]The twooldpeople clearance. the Drina because …[they]… are not onourpresent to take the twooldpeopleand totravel onthe westside of Bridge for discussions with BSA. We request local permission At 09:30Igo withamember of the UNliaison teamtoYellow Wednesday 19/7/95:[…] order [unable tohelp]. their responsibility and the localstaffof UNHCRisoutof our]… charge since UNPROFOR is not able to take them under develops anew problem. We willhavetotake them [under It isclearthateverytime asolution seems tobefound there south of Srebrenica and brings them tous. the lastsurpriseof the day: BSA finds twooldpeopleinthe However wedon’t achieve anything today and there isstill Serbia backtoBiHterritory. take responsibility to move the 13 Muslim civilians from [Tokert, MSF Project manager] stating thatUNPROFORwill Finally UNPROFORinSarajevo […]issuesaletter toRenaud Croatia ifthey trytoenter. that allourlocalpassengers willbearrested inSerbia and/or Then during the morning Franken receives the information shuttle from SplittoTuzla, accommodation for locals.[…] seats from Belgrade toZagreb and from Zagreb toSplit,the Belgrade, the transit visafor the localsfor Croatia, the plane […]MSF Beo[Belgrade] istaking care of our new visafor local male staff. Lubovija and thatwefeargetting into trouble [over]our military police escort.[…] police escort;however wemanage tonegotiate anUNCRO transported tothe Bosnian border and then toTuzla. protected the civilians. They are threatening thatwewillbe dares toshout atme and blames UNPROFORfor not having that happened inSrebrenica including militaryinformation, the immigration officer interviews ourlocalstaffaboutevents The twoand halfhours spent atthisborder are veryunpleasant; sons from Srebrenica inTuzla, Zenica, and Kladanj. Gorazde. Some 20 volunteers are treating the displaced per- An MSF team(anurse and ananesthetist) isstillworking in took refuge inPotocari. wounded during the bombing and aided the civilians who the Bosnian staff,treated several dozen people who were Throughout the offensive, the doctor and nurse, along with people. medical, surgical, and logistical assistance tonearly 40,000 foreign presence in the enclave from April 1993, providing MSF wasthe onlyhumanitarian organisation tomaintain a they arrivedinZagreb, Croatia. After transiting through the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnian employees, three children and twoelderly people. this morning along with 15 civilians, including the group’s The Médecins Sans Frontières doctor and nurse leftPotocari Extract: obtained it. return tocentralBosnia.Others asked for protectionandsome morning. Carscametopickupthepeoplewhowereready to tellhimthatheneededcomeameetingthenext requesting refugeestatus. SoIcalledthe[UN]HCRguyagain structure. Onemanwhowasevacuatedtoldmethathe painting of desperatesurvivorsclingingto a barelyseaworthy vehicles werelike something out of TheRaft of theMedusa, the were supposedtogetthehotelaroundmidnight.Thosethree tell him that I would have work for him when they arrived. They Zagreb. Iwenttoseethe[UN[HCRguyinZagrebrightaway the Croatianstoletthementer. Thentheytookthehighwayto in Croatia, theMSF Holland teamhad a hard time convincing Dutch battalion.Itwasanepicundertaking.Whentheyarrived med intothreeMSFvehiclesaspartof theevacuationof the negotiations untiltheSerbiansagreed.Seventeenpeoplecram- wanted toleavewithalltheothers. Soweresumedthehellish Christina thatsheandDanielcouldleave. Shesaidthatshe members withtheirfamilies andacquaintances. Iexplained to 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000-2006, Coordinator inthe former Yugoslavia May- November T group around them also includes 17 other people – staff group aroundthemalsoincludes17otherpeople–staff h e Serbianstoldusthatourteamcouldleave, butthe 21 July, 1995(inFrench). ‘MSF Team Evacuates Potocari,’ MSFpressrelease, Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General Interviewed in2015(inFrench)
65 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
The MSF teams increased their assistance to the thousands military staff in the Muslim-enclave of Srebrenica. Or, as de of displaced persons from Srebrenica who had settled at Milliano put it earlier during a short press conference at the and around the Tuzla airport. airport: “horrendous cruel acts have been committed: Children have been taken away from their mothers, women were raped, and young men were shot in front of their mothers. These are authentic accounts, too precise and ‘A Fourth Plane for Tuzla,’ MSF press release, detailed to be just stories. It was not a mass psychosis. There 19 July, 1995 (in French). are enough victims who are able to tell their stories with a convincing level of detail.” Extract: These cruelties would, according multiple sources, have taken At 06:00 this morning, a fourth cargo plane chartered by place “within eye-sight of the Dutch blue helmets”. Médecins Sans Frontières took off from Amsterdam heading “Yes, but what does that mean? That the blue helmets saw to Split. It was loaded with 11 tons of supplies (medical kits, these things with their own eyes? That they were present in sanitation supplies, and water). […] the area?; Or perhaps something else. The margins of inter- The MSF teams in the Tuzla region, composed of 22 expatri- pretation of these types of observations and declarations ates and local staff members, distributed food and water. In should be investigated before a judgment about the behav- coordination with local authorities and other NGOs, MSF is iour of the blue helmets can be made”. also providing medical care to the 200,000 refugees in the “The fact is that the refugees who arrive in Tuzla say that region, who have taken refuge in the camp at Tuzla airport many of the cruelties happened in Potocari, where they (the and at various community centres and schools in the area. refugees) expected to be protected by the Dutch blue hel- The latter facilities are located in the towns of Zivinice, mets. It is also a fact that the protection by the blue helmets Srebrenik, Banovici, Gracanica, and Lukavac. […] of the buses that transported the Muslims from the area, but from which many people were subsequently taken by the Serbs, was extremely limited.” “You can look at the same situation from two different per- spectives: that of the (Dutch) Minister of Defence Voorhoeve On 18 July, 1995, Jacques de Milliano, Executive Director who claims ‘The Serbs were in full control, the UN staff was of MSF Holland, who had returned from Tuzla, gave a press powerless’ and that of the refugees: ‘the Dutch protected us conference in The Hague, at which he criticised the lack insufficiently.’ of protection for Srebrenica’s population. His comments Which of those two perspectives is yours? were not well-received by the public, which strongly “Mine is mostly that the UN as an instrument for humanitarian supported the Dutch contingent, as did most of MSF’s protection has failed. Not only the cruelties committed by the donors. Only Jan Pronk, the Minister for Development Serbs need to be investigated, but also the decisions taken Cooperation, shared MSF’s view. within the UN that have led to the Dutch military ending up in such tricky situation. Who decided at such a late – a too late – stage to allow two airstrikes by NATO to be carried out over Srebrenica? These types of questions need answering”. ‘Dutch Support was too Limited’ NRC Handelsblad You freely use, like Minister Pronk, the words of genocide and (The Netherlands), 19 July 1996 (inDutch). cruelties by the Serbs, while the returning military is instructed to avoid such terminology in order not to endanger Extract: the soldiers that remain in the area. Why do you do that? The question of whether or not the Dutch blue helmets did “For me, genocide is the destruction of a people, and that is everything within their capacity to protect the 25,000 refu- exactly what is happening at this moment in Bosnia. We use gees is obviously a difficult one to answer for J. De Milliano. these words to show that humanitarian assistance fails com- Having just returned from a visit to Tuzla and the surrounding pletely in the absence of military protection against systemic areas in Eastern Bosnia, he chooses his words very carefully. and brutal violations of human rights, be it in Rwanda or in “After all that I have seen and heard over there, I see no Bosnia. reason for an investigation into the attitude of the Dutch blue helmets. But in terms of countering the rumours that they haven’t done enough, it would be good if the Government would come up with a very coherent narrative about what ‘De Milliano: “Dutchbat did not Fulfill its Promise exactly did happen regarding relations between Serbs, refu- Sufficiently’Trouw (The Netherlands) 21 July 1995 gees and the Dutch blue helmets”. An “investigation” is not (in Dutch). the right word according to de Milliano. “That has negative connotations, as if someone is accused of something.” In Extract: consultation with his staff, he would label it as a “reconstruc- The Dutch UN staff in Srebrenica insufficiently fulfilled their tion of facts”. promise to accompany the Muslims from the enclave. MSF The “facts”, de Milliano refers to are the multiple testimonials Director Jacques de Milliano blames the Dutchbat leadership from refugees about rapes of women and executions of Muslim for this. “If you cannot fulfill your promise of protection, 66 men by Bosnian Serbs in the immediate vicinity of Dutch then you have to be open about this” he said yesterday. “I do because 90%of thedonorssupportedwhatDutchbatwasdoing. understood – particularly the desks – but others were really anxious because I held fast against everyone else. Some people at MSF Everyone thoughtIhadlostit.Itwasadifficultweek for me donors. IwastheonlypersoninHollandwhoheldthoseviews. there. It was as if I had set off abomb inside MSF and with the ters.” Ispoke atlengthaboutmyviewsonwhatwasgoing on says thathe heard thisDutch presence hadbeenverylimited. in which the Muslims were transported. DeMilliano, however, agreed thatDutchbatstaffwouldtravel along withthe buses was onlywords, not deeds. Karremans and the Bosnian Serbs solid manner. Iamunder the impression that thisrobustness to Tuzla” statedde Milliano. “Thiswasstatedinarobust and- would accompany the civilians into safetyduring the transport Commander Karremans gavethe impression thathistroops refugees of Srebrenica hadbeenbrought into safety. “Dutchbat Dutch would only depart at the moment that all wounded and fall of the enclave, the Ministryof Defence claimed thatthe De Milliano saysthathe isfrustrated bythe events. Afterthe a false sense of protection”. not doubt the good intentions, butthey did givethe refugees it wasimpossibletohavethatconversationwiththeotherrepor topic and I said to the reporter, “Let’s talk about Tuzla now because Dutchbat, but that wasn’t true. I gavea long interview on another problem.” People triedtogetmesaythatIwasagainst of DefenceissayingthateverythingOK,butthere isaserious did not receive the protection they should have had. The Minister saying thatthey’recowards.” AndIsaid,“No,it’s thatthepeople and theresponsewas, “You areaccusingtheDutchsoldiers, you’re a pressconference, sayingthatthesituation wasacatastrophe completely confirmed each other. Iwentback to Holland and held there, Ispoke withthewomenwhowerearriving. Theirstories I gotonaUNhelicopter heading fromSplitto Tuzla. When I got Saturday morning,Ileftfor Brusselstotake aplanetoSplit,where up inthemiddleof the night and made aplane reservation. On my wifeandchildrenIsaidtomyself,It’s notpossible. Iwoke developed people, to women with scarves etc. It was not an king. TheDutch werenotusedtowhattheyconsider asunder- were fedupwiththewar, fed upwithMuslims. Thatwas shoc- Dutchbat had its HQ, the Dutch soldiers at certain moments you seemtodisrespectthenation. ButinSrebrenicawherethe could havedonemore. Itwas difficultbecausebythinkingthat, The Dutchsocietywasnotprepared toconsiderthatDutchbat enough. Theyfeltthatourboysweregoingtheretotake care. Everybody has good intentions, but good intentions are not that ‘ourboys’weredoingagoodjob, theyhadgoodintentions. a countervoiceandeverybodyfelloveronMSF. TheDutchfelt from 1984to1996,Interviewed in2000,(inFrench) Dr Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director started on Friday. I was supposed to go to the south with started onFriday.Iwassupposedtogothesouthwith There was nothing in the media on Thursday. My vacation papers whichweredefendingthemwouldsay.We gave We hadapressreleaseonour ‘Dutchboys’,asthenews- - we havetomedicallyandnon-medicallyassistthem. danger and one cannot disregard their beliefs, their background: the pointof viewof humanitarians. Thesepeopleareinreal but itdidn’thelpthattheydidnotlookatthepopulationfrom not of coursethereasoneverythingwentwronginSrebrenica, urban populationandtheyreallylooked downonthem.That’s events was challenged. job hadlefttheirpositions. Lateronthatversion of on theground astheBritishofficers responsible for that their objectives, itwas because of theabsenceof guidance press thatiftheNATO strikes on11Julyhadnotachieved On 20July, 1995,French intelligencesources toldthe the enclave. are nowsafe”andnobodywastalkingaboutthepopulationof public opinionwasstillsaying:“Ohitisbeautiful,ourheroes tandem, whoweretryingtoreversethepublicopinion.This escort themtosafety”. ItwasPronkanddeMilliano,asortof to gothere, wehavetosendinternationalrepresentation Milliano wenttoTuzla, andalsotriedtoadvocateon“wehave have to assume that terrible things are happening.” Jacques de we speak, we don’t know where the male population is, and we “there isnoreasontocelebrate;peoplearebeingmassacredas Jan Pronk,theMinisterof Development andCooperationsaid celebrating atthesametimeapopulationwasmassacred.Only They hadasortof apartywithbeerandtheywerecheering, Zagreb andthecrownprincePrimeMinisterwentover. the population.Oncetheywereallowedout,arrivedin lives difficult”. The storywas abouttheDutch soldiersand not ligence sources following ananalysis of the conditions during led to the fall of Srebrenica. This is according to French intel- ground guidance toidentify targets during the fighting that tives because officers were not present toconduct on-the- the July11attack,NATO planes failed toachieve their objec- Contrary toinformation provided by Allied headquarters after Extract: to September1992,then various positions inMSF-Holland former Yougoslavia 1991-1993then Emergency Desk,then Director of Operations, Interviewed in2015(in English) boys were there, and those bad Serbs are making their For theDutchpopulationissuewasthat“ourpoor Wilna vanAartzen,MSF Holland Coordinator inthe (France), 20July1995(inFrench). ‘NATO’s MissedOpportunityinSrebrenica,’ LeMonde Wouter Kok, MSF Holland Medical Coordinator Bosnia desk from September1992to1996, in Sarajevo, Bosnia, from December1991 Interviewed in2015(inEnglish)
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the NATO airstrikes carried out to halt the Serbian offensive The French government says that the three key protagonists against the Muslim enclave. NATO was to perform three strikes – the US, Great Britain, and France – have agreed to try the on that day, but only the first two were carried out as Holland American approach (the threat of air strikes). If that fails, called off the third. A Serbian T-55 tank was neutralised and they will fall back on the French proposal (ground several trucks were destroyed. intervention). In Srebrenica, the UN safe area was held by 780 Dutch UN But the document is very vague. Implementation has not Blue Helmets. According to information gathered by the been defined and will require further agreement. […] Who French staff headquarters, on July 11, when the NATO planes will decide whether to launch air strikes? NATO, at the request arrived, the officers responsible for ground guidance had left of the local UNPROFOR commander? Or will the decision still their positions. “The planes were in the air,” a French general fall to the creaky UN machine (the ‘double key’), headed up said. “Their pilots had good visual command of the situation, by its representative, Asushi Akashi of Japan, who tends to but they did not have designated targets for the mission keep the brakes on? And where will the strikes take place? because the controllers on the ground who were supposed to guide them had left.” The pilots – who took considerable risks by flying at low alti- tude – saw their targets, including Serbian tanks, but NATO’s rules of engagement are absolute. They state that targets must be identified, specifically and by name, from the ground. DENOUNCING THE SURRENDER That did not happen in this case because there were no offi- cers to guide the firing. The rule was adopted to limit ‘col- OF THE ‘SAFE AREA’ lateral damage’ on the ground – that is, needless destruction of property and loss of human life – as much as possible.
On 21 July, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence The same day, Dutch Minister of Defence Joris Voorhoeve and defence chiefs from the 16 countries involved in said that he “feared that serious war crimes were peacekeeping in Bosnia (including the US and Russia), committed when Srebrenica was taken.” On 23 July, he together with representatives of the UN, NATO, and reported that the Dutch Blue Helmets saw Bosnian Serbs the European Union, issued a warning to the Bosnian shooting a dozen men. Some of the UN peacekeepers Serb leaders, threatening a “substantial and decisive” reported scenes of extreme violence. response to any attack on the besieged enclave of Gorazde. However, observers raised questions regarding how these In Tuzla, a survivor told two reporters how he had escaped threats would be carried out. a massacre.
Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Special Rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights, also interviewed survivors ‘Conference on Bosnia Issues the Serbians a Li- in Tuzla but was unable to travel to the Srebrenica region. mited Warning,’ Patrice de Beer, Le Monde (France), On 24 July, he announced that he lacked information London, 23 July 1995 (in French). regarding 7,000 people, confirmed by the Red Cross, and that acts of barbarism had been committed in Srebrenica. Extract: The French wanted to send troops into the field, the British dithered, and the White House – anxious to avoid losses and facing a threat by Congress to lift the embargo on supplying ‘Serious War Crimes in Srebrenica?’ Le Monde weapons to the Bosnians – offered only aerial bombing as an (France), 23 July 1995 (in French). alternative. After a day of heated discussions at Lancaster House, on an equally hot day, the participants reached a com- Extract: promise that, although it seems to have offended only the On Friday, July 21, Dutch Minister of Defense Joris Voorhoeve Russians, who oppose any “escalation,” has already led to said that he feared that “serious war crimes were committed” various interpretations. […] when the Serbians took the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica on Based on the documents, the West’s warning to Radovan July 11 and that “hundreds, if not thousands, of people were Karadzic, leader of the Serbian militias, appears to be no killed.” “An investigation must be launched on behalf of the stronger than the one issued on February 28, 1992, during a international tribunal responsible for trying those responsible prior conference that was also held in London. And it is not for crimes in the former Yugoslavia,” he said, quoted by Agence nearly as forceful as the French wanted. The British text is France Presse. The minister’s statements corroborate those of written in general terms that require, at the very least, some the refugees, who have said that they saw many bodies after critical explanation. However, the group says that it will be the Serbians captured thousands of men in Srebrenica. delivered, in the firmest of terms, to the men in Pale, the 68 Bosnian Serb stronghold. […] mutilations. while other Dutchsoldiers said they sawbeatings and Dutch Army, reported summary executions in Srebrenica, Minister said. General Hans Couzy, commander-in-chief of the address the disappearance of thousands of people,” the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica. “But what they saw does not Helmets sawBosnian Serbsbeating adozen men inthe Defence MinisterJoris Voorhoeve alsosaid thatDutchBlue execution site. [...]InZagreb onSunday, July23,Dutch “a sea of bodies.” Before leaving, M.O. saw a pit near the he got uparound midnight, he begantoscream when he saw the ground without moving, lying in the victims’ blood. When bullet hitme.” As the slaughter continued, he remained on first round of gunfire, Ifellalong withhimbefore asingle he said. “Iwasholding hishand and when he washitbythe how he survivedthe massacre. “Iowemy lifetomy cousin,” Bosnians, told two French reporters from AFP and Libération M.O., aged 24,who escapedfrom Srebrenica withtwoother enclave ineasternBosnia fell.Stillsuffering from shock, the theory that the Serbians carried out massacres when this of aBosnian survivorfrom the Muslim enclave substantiated Ten days afterthe fall of Srebrenica onJuly11,the statement Extract: The reporters thenturnedtoMSFHolland’s executive direc- “doing everything possible toprotect thepopulation.” efforts of theDutchcontingent,congratulating them on The DutchPrimeMinisterand Crown Princefetedthe General Mladic, commanderof the BosnianSerbforces. contingent inSrebrenica went sofar astocompliment Karremans, thecommanderof theDutchUNPROFOR On 23July, duringapress conference inZagreb, Colonel in The Hague.” will send all of them tothe International War Crimes Tribunal head and limbs. There are many other horrible statements. We walking through avillage inthe enclave carrying awoman’s able. One refugee toldusthathe sawaSerbian militiaman barity’ here. The witnesses we spoke to were clearly believ Speaking unequivocally, he said, “We canapplythe word ‘bar- Committee of the RedCross. The tragedy isclearlynot over. conduct aninvestigation. Neither wasthe International is thatourdelegation wasnot authorised togo onsiteto by the Serbians. We fearthe worstfor the others. The problem the enclave. We are sure thatsome were summarily executed have any information aboutthe statusof 7,000residents of According to the former Polish prime minister, “We do not Extract: 25 July, 1995(inFrench). ‘A Seaof Bodies inSrebrenica,’ LeMonde(France), July 1995(inFrench). ‘Barbarity’ toSrebrenica,’ LeMonde(France), 26 ‘Tadeusz Mazowiecki: We CanApplythe Word -
“evacuate thispopulation.” Bosnia, hailedtheagreement withtheBosnian Serbsto were missing. Yasushi Akashi, the UN representative in publicly that3,200of thepeoplewhohadleftZepa who hadfledtheenclave. Theorganisation announced teams inKladanj and Zenica were treating the refugees forces whowere alsointheprocess of takingZepa. MSF On 25July, Gorazde was stillunder siegeby BosnianSerb lation –andnowtheyhadallbeenslaughtered! point wasnottobefor oragainst.Itwastoprotectthepopu- disgusted. SuddenlytheywereallagainstKarremans. Butmy “It’s too late, Idon’thaveanythingtosayanymore.” Iwas sudden, wavesof reporterscametotalkme. Isaidtothem, to beunmasked, hedidn’tunderstandanything.’ Andallof a properly,” andsoon.At thatpointIsaidtomyself,‘heisgoing saying outrageousthings, like “TheSerbiansdideverything Dutchbat. IsawitliveonTV. IwatchedKarremans, whostarted contingent. tor, expecting himtolaytheblameatdoorof theDutch Bosnian Muslims.” whose behalf we were there any longer – the enclave’s anti-Muslim sentiment. “No one could stand the people on to Lieutenant Colonel Everts, the battalion wasdriven by enclave thathadbeenlevelled byBosnian Muslims. According Serbian propaganda –of 192Serbian villages around the even peddled the story–which allobserversconsider tobe Serbian cameras several days earlier. The Lieutenant Colonel General Mladic, withwhom he hadclinked glassesinfront of serving inSrebrenica alsocomplimented the behaviour of bad guys”inBosnia. One of the highest-ranking officers tion inhispossession, thatthere are “neither good guysnor Lieutenant Colonel Karremans declared, despite the informa- During apress conference inZagreb, alsoonJuly23, Extract: from 1984 to1997,Interviewed in2000,(inFrench) Dr Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director Minister had come, with the Prince, to celebrate On Saturday, IwentbacktoZagreb, wherethePrime (France), 2September1995(inFrench). with the Serbians in Srebrenica…’ ‘When the Dutch‘BlueHelmets’ Clinked Glasses Le Monde
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‘MSF Treats the First Refugees from Zepa,’ MSF press is the second Muslim enclave in eastern Bosnia to be taken by release, 26 July 1995 (in French). Radovan Karadzic’s forces. Just as when they took Srebrenica, the Serbian plan is to empty Zepa of its Muslim population in Extract: order to achieve an ‘ethnically pure’ region. Early this morning, 1,400 people arrived in Kladanj from the Zepa’s surrender has been anticipated for several weeks but enclave of Zepa. They included, women, children, and elderly there was no response from the West as of late Tuesday after- people, who were unable to bring anything with them. Based noon. Considerable confusion remains regarding Western on our teams’ initial observations, they appear to be in satis- intentions, particularly in terms of what they considered a factory health. ‘red line’, which the Serbians could not cross without exposing Three health posts are open in Kladanj, including one man- themselves to a response from NATO. aged by MSF. Our teams treated 50 people this morning. [...] As if the UN’s only remaining job was to ensure that the Around midday, Bosnian refugees were taken in some 20 buses “ethnic cleansing” took place peacefully, Asushi Akashi of to Zenica, where they are expected to arrive during the night. Japan, the world body’s representative in Bosnia, hailed MSF teams have organised a system there to provide medical Zepa’s surrender as complying with an agreement on the and health care in the refugee reception centres. Another evacuation of the town’s civilians, which the UN helped to 2,000 refugees are expected to arrive in Kladanj from Zepa mediate. “We reached an agreement on the evacuation of early in the evening, taking the same route. Zepa’s civilians,” Mr. Akashi noted. “This is a very significant agreement.” However, the Bosnian government immediately denied that information, stating, “There was no agreement. There was an ultimatum by Serbian forces.” ‘3,200 People Unaccounted for,’ MSF press release, 31 July 1995 (in French).
Extract: The same day, the International Criminal Tribunal for MSF is concerned about the status of approximately 3,200 the former Yugoslavia issued indictments against the people from Zepa who have not yet reached the Kladanj Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic. transit centre. They include 1,700 women, men, and elderly people who have been on the road since July 25, the day that Zepa fell, and 1,500 men of combat age, who were either arrested by Serbian forces or have taken refuge in the nearby ‘Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic Prosecuted hills. for Genocide,’ Le Monde (France), 27 July 1995 However, MSF is ready to receive these refugees as soon as (in French). they arrive in Kladanj. A medical team is on site to provide assistance if needed. In addition to a coordination team, four Extract: expatriates and several dozen local staff members in Zenica The Tribunal’s 18-page document sets out the charges against are treating 4,050 people who have come from Zepa (offi- Karadzic and Mladic: genocide and crimes against humanity, cially-registered women, children, and elderly people) and war crimes, serious violations of the Geneva Convention, are divided among 22 transit camps and community centres. organisation of a sniper campaign to kill civilians (in MSF is focusing on sanitation, distribution of basic supplies, Sarajevo), hostage taking, and the use of human shields. and medical consultations. Our teams are working closely “Since April 1992, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic have with the Ministry of Health and other NGOs. committed genocide through their actions and failures to act In Tuzla, we continue to provide assistance to 7,500 refugees in the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” the prosecutor wrote. from Srebrenica. MSF provides mobile medical consultations and operates collective hygiene and distribution programmes in the two reception centres in Srebrenica and Banovici that its teams are managing. On 26 July, MSF held a press conference in Brussels, Note: MSF teams are also working in Maglaj and Mostar. An together with Amnesty International and two other aid programme for Serbian refugees from Banja Luka has been Belgian organisations. They issued an appeal to save set up. Gorazde, the last enclave under attack by Bosnian Serb forces. A symbolic refugee camp was erected at the Place de la Monnaie.
‘Serbians Conquer the Bosnian Enclave of Zepa,’ Le Monde (France), 26 July 1995 (in French).
Extract: The Muslim enclave of Zepa, one of eastern Bosnia’s ‘safe areas’ – meaning that it was to receive UN protection – fell to Serbian secessionists on Tuesday morning, July 25. After Srebrenica, 70 which was besieged on July 11, Zepa, home to 12,000 people, and organising action. and Balkanactie der Gemeenten havelaunched thissolidarity Sarajevo,” MSF, Amnesty International, CausesCommunes Under the banner, “Remember Srebrenica, SaveGorazde and Frontières of Belgium,stated. conflict inBosnia, asDr. Dallemagne, from Médecins Sans cerns and reject Europe’s shameful failure to respond tothe until Saturday. The public may visittoshare stories and con- centre of Brussels. Fivetents willremain there for four days, A refugee campstands inthe Placede laMonnaie, atthe very Extract: to her, thefailure was apoliticalone. she believed had been given a weak mandate. According that she was notcritical of the Dutch contingent which Srebrenica during the fall, told theDutch daily Trouw On 27July, ChristinaSchmitz,MSF’s field officer in babies snatched from their mothers, and deaths from bombing. fering when the city fell –including little girls being raped, Srebrenica, described, choking backtears, the civilians’ suf when Christina Schmitz,anMSF nurse who hasreturned from [...] The situation became particularly real tothe audience 11:00, Placede laMonnaie, 1000Brussels. A press conference willbeheld onWednesday, 26Julyat actions willbeorganised overthe five days. Statements, conferences, discussions, and other concrete everyone who believes that wemust saveGorazde. July. We hope thatitwillbecome agathering placefor Monnaie inBrusselsfrom Wednesday, 26JulytoSunday, 30 we willerect asymbolic refugee campatthe Placede la In remembrance of the thousands of refugees from Srebrenica, To loseGorazde wouldmean losing Europe. next challenge, and Sarajevo. urge thatallnecessary stepsbetaken tosaveGorazde, the of ourhelplessness. Thatiswhy ourorganisations strongly Indignation isno longer enough. It hasbecome anadmission Yesterday Srebrenica, today Zepa, tomorrow Gorazde. Extract: French). Communes, and Balkaneactie on20July1995(in issued byAmnesty International, MSF, Causes – Indignation isNo Longer Enough’ Pressrelease ‘Remember Srebrenica – Save Gorazde and Sarajevo Jean Wouters, 27July1995(inFrench). Le Soir(Belgium),Agnès Gorissenand ’Four Days’of Solidarity inthe Centre of Brussels,’ V8
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strong. Mostly itwasapolitical failure” civilian population. “Their mandate proved insufficiently She concludes thatDutchbatwasnot abletoprotect the happened tothem. initial flight could not be found. Schmitz does not know what other patients thathadalsostayedinthe hospital during the look for more people who may have been left behind”. Three able toreturn. We onlyhadalittletime. We were not ableto see the cityinsuch stateand toknow thatwewouldnever be from houses. There waslooting going on.It washorrible to Bosnian Serbs were busy taking washing machines and TV’s “Srebrenica isaghost town,deserted and destroyed. The were located. were saved;inanother location, another three elderly people who hadremained behind. From the hospital, three people Srebrenica tothe deserted citytocollectagroup of patients The German nurse returned onthe evening afterthe fall of exemplary manner”. with us. During thisepisode, Dutchbatsupportedusinan our escapefrom the citywetookover80(hospital) patients been abletoget outaliveifithadnot beenfor Dutchbat.In of thousands of refugees. Butweourselveswouldnever have “In the end there wasonlysomuch wecoulddo for these tens pened around usthatwewere abletokeep ourcomposure” wasonly byworking hard and not reflecting onwhathap- Chechnya, but this was much worse to live through. It shocked bythe events of the pastweeks. “Ihavealsobeento Yesterday, the nurse returned to Brussels. She is severely tence of the enclave. organisations present during the dramatic end tothe exis- around the camp.Apartfrom MSF there were no other aid the delivery of medical supporttothe tens of thousands of Potocari, the MSF teamassistedthe DutchBlueHelmets in lation when the Serbstookcontrol of the city. Inthe UNcamp Srebrenica. On 12 July , they had to flee alongside the popu- send bythe Belgiumsection of the aid organisation to Together withanAustralian doctor, the German nurse was eration betweenAZG(MSF) and Dutchbatwasexcellent”. leave together with the firstgroup of Blue Helmets, the coop- events in Srebrenica itself. “Till the moment that we had to statement, but she claims that she can only comment on the and Tuzla. HiscolleagueSchmitzdoes not objecttothis cient protection tothe Muslims during their escapetoKladanj De Milliano statedlastweekthatthe Dutchprovided insuffi- ever” according toSchmitz. fail inany sense. “Ihaveno criticism towards them whatso- According to nurse Christina Schmitz, the Dutchbats did not MSF teamthatworked inthe enclave tillthe lastmoment. formance of DutchbatinSrebrenica isnot shared bythe very The criticism byMSF-Director Jacques de Milliano of the per - Extract: (in Dutch). Dutchbat’ ‘MSF Nurse DoesNot Share Criticism Towards Trouw (The Netherlands) 27July1995
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Christina did it quite well. She tried to separate the scepticism,” the “evidence” presented by the US delegation individuals from the institutional performance. of atrocities allegedly committed by Bosnian Serbs against the Muslims of Srebrenica (eastern Bosnia). Madeleine MSF Holland Medical Coordinator in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Albright, the US Ambassador to the UN, offered seven satel- from December 1991 to September 1992, lite photos taken between 12 and 14 July near the town of then various positions, MSF-Holland Bosnia desk Nova Kasaba and the testimony of a single survivor. This evi- from September 1992 to 1996 dence convinced the Council members that the Serbs had used “machine guns” to execute “people in groups of 25,” killing a total of between 2,000 and 2,700 unarmed men. Two of the photos show a football field crammed with more On 27 July, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, the special rapporteur for than 600 people. Two others were close-ups of a series of the UN Commission on Human Rights, resigned to protest nearby fields where the land was undisturbed. According to the fact that the international community had effectively Ambassador Albright, the three other photos, taken several ratified Srebrenica’s fall at the London conference and days apart, show “freshly moved” earth in the same fields. had done nothing to save Zepa. V9 Traces of heavy machinery were also visible on the photos, despite the “lack of any agricultural or industrial activity.” John Shattuck, US Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights, took the statement of the Bosnian survivor, Smail ‘Tadeusz Mazowiecki Leaves his Position in the Hodzic, 63. The Security Council diplomats found his testi- Former Yugoslavia,’ Le Monde (France), 29 July mony to be “particularly convincing.” Mr. Hodzic, who man- 1995 (in French). aged to escape death by dropping to the ground after the first machine gun round was fired, directly challenged General Extract: Ratko Mladic, the Serbian military leader. According to In his letter, Mr. Mazowiecki explained that he decided to take Hodzic, General Mladic ordered the executions in reprisal for this step after the events of recent days and, particularly, after the Bosnian attack against Visnice, the town where he was the fall of the Muslim enclaves of Srebrenica and Zepa, which born. A US diplomat confirmed to the press that General led him to “conclude that he could no longer continue to carry Mladic had played a “particularly cruel” role in the killings. out [his] mandate.” In that regard, he noted that the recom- The US delegation sought “further investigation” by the mendation to create ‘safe areas’ was essential to protect International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. civilians. The Security Council [...] unanimously adopted two new reso- He referred to two factors that had played an essential role in lutions, one calling for a report by the Secretary-General, by his decision to leave: first, the 21 July London conference and, 1 September, on violations of humanitarian law in Srebrenica second, his own observations during a trip to Tuzla to investi- and Zepa; the other focusing on the Croatian offensive in gate what happened to the Srebrenica refugees. “I consider the Krajina, focusing on compliance with Serbian civilians’ human decisions made in London, which noted the fall of Srebrenica rights. and did not prevent the fall of Zepa, to be unacceptable.” He also described his shock when, upon entering a tent in Tuzla, a group of refugees refused to speak to him because he was rep- resented the UN – “because they felt so abandoned.” In August, MSF gave the press access to the logbook that its volunteers in the enclave had kept during the fall of Srebrenica. Excerpts were also published in Messages, the On 10 August, 1995, the US presented photographs to internal publication of MSF France, which was distributed the UN Security Council proving that Bosnian Serb forces to some 100 journalists. had executed several hundred men near Srebrenica in July. It called on the International Criminal Tribunal for A filmmaker hired by MSF gathered statements in Tuzla the former Yugoslavia to conduct an inquiry there, where from survivors of a group of 12,000 people, primarily men other mass graves were located. and a few women and children, who had fled into the forest The UN Security Council called for a report on human rights when Bosnian Serb forces arrived in the enclave. violations committed in Srebrenica and Zepa. The documentary, “Srebrenica in Memoriam,” was shown on the French public television network, France 2, and on the French-German network, ARTE, in the following ‘Security Council Calls for an Investigation into months. V10 Serb Violence in Eastern Bosnia,’ Afsané Bassir for Le Monde (France), 12 August 1995 (in French). Some of the statements that the filmmaker gathered were also printed in the French daily, Le Monde, in Extract: mid-October. On Thursday, 10 August, the UN Security Council stated that 72 it received, “with great emotion” and “without a trace of The members of MSF France’s Board of Directors agreed to enclave atthetimeitfell. tions thatwere reportedly underway ontheSrebrenica about thepeoplewhohaddisappeared, andthenegotia- use the film to continue to provoke public discussion choice willbelefttothe individuals. Brigitte [Vasset, Director of Operations] replied that the against humanity that MSF members report having seen. He asked ifMSF willtestifyatThe Hague onthe crimes tion. They said they didn’t seeanything …Fewatrocities… Rather, they seemed to admire the Serbs’ level of organisa - the Dutch UN battalion did not take an anti-Serbian position. Hans [Ullens, former MSF coordinator inSrebrenica] said that a historyof the warand statements from Srebrenica. We alsoorganised a3–4day event inBrusselsthatincluded accounts constitute critical testimony. issue apublication onlifeinSrebrenica. The assembled now and we’vebeentoldthatitisn’tnewsworthy! We planto via anarticle orinterview. This isverydifficultinFrance right going to try to communicate what people saw in Srebrenica Bernard [Pécoul,Executive Director] explained thatweare communications. We need tothinkaboutwhatMSF isgoing todo interms of • • • • promises were not kept, • We canstatethe following: […] Stephan reviewed the chronology of events of recent days THE FORMERYUGOSLAVIA byStephanOberreit Extract: Force) peacekeepers are based. the enclave, where UNPROFOR(United Nations Protection thing and flee, under ahail of shelling to Potocari, north of July. More than40,000peoplewere forced toabandon every- nurse, who wasthere for Srebrenica’s lastdays, from 6to22 account of Christina Schmidt, aMédecins Sans Frontières The magnitude of the ordeal. We present the unadorned Extract: the process moved forward like asteamroller. […] little isknown aboutthe crimes; UN representatives were denied accesstothe busesand were ready), Serbs’ high levelof technical ability(for example, the buses many things were not seen, unfortunately: the Bosnian ethnic cleansing occurred, meeting, 28July1995(inFrench). Minutes from MSF France’s Board of Directors 1995 (inFrench). What Happened,’ Télérama (France), 16August ‘Srebrenica inDeathThroes -aNurse Recounts V11
V12 evidence thatwecanprovide tothe tribunal inThe Hague. reality and fantasy. Thisisnot a‘scientific’ document, but isation. We haveno waytodistinguish betweenverifiable horrific events, butitis not the work of a human rights organ- because itreports onanhistoric situation characterised by This film is an MSF tool that expands on the work in Srebrenica [Picard] work,sotestimony tothe events does exist. Chechnya and, now, one onSrebrenica, thankstoChristophe’s Frédéric [Laffont] emphasisedthatthere wasalready afilmon along the wayorwere killed. However, wewere alsotoldthatmany committedsuicide to Tuzla bytravelling through the forest. Bosnian doctors withwhom weworked, hadmanaged toget learned thatapproximately 4,000 people, including the rest of the population taken bybustocentral Bosnia? We What happened tothe men who were then separated from the tias deported them. enclave), families were separated before Bosnian Serb mili- had tofleeunder a rain of shelling. In Potocari (north of the Thursday, 6July. On11July, the entire population, panicked, fall of the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica begansuddenly on Everything happened so quickly and so tragically. The terrible MSF nurse, describes the disappearance of a‘safearea’. and humanitarian volunteers leftthe enclave. Christina, an 21 July, when the lastwounded patients, localmedical staff, Srebrenica’s death throes beganon6July, 1995and ended on Extract: ARTE responded veryenthusiastically and hasbought the film a different way. testimony. It shows thatyoucancommunicate effectivelyin promotion piece for MSF, butis based solelyonindividuals’ Christophe [Picard] presented something new. Thisisnot a It isinteresting tosee that,coming aftereveryone else Film onSrebrenica (Frédéric Laffont) Extract: report willbeissuedinaboutone month. we willalsotrytoproduce one minute clipsfrom theA film. Contacts havebeenmade withTVnetworks and Télérama and edited and willbeready inapproximately 10days. Bernard [Pécoul]noted thatafilm(duration 25’40”)isbeing Board members. with Bosnians onSrebrenica’s lastdays wasdistributedtothe Film onSrebrenica: Atranscript/translation of interviews Extract: cation, September/October1995(inFrench). sion Diary,’ Messages,MSF France internal- publi ‘The former Yugoslavia –Fallof Srebrenica –Mis- ting, 29September1995(inFrench). Minutes from MSF France’s Board of Directors mee- meeting, 1September1995(inFrench). Minutes from MSF France’s Board of Directors
73 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
… counter-attack” to the Bosnian Serb carnage in Sarajevo, Discussion: which left 37 people dead and 87 wounded. … One issue must be returned to the top of the agenda in the “If the Bosnian Serbs do not show that they are ready to discussion about the Srebrenica film: the 10,000 people comply with the rules of the game this time and, thus, accept (12-75 years) who disappeared. If Srebrenica fell, it’s because the decisions of the UN Security Council, we are ready to everyone agreed. Were there negotiations about the fall of continue and even strengthen military action,” he Srebrenica? (Renaud) threatened. Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic called for the bombing to “stop immediately,” otherwise the “escalation of the war will be inevitable and the bombs will destroy the peace ‘Bosnia’s Column from Hell,’ Florence Hartmann, process.” Le Monde (France), 17 October, 1995 (in French). Previously, he had said, “We are prepared to do whatever is necessary to defend ourselves,” but also, “to participate in Extract: the [peace] negotiations.” Most of the men from Srebrenica nonetheless understood that Despite the Western operation, US negotiator Richard the ‘Blue Helmets’ would not protect them. When General Holbrooke also went to Belgrade to pursue his peace mission. Mladic’s troops arrived, 12,000 to 15,000 men between 15 As he was meeting with Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, and 50, followed by women and children, gathered to form a the Yugoslav government condemned the operations against column that fled through the forest and the mountains. They the Bosnian Serbs. hoped to reach Tuzla, a town in government-held territory. Bosnian president Alija Izetbegovic stated that “the situa- Several survivors of that column from hell told their stories to tion has fundamentally changed” and that “the road to peace a filmmaker, an MSF member who came to Tuzla to investigate is open,” thanks to the bombing. the fate of the people of Srebrenica. [...] Doctor Eliaz, who The NATO and RRF cooperation was a first and made use of the worked in the Srebrenica clinic-turned-war hospital during complementary relationship of aircraft and artillery. the three-year-long siege, recounted the following. “All along the column, there was one rifle for every 300, 400 or 500 people. We couldn’t defend ourselves. But we couldn’t turn back, either. At daybreak on 12 July, the Serbs attacked the In early September, following revelations regarding rear of the column and took many prisoners. At the end of the the actions of the Dutch contingent in Srebrenica and day, around 18:00 or 19:00., just as we had gathered to set off several blunders by the country’s Ministry of Defence, again, 3,000 or 4,000 Serbs surrounded us. They showered us tense discussions were held at meetings of the Dutch with shells. Everyone panicked. There were bodies everywhere parliamentary committees on defence and foreign affairs. – maybe 1,000. Many people were taken prisoner. Some man- On 14 September, the Dutch newspaper, De Volkskrant, aged to flee into the mountains and reached Tuzla after reported that an agreement on the fate of Srebrenica’s making the long trek into free territory. The second night of civilians had been reached on 19 July between British our journey, we had to cross a very busy road between Zvornik general Rupert Smith, UNPROFOR’s deputy commander- and Vlasenica. As we approached, we heard the sound of Serb in-chief, and General Mladic and that the Dutch Minister tanks and megaphones ordering us to surrender. When we of Defence, who was aware of the agreement, had kept it crossed the road, at daybreak, they attacked us. The column secret in order not to anger the Bosnian Serb commander. was split up. Many people died or were taken prisoner. The Dutch Ministry of Defence launched an internal inquiry into the behaviour of Holland’s Blue Helmets during the fall of Srebrenica based on a debriefing of those forces.
On 28 August, 1995, the Bosnian Serb forces’ bombing of Sarajevo led to the first large-scale artillery and airbourne offensive by NATO and the Rapid Reaction Force. ’A Series of Dutch Blunders in Srebrenica,’ Barbara Smith, Le Soir (Belgium), The Hague, 2 September 1995 (in French).
‘Overwhelming Western Response to the Carnage Extract: in Sarajevo,’ Agence France Presse, 30 August Last month, Dutch Minister of Defence Joris Voorhoeve was 1995 (in French). acclaimed as a glorious leader of his country and a calm, lucid, and involved war leader. From a bunker in a crisis unit Extract: in The Hague, where he remained night and day, he followed NATO fighter planes, which had coordinated with the Rapid the setbacks that beset the Dutch peacekeepers who had Reaction Force (RRF) artillery from the start, continued their been taken hostage, from the fall of Srebrenica until they raids on Serb positions throughout the day. were released and returned to Dutch territory. Willy Claes, Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance, But today, that same Minister Voorhoeve is in the hot seat. 74 acknowledged that the shelling constituted “more than a Evidence has mounted of summary executions carried out by “neglected” toinform the Minister. leaders. Onseveral occasions, they are said tohavesimply have emphasisedthe errors committedbythe military does not appeartobethreatened. Most of those involved supported bygroups withinthe three government parties, At the end of the day, the position of the Minister, who is army and the Minister’s coordinating group”. that thisinvolvesacommunication problem betweenthe A spokesman explained that“inmost of the cases, [we]think be soobvious thatitishard for ustobelieve them ourselves. after consulting withmilitaryleaders. These blunders seemto lack current information and hadtoretract hisowndenials tions inthe media. Inmost cases, Mr. Voorhoeve appeared to change hisversion of the facts several times following revela- Minister Voorhoeve’s credibility tookaserious hit.He hadto the actions of General Mladic’s troops, simplydisappeared. Serbs, which couldhavebeenveryusefulinaninquiryinto of the civilians placedinsolitaryconfinement bythe Bosnian clumsy Ministrylaboratory assistant. And alistof the names atrocities around Srebrenica was’washed‘ –destroyed –bya film onwhich the Blue Helmets hadcaptured evidence of the verging onthe farcical. Forexample, one of the tworolls of the Department of Defence hadcommittedaseries of errors, increasingly confused. Inaddition, Voorhoeve admitted that and the DutchBlueHelmets’ role inthistragedy hasbecome Bosnian Serbsafterthey conquered the enclave of Srebrenica documents contained “images of peoplewho hadbeenexe- moment the Bosnian Serbswere taking Srebrenica. These Other events raised questions. […]avideo wasburned atthe enclave before beating the retreat.[…] in The Hague, thatthe RedCross begranted accesstothe lenged –the DutchembassyinBelgrade hadstrongly urged, Handelsblad the population.” Everything ?However, according tothe NRC the latter wrote, “ having done everything possible to protect defence counterpart, who came tocongratulate them for as Prince WillemAlexander, Prime MinisterWim Kok, and his they arrivedbackinHolland, they were greeted byCrown return home, evenasthe Srebrenica tragedy continued. When On 23July, DutchBlueHelmets were giventhe green light to […] regard tothe “convoys under the BlueHelmets’ surveillance.” the Muslims wascarried out“properly,” inany event with signed anofficial document noting that“the evacuation” of corpses. Despitethat,the Dutchstaffofficer inSrebrenica dump truck filled with bodies,” and a bulldozer transporting people” inthe Nova Kasaba enclave. The same soldier saw“a sacks lined upthatappeared tobelong toapproximately 100 reported the testimony of asoldier who saw“shoes and knap- people near the Dutch sector of Potocari. The Minister also Helmets witnessed the summary execution of nine or10 According toDefence MinisterJoris Voorhoeve, the Blue Extract: September 1995(inFrench). the SerbsinSrebrenica…’ LeMonde(France), 2 ‘When Holland’s BlueHelmets Clinked Glasseswith daily newspaper –whose report wasnot chal- confirmed Ministry of Defence spokesperson BertKreemers. cuted, the same as those photographed near the sector”, While theDutch press triedtoconvince the volunteers to they would receive all thesupportthey feltthey needed. whether to testify before the various entities. However, In theend,itwas decidedthatthevolunteers couldchoose contingent andtowhichthe BosnianSerbshadaccess. of patients to be evacuated that MSF gave the Dutch proceedings. A specific questionarose abouta list held ontheappropriateness of participatinginthese Tribunal for theformer Yugoslavia. Discussionswere of Defenceand,then,before theInternational Criminal with theinternalinquiryconductedby theDutchMinistry Srebrenica duringitsfall was asked totestifyinconnection In thefollowing weeks, theMSFteamthat hadbeenin them. Oursoldiers clearlyreacted harshlyonoccasion. to the BlueHelmets, who hadrisked their livestoprotect Muslim population and their often rough and hostile response keepers said, the soldiers feltadeep aversion towards the was not alwaysexemplary. As the mother of one of the peace- debriefing. Butitalready seems clearthattheir behaviour The BlueHelmets must now participate inanin-depth eral occasions, he (Mladic) flatly refused totalkwiththe UN. with Mladic afterthe fall of Srebrenica, he said, and onsev- General Mladic. Janvier and Rupert Smith did not negotiate denied thatnegotiations were underway betweenthe UNand However, on several past occasions, Voorhoeve has firmly military. was reportedly signed byatop UNofficial, not the Dutch accusations regarding the civilians. Indeed, the document ment’s publication could have saved the Dutch from any A UNsource quoted byDeVolkskrant said thatthe agree- point. ered prisoners of war, butMladic hadrefused todiscuss this was reported tohaveinsisted thatthe detainees beconsid- sand Muslim civilians bythe Bosnian Serbs. Initially, Smith of violence: the detention and ’evacuation‘ of several thou- Dutch BlueHelmets, hadgranted aweekearlier under threat Smith acceptedwhatThom Karremans, commander of the By entering into the 19Julyagreement withMladic, General relationships withMladic, inkeeping withUNinstructions. that he hadtoremain silent (eventoParliament) toimprove Minister Joris Voorhoeve wasaware of the agreement butfelt According to the daily De Volkskrant civilians thatiscreating adisturbance atThe Hague. UN, and Serbian General Mladic overthe fate of Srebrenica’s Nowit isanagreement betweenGeneral RupertSmith,of the Extract: ber 1995(inFrench). Smith, ‘The Netherlands: the Srebrenica Malaise,’ Barbara Le Soir(Belgium),The Hague, 14Septem- newspaper, Defence
75 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
take a position in the campaign against the Blue Helmets, Message from Daniel O Brien, MSF member of the organisation decided to issue a clarification to the Srebrenica team to MSF Belgium, 28 September reporters who contacted MSF on this issue. The document 1995 (in English). specifically criticised the fact that the UN forces in the enclave were unable to carry out their protection mandate. Extract: On the evening of Thursday, 13 July, after all the refugees except for my hospital patients had been transported out the UN compound at Potocari, now late in the evening at approx- Message from Pierre-Pascal Vandini, MSF France imately 19:00, I was informed that a list of the patients in Programme Manager to MSF Berlin, Amsterdam, the hospital was required by the Serbian authorities. I cannot Brussels and Belgrade, 28 September 1995 (in remember exactly who told me this but I think it was one of English) (edited.) the UN soldiers. The list was to contain the patients’: Name, age, place of Extract: birth, sex and father’s name. 2) One of, but not the only, argument in the investigation is This list was compiled by my female MSF translator […]. the statement [delivery] of several lists of Bosnians from Before the list was completed the BSA commanders arrived, Srebrenica. One of those list concerns wounded people and accompanied by some UNPROFOR soldiers, and inspected the here is the link with MSF, as MSF had had to establish a nomi- hospital and its patients. They stopped and asked some of the native list to evacuate those wounded with safe guarantees patients’ questions but at no stage interviewed me. At the hoping to save them from a certain death.[…] end of the inspection the head of the BSA delegation took the 4) Because of the irresponsible behaviour of headquarters, list off [the translator] and read it. He became quite annoyed Christina and Daniel were under pressure from journalists when he found that she hadn’t taken down the patients’ asking for a lot of detail. Under this pressure Christina and fathers’ names, and instructed her to start again and get this Daniel’s …[behaviour]…could be misinterpreted during the information. He also told her to hurry. The whole inspection fall of Srebrenica. … we, in Belgrade, Brussels and Paris, defi- lasted about 10 minutes and then they left. nitely know they acted in the very most human and exem- Once the list was completed it was given to a young UN sol- plary way.[…] dier who had been waiting for it. I do not know what hap- 5) MSF headquarters in Paris had been informed of the media pened to it after that, and therefore cannot confirm whether broadcasting about the “list of wounded” through MSF the Serbs ever received the list. Holland’s “Flash News”, at least one week after the beginning of this campaign. The telephone numbers of Christina and Daniel were given to the journalist without limits, through MSF Amsterdam headquarters and the German office. Message from the MSF Belgium Press officer to The recommendations (…[which have] to be the rules) MSF Belgium and MSF France programme managers 1) As the Netherland press affairs arestrictly internal [gover- and communication officers, 2 October 1995 (in nance] affairs, MSF …[must not]…be involved with it. English). Information to the media has to be stopped …[at]… that point. You have to notice that ICRC [is] never …[men- Extract: tioned]… in the press articles, even if they [also] had a com- Last Friday during a meeting held in Brussels, it became clear plete list of the wounded in Potocari. that all sections needed to agree on a statement concerning 2) All media (national or international) contacting MSF about the fall of Srebrenica in view of the renewed media attention, events linked with Srebrenica have to be guided directly to especially in the Netherlands. Well here it is, the statement. both Pierre Pascal Vandini (MSF Paris) and Renaud Tockert I hope you can all agree with it. If not, send your remarks and (MSF Brussels), desk officers in charge of Srebrenica, and suggestions asap.I would also like to emphasise what has exclusively to them. been agreed on as regard to media contacts: the statement 3) Both Headquarters, Brussels and Paris, must be informed (see hereafter) can be used by all sections in response to at first about any kind of demand from the media going journalists’ inquiries, e.g. not actively. through other sections or MSF Offices before answering – as Journalists who want more information or who want to inter- long as there is no precise agreement with Brussels and Paris view Daniel or Christina will be sent through to me. I will then – - on any subject concerning the MSF Brussels/France pro- screen the requests and check who is the most appropriate gramme in former Yugoslavia. person to deal with them (Renaud, Pierre-Pascal, Georges, 4) We have to repeat that Christina and Daniel are free to Christina}. I believe that Christina can still do interviews if refuse interview or testimony even if MSF agree to she wants to, but only in a very selective way, let’s say for participate. journalists of which we know they are a guarantee for high- Both of them have participated enough in …[their condem- quality news. This supposes an exchange of information on nation]… of the inhuman acts committed in Srebrenica these journalists between sections and even delegate offices during July 1995. MSF can now clearly express this point and in some cases. let them rest. [Statement] After the various communications issued on the fall of the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica, in eastern Bosnia, 76 and the questions posed to MSF staff who witnessed the in writing,tospecificquestions. Ministry of Defenceinvestigators but agree torespond, MSF volunteers declinetobequestioned ‘live’ by Dutch to take the stepsnecessary toliftthe siege of Sarajevo. MSF alsocallsonUNSecretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and toguarantee the population’s security. tional negotiators toplaceGorazde atthe topof the agenda As ahumanitarian organisation, MSF callsonthe interna- matic negotiations. issue of Gorazde wasnot onthe tableduring recent diplo- Sarajevo –asapositivesign. However, itappearsthatthe latest developments –specifically, efforts toliftthe siege of are wondering whattheir fate willbe. Some interpret the site that Gorazde’s residents (approximately 56,000 people) tinue to claim victims. We have learned from our teams on In the meantime, sporadic bombings and sniperattackscon- ‘safety area’ ineasternBosnia remains uncertain. tion. Today, more thanamonth later, the future of thatlast offered thatcouldensure the securityof the civilian popula- withdrawal took place in June, without any valid option inadequate protection offered byUNPROFORtroops. The Helmets from the enclave of Gorazde wasjustifiedbythe 2) Afterthe twoenclaves fell,the withdrawal of the UNBlue nificant effort toopposethe Serbinvaders. donment of the enclave’s 30,000residents without any sig- UNPROFOR’s inability tocarryoutitsmandate and itsaban- not the determining factor. However, MSF criticises The behaviour of the DutchBlueHelmets inthiscrisiswas the map. and their residents properly. They were allsimplystruck from Group, no arrangements were made todefend the enclaves despite the diplomatic activityof the members of the Contact itarised safeareas’, granted by the UN Security Council, and in Zepa, it did not fulfil its role. Despite their status as ‘demil episode of the warinthe former Yugoslavia. InSrebrenica, as For the international community, this is the most damning enclave and whose fate remains unknown. status of the thousands of peoplewho disappeared from the This must be done inorder to uncover information onthe Bosnian Serbforces during and afterthe fall of Srebrenica. that justice isservedwithregard tothe crimes committedby Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia atThe Hague toensure 1 Médecins Sans Frontières calls on the International Criminal lowing points: events, Médecins Sans Frontières wouldlike toclarifythe fol- Question 17:Sorry, did wedecide toleave itortosay:MSF did Extract: (edited.) Caesar, MSF Belgium,’ 11October 1995(inEnglish) Schmitz, MSF ex-coordinator inSrebrenica toPeter ‘Q&A Dutch Inquiry’ Message from Christina - uation of local staff,the evacuation of ourselves. […] care of the patients, the evacuation of the patients, the evac- Main issues were the situation cc the displaced persons, the soldiers who assisted. Franken, but also with the medical team [and other] Dutch tinuous contact, mostly with Deputy Commander Robert Potocari until 21[July].Inthese tendays, I(CS)hadcon - From 11[July] on we were living in the Dutch compound in requesting medical assistance. security, informing about the situation in the hospital, sporadic contact bytelex, requesting information about During the bombardments between6–11[July]. I(CS)had On 5[July]the new medical team wasintroduced tous. hospital. The medical teamof Dutchbatcontinued itsactivities inthe Potocari. We introduced ourselvesonce toCommandant Karremans in rity meeting at09:30inthe PTTbuilding before the crisis. (CS) had daily contact with the UN-liaison team in the secu- you usually in contact, how frequent, and on what issues? Dutch Un-battalion, during and after the crisis? With who were 2.[Could youdescribeinfactual termsyourcontactswiththe and securitysituation concerning the programme. Paris and reported any changes of the medical, humanitarian telex withMSFB/F coordination inBelgrade, Brusselsand Reporting: We were indaily contact byHFradio and satellite villages of the enclave. centre, the project however wasextended toall surrounding were not abletovisitthe surroundings, butstayedonlyinthe Geographical scope:During the time of ourstaywepersonally inhabitants Social centre with 96handicapped and/or elderly Monitoring oncalorie intake and general food situation Surveillance system(data collection) inhabitants Supply of medicines and medical material for approx. 40.000 E.P.I (expanded programme of immunisation) Water and sanitation Hygienic Outpatient department Six primary health care posts inthe outskirts Tuberculosis programme Family planning (approx. 80beds–internal ward, gynaecology, surgery) Project: Supervision and supportof the district hospital surgery) casualty, adults outpatient clinics, night cover of hospital, trict hospital involving running male internal medical ward, Responsibility of Daniel O’Brien: Medical Doctor(workindis- Responsibility of Christine Schmitz:Field coordination Period of stay24.06.95–21.07.95 what issuesdidyoureport?] to your superiors on the situation in the enclave? If so, on graphical scopeof yourwork?Didyoureportonaregularbasis enclave? Whatwereyourresponsibilities?wasthegeo- 1. Introduction Questions of the DutchMinistryof Defence by UNPROFOR. We don’t know ifany violations of human rights were recorded not record orfilm,anything due tothe lack of camera/video. [During what period and in what capacity were you in the ] I ] I
77 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
6. […] [Did Doctors Without Borders give the list to the ICRC? separation of men. It is impossible to give an exact figure. We to the Bosnian Serbs? In case Doctors Without Borders give a don’t know what happened to them. list with names of wounded persons to the Bosnian Serbs, did On 12 July, a young, male Muslim with his daughter on his the ICRC do so? Does your organisation usually draw up lists of arm came to me, guarded by a Serbian soldier. The man wounded persons? […] requested me to take care of his child since he had to go with MSF did not give the list to the BSA. the Serbs and had nobody to take care for the one year old If ICRC gave the list to anybody [it] is beyond my child. knowledge. 15. [What can you tell us about the refugee convoys between In case of an anticipated evacuation a list of patients is usu- Potocari and Kladanj? To what extent was the Dutch ally drawn up by MSF in order to facilitate the transport and UN-battalion allowed to escort these convoys?] to guarantee the security of the patients.[…] The refugees were transported away from Potocari by buses 8. [What was the role of Doctors without Borders with regard and trucks of the BSA. If escorts of the UN were allowed [it] to the transportation of the wounded persons from the enclave? is beyond my knowledge. From Bratunac?] 16. [Were you a witness to any serious violation of human MSF handed the patients over to ICRC in Potocari. MSF did not rights in or around the enclave? If so, have you reported these have any role in the transportation of patients from Potocari violations and to whom?] or from Bratunac. From 6 July, the whole enclave was heavily bombarded, also 9. [Were you able to visit the wounded in the hospital of targeting civilians. Several civilians died due to the bombard- Bratunac? What do you know of their treatments?] ment, many civilians got injured. Due to limited access and capacity, MSF did not visit the On 10 July a bomb fell approx. 30 meter away from the patients in Bratunac and therefore did not have concrete hospital. information about their treatments. When most of the population fled to Potocari, heavy bom- As mentioned in answer 5, a member of the medical team of bardment continued, also when the refugees gathered at UNPROFOR was present in Bratunac. Potocari. From 12 July on, armed Serbian soldiers were 10. [Were you actually involved in meetings with the Bosnian present in Potocari, but not in the UNPROFOR compound. Serb military? If so, who was present at these meetings and On 12 July I (CS) heard many single shots around one house, what was discussed? With what results?] also in the late evening, but from another direction. Only when the agenda of the meetings concerned the patients On 13 July, I (CS) went back into Srebrenica, witnessing the or matters concerning our presence including local staff and widespread looting of the livestock and the houses of the their family members, I (CS) was present in the meetings population of Srebrenica by Serbian soldiers and civilians. between BSA and UN. I (CS) reported everything always to MSF Headquarters in Many meetings in the period between 12 July and 20 July Belgrade, Brussels and Paris. During the period from 6 until took place, but due to the chaotic and hectic circumstances, 10 July I reported also to the UNPROFOR in meetings or via I (CS) don’t have any written minutes. telex. Therefore it is impossible to recall all results of the different 17. [Were any violation of human rights recorded on photo or meetings. video? If so, by whom and with regard to what violation(s)?] 11. [Did you coordinate your own position with Dutch Beyond my knowledge. UN-officers prior to or following meetings with the Bosnian 18. [Do you have any other relevant information about events Serbs?] during and after the fall of Srebrenica?] Meetings were jointly prepared and exchanges of views were Question not specific. held. MSF coordinated its activities with the headquarters in Belgrade, Brussels and Paris. 12. [Are you aware of any documents signed by Dutch UN-personnel on the request of the Bosnian Serbs or any agree- Message from MSF Belgium’s programme manager ments between the UN and the Bosnian Serbs? If so, could you to MSF Brussels/France/Holland desks and direc- describe the contents of these documents or agreements and tors of operations, 3 October 1995 (in English). the circumstances under which they were signed/concluded?] No. Extract: 13. [Can you confirm that there were relatively few men among Context – Investigations in Holland concerning the role of the refugees in or around the Dutch UN-compound in Potocari Dutchbat in the fall of Srebrenica. Dutch press campaign from July 11th to July 14th? What is your explanation for this? involving Christina and Daniel about use of list of patients to In your estimation, how many men were there?] be evacuated and the use of such a list by Dutchbat and BSA. No concrete answer possible. I cannot confirm nor estimate Christina interviewed several times in an aggressive way to the figures of men in the Dutch compound in Potocari, justify the make-up of such a list. The list has thus become a because the refugees in the compound were taken in charge “hot topic” in Holland as Dutch Press lets understand that it by UNPROFOR. has led to the [disappearance] of 7 male patients. 14. [Can you confirm that the men were separated from the Necessity to clarify: other refugees in Potocari? If so, how many? Do you know 1) MSF - and thus Christina - position towards the Dutch press what happened to them?] and the ’list‘ issue. 78 We had reports from different members of UNPROFOR about 2) Participation of Christina in the special ’inquiry commis- ment of Christina isnecessary ornot. the court,itwillbedecided afterwards iffurther accompani- after points 1 has been clarified. For ultimate contacts with 3. To accompany Christina to her first audience to the court to paythem afirstvisitsoon. stand its way of functionning. PCasaer and F Saulnier will try 2. To organise direct contacts withthe courttofurther under- way “testimonies” should beorganised. Saulnier, tocheck the issue and bring comments about the Peter Casaerwillbeincharge, incollaboration withFr. appraisal and use of the testimonies. The ‘permanence‘ of thiscourtshould ensure anadequate new structure. between MSF and the international courtwhich isatotally 1. To investigate further which kind of interface canexist We propose thus: presence inone wayoranother isnecessary. text of her mission withMSF and therefore the organisation’s lt isclearthatChristina waspresent inSrebrenica inthe con- wish toparticipate and testifybutasked for anMSF back-up. 3) International courtof Justice: Christina expressed her sion willbediscussedifneeded afterwards. could be done. Further personal contacts with the commis- Christina withrelevant questions sothat a writtenanswer Consequently, wepropose toaskthe commission toprovide results of the investigation. sure thatwehavedone everything possible, whateverthe and raises the issueof MSF testimony role. We thus havetobe position during the fall of Srebrenica (“Whatdo they fear?”) mission wouldresult infeeding upnew questions aboutMSF However, to refuse to [give] testimony in front of this com - tions might betoomuch “oriented”. tions might besomewhat brutaland there isafearthatques- to tryuseChristina to‘bleach’the Dutcharmy. Alsoques- This ’commission‘ hasthus no valueassuch and there isarisk under the supervision of the Ministryof Defence. for by…[members of Parliament]…, thiscommission is 2) Ministryof Defence special commission: Although asked answer (Renaud, P-P, Georges orChristina). who will screen them and decide who is most appropriate to wanting toenquire. Allcontacts willfirstpassthrough Anouk This statement willbedistributedtoalljournalists still tection of the population of Srebrenica. circumstances) istotally irrelevant toexplain the lackof pro- tion of the list(which isanyway normal practice inthese population, letting understand thatdetails such asthe ques- collapse of the UN-UNPROFORsystemtoprotect the civilian the international community’s responsibility and the total Holland) and Christina. Thisstatement isaimed atreasserting [communications department] together withMalou (MSF 1) APublic statement hasbeenprepared byMSF Brussels made: Following [lastFriday’s] meeting, following propositions are as official invitation totestimony hasbeensent to her. […] 3) Participation of Christina inthe Hague International Court under the Ministryof Defence. sion’ asked for byD[utch] members of Parliament butcreated I send you also the other telexes, less relevant for the present ciently clear Ibelieve. has not succeeded tofind it.Anyway, the answer issuffi- hard diskof the standard now inPale butuptonow the team assistance for the 2patients. The telex might still beonthe Unfortunately wecannot find the telex of l0[July] requesting found backsome of the telexes. Here isthe small summary of events asreconstructed afterwe Extract: began. Intheend,they decided toforward them. the Dutchcontingentwhenattackonenclave exchanges aboutpatienttreatment between itsteamand hand over toMinistryof Defenceinvestigators thefax in Srebrenica, MSF’s managers discussedwhetherto information aboutthebehaviourof theDutchcontingent In mid-November, astheDutchpress continuedtoreveal case, butI’mafraid thatthisissuewillcome upagain. Of course, Iwill follow Marc’s and Bernard’s opinions inthis intentions. risk thatourwords willbeusedfor purposescontrary toour wrongs suffered bySrebrenica’s population. There is a real They havenothing todo withobtaining reparations for the either internal to the UN, journalistic, or national (Holland). because MSF isbecoming involvedininvestigations thatare You know my view: this is a step in the wrong direction intervention position. Note: MSF’s intervention willonlystrengthen the UN’s non- have beendone, medically speaking. in Srebrenica and Potocari shows that nothing else could patients. On the other hand, the 11-12 July, 1995, situation does not prove that there were health consequences for the our request, even if we were not satisfied with the answer. It shows thatthe UNforces’ command in Potocari considered Françoise believes thatthe telex isexculpatory evidence; it committees. Note: reporters are not asrigorous and careful asjudicial tion wehave. Conclusion: Bernard and Marc agree toturnoverthe informa - [legal advisor]ontechnical matters. […] Brigitte Vasset [Director of Operations] and Françoise Saulnier absence of Philippe Biberson [MSF France President], and of Operations], in their capacity as decision makers, in the MSF France] and Marc Gastellu[MSF France DeputyDirector of I sought the opinion of Bernard Pécoul[Executive Director of I discussedthisissueof testifying onthe events inSrebrenica. Extract: departments, 8December1995(in English). ger to MSF Holland operation and communication ber 1995(inFrench). to MSF Belgiumprogramme managers, 13 Novem- Message from the MSF France programme manager Message from the MSF Belgium programme mana -
79 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
explanation but of interest to understand the state of rela- She is one of the victims from the late afternoon bombing in tionships between MSF and Dutchbat. town. Our facilities cannot offer sufficient intensive medical care. ‘Update Srebrenica’ Message from the MSF Belgium pro- She is 15 years old. Diagnosis: haemopneump’thorax, right gramme manager to the Cabinet of the Minister of Defence of side flial anterior segment lost large amount of blood, but is the Netherlands […] well resuscitated , no intercostal drainage performed yet 1. On 5 July, Daniel O’Brien got in touch with the two sur- because of risk of increasing bleeding into the lung, well geons of Dutchbat and other members of the new medical oxygenated at present; team. The new medical team of Dutchbat including the sur- Please send us a reply in any case geon [M. H] had just arrived in the enclave and they came to visit us and the hospital in order to see the situation. Dr 6 July 1995 20:49 UTC time [18:49] 0’Brien asked assistance for a patient with leukaemia in ter- From: Ops Dutchbat minal stage. To: MSF Srebrenica He requested some specific blood transfusion material not Ref: your message concerning patient time 20:17 available at the hospital but available in Potocari. He asked With our sincerest apologies we are not able to treat your also for the Dutch lab technician to come up to the patient, because of lack of I.C [Intensive Care] capacity and hospital. material The surgeon answered positively to this request. On 6 July, Greetings […] Christina Schmitz went down to Potocari to ask again for immediate assistance. At that time, she has however been From: MSF Srebrenica answered that material was not available and that anyway To: UNPROFOR Dutchbat the lab technician would have to come to the hospital, which To whom it may concern Srebrenica 10 July 14:00 was – due to the security situation – not possible. Thank you very much for your three telexes. 2. Also on 6 July in the evening Christina Schmitz sent a Herewith I would like to give you some additional informa- telex, typed 18:47, to the Dutchbat medical team (see telex tion: until now the hospital received 22 war wounded, most 1 annexed) att [MrT] asking for medical assistance for a of them with minor shrapnel wounds all of them young men. young lady of 15 years old as the hospital had not the facili- According to the President six people got killed. The hospital ties to take care of her. is overwhelmed with patients and relatives. She thus proposed to bring the patient down to Potocari. The The medical staff in the hospital is doing an excellent job and telex from Dutchbat that you have been sent by P. Casaer can until now cope with the workload. (telex 2) signed by H.G.J. [H ] is in fact an answer to this new The windows in the pharmacy and hospital we have repaired request and not to the one mentioned under 1. This telex with plastic sheeting. declines the request because of lack of IC [Intensive care] I appreciate very much your offering of help […] and will capacity and material. The reason for the confusion last week certainly come back to it in a bit more quiet time. The win- was that Christina Schmitz only remembered this second dows in the OT are still intact and fortunately it is request when she found back the diskette with the telexes. summertime. Daniel O’Brien joined by telephone since last week confirms In the afternoon the number of shells falling has decreased formally these facts. however I cannot declare yet the situation as stable. 3. As for the day 10 July, you will find hereafter a telex sent Unfortunately we also don’t have much information on the at 14:00 updating Dutchbat about the situation in the hos- status of the civilians besides medical. However I have pital (telex 3). This telex [was] sent before the request for requested a meeting with the responsible person for the refu- assistance was sent after the new attack with a Multiple gees in the school building. Rocket Launcher which took place after 15:00. When replying Many greetings and with the hope for good cooperation to the request for medical assistance for two heavily wounded Christina Schmitz, coordinator MSF B/F, Srebrenica patients (telex 4), Maj. Franken had thus perfectly been updated about the global medical situation in the hospital. 10 July 1995 14:48 4. Although relations between MSF and Dutchbat were some- From: Maj Franken times difficult due to different reasons before the fall of the To: MSF Christina enclave (Telex 5), we want to stress the fact that MSF and - Again with a troubled mind I must state that we are not able Dutchbat had most of the time a good field collaboration to support you in giving actual medical aid especially in the period of l2-2l July. - Although really very willing I have a responsibility in Hoping that this update will eventually clarify the course of securing medcare for my soldiers events, - My medstocks are at the minimum 6 July 18:47 pm - In spite of the fuel situation the only help I can offer is an From MSF Srebrenica APC ambulance to help evacuating casualties To Medical team attention […] - I have to make one restriction ad that is that the vehicle Urgent message can only be used in town, due to the fact that in case of an Dear […] emergency I need it for my own soldiers which have Sorry to bother you again, but we would like to ask you, if we priority 80 can bring a critical patient now down to your facilities. - Please inform me if you want this( little) help because heconsidered themindefensible. General Janvier recommended abandoningtheenclaves briefing attheUnitedNations, UNPROFORcommander newspapers) reported that during a 24 May closed-door Independent (respectively, French andBritishdaily On 21and30October, 1995, Le Monde and The Christina Schmitz,coordinator MSF B/F, Srebrenica Please inform usaboutyoursteps This isanon-acceptable situation On behalfof MSF Irequest assistance for the population ately tothe PTTbuilding The mayor of Srebrenica isrequesting youtocome immedi - shelling isgoing on The population and the hospital are without protection and We urge youtotake some immediate action Approx more thantenthousand peopleare waiting infront The situation hasnot changed here infront of the hospital. To: Major Karremans and everybody who isconcerned From: MSF Srebrenica 10 July1995UTC time 19:27[17:27] spread misunderstanding. Ialsooppose airstrikes soitisnot General Janvier interrupted himtoclarify. “There is awide- Smith, head of the BlueHelmets inBosnia, hadcalledfor it. again” refused the use of force when British General Rupert Akashi, the Secretary-General’s representative, had“once attack. He said itwas“totallyunacceptable” thatYasushi New Zealand’s representative, Colin Keating, took up the don’t know whatitmeans.” arrived in New York, I keep hearing the word ‘forceful.’ I still said Inal Batu.The officer did not hide hisirritation. “SinceI feeds Serbian aggression inBosnia and thatisunacceptable,” shot. “The lack of aforceful reaction onthe partof the UN the “peacekeeping forces.” Turkey’s ambassador fired the first facing the representatives of the 40countries contributing to basement. Here, General Janvier appeared asthe accused, Another closed session during the afternoon; this time, in the the month. and asked him for a report on the situation before the end of General’s representative, the Indian Chinmaya Gharakhan, Bosnia. The Council passedthe buck tothe Secretary- and withdrawing them from the Muslim enclaves ineastern his work“impossible.” He calledfor assembling hissoldiers explained thatinthe field, the attitude of eachwas making tions onthe role of the unitsplaced under hiscommand. He words. He demanded “clear, immediate, and precise” instruc- Yugoslavia, confronted 15 diplomats and did not mince Bernard Janvier, head of the BlueHelmets inthe former the third floor. Inthe SecurityCouncil meeting room, General Wednesday, 24May, 10a.m.:A closedsession isunderway on Extract: Monde (France), 21October1995(inFrench). ‘Days of Crisisatthe UN,’ AfsanéBassirfor Le […] Inthe end, there wasno third airstrike. responsibility. Iwillmake the final decision.” policy, youhaveasked me todecide. Iwillassume that your counsel but despite all the public criticism against my The Secretary-General concluded bysaying, “Icame toask once the hostages were taken, everyone slippedaway. recalled the US insistence thatthe UNstrike the Serbians. But […] French Ambassador Jean-Bernard Merimée, veryupset, we carryoutathird airstrike against the Serbians?” ” “[…I amhere toaskyouradvice. Thisisthe question: Should Ghali opened the discussion. […] The SecurityCouncil met at7p.m.Boutros Boutros- observers were chained topoles. captured bythe Serbians now stoodat10.Some 80UN and more than150wounded. The number of BlueHelmets reprisals –the bombing of the townof Tuzla –left71dead which hadbeencarried outthatmorning. The firstSerbian Council members of the second air strike against the Serbians, ticipating in a Security Council emergency meeting to inform eral responsible for operations and peacekeeping] was par- […] At the same time, Kofi Annan [UNunder-secretary gen- didn’t evenraise Bosnia. call for the peacekeepers to assemble. But the participants because UN Member States ignored the Secretary-General’s asked was drafted quickly: The Blue Helmets were vulnerable ised. The answer tothe question thatwouldcertainlybe taken BlueHelmets hostage. Apress conference wasorgan - […] [Boutros Boutros-Ghali] learned thatthe Serbians had air strikes. Smith. Inthe end, despite hisreluctance, Janvier agreed to – expired. General Janvier wasonthe telephone withGeneral taken from the UN“assembly centres” inthe Sarajevo region – thatthey return the four heavy weapons thatthey had Thursday, 25May. The 07:00ultimatum issuedtothe Serbians the Serbs. Is Washington ready for that?”[…] General Janvier said, “You are asking ustogo towaragainst Madame Albright continued toinsist onairstrikes and of creating problems,” she responded. […] but as soon asarape victim counter-attacks, youaccuseher “It’s truethatthe Bosnians do no alwaysbehavelike angels, that Bosnian forces hadbroken the most recent ceasefire. ties touseairpoweryetagain.”The general reminded her are extremely frustrated because we havemissedopportuni- English and the officer answered in French. “We in Washington ambassador’s fire in her office. Madame Albright spoke in A littlelater, General Janvier wasthe target of the American accurate tosaythatMr. Akashi isthe onlyone responsible.” His openlyexpressed desire to ditchthe enclaves, and the dential statement wasobtained by the Independent. briefing in New York on 24 May. A copy of the general’s confi- forces in Bosnia and Croatia, made the callinaclosed-door Lieutenant-General Bernard Janvier, the commander of allUN Extract: English). October 1995TheIndependent(UK)(in ‘UN Left8,000toDie inBosnia,’ RobertBlock,30
81 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
way he handled the crisis in July when the Serbs launched ‘Report Based on the Debriefing on Srebrenica’ 4 their offensive, have led senior UN officials to conclude that October 1995 (embargoed 31 October 1995) (in the French officer, supported by leaders in Paris, London and English). Washington, deliberately allowed Srebrenica and later Zepa, a nearby ‘‘safe area’’, to fall to the Bosnian Serbs. Extract: “Looking back on it now, there is no doubt that the general Dutchbat was operating within the UN concept of the Safe was signalling his intention, and the intention of those Area. On the basis of this concept, in Srebrenica Dutchbat whose views he represented, to wash his hands of the safe was committed to help create sufficiently stable circum- areas,” said a senior UN diplomat who attended General stances (including disarming the BIH) to enable the provi- Janvier’s briefing in May. “There is no doubt about it. sion of humanitarian aid, the evacuation of wounded and the Srebrenica was allowed to fall on purpose.” improvement of the living conditions of the population. Between 6 July and 11 July, when the enclave was overrun, Observation posts were set up to that end, patrols took place General Janvier repeatedly refused to heed desperate pleas along and within the boundaries of the safe area, medical for support from UN forces in the enclave, often over the care was provided, the infrastructure improved and contact objections of his own staff. According to UN documents and was established with the civil and military authorities of the officials, General Janvier rejected at least five requests for air various parties in the region. In this way, an attempt was support from the Dutch battalion commander in Srebrenica. made to relieve the most urgent humanitarian needs and By the time he had approved the use of Nato air power, hours wherever possible to prevent hostilities by promoting con- before the enclave fell, it was widely considered too little, too tacts with and between the parties. The manner in which the late. After the town fell, some 8,000 people are thought to concept of the safe area was ultimately implemented by the have been murdered by the Bosnian Serbs – effectively left to UN did not allow for its enforcement by UNPROFOR, and thus their fate by the international community. by Dutchbat, using military force. The UN’s threat to deploy Six weeks earlier, he had told ambassadors and representa- NATO air power if necessary was in fact the only means of tives of the UN Security Council and 35 troop-contributing deterrence. As a consequence of a total blockade by the BSA nations that the UN forces stationed in the enclaves, (Bosnian-Serb forces), Dutchbat was faced with vast short- including Dutch UN troops in Srebrenica, were “of no great ages and therefore ultimately could scarcely be regarded as use”: they were isolated, poorly armed and vulnerable to operationally deployable. being taken hostage. Limited reinforcements and other ges- tures, including Nato air attacks, also were of little use, he contended. The best option available was to pull out. “We have little time ahead of us. We must take measures which ‘Dutch Deny they Betrayed Srebrenica,’ Tony Barder, allow us to limit the risks incurred by our forces,” he The Independent (UK) 31 October 1995 (in concluded. English). “Let us be pragmatic and honest especially towards those whose security we hold in our hands: without lightning rods, Extract: stay out of the storm!” In saying that,” the general added, “I The Dutch government said yesterday its United Nations do not feel I am betraying the spirit of the mission. That mis- peace-keeping troops bore no responsibility for the fall last sion is based on the consent of the parties ... In the absence July of the Bosnian Muslim enclave of Srebrenica, an episode of the consent of the parties, leave them to face their respon- in which Bosnian Serb forces are suspected of having slaugh- sibilities in the zones where we are scapegoats.” […] tered up to 8,000 unarmed Muslims. “No one had ever said what Janvier said so clearly or so coldly before,” said one diplomat from a Muslim country with troops Presenting an official report into the disaster, the Dutch in the former Yugoslavia. “They [UN peacekeeping officials] Defence Minister, Joris Voorhoeve, said Srebrenica’s collapse were always complaining they did not have the resources to had been primarily a consequence of Bosnian Serb aggression implement their mandate, and that was true. However, no one and badly implemented UN policies. “The fall of Srebrenica ever said what Janvier said, that the areas are indefensible, was caused by Bosnian Serb aggression, not by the way in that we cannot defend them, should not defend them and which Dutchbat [the Dutch UN battalion in the enclave] must leave them to their fate. That was completely new.” operated. The opposing forces were far superior in number and firepower. The small Dutch UN unit faced them alone,” Mr Voorhoeve said. He blamed UN member-states for doing too little to protect Srebrenica, Zepa and Gorazde, the three UN-declared Muslim On 31 October 1995, the Dutch Ministry of Defence “safe areas” of eastern Bosnia, although it was clear they published the report of the internal investigation were vulnerable to Bosnian Serb military pressure. procedure that had begun in September. The report cleared “The way in which the UN and its member-states imple- the Blue Helmets of any responsibility in the fall of mented the concept of the so-called safe areas failed dis- Srebrenica and the massacres that accompanied it. Rather, mally,” he said.[…]Mr Voorhoeve confirmed that after the it pointed to problems in the implementation of rules Bosnian Serbs attacked Srebrenica in July, UN commanders governing the intervention of UN peacekeeping forces. refused repeated requests from Dutch forces in the enclave 82 for air strikes against the Bosnian Serbs. peacekeeping force underNATO command. They provided for UNPROFOR to bereplaced by IFOR, a Dayton Accords would besignedinParis on14December. Dayton (Ohio)from 1to21November. Theso-called Muslim Federation, ledby theUnitedStates, were heldin Talks between theRepublicaSrpska (RS)andtheCroat during thefall of Srebrenica. and personal responsibility for theatrocities perpetrated Serb leaders Ratko MladicandRadovan Karadzic for direct On 16November 1995,thetribunal indictedtheBosnian Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Srebrenica. Thesewere handedover totheInternational the existence of anotherdozenmassgraves around new satellitephotographs anddocumentsproving At theendof October1995,theUnitedStatespresented best toperform their militaryand humanitarian duties. Yugoslavia, the report argues thatthe Dutchsoldiers did their served inthe enclave and withUNstaffelsewhere informer Based oninterviews with460Dutchmilitarypersonnel who violence. Srebrenica’s peopleagainst anorgy of Bosnian Serb forces against claims that they did too little to protect The report was commissioned partly to defend Dutch UN Blue-Helmets,” he said. tens of thousands of [Muslim] refugees and among the Dutch by force, thiswouldhaveresulted inabloodbathamong the Mladic. “Had attemptsbeen made torepel the Bosnian Serbs heavy guns of the Bosnian Serbforces ledbyGeneral Ratko Voorhoeve said ithadbeenpowerlesstoresist the tanksand in Srebrenica as a “largely symbolic” UN presence, Mr Describing the lightly armed and poorlysupplied Dutchunit The Americans alsohaveevidence thatthe regular army in according to Sunday’s Washington Post. Serbs during the capture of Srebrenica (in eastern Bosnia), of massacres of Muslims allegedly perpetrated byBosnian Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) withnew evidence The United States hasprovided the International Criminal Extract: French). Agence France Presse, 30October1995(in ‘New Evidence of Serbian Massacres inBosnia,’ NO PEACE AGREEMENT WITHOUT JUSTICE would clearthe mass graves tovindicate themselves. to the newspaper, they were afraid thatthe Bosnian Serbs committed during the warinthe former Yugoslavia; according The Hague, which was set up by the UN to examine the crimes The US authorities submitted the documents to the ICTY in already discovered. tence of halfadozen mass graves, inaddition tothose documents from the US intelligence services prove the exis- According tothe newspaper, satellitephotographs and other participate inthe massacres thatfollowed, itadded. Muslim enclave, which fellon11July, butdid not necessarily Belgrade assistedthe Bosnian Serbsduring the assaultonthe effective military control over Bosnian Serb forces, as both place. It alsostates thatRadovan Karadzic “also exercised sites of summary and mass executions, atthe time they took The indictment statesthatGeneral Mladic waspresent atthe eliminated,” concluded Judge Riad. savagery, “the Muslim population inSrebrenica wasvirtually ation inwhich Serbian soldiers acted with as much speed as In afewdays, during anunprecedented ethic cleansing oper- raped and killed.” of terror that many people committed suicide. Women were the nearby fieldsand rivers. Witnesses describe such astate Dutch Blue Helmets camp: “Numerous peoplewere killed in Other scenes of horror tookplaceinPotocari, closetothe around Karakaj onthe wayoutof Zvornik.[…] Mass executions alsotookplacearound 14 Julyinthe area in mass graves, some of them while they were stillalive.” [...] wounded, were executed immediately. Hundreds were buried being captured.” Those who were captured, eventhe describe how dozens of peoplecommitted suicide toavoid minds under the repeated attacks. Witness statements Muslims were killed, and more wounded. Many losttheir which was bombarded by Serbian artillery. “Hundreds of The firstwasthe column of escapeesonthe road to Tuzla, atrocities tookplace. deployed inSrebrenica, describes three places where the by other sources,” in particular the Dutch “Blue Helmets” survivors of summary executions, confirmed and corroborated The file, basedon“witness statements from refugees and shields”. [...] Sarajevo and for “taking hostages and creating human against humanity for their policy of assassinating civilians in accused the twoBosnian Serbleaders of genocide and crimes comes inaddition tothe one on25July, when the ICTY bloodiest actions in the Yugoslav conflict”. The indictment the capture of Srebrenica” on11July, relates to“one of the Mladic, for their participation inthe “genocide thatfollowed leader Radovan Karadzic and his militarycommander Ratko on Thursday 16November against the Bosnian Serbpolitical The charge of genocide and crimes against humanity, made Extract: November 1995(inFrench). Srebrenica,’ AlainFranco, LeMonde(France) 18 dzic and Ratko Mladic Withthe Genocide in ‘The International Tribunal Charges Radovan Kara-
83 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
commander and political leader”. Over 30 direct witness ‘The Prosecutor at the International Criminal statements make it reasonable to believe that “Ratko Mladic Tribunal in The Hague Threatens to Resign,’ Alain personally supervised the capture of Srebrenica, paying par- Franco, Le Monde (France) The Hague, 17 No- ticular attention to detail”, states the file. “Thousands of vember 1995 (in French). Muslims surrendered to the forces commanded by Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, after receiving assurances that Extract: they would be safe. Some Serbian soldiers even put on uni- Mr Goldstone also allowed uncertainty to persist over his forms stolen from the Blue Helmets [...]. Ratko Mladic was threat to resign in the eventuality, often referred to during seen at the sites of mass executions by several survivors.” the discussions between the warring parties in Dayton, of a Witnesses also report how the Bosnian Serb officer supervised deal between the United States and Serbian president the separation of men and women in Potocari, just before the Slobodan Milosevic, trading peace for the impunity of the executions. Finally, remarked Judge Riad, “on arriving in Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, who have Potocari, Mladic ordered that no man or boy should be evacu- been indicted for genocide by the ICTY: “If a member of the ated from the enclave. Most of them were transported to Security Council or the international community were to be Bratunac and ended their fateful journey in the “killing part of such a deal, I truly believe that all members of the fields” described previously. tribunal would seriously ask themselves the question: is it worth continuing under these conditions?”
‘Main Points and Military Steps,’ Le Monde (France) 23 November 1995 (in French). Minutes of MSF France’s Board Meeting, 24 Novem- ber 1995 (in French). Extract: A peacekeeping force (IFOR, or Implementation Force), under Extract: NATO command and led by a US general, will be deployed in The international tribunal threatened by the Dayton Accords Bosnia-Herzegovina to replace the United Nations Protection on the former Yugoslavia – Frédéric Laffont […] The peace Force (UNPROFOR). agreements signed in Dayton represent a threat to the fate of IFOR will monitor compliance with the ceasefire and separa- the tribunal, insofar as there is a risk that the criminals in the tion of forces. It will be equipped to defend itself vigorously former Yugoslavia will not be prosecuted. Delivery of the in all circumstances [...]. IFOR will have complete freedom of criminals was linked to the lifting of the embargo. Now that movement throughout the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina. the Dayton agreement has lifted the embargo, the criminals are no longer a bargaining chip. Is MSF going to request that what the Security Council achieved by creating the International Tribunal should not be withdrawn? The Dayton Accords, signed on 14 December, also provided Dayton indicates that states can become criminals with for lifting the economic embargo imposed on Serbia. impunity. Are we going to stand back and watch it happen? Richard Goldstone, prosecutor at the International Are we going to ask the Security Council not to dismiss the Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, threatened International Tribunal at the stroke of a pen? to resign if a deal was struck that traded peace for the Pierre Salignon: peace guarantees the ethnic division of impunity of the Serb leaders. Bosnia. But peace cannot exist unless justice is done. As a witness, MSF must ask for explanations and keep on asking MSF France’s Board of Directors had the same fears, and for them. We must not fail to grasp the opportunity repre- was concerned that lifting the economic embargo could sented by the signature of the peace agreement in Paris. It is threaten the deliverance of criminals to the court. It was just as important as the actions we take in the field. suggested that the signature of the peace agreements in In response to a remark by Odile on the projects proposed by Paris could be used as an opportunity to air the issue in other groups in this area, Pierre recalled that we are generally public. seen as distinct from other organisations, and their activities would not prevent separate action by MSF. In a column published in the French daily Le Monde on 16 We could also meet with Goldstone to discuss how to react. If December, MSF’s Legal Advisor Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier states wanted it, the Tribunal would be disbanded, not only asked that European governments commit to a guarantee for the former Yugoslavia but also for Rwanda. that concluding the peace agreements would not take precedence over justice.
84 What ishappening onthe ground, asourvolunteers have for justice to prevail? to obtainajustpeace. Willthey endanger apeace agreement finds itselfinthe same dilemma. Stateshave not gone towar Today, the international tribunal for the former Yugoslavia peace. the crimes committed. Ifwarhasaprice, sodo some kinds of 1923, the final peace agreement granted an amnesty for all ishing the perpetrators of the Armenian genocide. Butin supposed tocounterbalance the potential racial drift bypun- displaced across new borders. Aninternational tribunal was ethnic cleansing inthe region, withseveral million people policy of “one nation = one state” had led to the first great in 1918,byUS president Woodrow Wilson.At thattime, the a new application of the doctrine already usedinthe Balkans to the use of force toimposejustice. Inpractice, itenshrines been signed under their leadership. Butitdoes not layclaim protectors of ourcontinent. Apeaceagreement hasfinally has ledthe Americans toonce againexercise their role as of the conflict, the persistent threat atthe heart of Europe But justice does not stopthe war. Three yearsafterthe start Justice may stillbeEuropean. The peacewillperhapsbeAmerican. sick, the selections and extermination. Then silence. and Srebrenica. The capture of civilians, the massacre of the promise thathadbeenmade. Remember Vukovar, Gorazde that itwouldstillexist inthe future, and beabletokeep the first without material resources and then with no certainty former Yugoslavia. The international tribunal wasestablished justice onthe crimes against humanity committedinthe human beings, the European community promised toimpose Incapable of waging waronthe racial policy of negating cifically denies the equal dignity of human beings. had torely onhumanitarian relief tomanage awarthatspe- been integrated withinaEuropean framework. Brusselshas ideas and symbolic gestures. Onlyhumanitarian action has therefore concentrated onopencompetition betweensmall common defence policy. Various European governments have danger becauseithasneither acommon foreign policy nor a The European community hasnot beenabletoface uptothe determination bythe statetoimposearacial doctrine. war was not a political accident, but the result of a ties in the conflict to define itself by reference to its race. The Subsequently, thissame contagious logic ledeachof the par- logic of the warwithinthe former Yugoslav Federation. the Serbsare”: this political sloganpinpointed the entire purity and conquering territory, wasracist. “Serbia is where The war, which wasstartedinthe name of defending racial enhancing ourunderstanding. mitted onthe ground intellectually tolerable butwithout expression ’ethnic cleansing’ hasmade the atrocities com- a conflict thatisverycloseto home. The invention of the new Dayton marks anew period of significant riskinthe history of The peaceagreement onthe former Yugoslavia signed in Extract: 1995 (inFrench). Advisor of MSF, LeMonde(France) 16December Yugoslavia,’ Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, Legal ‘Let’s Not Sacrificethe Tribunal for the former deliberate Serb forces on30August 1995.They were released on12 December1995. 9. Two French pilotswere detained aftertheir aircraft wasdowned byBosnian committed by theSerbsinSrebrenica. demanded amore detailedinvestigation intotheatrocities On 21December, theUnitedNationsSecurityCouncil Mladic’s presence atthesiteswhere they tookplace. consistent methodof summaryexecutions andGeneral Srebrenica, whichsetout“indisputableevidence” of a United Nationspresented aninitialreport onthefall of On 1December1995,theSecretary General of the pilots that justice hasnot beentraded for the release of the French disappear withthe signature of the peaceagreement, and take a stand to ensure that the international tribunal will not European. Governments within the European Union need to The peace will perhaps be American; justice may still be and ourhumanity? European citizens. Who isnow setting the price of ourlives This American peaceconcerns usasbothhuman beings and role willthe warcriminals playinthe future? refugees and peopledisplaced bythe warberelocated? What ethnically pure? Onwhatbasis and where will the two million where willpeoplelive if they do not consider themselves witnessed, does not answer eventhe simplestquestions: paramilitary elements. area were summarily executed bythe Bosnian Serbforces and an unknown butsignificant number of men inthe Srebrenica referred toinMrBoutros-Ghali’s report, according towhich The SecurityCouncil alsotooknote of the “solid evidence” Srebrenica. committed inJulyagainst the Bosnian Muslim population in their direct and individual responsibility for the atrocities Bosnian Serbleaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic for Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) hadindicted the The SecurityCouncil noted thatthe International Criminal were stillreported asmissing since the fall of Srebrenica. best availableestimates, between3,500and 5,500people Boutros Boutros-Ghali had indicated that according to the In areport tothe SecurityCouncil, UNSecretary General evidence inSrebrenica. [...] intended todestroy, alter, conceal ordamage any items of evening, thatBosnian Serbsshould refrain from any action Council alsodemanded, inaresolution adopted onThursday tors to the Muslim enclave in eastern Bosnia, the UN Security In addition toimmediate accessfor international investiga- atrocities committedbyBosnian Serbsinthe citylastJuly. The SecurityCouncil isdemanding aninvestigation into the Extract: 9 . France Presse , 22December1995(inFrench). ‘The UNWants the Truth AboutSrebrenica,’ Agence
85 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
In February 1996, MSF published a report containing witness ‘MSF France: a Return to Srebrenica?’ Messages statements on the evacuation of Srebrenica and the fate of from MSF France programme managers to the members of the local team. A request for information was president and director general of MSF France and issued on the fate of the staff reported missing. members of the MSF France Foundation, 22 March 1996 (in French).
Extract: ‘Srebrenica Hospital personnel and local MSF staff. Please find attached a fax received from Bosnia, concerning Eye-witness accounts of the evacuation from the numerous questions being asked by some MSF expatriates Srebrenica and the fate of missing colleagues,’ in Bosnia, over our absence from Srebrenica since the fall of MSF report, February 1996 ( in English) the enclave, while Serbian refugees from Sarajevo are reset- tling there. The object of this report is to draw the attention to the fate We would be grateful if you would read it and would then of the hospital personnel and the local MSF staff and pay suggest we discuss it face-to-face (either at a special meeting homage to their work during thedifficult years of war and suf- or as part of one of the meetings organised with the fering in the enclave. Foundation on some Fridays). lt is also intended as an appeal to the organisations and Why are we asking you for this? Because we think it is impor- institutions trying to implement the civilian side of the tant to open up a debate with you on a subject we feel peace agreement to continue their search for evidence and strongly about, and on the operational approach MSF should provide justice for those thousands of people who aremissing be taking following the tragic events that took place in or killed.MSF urges any individuals or organisation holding Srebrenica and Zepa last July (I would remind you that we information on the staff members reported missing to pro- still have no news of 6,000 to 8,000 people, including med- vide us with this information. ical personnel, and that there is a risk of justice never being There were 13 local MSF staff in Srebrenica and the hospital done in relation to this). had a staff of 128. For the sake of completeness, you should be aware that for a This report is based on the eye-witness accounts of 37 hos- month following the fall of Srebrenica, entry to the region pital staff and six local MSF staff collected between 27 around the enclave was prohibited... It is easy to understand November and 14 December 1995. why. Later, with Serbian refugees arriving to settle in the Of the 128 hospital staff, 21 are reported missing; three were area, MSF teams returned to the business of distributing med- killed in the period prior to the fall of Srebrenica. icines in Bratunac (the town on the way out of the enclave), Of the 13 MSF national staff, 1 is reported missing. where men, including people who were wounded, were Furthermore, MSF is still trying to obtain more informationon rounded up before they disappeared. Research on the refugee the actual situation of 50 other hospital staff members. centres is currently being carried out.
In this report on the fall [of Srebrenica] and on the Message from MSF Zenica to MSF Belgium project members of hospital staff and MSF staff killed or repor- managers, 20 March 1996 (in English). ted missing, we make particular reference to the person responsible for civil protection, who was also part of the MSF Extract: team and who was to be found several years later, in a mass 2. There is a new group of refugees that is now in Srebrenica. grave. This particular report is central. It is an account that is They are Bosnian Serb and they are from Sarajevo. They did important to everyone, and which goes beyond the act of not flee from conventional fighting or war situations. publishing a report. It is a way of saying “We were not only However from numerous reports we know that they did not witnesses to a massacre, but also directly involved, because our leave because they wanted to suddenly, after 4 years of living patients were killed and colleagues from the hospital and even through heavy fighting, give up their homes. […] MSF staff went missing.” The interviews that we have seen from the displaced now in Srebrenica are quitestrong.They realize that they have been Pierre Salignon, MSF France Deputy Programme manipulated by their government (I think this group realizes Manager, in charge of programmes in the former more than the others due to the delicate situation in Yugoslavia, 1992-1996, Interviewed in 2015 (in French) Srebrenica) and they “are now paying for the sins of our boys”. For these reasons, I cannot justify that MSF does not assist these people, both by providing them with the neces- sary items (as in other collective centers) in order to have a On 22 March 1996, the MSF team in Zenica asked the basic and safe living environment, and also to let them tell organisation to consider the possibility of an intervention the international community (which includes their leaders) in Srebrenica, with the displaced Bosnian Serbs from how they feel about their situation, and what the exodus Sarajevo who had settled there. In the end, the idea was from Sarajevo has meant (and do they want to go back now?). abandoned, the tragedy of July 1995 still in everyone’s This however may not be the role of MSF (as we risk to be 86 minds. kicked out of R.S. after that – but it may be a risk that we can possible. political and neutral mandate? I do not see how this is refugees ona political basis, then canwestill retain our non- well. Butmy big question is, ifMSF makes adistinction of that the peoplenow inSrebrenica are aware of the reasons as statement explaining why. Ifthisisdone, wemust besure situation, ortoavoid them and make aninternational press either help these peopleand make public their feelings and in their emptyareas. The onlywaytomake the point isto all they are using them like chess pieces justtoputPEOPLE think thatthey willcare ifweavoid these people????After if weare tobereally fair aboutplacing the guilt)do youreally murders (which includes the Bosnian Croats authorities also responsible for the fall of the enclave and the subsequent all MSF istrying tomake the point withthe peoplewho were most of youdo not agree thatweworkthere again,butafter I wouldbehappytodiscussthiswithany of you.Iknow that a policy thatIcandefend. statement aboutwhy we willnot workthere, becauseitisnot needs) then Iinsist thatBrusselsmakes aninternational decided already beforehand thatwewillnot respond tothe means not evengo, becauseIcannot justify going when itis If it is decided that MSF will not work in Srebrenica (which to the situation. decide totake) orMSF couldintroduce international reporters calm thingsdowntosomeextent. because perhapsitsuitedeveryonefor thevisittogoaheadand to them. In fact I said to myself that I’d been allowed to go been executed. The doctor’s silence told us what had happened had taken placethere, thatpeoplewhohadbeen woundedhad of doingjustanything,thatsomethingfundamentallyabnormal back. Ithinkpeopleunderstoodthatitwasnolongeramatter team andweleave. Thingswereveryquiet inthecaronway The otherdoctorcomesbackin.We lookateachotherwiththe happened tothepeoplewhowerewounded?”Thereissilence. Serb, leavestheroomandIaskonewhoisleft,“What enclave, the hospital, etc. At one point his colleague, aBosnian a discussionwithMuslimdoctoraboutneedsinsidethe the clinicinBratunac, wherewegetawarmwelcome. We have here?” I don’t want to go into the enclave. We go to Dovitzdrana, what happened here, [to] the people [that] came through people fromSarajevothere. Ontheway, Isay, “Doyouknow around Srebrenica had come up against various attempts international investigators examining themassgraves victims and arresting the perpetrators. Indeed the seeking outthetruthabout whathappenedtothe MSF was concerned about the restrictions placed on Yugoslavia, 1992-1996,Interviewed in2015(inFrench) want to return to Srebrenica because there are displaced want toreturnSrebrenicabecausetherearedisplaced Nine monthslater, IvisitwiththeBelgianteamswho Manager, incharge of programmes inthe former Pierre Salignon, MSF France DeputyProgramme investigators.” mass graves. They are, however, ensuring the safetyof the a spokesperson. “Our troops are not providing security for equipment. “IFOR’s position has not changed,” according to the edge of the field, bodies were dug up using earthmoving ICTY inspectors where, according toperfectlyvisibletraces at report hasreferred tothe caseof the mass grave inspected by to dig up bodies that had been buried. Nonetheless, no NATO NATO aircraft, which woulddetect immediately any attempts Smith hadannounced thatthe siteswouldbemonitored by sites of mass graves. IFORcommander Admiral Leighton force (IFOR),which resolutely refuses toguard the presumed tigators are questioning the attitude of the multinational mixed inwiththe freshly dug earth[...].Increasingly, inves- last week,butthe investigators found pieces of skeleton site appeared tohavebeen“cleaned up”before their visit journalists who accompanied them, atleastone mass grave committed lastyear. According toobservations made bythe whether the Serbsare seeking toconceal evidence of crimes Srebrenica […] The investigators also need to establish cide” and “war crimes” for the massacres committed around political and militaryleaders of the Bosnian Serbs, for “geno - has already indicted Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, the The results of the investigation will be sent to the ICTY, which Muslims captured when the enclave wastaken inJuly1995. Bosnia, where the Serbian army executed and buried Bosnian tion of around 15sitesinthe Srebrenica region of eastern Criminal Tribunal (ICTY) in The Hague completed their inspec- On Saturday 13April, investigators from the International Extract: would beatstake ifwedid. cannot do anything toprevent them; no doubt the peace are doing things to remove the traces of mass graves and we the real investigation willconsist of. We know thatthe Serbs international community and youhavetoaskyourselfwhat mass graves. Some places used as decoys are cited bythe manipulation and attemptstomisleadaround the issueof alibi more thananything else, and weare seeing examples of of statesand itslimitations are therefore obvious. It isan (created bythe United Nations) depends onthe willingness cred during the fall of Srebrenica. The International Tribunal We are now certainthat5,000to8,000peoplewere massa- Extract: the ICTY, MladicandKaradzic hadnotyet beenarrested. to concealevidence. Althoughthey hadbeenindictedby French). Ourdan, Sites of Massacres inBosnian Territory,’ Rémy ‘International Investigators Have Inspected the 23 February 1996(inFrench). Minutes of the MSF France Board Meeting, Le Monde(France) 16April 1996 (in
87 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
‘Who Wants Justice?’ Nicole du Roy, Télérama into the hands of Ratko Mladic’s Serbian militias. The authors (France) 24 April 1996 (in French). relied mainly on confidential UN and NATO documents to trace the line of the events and identify the tragic series of Extract: non-decisions. They also gathered witness statements from Why, when Serbia has been declared a “criminal state” should people who were directly involved in the drama, in particular charges not be laid against its president, Slobodan Milosevic? officers in Western intelligence services and members of the […] United Nations. The documentary has already been shown in Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, the Médecins Sans Frontières the same version on the British television channel Channel 4 lawyer who works with the tribunal on a regular basis, offers on 29 May; no attempts have been made to deny the serious the following response: “If the international community has accusations made. to choose between peace and justice, obviously peace will win out. Otherwise, how can we explain the fact that Karadzic and Mladic are still free? Karadzic is one of the people whose liberty is currently maintaining the peace agreement. Arresting and above all, judging him would mean revealing On 4 July 1996, the results of the investigation were his relationship with President Milosevic, the main signatory presented to the International Criminal Tribunal for the of the Dayton Accords. Economic sanctions against Serbia, former Yugoslavia, providing it with tangible evidence of the only way for the tribunal to exert pressure on the country premeditated crimes and direct participation by General to deliver its criminals, were lifted the very day after Dayton. Mladic. It’s obviously essential that the court continues to exist, but above all, that its working conditions and independence are Witness statements made to the court by the Dutch Blue secure.” Helmets again showed their passive attitude in the face of the Bosnian-Serb atrocities.
During his hearing, the former Dutch Chief of Staff accused the French authorities of having forced General Janvier to On 29 May 1996, the British television channel Channel cancel planned air strikes before the enclave was 4 broadcast the documentary “Srebrenica, a Bosnian captured. Betrayal”. Based on UN and NATO documents and witness statements, a group of US, British, French and Dutch Although no photographs of the Srebrenica area between journalists showed that the population of Srebrenica was 5 and 17 July 1995 have been published, the French daily knowingly left by the international community to face La Croix has revealed that the CIA – which is in possession the violence of the Bosnian Serbs. The documentary was of satellite photos taken during this period – had informed also to be shown on the French channel France 2 on 22 the West of the massacres taking place there. September 1996. V13 V14 On 9 July 1996, the Tribunal issued international arrest warrants for Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic.
‘The Abandonment of Srebrenica,’ Florence Hart- mann, Le Monde (France), 22 September 1996 (in French). ‘The Appalling Massacre in Srebrenica is Retold to the Tribunal in The Hague,’ Alain Franco, Le Monde Extract: (France) 5 July 1996 (in French). It is now time to answer a crucial question: has the interna- tional community, which two years earlier sent armed Blue Extract: Helmets to monitor the security of a population under siege, Based on many similar accounts, the ICTY investigator dem- been prevented from honouring its commitments? Or did it onstrated on Wednesday that the crimes perpetrated in simply decide to do nothing? Srebrenica were premeditated and planned, that Mladic was That’s the question a group of French, US, British and Dutch directly involved in them and that there were subsequent journalists decided to answer. They spent six months investi- attempts to “destroy evidence”. The documents he produced gating in the United States, Europe and Bosnia. The results of also raise a question: were no other photographs produced their investigations will be presented in “Envoyé spécial”. between the aerial shots taken in various places in the region This makes the document an event not to be missed, as the on 5 July, and those taken on the 17th? The source of the implacable demonstration of a cynical failure. The team of documents was not revealed, but people may recall that the journalists has found evidence showing that the interna- Americans had shown similar shots to the UN Security Council tional community had long been aware of the preparations in August 1995. Was nothing observed between these two for the Serbian offensive against the enclave. And that the dates? Were the major powers unaware of the nature and United Nations left the victims to their executioners, later scale of the crime being committed in the Srebrenica region, ignoring information concerning the massacre of thousands which is now estimated to have caused ten thousand deaths? 88 of civilians in the hours that followed the fall of the enclave protect thepopulation hadstillnotbeenestablished. fact thatpolitical responsibilities intheUN’s failure to Belgian andFrench media,emphasisinginparticular, the several leading figures inMSFpublishedcolumnsthe On 11 July 1996, a year after the fall of Srebrenica, lying onthe ground, dead, according to“LaCroix”. other men withweapons. The following image shows them July 1995 onwards, showing men standing up,surrounded by had photographs taken by satellites and spy planes from 13 attempted todeny, assertsthatthe US intelligence services paper, whose statements no-one inWashington has which wasinvaded bythe Serbson11July1995.The news- had warned the westaboutthe massacres inSrebrenica, eye. According to the French newspaper “La Croix”, the CIA tude of the major powers, who havepreferred toturnablind would go one step further towards demonstrating the atti- Such photographs probably do exist, butdisseminating them diplomatic point of view, itwouldfall atjustthe right time. images of men being executed one afteranother? From a days of July1995.Is itpossibletobelieve thatthere are no massacres and just afterwards, but not during the bloody prosecutor showed the aerial photographs taken before the Such passivitytowards the crime no doubt explains why the of the SecurityCouncil wanted tointervene. July 1995, neither France nor any other permanent member quered the enclave, changes nothing: during these weeksin i.e. less than 24 hours before the Bosnian-Serb forces con General Janvier tocancel the airstrikes scheduled for 10July, Chief of Staff,who hasaccusedParis of having ordered The accusations made in recent days by the former Dutch own subordinates, speaksvolumes aboutthe UN’sbehaviour. “not mentioning” the reports of executions produced byhis General Mladic aboutthe fate of refugees, tothe extent of Supreme Commander inthe enclave, “did not think” to ask ties. The fact thatColonel Karremans, the United Nations international community’s refusal to accept its responsibili - Dutch BlueHelmets, which againshed astarklight onthe comes from the witness statements made tothe ICTY bythe persistent sense of unease and shady areas. The unease In the meantime, the hearings of the lastfewdays leavea who periodically entered itsterritory, tothe ICTY. erate with international justice by not referring the two men, Security Council the fact thatBelgrade wasrefusing tocoop- Subsequently, the prosecutor asked the Courttoreport tothe Interpol and arrested byany police force inthe world. [...] should take placeonThursday, the twomen canbesought by against humanity. As soonasthe warrant isissued, which accused, amongst other things, of genocide and crimes Bosnian-Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, that aninternational arrest warrant beissuedfor the two In hisconcluding statement, prosecutor Mark Harmon asked Extract: (Belgium) The Hague, 9July1996(inFrench). an Arrest Warrant butUnease Remains,’ LeSoir ‘The International Tribunal inThe Hague Issues - into mass graves. were lefttotheir killers, executed incoldbloodand thrown alone, helpless and hunted. Some 8,000of them, mainly men, several thousand others tried tofleethrough the forest, then deported over 30,000 civilians in a few hours, while Working to a carefully prepared plan, General Mladic’s soldiers old people. To the left,teenagers and men. civilians into twocolumns. To the right, women, babies and night thatpredicted the worst.The Serbian soldiers splitthe People alloverthe worldsawimages ontheir televisions that in Bosnia: the massacre of the peopleof Srebrenica? Do youremember one of the most terribleepisodes of the war Extract: blockade, and tobear witness towhathappened toit. day-to-day lives of a population that was subjectto an inhuman immediately tookthe decision tostay, inorder toimprove the 1993, following inthe footsteps of General Morillon. They MSF volunteers entered the enclave for the firsttime in March 10. The extract provided here isthe section common tobotharticles. authorities inFrance responded tothisblackmail and defended gated the wayin which the highest civilian and military - To date, no French parliamentary commission hasinvesti lation inSrebrenica. sible for the promise of protection made tothe civilian popu- the United Nations forces inBosnia. It wastherefore respon- France, through General Janvier, held the high command of Why? who were attacking the enclave. in Srebrenica for NATO tolaunch strikes onthe Serbian forces repeated requests from the commander of the Blue Helmets General inthe former Yugoslavia, Yasushi Akashi, opposed Helmets inBosnia, and the representative of the UNSecretary archy onthe fact thatGeneral Janvier, commander of the Blue Conversely, there hasstillbeenno response from the UNhier- has published itsreport. iour of their battalion during the massacres inSrebrenica and The Netherlands launched aninvestigation into the behav- not completelyclear. ’safe area‘ of Srebrenica wasbetrayed and abandoned are still A yearon,the circumstances inwhich the population inthe the ethnic cleansing practised bythe Serbian militiamen. the enclave atthe time) having simplybecome auxiliaries for without intervening, the DutchBlueHelmets (who were in The United Nations allowed the crimes to be committed enclave inZepa). pear inearlyJuly1995(followed afewweekslaterbythe Abandoned by Western states, it was also the first to disap- (UNPROFOR). since by a battalion of the United Nations Protection Force be declared a’safearea‘ bythe UNin1993and protected Srebrenica wasthe first of the enclaves ineasternBosnia to (in French) Saulnier, MSF France, LaCroix (France), July1996 cowardice’ Pierre Salignon and Françoise Bouchet- July 1996/‘Srebrenica one yearon:questions of Luc Nicolas, MSF Belgium,LaLibre Belgique, 11 ‘Srebrenica One Year On,’ DrRenaud Tockert and 10 . -
89 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
the interest of the civilian populations in the enclaves. in Bosnia-Herzegovina as a “moral cause”, their “erroneous” President Jacques Chirac himself is currently under the spot- evaluation of Serbian objectives, their refusal of aerial bom- light in an investigation led by the Dutch television channel bardments against the Serbs, their “appeasing” of Serbs in IKON-Kenmerk and the British Channel 4. Could the circum- Bosnia, but also the lack of political will from the major stances that led to the massacre of several thousand people powers to curtail the exactions by force, all led to the be part of the ‘secret defence’ establishment in our country? Srebrenica “tragedy” in July 1995, its fall to the Serbs and the - How is it possible to explain that, to date, the two main massacre of the thousands of civilians refuged there. These political and military leaders of the Serbs in Bosnia, Radovan are the terms used by the United Nations Secretary General in Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, are the only people ‘responsible’ a report that explains the events which led to the fall of for the massacres in Srebrenica to be taken to court and that Srebrenica, where 2,500 bodies were found in a mass grave they have still not been arrested, in spite of the accusations and where, according to the Red Cross, over 7,000 people are of crimes against humanity and genocide levied against reported missing. The Srebrenica tragedy is horrifying for two them? The only person accused in this affair, currently reasons, writes Kofi Annan: the scale of the crimes and the detained in The Hague, is a repentant militiaman who took fact that civilians thought they were safe due to the presence part in the massacres of several hundred Muslims. of the UN’s Blue Helmets. - How it is possible to explain that no other names of crimi- nals have been cited? Are they therefore also necessary to Too little too late, some will say. Nonetheless, the joint mea ensure peace, to reconstruct the ruins of Srebrenica on the maxima culpa expressed by Mr. Annan is unprecedented in basis of forgetting and disregarding the dead? Yet Lieutenant- the United Nations’ history: “Through our serious errors of Colonel Karremans, commander of the battalion of Blue judgement and our inability to recognise the scope of the evil Helmets in Srebrenica, knew the Serbian soldiers with whom confronting us, we failed to do our part to save the people of he was forced to negotiate well. Srebrenica from the Serb campaign of mass murder” wrote the The final unanswered question: the responsibility of Slobodan Ghanaian diplomat. Milosevic, the man in charge in Belgrade, of whom increas- Drawn up from interviews with international leaders, civil and ingly detailed allegations record deliveries of arms to the military observers, journalists and the UN’s confidential Bosnian Serbs before the attack on Srebrenica, and the par- archives, this 150 page report should be presented to the ticipation of troops in the massacres that followed. Security Council early in the week. The “failings” committed For the victims of Srebrenica, justice is not a luxury. Nor is it by the Secretariat, and so by Mr. Annan who was charged with a form of vengeance, but an essential step before reconstruc- peace keeping operations at the time, we read, “were rooted tion can take place and people can turn to the future. It is in our [UN] philosophy of neutrality and nonviolence wholly also the only way of repairing a society that has been broken unsuited to the conflict in Bosnia.’’ Mr. Annan specified that and torn apart. Finally, asking the international community this should not let other “more fundamental” errors be over- for justice is the only way to prevent states from building looked, such as the Security Council’s creation of “security peace in Bosnia on the basis of criminals going unpunished. zones” without the military means to protect them, and the international community’s decision to respond to Bosnia- Herzegovina “not by decisive military action”, but by “an embargo on arms, with humanitarian aid and the deployment On 30 November, 1998, resolution 53/35 at the United of Blue Helmets.” This attitude, he considers, “stripped the Nations General Assembly called for a “detailed report Bosnians of their right to legitimate defence.” […] including an evaluation of events in the Srebrenica In a country where the Serbs had decided to create ethnically security zone in ex-Yugoslavia”. cleansed zones and the international community did not use force to oppose them, “humanitarian action could never have On 19 November, 1999, Kofi Annan, the new United been the answer”. Thus he admits that to end the war in Nations Secretary General and under-Secretary General Bosnia, the international community should have lifted the charged with the UN’s peace keeping operations during arms embargo for Muslims and used aerial bombardments the events of July 1995, made the UN’s report on the fall against the Serbs. […] of Srebrenica public. The report recognised the “errors of “We were wrong to declare publically and often our refusal to judgement” made by the United Nations. It called for the bomb the Serbs and accept the daily bombing of security member States involved to conduct inquiries at national zones by the Serbian forces.” As for the 150 Dutch Blue level into their own responsibilities. Helmets, who could not have opposed “2000 Serbs with armoured vehicles,” they should have reported the atrocities they were witnessing much faster.
‘Kofi Annan’s “Mea Maxima Culpa” for the Srebre- nica Massacre,’ Le Monde (France) 17 November 1999 (in French). In the Netherlands, the UN report, seen as letting the Extract: Dutch contingent off the hook, was welcomed with relief An “inappropriate” principled position of “impartiality” from by politicians and the tabloid press. Other media outlets 90 UN leaders in New York, their “inability” to recognise the war called on the government not to leave the matter there. on France’s role duringSrebrenica’s fall. decided topushfor aparliamentaryinquirycommission On 19November 1999,MSFFrance’s Board of Directors the honourable thing”. example and cleanuptheir ownbackyard, they willbedoing extremely small-minded they are. Butifthey follow the UN’s report, the government and politicians will demonstrate how Netherlands’ “openwound”: “Ifthey hide behind thisUN plight. The centre-left paperDeVolkskrant scratches atthe for hisfeebleattitude and lackof interest inthe Muslims’ colonel Karremans, the head of Dutchbat and a man renowned offered adeparture gift“for yourspouse”toLieutenant- Dutch daily paperreminds usof the cynicism of Mladic who operations are far more complicated thanforeseen”, the Culpa”. Before concluding that“international peacerestoring the editorial inNRCHandelsblad bearsthe title“Nostra creation of aParliamentary inquirycommission. Conversely, erals (the ministerof defence’s partyatthe time) opposethe and reminds usthatWimKok’s social democrats and the lib- It stresses the politicians’ “relief” atthe report’s publication insert to the event with “Mission Impossible” as a headline. The daily paperAmsterdam Het Parool dedicates itssecond the systematic atrocities committedbythe Serbs“. soldiers couldhavebeenmore dynamic intheir reporting of few lines down, the Telegraaf does concede thatthe “Dutch “The BlueHelmets hadno powertostopthe massacres”. A “Dutchbat honour re-established”. The paperprinted inbold and deeply nationalist daily newspaper ran its headline on to turnthe page. Unsurprisingly, DeTelegraaf, awidely read Since then, most of the press and politicians want the country Srebrenica represents for the Netherlands. […] even read the report) speaksvolumes aboutthe trauma Dutchbat Blue Helmets. His alacrity in this regard (he had not character of the report, notably regarding the roles of the The Dutch minister of defence insisted on the “nuanced” Extract: TOWARD ANAPPEALTO ESTABLISH THE FRENCHRESPONSIBILITIES (in French). Monde (France) The Hague, 24November 1999 ‘Sebrenica’s Dutch Battalion,’ Alain Franco, Le it’s aboutdemanding explanations. the term,alogical follow uptosteps taken for Rwanda, and Christian Losson: It’s a political gesture in the broad sense of them” and then they were massacred. enclaves setup.We were told“Goahead, we’re protecting Bruno Corbé:You couldeven saythatwewere fooled bythe because wewere in Srebrenica from starttofinish. Karim [Laouabdia]: It’s legitimate thatweaskthe question we’ve already got some support... liamentary figures to get the commission puttogether, and Parliament’s job. We justneed agreement from 25or40par- writing aletter, wedon’t need toprovide proof... thatwillbe Françoise Saulnier: We’re justasking aquestion... We’re it properly soitdoesn’t get dismissed. seems tome primordial toensure the callisvalid, formulating and dispersing power. If we want to support this group, it to protect populations while actually diluting responsibility bringing tolight allthe mechanisms thatparadoxically claim Philippe Biberson:Holding aninquiryonSrebrenica means the other atthe UN’s. two-pronged secrecy over defence – one at the French level, national reference points. Thiscollusion isreinforced bya– soldier, evenwhen under UNcommand, alwayskeeps his Françoise Saulnier: We havetobearinmind thataFrench up? ties (aFrenchman). What’sthe chainof command inthisset Srebrenica felland pinpointed General Janvier’s responsibili - Karim [Laouabdia]: ABBCdocumentary clearlyshowed how justified? mand, socanthe creation of aninquirycommission be Marc LePape: ButFrance didn’t havethe United Nations com- I thinkwecanfocus onthiscritical point for Srebrenica. Parliamentary control wasneeded overmilitarydecisions and made. The Rwandan commission did end upconcluding that accompli’ before any effort towards transparency hasbeen Françoise Saulnier: Firstof allitisrejecting the policy of ‘fait achieve? Christian Losson:CouldyouspecifywhatthisGroup aims to from peoplescarred for lifebytheir experiences overthere. be ajoint undertaking soastoavoid the callcoming uniquely Françoise Saulnier: No, butthe main point isthatthiswould this? Virginie Raisson:Doyouseeany reason why weshouldn’t do understand. The board members asked questions soastoevaluate and ICC (International Criminal Court)and the Dutchcommission. reminded the Board thatMSF hadalready testifiedbefore the future (and not onlytoremember whathappened). She become involvedasamatter of principle and aboveall,for the to bolsterthiscall.Françoise Saulnier considers thatMSF can The Group isasking for MSF’s support and participation soas Srebrenica enclave bypolitico-governmental bodies. lines of Rwanda’s) to throw light onthe management of the creation of a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (along the the Citizens Group for Bosnia. Thisgroup wants tocallfor the Françoise [Bouchet-] Saulnier relayed a call to the Board from Extract: ting, 19November 1999(inFrench). Minutes of MSF France’s Board of Directors Mee -
91 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
Decision publication of a ‘debriefing’ report on the Blue Helmets pro- The board decided to engage with the Group of Citizens for tecting the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica in July 1995 in Bosnia in its call for the creation of a Parliamentary Inquiry Bosnia. Commission on Srebrenica. “The judicial inquiries into the crimes committed by the Dutch Blue Helmets were obstructed by the Minister of Defence who retained the information”, states the daily paper Trouw (protestant) in its lead story. The most important moment was when the United On Tuesday the Public Prosecutor dropped the charges against Nations Secretary General’s report came out on the seven Dutch soldiers accused of crushing a group of Srebrenica. There was a whole context around it. So Françoise Muslims and non-assistance to persons in danger due to a proposed launching an appeal. It happened very quickly and lack of witnesses. naturally. I don’t remember there being long discussions about “If the Defence Minister had communicated the debriefing doing it. report of 1995 to us before 1998, we could have found wit- nesses more easily”, declared the Public Prosecutor’s Fabien Dubuet, MSF France Deputy Legal Advisor, spokesperson. 1995-2005, Interviewed in 2015 (in French) The Defence Minister Frank de Grave, who passed the debriefing report directly to the Court upon his nomination in 1998, recognised that his predecessor had not been “suffi- ciently transparent” in this affair. Due to the Defence Minister’s “negligence”, “Srebrenica will On 10 December, MSF raised the Srebrenica events in its continue to haunt the Netherlands”, states the daily paper Nobel peace prize reception speech, emphasising the Algemeen Dagblad (right) in an editorial, stating that the need to reform United Nations peace keeping operations. debriefing report made public on Tuesday is a “catalogue of reprehensible attitudes”. According to the witness accounts published in this report, several Dutch soldiers threatened Muslim children with their ‘ MSF Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech,’ by weapons, demonstrated racist and extreme right attitudes, Dr.James Orbinski, MSF International President, had sexual relationships with Srebrenica women “for a jar of 10 December 1999 (in English). jam or peanut butter”, refused to provide medical aid or worked the black market. Extract: “The Blue Helmets had a negative take on the Muslims com- If UN military operations are to protect civilian populations pared to their high opinions of the Bosnian Serbs” who took in the future, they must go beyond the mea culpa excuses of the enclave on 11th July 1995, according to the conclusion the Secretary General over Srebrenica and Rwanda. There of this debriefing report. must be a reform of peace keeping operations in the UN. Member States of the Security Council should be held publicly accountable for the decisions that they do or do not vote for.
On 20 March, 2000, MSF’s legal director presented an internal context memo to the Association’s management concerning the latter’s call for a parliamentary inquiry On 21 December, 1999, the Dutch minister of defence commission on Srebrenica. published a more detailed report on the Blue Helmet debriefing. It was only passed over to the court in 1998, This initiative was aligned with MSF’s call in 1998 for the thus obstructing legal proceedings against the Dutch creation of a parliamentary information mission on battalion soldiers. The press accused him of retaining Rwanda and the hearings of one its members therein. information and obstructing justice. Parliament set up a provisional commission charged with investigating the It was part of a drive to evaluate the level of protection political responsibilities in play during the Dutch peace actually provided to populations by peace keeping keeping operations. operations.
‘Strong Criticisms of the Minister of Defence in ‘An Inquiry Commission on France’s Role During the the Srebrenica Affair,’ Agence France Presse, The Srebrenica Enclave’s Fall,’ Françoise Saulnier and Hague, 22 December 1999 (in French). Fabien Dubuet, Legal Advisors of MSF France, Context memo, 20 March, 2000 (in French). Extract: The Dutch press multiplied its criticisms of the Minister of Extract: 92 Defence at The Hague on Wednesday, the day after the late The calls for an inquiry commission on Rwanda and today on 2. 1. Two pitfalls toavoid […] humanitarian action.[…] players does not prejudice populations orindependent would seemessential sothatconfusion betweenthe different a clarification of the roles and responsibilities of eachparty the possiblereinforcement of amilitarypresence inconflicts, new waveof manipulation of humanitarian action […]Given considered asareturn of militaro-humanitarianism and/or a cold warcontexts […]Insummary thismovement couldbe the Cold War era to crisis management strategies specific to the transition from a confrontation strategy associated with 2) Anadaptation of the militarytooldesigned torespond to tarian interventions which reflect specificpolicy objectives 1) Arelative transparency onmilitaryand militaro-humani- operations). cerning external operations (peacekeeping orimposition with a particular international and national context con- MSF’s callfor aninquiryisimportant becauseof itsinterface ty’s lie regarding the protection of thissecurityzone. living there at the time ratified the international communi and the impression of securitythispresence gavetothose in MSF denounced the fact thatourpresence inthe enclave It bearsnoting thatafter the fall of Srebrenica, some people our fieldworkand public speaking out. can offer topopulations (ornot), thereby betterpositioning policy onevaluating the levelof protection these operations Srebrenica demonstrate the coherent application of MSF’s role in the UN machine [with its permanent seat on the Security role intheUNmachine [withitspermanentseat ontheSecurity and humanitarian-military interventions. France hadaspecial crimes against humanity. […] French political and military figures for complicity in Presenting the callasasteptowards ajudgement against the face of criminal policies. ment of militaryforces whose hands and feetare tied in out lessons to be learnt so as to avoid the future deploy- explain the positive points […] the commission must draw Bernard Janvier crusade. Onthe contrary, weshould Presenting the call for an inquiry as an anti-military, anti- b. At national level a. At international level […] ment tothe National Institute of War Research (NIOD) 1999 and the inquiryentrusted bythe Dutchgovern- Helmets deployed inSrebrenica published inNovember ii. Inthe Netherlands, the debriefing report onthe Blue report onthe NATO intervention inKosovo […] sion and the National Assembly defence commission’s i. InFrance the report onthe Rwandan information mis- Rwandan genocide (tobeissuedinMarch) ii. The OAU [Organisation of African Unity] report onthe the fall of Srebrenica […] i. United Nations reports onthe Rwandan genocide and for Rwanda. And then there was the increase in military We sawitasbeingconsistentwithwhathadbeendone - people withoutprotection. abandoning of Srebrenica andotherplacesleaving UN’s decision-making processes, which had led tothe events inSrebrenica, theorganisation challenged the issue. Drawing on,amongothers, theexample of the for thefirst report by theUNSecretary-General onthis on theprotection of populationsinconflictsituations On 12 April 2000 MSF testified atthe Security Council made usthinkthatthiswassomethingneededtobedone. ping operations. Sothecontext andthewaythingsweregoing in Europe, withinNATO, andashifttowardsexternal peacekee- that time, there wasextensive re-organisation of the military we wereawarethatFrancehadspecialresponsibilities. And,at commanded byaFrenchgeneralandtheDPKO byanother. So Council. GeneralMorillonwasontheground,UNPROFOR bigger. Franceconstantlyraisedthese issuesattheSecurity and thepromiseof protectionthathadbeengivenwaseven Council], butthecountry’s roleincreatingthesecurityzone wasn’t outsideourcomfort zone. already had experience with it, so it wasn’t totally weird and it bit strongly! But we didn’t feel it was insurmountable. We’d and challengeit.Well, thewordconfidencemightbeputtingit ability toparticipateinthiskindof process, tocontributeit were ourwayof saying:“You didn’tdeliveronyourpromises. These commissionsof inquiry, whetherSrebrenicaorRwanda, happened. the UNwasgoingtosorteverythingoutandwhatactually spotlight onthechasm between acertain narrative that said abandoned them,itwasevenworse. We wantedtoputthe organisation asamiraclesolutionfor theworld, after theUN abandoned thesepeople. Ithinkthatevenifwedidn’tviewthe lutely appallingthattheUN(asacommunityof nations,) had inquiry into Rwanda. So we had some confidence in our inquiry intoRwanda.Sowehadsomeconfidenceinour We hadexperience withFrance’s parliamentary several responsibilities at issue, and we found it abso- The fall of Srebrenicahitusextremely hard.Therewere
Fabien Dubuet,MSF France DeputyLegalAdvisor, Dr. Marc Gastellu-Etchegorry, MSF France Deputy Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France President, 1995-2005, Interviewed in2015(inFrench) 2000-2007, Interviewed in2015(inFrench) Director of Operations, 1992to 1997, Interviewed in2015(inFrench)
93 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
MSF Briefing to the UN Security Council, by Dr taken the blame for a chapter regarded as the low point in James Orbinskly, President of MSF International the UN’s history. and Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF Legal Advi- Dutch investigators of the catastrophe have also been barred sor, 12 April 2000 (in English). by the MoD [Ministry of Defence] from speaking to the author, despite Nato clearance. Extract: […] other sources have described how the SAS team worked The Security Council made clear that adequate security alongside the Dutch, and kept in touch with Lieutenant- would require 34,000 troops to effectively deter attacks on General Rupert Smith, the British commander of UN forces in the safe areas. Instead, the Security Council authorized only Bosnia. a light option of 7,600 troops for Bosnia. In the end, the fall […] After Muslim forces raided two Serb villages on the edge of Srebrenica and the massacres of civilians resulted.[…] In of the enclave, the attack on Srebrenica town began on July the case of Srebrenica, the fate of civilians was effectively 6. sealed with the decision to deploy a light option of some 7,000 troops.[…] In each of these cases, the hazard lies at the decision-making level where states can act at the same time on behalf of their own national interests and in the name of the international The day before the fifth anniversary of the fall of community interest without any possibility of clarifying or Srebrenica, 10 July 2000, Kofi Annan, Secretary-General distinguishing the two. The lesson learned shows that the of the United Nations, expressed his regret and remorse right solution was available in a timely manner within the for the attitude of the United Nations during the UN structure. Srebrenica crisis. The question remains about the ability of the Security Council to commit to results and not simply to good intentions. ‘Kofi Annan Expresses His Regret and Remorse,’ Agence France Presse, 10 July 2000 (in French).
“The tragedy of Srebrenica will forever haunt the history of The Sunday Times, a UK weekly newspaper, reported on the United Nations,” declared Kofi Annan in a message on the 9 July 2000 that the Ministry of Defence had blocked occasion of the anniversary of the massacre […]. He made an the publication of a book by one of the British officers implicit call to bring to justice “the architects” of the kill- tasked with supervising airstrikes from the ground in ings, former military and political leaders of the Bosnian Srebrenica. Serbs Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, who, “although indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, are still at large,” added M. Annan. “The most important lesson from Srebrenica is that we must recognise ‘SAS Book on Bosnia Blocked,’ Tom Walker, The evil for what it is, and confront it not with expediency and Sunday Times, (UK) 9 July 2000 (in English). compromise, but with implacable resistance,” he said.
Extract: The Ministry of Defence has blocked a former SAS soldier from publishing a book detailing the secret role of British intelligence inside the doomed Srebrenica enclave in Bosnia The next day a group of Dutch intellectuals published an in 1995. open letter calling on their government to make a public The book tells the story of a two-man SAS team sent in as the apology for abandoning Srebrenica. Serb stranglehold on the so-called “safe haven” for Muslim refugees tightened. The pair helped to call in a Nato airstrike as the Serbs attacked the enclave in July, and then had to blend in with ‘A Parliamentary Inquiry into the Events in Srebre- Dutch United Nations peace keepers as they abandoned nica May Be Possible,’ Says Mr Quilès,’ Le Monde Srebrenica and the Serbs took control, massacring about (France) 13 July 2000 (in French). 7,000 Muslim men. Dutch sources familiar with the mission believe the book Extract: would have revealed that British soldiers were dismayed The Netherlands is the other country that is directly involved, when Nato abandoned its airstrikes, and probably knew as one of its battalions was part of UNPROFOR in Srebrenica about the slaughter. at the time of the Serb offensive. This means that the govern- “It was a black day for the UN,” said one former peacekeeper. ment in The Hague had particular weight in the decision to “The British don’t want to be seen to have been there.” oppose or not the offensive and whether or not to involve There has never been any official acknowledgment that the NATO air forces. The calls for transparency made in The 94 SAS was in Srebrenica, and the Dutch peacekeepers have Netherlands during the past five years have also fallen on December 1999NobelPeace Prizeceremony. for reform of peacekeeping operations madeduringthe statements taken from survivors inTuzla, andMSF’s call MSF team present in Srebrenica during the events, witness included extracts from theUNreport, thelogbook of the In additiontotheappeal,akitdistributed tothepress the events inSrebrenica. for thesettingupof aFrench parliamentaryinquiryinto Le Monde, MSFFrance launchedapublicappealcalling opinion pieceby itspresident inFrench dailynewspaper During apress conference on13July1995,andinan Srebrenica’. subject’ and demanding ‘apublic apology’for ‘abandoning an open letter to the government, accusing it of ‘avoiding the Tuesday, some forty Dutchintellectuals and writers addressed deaf ears —in spite of several official inquiries. Just last • Reiterate France’s considerable responsibility. France com- missing. personnel, the wounded, and sick were executed orreported from 1993to1995, witness tothe fall of the enclave, MSF • Reiterate MSF’s legitimacy: presence in the ‘security zone’ offensive onSrebrenica. of the United Nations and NATO during the Bosnian-Serb ical and militaryresponsibilities thatresulted inthe paralysis tragedy of Srebrenica. Objective: to establish France’s polit • Demand aparliamentary inquiryinto France’s role inthe Introduction Extract: in receive itataboutthe same time asthe appealispublished to discussthismatter withyouinthe autumn’. They should accompanying note saying something like, ‘hoping tobeable Defence and François Loncle for Foreign Affairs) withashort two presidents of the relevant commissions (Paul Quilès for commission into Srebrenica inDecember1999)and tothe Pierre Brana (who attemptedtosetupaparliamentary inquiry 2) Therefore, Françoise and Iwillsend acopyof the appealto re-convene on2October. firm that Parliament hasbeenin recess since 30June and will 1) To go backtothe question weraised yesterday, Icancon- Extract: Le Monde. rence,’ ‘Points To Be Addressed During the Press Confe- France, 11July1995(inFrench). President and Communications Department of MSF Message from Deputy LegalDirector, MSF, tothe French). Memo, MSF France, 13July2000(in - Médecins Sans Frontières entered the Srebrenica enclave in of 40,000people and the killing of some 7,000others. ’safe area.’ The fall of Srebrenica resulted in the deportation defend the population gathered together inthe so-called The Dutch UN contingent stationed in the area failed to On 11 July 1995, Srebrenica fellto the Bosnian Serb forces. France’s role inthistragedy. ment of aparliamentary investigation toshed light on in European history. Today, MSF isrequesting the establish- Five years on, the Srebrenica massacre remains a dark moment Extract: responsibilities inthe Srebrenica tragedy. facts inorder toshed light onFrance’s political and military necessary –tomove from speculation toestablishing the speculation. Thisisprecisely why aparliamentary inquiryis The French authorities havedescribed these suppositions as […] NATO airstrikes during the Serbian offensive onSrebrenica. • Second supposition: France wanted to delay and minimise strikes. […] be freed in exchange for a permanent cessation of the air- negotiated anunauthorised deal whereby the hostages would • Firstsupposition: Sidelining the United Nations, France two suppositions: The journalists provided accurate details, giving credence to the preparation of the UNreport onSrebrenica. Very strangely, these journalists were never questioned during France of paralysing the United Nations and NATO. (Frank Westerman, BartRijs, and Channel Four)accused 5) Refusal todo sowouldresult initsisolation. […] months, atthe national aswellthe international level. peacekeeping operations conducted over the past few 4) 3) a time of increased military-humanitarian operations.[…] 2) 1) security zones wasadopted atFrance’s instigation. 836 (4June 1993)authorising the useof force toprotect a French general (Morillon) and SecurityCouncil Resolution Yugoslavia, the securityzone wassetuponthe initiative of manded allUNpeacekeeping forces (UNPF)inthe former France must participate inthe drive for transparency inthe MSF’s demands are allthe more important asthey come at France isobliged tostrivefor transparency, inlight of: The UNreport onthe fall of Srebrenica isinadequate […] defence policy […]. • The strategic nature of external operations inFrance’s of the main troop contributing countries; Nations’ peacekeeping operations department and is one • Its peacekeeping responsibilities. France runs the United In-depth investigations by Dutch and British journalists MSF France, 13July2000(inFrench). in the Fallof Srebrenica,’ Pressreleaseissuedby Commission of Inquiryinto France’s Responsibility Frontières Callsfor the Creation of aParliamentary (France), 13July2000(inFrench) /‘Médecins sans Jean-Hervé Bradol, President of MSF France, LeMonde ‘Call for aCommission of InquiryonSrebrenica!’
95 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
1993, at the same time as General Morillon. For two years, the my memory serves me, there was a dual agenda: a fairly organisation provided medical and logistical support to the straightforward agenda demanding accountability because we besieged population, officially under the protection of the UN had lost members of our team, and a second agenda focusing peacekeepers. The population had been assured that it would on the abandonment of the population. This political dimension not be abandoned. This ‘guarantee’ was among the reasons – “they abandoned the population to strike a deal” – seemed the population remained in the enclave rather than fleeing legitimate to us, since this issue of ‘humanitarian safe areas’ from the threat posed by the Bosnian Serb forces. had already come up in Rwanda with Kibeho11. The continuous presence of MSF among these people helped I don’t recall any difficulties with Brussels. What I do remember maintain the illusion of international protection in the area. is that in Amsterdam, the Dutch fluctuated, depending on the However, the MSF team could only stand by powerless and year and their leaders, in terms of their willingness to place watch as the population was separated into groups, including blame on the Dutch soldiers. As early as July 1995, there was the sick and the wounded, as the men were separated from Jacques de Milliano [MSF Holland General Director], who has the women, and as groups in convoys departed to unknown always been in favour of speaking out publicly, and then the destinations. They also witnessed the inertia of the Dutch rest of the desk, whose line of thinking was more like: “This is UNPROFOR battalion. less important to us, it isn’t really our business, let’s stand back, Several dozen wounded and sick people under MSF’s care were no loud incriminations by MSF of the Dutch Army”. at first ‘evacuated’ from the enclave by the Bosnian Serbs ‘under Dutch escort’, then forced off the buses and killed by Dr Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France President, Serb forces. At least three Bosnian nurses from MSF, who were 2000-2007, Interviewed in 2015 (in French) escorting the patients, were also made to get off the bus and have never been seen since. In command of UNPROFOR at the time, France played a major decision-making role. For this reason, we are calling for the The call for the creation of a Parliamentary Commission creation of a parliamentary Commission of inquiry to estab- of Inquiry is not a political or militant act. It’s a decision lish France’s political and military responsibility for the paral- that is solely and intimately linked to our reflections on our ysis of the UN and NATO in response to requests for air strikes operational responsibility. It is directly related to what MSF expe- from the Dutch contingent. rienced as a humanitarian actor in ex-Yugoslavia. I believe that The conclusions of the UN report on the Srebrenica massacre we are accountable, as a humanitarian organisation, to unders- explicitly request that each Member State involved conduct a tand how our own responsibility is interconnected with the national inquiry into the events. In the Netherlands, the responsibilities of the other actors involved in the situation. debriefing report on the UN peacekeepers deployed in The purpose is not to condemn, but rather to understand how Srebrenica was published in November 1999 and the Dutch humanitarian and military responsibilities became intertwined, government has ordered an investigation by the National leading to this massacre, and also based on what rationales and Institute for War Documentation (RIOD). failings. In what ways did the UN military system for protecting In France, although parliamentary oversight of military oper- safe areas succeed and in what ways did it fail? What should ations has already been carried out for Rwanda and Kosovo, we have understood about the international military system there has been paralysis over Srebrenica. Given the visible and what should we or could we have done differently in terms intensification of peacekeeping operations, in which France of our own operations and communications? plays a key role, greater transparency is required regarding 1993-94 marks the beginning of the so-called international the effectiveness of the systems that purport to protect military-humanitarian operations and of UN mandates to victims. protect civilian populations. And for 10 years now, regarding We hope that the work of this parliamentary inquiry will Srebrenica, we still don’t know what actually happened along enable us to learn lessons from the past so that in the future, the different international chains of command: UN, NATO, the military are not deceptively deployed with their hands France, Netherlands, contact groups, etc. tied in the face of iniquitous policies. It was not until 2002, after nearly 10 years of efforts, that we were able to obtain an inquiry into the system. During all of that time, it was impossible to clearly delineate the responsibi- lities of the UN soldiers, those of the national contingents, or We wanted to understand how – in an area that was our own responsibilities as a humanitarian organisation. internationally protected, and that France, to a large We find ourselves in this completely nonsensical political and extent, was involved in protecting – the massacre of the popu- legal situation that started off with a denial of the number of lation, our colleagues and our patients, was allowed to happen. deaths, after which everybody provided technical explanations There was also a second motive among some at MSF, which I that didn’t hold water, that placed the blame on others and that did not share simply because I wasn’t involved at the time the were contradictory, under the notion that nobody would be enclave fell. But people who were involved, such as Pierre, capable of lining up all the facts. The UN speaks with the UN, Françoise and others, they wanted to make sure the politicians the Dutch with the Dutch, the French with the French, the Brits and members of the military were brought to testify (and this was implicit throughout the undertaking), and to admit that a 11. See MSF Speaking Out - The Violence of the New Rwandan Regime, by Laurence cynical deal had been struck to abandon the enclaves, and that Binet /MSF International - http:// http://speakingout.msf.org/en/the-violence-of- 96 no efforts were ever made to rescue the population. And so, if the-new-rwandan-regime happened! are dead,‘protected’byUNforces, andnobodyknowswhyit of politicalgoodfaith. Butattheendof theday, 7,000people misunderstanding, usingtechnicalargumentsandaffirmations In short,everyonesupportsthetheoryof amajorhistorical could buttheothersdidn’t…” the wrongform, thefax machinewasdown,Idideverything Really? Ididn’tknowthatwassupposedto…Someoneused with the Brits, and it all ends with: “7,000 deaths! Are you sure? appeal ascontainingaccusatorybiases. responsibilities inRwanda. However, hecriticisedMSF’s oversight performed by themissiononFrance’s the possibilityof extending thetypeof parliamentary the summer recess, hewould be willing toexamine Parliament’s DefenceCommission,statedthat,after On thatsameday, Paul Quilès, Chairmanof theFrench in theSrebrenica tragedy. the blocking of any inquiry into France’s responsibilities At theJuly13press conference, MSF’s leaders condemned didn’t partnerupwiththoseorganisations. accountable couldbepunishedanddisciplined.That’s whywe accusatory angleaimedatfindingtheculprits, sothatthose ourselves fromotherorganisationsandindividualsusingan ting civilianpopulations. Nothingelse. Andsowedistanced perceived asusefulfor clarifyingthesystemsinplacefor protec- military responsibilities, andespeciallythat itwouldbe We hopedthatthiswouldhelpdeterminethepoliticaland sacrifice of thousands of humanlives, regardless of thereason. conference with the President of MSF, DrJean-Hervé Bradol. Françoise Saulnier, head of MSF’s legaldepartment, atapress but the likelihood of success “iszero”, acknowledged Assembly tocreate aparliamentary investigation Commission, The humanitarian organisation isasking the French National leaders of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) onThursday. overrun by Bosnian Serbs on 11 July 1995, deplored the in the tragedy of Srebrenica, an enclave under UN protection The French authorities are blocking any inquiryinto their role Extract: a humanitarianangle. Onecannotsimplyacceptthe Our angleof approachfor thisundertakingwasalways Fabien Dubuet,MSF France DeputyLegalAdvisor, 15 July2000(inFrench). Inquiry into Srebrenica,’ Agence France Presse, ‘MSF Condemns the Blocking inFrance of Any Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF LegalAdvisor, 1995-2005, Interviewed in2015(inFrench) Interviewed in2015(inFrench) work onbringing these dysfunctions tolight. Secretary General had invited the nation states themselves to written interms thatare too‘diplomatic’. Incidentally, the UN questions unanswered, and MSF’s leaders criticise it for being civilians in conflict situations”. Kofi Annan’s report left many “assess the efficiency of their actions interms of protecting the fact thatafterthisdrama the State and the army did not said Françoise Boucher-Saulnier, alawyeratMSF, lamenting Srebrenica havebeenoverlooked infavour of profit and loss”, “We are appalledbythe levitywithwhich the victims of in July1995are brought tolight, said MSF. sions thatledtopassivityfrom the international community it isimperative thatthe dysfunctions, resignations and deci- intending toplayaleading role inpeace-keeping operations, tions, aswasthe caseinSrebrenica”, and withFrance states and the UNare claiming toprotect civilian popula- With “an increase inthe number of situations inwhich nation report into thistragedy. UN byits current Secretary General, Kofi Annan inhis 1999 the cries of meaculpa,such asthe one made onbehalfof the the ‘duty of remembrance’ are not enough, and neither are For Jean-Hervé Bradol, President of MSF, anniversaries and Extract: of iniquitouspolicies”, emphasisedJean-Hervé Bradol. are not deceptively deployed withtheir hands tied inthe face learn lessons from the pastsothatinthe future, the military “We hope thatthe parliamentary investigation willhelp us duct aninquiryinto these matters “,she explained. archives. In France, only Parliament has the ability to con grams orrequests for airstrikes are kept inthe national could bedamaging toitsMember States. Any traces of tele- “The United Nations doesn’t keep archives onanything that France”, bemoans Françoise Saulnier. Nations haspublished areport. Yet nothing hasbeendone in “An investigation isunderway inthe Netherlands. The United were putforward?” asks Dr Bradol. “Who toldJanvier not togivethe order? Whatarguments ined”, he commented. […] tions of responsibilities has never been completely exam- gravity of the situation isknown, butthe series of abdica- team inSrebrenica, declared a’safearea’ bythe UN.[…]“The tion for MSF’s approach. At the time, the organisation had a “We are asking for accountability”, he explained asjustifica- President Chirac “,emphasisedJean-Hervé Bradol. is due tothe relationship betweenGeneral Janvier and which he failed to do. […] “Perhaps this blocking of action Bosnia and hadthe authority torequest airstrikes from NATO, manded the entire UNProtection Forces (UNPROFOR)in In 1995, a French officer, General Bernard Janvier, com added. we contacted toldusitwasaverysensitive matter”, she “There’s alot of political resistance”, she explained. “The MPs French). Quilès,’ Srebrenica Seems Possible, According toMr ‘A Parliamentary Inquiryinto the Events at Le Monde(France), 13July2000(in - -
97 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
In 1995, the UN force in Bosnia (UNPROFOR) was commanded ‘Srebrenica, Five Years On’ Interview with Eric by a Frenchman, General Bernard Janvier, which is the reason Stobbaerts, Former MSF General Coordinator in why France has since been the target of ‘rumours’ imputing it Ex-Yugoslavia,’ MSF International website, for the refusal to deploy NATO air power against Serbian 4 September 2000 (in English) (edited.) forces to halt their offensive in Srebrenica. Albeit rejected at state level, these insinuations have never been the subject of Extract: systematic public denial. Q. The population that at first called for resistance, little by The idea of a parliamentary investigation similar to that held little started changing their minds. by the French National Assembly into France’s 1994 role in A. Yes, and the international community as well. During Rwanda has never found favour, despite the efforts in recent 1994, the population desperately started to wonder how long years of various organisations. “The message we’re hearing they would have to stay in the enclave. In fact, they wanted from members of parliament we contacted is that this is a to move to central Bosnia and join their people. In the mean- delicate matter”, said Françoise Boucher-Saulnier on time, the international community continued negotiating Thursday. and began to draw a map over Bosnia. The truth is that the In November 1999, after publication of Kofi Annan’s report, Srebrenica and Gorazde enclaves made that drawing diffi- Pierre Brana, socialist Member of Parliament and member of cult...The politicians, in the end, decided that, as long as the the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, tried enclaves existed, a peace agreement would not be feasible. to mobilise parliament. He drew up a motion for a resolution Q. What position did MSF take when finding out what the requesting the establishment of a Commission of inquiry and population really wanted? tried to have it endorsed by the socialist group in the A. At that moment making a decision was extremely difficult. Assembly. It was blocked at this stage by socialist members. As a General Coordinator, I advocated for moving the popula- Paul Quilès, Chairman of the Assembly’s Defence Committee, tion. However there were two reasons against this choice. On and previously chair the inquiry Commission on Rwanda, is the one hand, MSF itself could not carry out such an action now saying, however, that when parliament resumes he is – it is not in its mandate. On the other hand, moving the ‘ready to discuss’ the possibility of organising a similar inves- population meant making concessions to the Serbs who tigation on Srebrenica. “But on condition that we make no wanted to take the enclave. Finally, the population was not mistake about what we are looking for”, he said. He moved, although I think that MSF should have brought some reproaches MSF for expressing certain accusatory prejudices, pressure or launch a lobbying campaign so that the institu- and takes issue with the tendency to blame France purely for tions and other bodies concerned could have taken solving releasing troops for UN peace-keeping operations. Mr Quilès, the situation into their own hands. who, incidentally, chairs a focus group on UN reform, recog- This is still an on-going debate within MSF. Personally, I nises that a detailed examination of the way in which the believe our neutrality, in a way, means we bear part of the international community reacted to the events of Srebrenica blame for what happened in Srebrenica. would indeed be useful: “I’m not against it, but if we do it Obviously, MSF did not know what was to happen in July there will be no preconditions”, he said. 1995, but we lacked an overview of the situation. We should have exerted more pressure. Being neutral in Srebrenica made us close our eyes to what was really going on. Although MSF was not guilty, we failed to have insight. We can blame our- At the time, parliamentary control over external opera- selves, notwithstanding, for our passivity, for our failure to tions was practically zero in France. The Rwanda exercise question the future, for our lack of understanding of the was revolutionary for the 5th Republic – a large mouthful for population’s needs. MSF’s neutrality was perverse, negative. the Quai d’Orsay, the Elysée Palace and the ministry of Defence We were too dogmatic. to swallow. There had been a report on Kosovo, but with no Q. Yet the presence of MSF over those two years provided investigation whatsoever by members of parliament. And there protection to the population; one of the pillars of humani- was certainly no parliamentary initiative on Srebrenica. It is tarian action. because MSF asked for one and made its request public that Yes, indeed. MSF brought Srebrenica in to the limelight. We something has been done. constantly denounced the lack of access to the enclave, the lack of medicines...we explained the situation as it was, Fabien Dubuet, MSF France Deputy Legal Advisor, whatever was happening in that prison. : It was a way of put- 1995-2005, Interviewed in 2015 (in French) ting pressure on the international community to challenge their acceptance of Morillon’s declarations, and his assur- ances over the security of the area. Thanks to our statements, the public got to know that Srebrenica existed. On 4 September 2000, in an interview published on MSF In spite of being a safe haven, the enclave was captured by International‘s website, Eric Stobbaerts, MSF’s General the Serbs in July 1995. Five years after the event who should Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia from December take responsibility for that? Above all the Serbian Army in 1993 to April 1995, again questioned MSF’s stance on Bosnia, Mladic and Karadzic. Yet also the political leaders, all the enclaves at the time. those responsible for keeping the enclave secure. MSF has 98 requested that a parliamentary Commission should be set up MSF contactsinparliamentandthemedia. series of documents was prepared, ready to be sent to parliamentary Commissionof inquiryonSrebrenica. A to convincethatinstitutionof theneedfor aFrench When parliament resumed, MSF France renewed its efforts hard one tolearn. within MSF is ongoing...the lesson of Srebrenica will be a bitterness for whathappened inSrebrenica... The debate A. There are stilllessons tolearn.Ihaveafeeling of deep Q. WhathasMSF learnt from Srebrenica? troops. sion the population inBosnia felt against the UNPROFOR interests of the population.... By way of proof, take the revul clean image tothe courtof public opinion butnever inthe troops, they actedinapolitically correct way, presenting a it reflected the international community’s stand. Bysending their mandate was very ambiguous, not clear enough. In fact, In Yugoslavia they were not allowedtousetheir weapons and omen. Whether they workor not depends ontheir mandate. A. In theory, safe havens and peacekeeping forces are a good are protecting them? false assurances tothe peoplewho believe thatthese things Q. Safehavens, peacekeeping forces...do youthinkthey give game wasverycomplex. have a Third World War because of Srebrenica”. The diplomatic told that the international community “was not willing to In ameeting withthe personincharge of UNPROFOR,Iwas political leaders showed no interest whatsoeverinSrebrenica. to investigate France’s responsibility. During the conflict, the • • establishment of aCE(Commission of enquiry)onSrebrenica. documents relating to the launch of alobby campaign for the Attached are five (very short, you will be pleased to hear!) Extract: o o o with the MSF logo: four documents for distribution toother parties inafolder that weare now starting toarrange. sulted. I will contact you all again regarding the meetings according tothe parliamentary and media sources con- status and, where appropriate, their stance onourrequest, a listof peopleweare tomeet, including their official report. a document highlighting the shortcomings of the UN validation bythe inquiry. tary Commission in the event of (and obviously after) – thisdocument willalsoactasthe basisfor aparliamen - a document entitled ‘MSF’s requests for aCEon Srebrenica’ meetings. Please read thisdocument carefully and useitin a paper entitled ‘Why isMSF asking for a CE onSrebrenica?’ France, 8November 2000(inFrench). President and Communications Department of MSF Message From the DeputyLegalAdvisor tothe - possible. … policy istoposition ourground operations aseffectively tion provided by peacekeeping operations. The goal of that MSF policy designed to evaluate the degree of civilian protec- today’s callfor aninquiryonSrebrenica reflect acoherent • The callfor aCommission of inquiryonRwanda in1998and ethnic cleansing, and withpunishing them. responsibilities of those who planned and implemented in the Hague ischarged withestablishing the criminal and militaryresponsibility. The International Criminal Court against humanity. Our sole purpose is to establishpolitical France’s political and militaryleaders for complicity incrimes • Nor is our request the first steptowards a judgement of population. in the face of criminal policies implemented against acivilian never again deploys a military force that is powerless to act learn from what happened, in order to ensure that France Janvier crusade. Onthe contrary, wewant the Commission to MSF’s request does not reflect ananti-miitary oranti-Bernard Extract: Russia, Britain and Germany)? together with the other members of the Contact Group (USA, during the Serb attack on Srebrenica? If so, did it do so chain of command, todelay and minimiseNATO airstrikes • Did France attempt, independently of the United Nations against Srebrenica, inJuly1995[seedocument above]… • Why did General Janvier not authorise NATO air strikes that physically ledtothishuman tragedy. members of parliament succeed inuncovering the problems ground deployment and airsupport,itisimportant that tages and disadvantages of pursuing ajoint strategy of While there isagreat deal of debate concerning the advan- evacuation of the inhabitants of Srebrenica couldbeassured? passed on to the United Nations, so that the protection or to attack Srebrenica? If so, why was this information not • Did France know thatthe Bosnian Serbarmy waspreparing following questions; inparticular: The parliamentary Commission of inquirymust answer the Extract: • • the final format of the parliamentary Commission; We stillhavetodiscuss the following withthe Commission: o journalists. the means of channelling information to a select group of Srebrenica tragedy. a list of MSF’s local staff who disappeared during the MSF France, November 2000(inFrench). Parliamentary InquiryonSrebrenica?’ Memofrom ‘Why Has Médecins sans Frontières Demanded a (in French). Srebrenica’ to aParliamentary Commission of Inquiryon ‘Médecins Sans Frontière’s Demands withRespect MSF France Memo,8November 2000
99 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
• In June 1995, did France, independently of the United On 13 July 2000, MSF requested that a Commission of inquiry Nations, strike an unauthorised deal for the liberation of UN be set up to examine the circumstances surrounding the fall peacekeeping troops, in return for a definitive halt to the air of Srebrenica. Mr. Paul Quilès, Chairman of the Defence strikes? If so, did this deal also involve the other members of Committee, indicated that he would set up the same kind of the Contact Group? parliamentary evaluation mechanism that he himself had • What guarantees were negotiated, at each stage, and in introduced, as head of the Fact-Finding Commission on each case, to ensure the protection or evacuation, under con- France’s role in Rwanda. However, the present initiative is ditions of full security, of the inhabitants of the protected nothing like the previous one. enclave of Srebrenica?… As the number of peacekeeping operations around the world increases, and as the debate continues to rage concerning the various military strategies that should be used to protect civilian populations, it is vital that Parliament uncovers the military and political problems that led to the tragedy of On 10 November 2000, the Foreign Affairs Committee Srebrenica. of the French National Assembly announced that it had The introduction of a mechanism for ensuring parliamentary decided to appoint François Léotard (Defence Minister, control over France’s operations abroad is all the more neces- 1993-1995) to prepare a parliamentary report on the fall sary and legitimate today, because of the prominent role of Srebrenica. MSF publically expressed its opposition played by France in peacekeeping operations. lndeed, this to the choice of Léotard on the grounds that the former inquiry and evaluation mechanism was requested by the Minister of Defence should not be appointed to evaluate United Nations Secretary-General of those countries that had measures that he himself implemented. MSF insisted that participated in the UN operations at Srebrenica. ln view of a proper Commission of inquiry be established. the central role played by France in commanding the UN pres- ence in Bosnia, and in view of the extent of the slaughter at Srebrenica, MSF reiterates its call for a Commission of inquiry able to guarantee the quality and transparency that only a ‘Investigation or Diversion? Médecins Sans Fron- genuine investigation can provide. tières Questions the Conditions of the Parliamen- The Commission should: tary Inquiry into Srebrenica’ MSF France Press - be composed of all those members of parliament on the release, 10 November 2000 (in French). Defence and Foreign Affairs Committees who express the wish to participate; The Office of the Foreign Affairs Committee announced yes- - be given unconditional access to all documents essential terday that it had appointed François Léotard to prepare a to its work, including any documents deemed secret on parliamentary report on the fall of Srebrenica. The Office the grounds of national defence or foreign affairs; added that Mr Léotard would be working together with a - hold public hearings involving any and all actors and wit- member of the Defence Committee. MSF rejects the condi- nesses who may be needed in order to establish exactly tions and methods that led up to this appointment, and reit- what role was played by France’s political and military erates its call for a genuine Commission of inquiry that is leaders. independent, politically diverse, and dedicated to estab- - confine the use of in camera proceedings to exceptional lishing the real cause of the tragedy of Srebrenica. cases, and state clearly why such proceedings are neces- The appointment of an investigation team of just two people, sary. Publish accounts of all its proceedings and its with no debate and no parliamentary vote, represents a working documents. failure to guarantee the independence and transparency req- MSF calls on the Defence Committee, which is due to meet uisite of such an inquiry. Furthermore, the decision to entrust next Wednesday, to reject the current process and open a this parliamentary investigation to Mr. Léotard represents a genuine debate on this issue, with a view to removing all flagrant breach of the requirement for such an inquiry to be ambiguities surrounding the intentions of the present independent and impartial. procedure. As Defence Minister, Mr. Léotard was responsible for installing and administering France’s military presence in Bosnia between 1993 and 1995. How can he now play the dual roles of judge and judged, as part of a procedure seeking to eval- ‘Mr Léotard Challenged as Head of the Inquiry on uate that very military presence? Srebrenica,’ Le Monde (France), 12 November 2000 MSF teams worked in the enclave from 1993 to 1995. ln July (in French). 1995, the attack by Serb forces at Srebrenica, and the inability of UN troops to protect the civilian population, Extract: ended in the massacre of 7,000 people and the deportation of Appointed on Thursday by the Foreign Affairs Committee of 45,000 others. the National Assembly to prepare a report on the fall of the After being evacuated from this ‘protected zone,’ several Muslim enclave in Bosnia in 1995, Mr Léotard was Minister of dozen injured and sick people receiving care from MSF teams Defence at the time the events occurred. MSF feels that his were forced to leave the MSF buses and executed by Serb appointment “represents a complete failure in the duty to 100 forces. Twenty-two Bosnian members of MSF were also killed. guarantee the independence and impartiality of such an niences us”. that “there isno desire toinvestigate thatwhich inconve- that “there isno readiness for anindependent inquiry”and Minister a fewmonths before the fall of the enclave) proves For MSF, appointing MrLéotard asrapporteur (he wasstill military presence?”... judged, as part of aprocedure seeking to evaluate that very and 1995.How canhe now playthe dual roles of judge and administered France’s militarypresence inBosnia in1993 inquiry”. “As Minister of Defence, MrLéotard installed and would have been pointless. ButIpressed for itanyway, toshow opposing political partiesweregoverningin coalition.Soit ment andthePresident,particularly atatimewhentwo lenge external operationsthatinvolved thearmy, thegovern- neither the government norparliament really wanted tochal- Fact-Finding Commission never actually had access to. But declassification andtransmission of documents–which the been chosen,Membersof Parliament couldhaveorderedthe parliament andtheExecutive. IfaCommission of inquiryhad National Assembly, it’s aquasi-legal processthatconfronts of inquiryandpeopletestifyunderoath.Internaltothe Everything happens behind closed doors during a Commission we stucktogether. way toopposeMSF’s ‘political’and‘legal’teams. Fortunately, process andthelaw. Itwasanobviouslypopulistandcunning a man’s wordandhonourarebetterguaranteesthandue tary operations. Healsotriedtodriveusapartashesaidthat would nolongerbewillingtoparticipateininternationalmili - parliament whotoldmethat,ifwewentonthatway, countries were atstake. Irememberthethreatsmadebyamemberof It wasourcredibilityandhumanitarianprofessionalism that own agendas. who, upuntilthen,hadshownnorealinterestandtheir the inquiryandthenletitbetaken awayfromthembypeople useful idiotswho,afteralongstruggle, hadmanagedtoget experience with Srebrenica, nor did we want to look like the about whathappenedinRwanda”. We didn’twantarepeat short, themessagewas:“Francedoesnotneedtofeelshame its findings, whichhadconcludedwithapressconference. In inquiry Commission on Rwanda but made no critical review of In 1998,MSFsucceededinobtainingthesettingupof an agendas. not letourselvesbemanipulatedbyFrance’s political line with MSF’s, but it was crucial that we keep our distance and parliamentary oversightof external operationswaspartially in Quilès presidedoverathink-tankonUNreform. Hisconcernfor Back then,memberof parliamentandformer ministerPaul interventions. conflict situations, thisdoesnot extend toUNinternational the French parliament does oversee the use of the military in tion of parliamentaryoversightof external operations. While democratic oversight.Frenchdemocracyhadneveratradi- challenge thegovernment,ratherthanjustasemblanceof wanted a real inquiry, with members of parliament willing to our demand was above all our way of making it clear that we we hadn’tmanagedtogetonein1998for Rwanda.But I knew wewouldn’tgetaCommissionof inquiry, because and have a major role in monitoring them. and haveamajorroleinmonitoringthem. which enabled us, MSF, to attend the proceedings in real-time Well, intheend,whatwegotwasaFact-FindingCommission, of Europe–thatwentwaybeyondpolitics. answers tothefacts –alarge-scalemassacrerightattheheart that we weren’t concernedwiththepoliticsbutthatwewanted Defence, and member of the opposition, François Lamy. two rapporteurs, François Léotard, former Ministerof comprised ten members of parliament who appointed events inSrebrenica. Thegroup tasked withthemission a Fact-Finding Commission to investigate the July 1995 Affairs andDefencecommitteeatlastdecidedtosetup On 15November 2000,theNationalAssembly’s Foreign to intervene, inspite of everything,hadbeenaccomplished. it decisive because I considered that the level at which we were much weaker legal scope and reduced powers –I didn’t consider Commission of InquirytoaFact-FindingCommission–withits people criticisedthedowngradingof ourdemandfor a case of theRwandaFact-FindingCommission,whilesome porteurs, not NGOs”. Paul Quilès, said, “Members of Parliament appoint their rap and 13November), president of the Defence Commission, Léotard, who they view asboth‘judge and jury’ (LeMonde,12 issued apress release criticising the appointment of Mr Assembly’s parties. […]AfterMédecins Sans Frontières will appoint the tenmembers who willrepresent allthe Herzegovina Friendship Group. The various political groups François Lamy (PS),vice-president of the Bosnia and (UDF), Ministerof Defence from March 1993 toMay 1995,and members of parliament and two rapporteurs, François Léotard 1995 in Srebrenica (Bosnia). The Commission includes ten Fact-Finding Commission toinvestigate the events of July Committee decided onWednesday 15November tosetupa The National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Extract: Dr Rony Brauman, MSF France President 1982-1994, find thiskind of inflationtobeauseless exercise. Inthe Commission of inquiry…Fact-FindingCommission.I (in French). Massacres,’ ‘A Fact-Finding Commission on the Srebrenica Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF LegalAdvisor, MSF Foundation Research Director from 1994, Le Monde(France), 17November 2000 Interviewed in2015(inFrench) Interviewed in2015(inFrench) -
101 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
CRITICAL SUPPORT TO THE FRENCH The MSF France team, led by the deputy legal director put together a critical review of the Fact-Finding PARLIAMENTARY FACT-FINDING Commission’s investigations. The aim was to provide members of parliament with relevant information that COMMISSION would allow them to ask the questions that need to be answered to shed light on the events in Srebrenica.
Verbatim reports and all information and elements of analy- sis were made available on a dedicated website to help in the formulation of the questions whose answers may help The same day, MSF France publicly called for the to elucidate where responsibilities lie. President of France and the government to facilitate the members of parliament’s investigation into the fall of Srebrenica by affording them access to documents and interviewing all those involved, in order to shed light on Message from the Deputy Legal Adviser to the the responsibilities. The organisation also called for the President and Communication Department of MSF results of the investigation to be published. France, December 2000 (in French).
Extract: Hello everyone, ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Calls on the President Here is some (good) news from the parliamentary Fact- and the Government to Facilitate Members’ of Finding Commission on Srebrenica. Parliament Investigation into the Fall of Srebre- The first inaugural meeting took place this morning. The nica,’ MSF France Press release, 15 November meeting was not public, but this is what happened, according 2000 (in French). to “reliable and friendly” parliamentary sources. Composition Extract: The Chair is François Loncle (this is a tradition because he is Médecins Sans Frontières welcomes today’s decision by the the current Chair of the foreign affairs Commission in the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee to set up a parliamen- National assembly), the Vice-Chair is Marie-Hélène Aubert tary inquiry Commission into the Srebrenica tragedy. The mis- (Green ). The two rapporteurs are, as expected, François sion has been extended to include ten members of Léotard (UDF) and François Lamy (PS). The other members parliament. are: René André (RPR), René Galy-Dejean (RPR), Roland Blum MSF has until now contested the decision to entrust to (DL), Pierre Brana (PS), Jean-Noël Kerdraon (PS) and François François Leotard, former minister of defence during the Liberti (PC). Bosnian emergency, and another member of parliament, the According to parliamentary and journalist sources, the com- drafting of a simple information report. In the light of today’s position is a relatively good one. Four MPs are considered to decision, MSF no longer has issue with the participation of be “active or very active” (i.e. transparent) on international François Léotard in a Fact-Finding Commission that is now to issues. … include ten Members of Parliament. For many, François Léotard is also sincere in his desire for MSF will, however, remain vigilant regarding the final choice transparency … of these members. Working methods The decision to set up a Fact-Finding Commission rather than The Commission will make its report public before the a Commission of inquiry limits the members of parliament’s summer; a trip to Bosnia has already been booked for January. investigative capacities and their investigation is contingent There will be other trips to different places. The hearings will on the goodwill of the Executive. take place at a rate of two per week, starting at 10 a.m. on This is why MSF is calling on the President and the govern- Thursday. All hearings will be public, unless the person con- ment to facilitate as far as possible the Commission’s task, by cerned asks to be heard behind closed doors. The first hear- enabling them to: ings will take place next Thursday and will concern Admiral - Access all documents relative to their investigation, Lanxade, the former chief of staff of the armed forces and including those classified as National Defence and Foreign French ambassador to Sarajevo at the time the city fell. Affairs secret information. This morning, Loncle, Léotard and Lamy proposed a first list - Interview all those involved and all relevant witnesses of people to be heard. This list is not exhaustive and we will to shed light on France’s political and military be able to indirectly propose names and questions to be responsibilities. asked of each of these people. [...] - Publish their findings and working documents. Access to archives With regard to access to archives in France, François Loncle this morning stated that he had submitted a written request for access to the defence and foreign affairs archives. We will receive confirmation that this letter has indeed been sent 102 and that the archives of the Elysée are also mentioned (very, the technical aspects. public speaking by MSF, while acquiring solid knowledge of and focused onthe ‘political’ control of the lobbying and The idea isthatthese interns will enable us all to remain calm Commission. 3) toselectthe MSF documents that couldbesent tothe the Parliamentary workand to which wemay need to react; 2) toworkontechnical questions which couldariseduring together); could betransferred toourwebsite(tobediscussed 1) tofollow and produce transcripts of the hearings, which will askthem: […] They willbeworking for usone ortwodays aweek.We field and lobbying experience and weknow them personally. backgrounds inpolitical science and law. They already have Alongside Françoise, we have two interns atour disposal with Monitoring of the workof the Commission who willbedoing itand whatwillwesay? therefore have to organise the media push: when do we start, answer outstanding questions aboutSrebrenica. We will eign operations and thatthey fail toaddress oronlypartially worthy) such asUNreform orparliamentary oversight of for- promote acertain number of political objectives(however The riskof the Commission isthatthe MPsuseSrebrenica to of which wewillassessthe workdone. questions to which we want precise answers and in the light on the workof Parliament and 2)publicly submitprecise publicly reposition MSF as a keen eye keeping a close watch make ourvoice heard, so that wecan 1) immediately and The challenge for next weekisfor ustofind somewhere to the workof the Parliamentary Commission? Help!! names atthese stations. Will these same names befollowing or not? Cécilehadalready identified and contacted some inter, France info, RTL.Willsomeone beonthe case full-time pening withthe main radio stations such asEurope 1, France Srebrenica. However, Ihaveabsolutelyno idea whatishap- All these journalists havereceived acompleteMSF fileabout Paris-Match: Frédéric Gerschel La Croix:AlainGuillemoles Le Figaro:Isabelle Lasserre Libé: Marc Sema Le Monde:Claire Tréan work of the Commission. major newspapers haveallappointed someone tofollow the of Srebrenica will begin with the start of the hearings. The We havethree working meetings next week;media coverage MSF and the Commission official toactasthe point of contact should they so desire. individual case. Once again,they canappoint ahigh-ranking General and the NATO Secretary General liftimmunity for each these documents tothe Commission ifthe UNSecretary organisations. It will onlytherefore bepossible totransmit covered bythe diplomatic immunity specifictointernational this morning. Iwouldremind youthatthese archives are The question of the UNand NATO archives wasnot mentioned Commission onthese questions. cial incharge of acting asthe point of contact withthe As withRwanda, eachministryappointed ahigh-ranking offi- Elysée refused tomeet us. [...] very important). I would remind you on this point that the don’t know. [...] eration. IKVinprinciple agrees. As regards MSF Holland, I websites. Thisisanexample of the possibleareas for coop- We could post the transcripts onthe MSF Holland and IKV cooperation.… Netherlands and are expecting ustopropose areas for State’s responsibility. They willexplain the procedure inthe been fighting in Holland to gain recognition of the Dutch his parents and children inthe tragedy inSrebrenica –has Srebrenica, Hasan Nuhanovic. Foryears, thisman –who lost 9 a.m.,withthe former Bosnian interpreter for Dutchbatin They suggest thatwemeet next Thursday atMSF inParis, at doing good workonSrebrenica and havebeenfor some time. whom wehavehadlengthy telephone discussions. They are 2) IKV:anindependent NGOwhich wrote tousand with thing else. points of contact be designated for Srebrenica before any Bradol, President of MSF France] sent a note asking that 1) ourDutchcousins atMSF [Holland]: JHB[Jean-Hervé this actually means): Two organisations are asking usto“cooperate” (define what Interface withthe Netherlands than the UNSGtotryhold the member Statestoaccount.’ the procedure under wayinFrance; the NGOsare betterplaced the UN report on Srebrenica; wehave no opinion concerning Kofi’s office: ‘wehave nothing more to add to the contentof Polite refusal byGuéhenno and averydiplomatic reply from tate the workof the French MPs. our approach and askthe UNSG[Secretary General] tofacili- peacekeeping operations]. The idea istopresent the basisof Guéhenno [the new DeputySecretary General incharge of Kofi [Annan, UNSecretary General]’s office and with thatof In New York, Catherine Harper tried toobtainameeting with Position of the UNSecretary General of those who couldbecalled before the hearings [...] has toanswer, and subtlyand indirectly mention the names hearing, we must askthe questions webelieve the Commission point it in the right direction. In concrete terms, during our to oblige the Commission to get to the bottom of things or our hearing willenable the most activeand transparent MPs According toourfriendly sources, whatisimportant isthat MSF hearing institutions.’’ ment and the militarymust beaccountable toourdemocratic peacekeepers has to be properly clarified, and the govern- legal director of the doctors’ organization. ‘’The failure of the Srebrenica have been dismissed,’’ said Francoise Saulnier, ‘’We are horrified bythe off-hand wayinwhich the victims of on Bosnian Serbtroops asthey moved onSrebrenica [...] hearings onwhether, ifonlyindirectly, France blocked airstrikes zation Doctors Without Borders, the French Parliament will begin This week,aftermore thantwoyearsof lobbying bythe organi- Extract: 2000 (inEnglish). Simons, ‘France toInvestigate itsSrebrenica Role,’ Marlise The New York Times(USA), 11December - 103 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
She noted that it had taken years to get this week’s started. Srebrenica Commission, MSF had to get involved in monitoring ‘’We were told all the time that the issue was very sensitive,’’ the process and mobilising the press throughout the entire she said. [...] Commission process. Otherwise, it would have served no Doctors Without Borders, which was created by the French purpose again…other than to clear the French government. but is now an international group, has a special stake in the inquiry. The group went to work in Srebrenica in 1993, soon Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF Legal Advisor, after it was declared a United Nations safe area following a interviewed in 2015 (in French) visit by another French general, Philippe Morillon, who bowed to demands from the Muslim inhabitants to save them from besieging Serbian forces. The doctors’ group cared for refugees and war wounded in We got the idea to do our own investigation, and so we Srebrenica for two years. After the fall of the town, the group organised almost like a campaign. It was covered by the said, several dozen sick or wounded people under its care major media outlets. The hearings were being held at a steady were at first evacuated under escort of the Dutch peace- clip, and we had lots of contact with the media. The journalists keepers, then forced off buses and killed. liked MSF, because they understood our process. Many of those Twenty-two people who worked for the doctors were presum- who covered the Commission had been war correspondents ably killed. The bodies of only two have been found. posted in Bosnia. They had seen the horrors and had the same The medical group and others supporting the inquiry say they questions and doubts about the reasons for the fall of the want answers to a number of questions and assertions raised enclaves and the failure to keep the promise to protect them. in newspapers and film documentaries outside France about They too were determined to get a clearer picture. meetings that General Janvier held in the late spring and early summer of 1995 with the Bosnian Serb commander Gen. Fabien Dubuet, MSF France Deputy Legal Advisor, Ratko Mladic, who has been indicted for war crimes, and 1995-2005, Interviewed in 2015 (in French) about suggestions that President Jacques Chirac of France ordered General Janvier to hold off on airstrikes.[...] Members of the medical group insist that they are not on any kind of crusade against the French military or General Janvier. For Rwanda, we went in full of naïve enthusiasm, ‘’We need to learn the lessons from this bloody failure so that because we weren’t familiar with the inner workings. in future the military are not sent out to protect people with That’s not our area. But the experience was useful for toughe- their hands tied,’’ said Dr. Jean-Herve Bradol, the director of ning us up. Françoise, who had been through it before with the the group. Rwanda Commission, had a bit more methodology. She was better prepared. For Srebrenica, we did a real investigation, and we had good hunches. We put a lot of energy into it. We were able to react fairly quickly. The website didn’t get a lot of traffic. I went to all of the sessions, along with the two interns It was mostly a tool for us. and my deputy. We transcribed the debates from the entire session in real time. Everything was put online, on the Stephan Oberreit, MSF General Coordinator special website we’d created, by the next morning. So everyone in the former Yugoslavia May- November 1995, could read what was said, the questions and responses of each MSF France Communications Director 2000 - 2006, person who appeared, and get an idea of the quality of the Interviewed in 2015 (in French) witnesses and the effectiveness of the questions by the depu- ties involved. In a way, MSF was taking the minutes for the sessions. From that we could analyse, from week to week, what had been said, whether it confirmed or contradicted what other witnesses had said, and fine-tune the content of the On 14 December 2000, as the parliamentary Fact-Findings questions that the next witnesses would then have to be asked. Commission on Srebrenica began its work, MSF issued It was of no use questioning someone about generalities, and a series of questions it felt essential the Commission a hearing could very quickly turn into a long, hazy monologue. should answer. The deputies know the life of their regions and their consti- tuencies very well, but for an eastern Bosnian enclave…it took a collective effort to get from generalities to precise facts about what really happened in Srebrenica. ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Expects the Parliamen- I found the journalists and deputies very receptive to MSF’s tary Fact-Finding Commission on Srebrenica to efforts to spur the Commission’s work on. A public mirror was Answer Several Important Questions,’ MSF France needed to help prevent the Commission from being used as Press release, 14 December 2000 (in French). just a platform for witnesses to come tell their story for an hour-and-a-half, without anyone being able to challenge On 11 July 1995, Srebrenica fell into the hands of Bosnian anything. Serb forces. The fall of Srebrenica led to the deportation of With the Rwanda Commission, we trusted them and let things 40,000 people and the execution of some 7,000 others. 104 take their course and the result was disappointing. So for the Several dozen of the wounded and sick being treated by MSF - - tions thatledtothistragedy: questions, toshed light onthe political and military dysfunc- hopes thatthe deputies get answers toseveral important begins itsfirsthearings today, Médecins Sans Frontières As the parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission onSrebrenica local staffwere alsoexecuted. were executed bySerbforces. Twenty-two members of MSF’s mander of the UN forces in the region at the time, were dis- French government and of General Bernard Janvier, com - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the responsibility of the For the firsttime thisweek, afterunrelenting pressure from Extract: inadequate. website andinthepress, MSFFrance deemedhisanswers exchange for ending the air strikes. On its “Srebrenica” denied havingnegotiatedtherelease of hostages in of Stafffor theFrench armedforces from 1991to1995, That sameday, atthehearing,Admiral Lanxade, Chief - - - Srebrenica inJuly1995,eventhough: Why didn’t General Janvier authorise NATO air strikes on dents of Srebrenica? arrangements couldbemade toprotect orevacuate the resi - information transmitted tothe United Nations, sothat getting ready toleaveSrebrenica? Ifso,why wasn’tthat Was France aware of the fact thatthe Bosnian Serb army was protected Srebrenica enclave …? negotiated toprotect orsafelyevacuate residents of the At eachstage and inallscenarios, whatguarantees were the Contact Group? was the initiative taken inconcert withother members of tages inexchange for adefinitive halttoairstrikes? Ifso, the United Nations –the release of UNpeacekeeper hos- In June 1995,did France negotiate –aspartof oroutside Group (United States, Russia, Great Britainand Germany)? tive taken inconcert withother members of the Contact Serbian offensive against Srebrenica? Ifso,wasthe initia- mand – to delay or minimise NATO air strikes during the Did France try–aspartof oroutside the UNchainof com- o o o There were no legalobstaclestousing force? handedly authorise the useof airpower. Janvier hadheld the authority since 9July1995tosingle- tragedy? At the time of the attackonSrebrenica, General more complex decision chain than during the Srebrenica to defend the Gorazde and Bihacsafeareas, despite amuch Air strikes had been launched on several occasions in 1994 for them? stood the physical riskthatsuch anaction wouldmean requested them multiple times, eventhough they under- The battalion of Dutchpeacekeepers inSrebrenica had 16 December2000(inFrench). Massacre,’ Isabelle Lasserre, LeFigaro (France), ‘France Examines itsConscience onthe Srebrenica tions” atsubsequent hearings. Commission, iscalling for “precise answers toprecise ques- Commission of enquirytoasimple, lessbinding, fact-finding inadequate. The organisation, which would have preferred a answer wouldhavebeenyes.” MSF considered those answers have beenno, butifyouhadasked itayearearlier, the asked thatquestion inearlyJuly1995,the answer would the means. Could the massacre have beenavoided? If you resolutions and then leaving commanders in the field without “There is,” he said, “a certain inconsistency in voting for “there wasaserious lackof international political will.” having negotiated the release of hostages. In hiswords, cussed. [...]Testifying Thursday, Admiral Lanxade denied stressed the existence of direct ties between the French Staff First, because a littleearlier in his testimony the Admiral That detail is problematic, for the following two reasons. that the French Staffdid not participate. tage negotiation wasconducted bythe United Nations, and General Janvier.” He even insisted onadding that the hos- totally false, and casts completelyunjustifiedsuspicion on the information Igot afterwards suggests thatthisisall suggested. Naturally, Iwasn’tatthatdiscussion, butallof me thatthere wouldhavebeenany kind of trade, ashasbeen for a permanent end to the air strikes? “It is inconceivable to hostage inlateMay 1995(many of them French), inexchange United Nations, for the release of the UNpeacekeepers taken General Janvier make anunauthorised deal, outside the During hismeeting inMali Zvornik on4June 1995,did when he isn’tinParis. officer incharge of defending the nation –cannot be reached news: the Chief of Staffof the armed forces –the topmilitary at best, was when Lanxade letslip a really worrying piece of The onlyinteresting detail inhisanswers, which were vague we weren’t inParis. Srebrenica, becausethatwasthe Franco-German summitand ation, except perhapsinthe verylastdays of the fall of terpart, butobviously weshared ourassessments of the situ- a veryclearmemory of those exchanges withmy Dutchcoun- Dutch colleagueduring the Srebrenica tragedy? “Idon’t have Was the French Chief of Staffintelephone contact withhis tion.” He doesn’t remember. with him?“IconfessthatIamnot abletoanswer thatques - few days before the fall of Srebrenica – and if so, did he meet Yugoslavia, come toParis on48July1995–thatis, justa Did General Janvier, head of all UN troops inthe former knew nothing, oralmost nothing. knows everything, oralmost everything. Yet Admiral Lanxade Srebrenica tragedy – was like abad joke. Achief of staff during almost the entire Yugoslavian crisis, including the Lanxade, who wasChief of Staffof the French armed forces got off toaveryfalse start.The firstsession –with Admiral The Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission onSrebrenica Extract: French). Srebrenica website, 21 December 2000 (in ‘False Start,’ Fabien Dubuet,postedMSF France 105 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
and French troops on the ground, outside the UN chain of ‘A Document Confirming Negotiations Between Mr command, particularly when the safety of soldiers was at Milosevic and Mr Chirac on Air Strikes,’ posted on stake. And second, because according to a very serious inves- the MSF France “Srebrenica” website on 21 tigation by journalists Frank Westerman and Bart Rijs, Paris December 2000 (in French and English). had sent two French officers, one of them General de La Presle, to negotiate the release of the French hostages. Extract: The deputies forgot to ask Admiral Lanxade to clarify the Médecins sans Frontières is today publishing the confidential nature and sources of that “information he got afterwards”. cable number Z-1020 dated 19 June 1995, between the spe- Would they ask him to bring proof, supporting documenta- cial representative of the UN Secretary General for the former tion, of what he said? Yugoslavia, Yasushi Akashi, and Kofi Annan, then deputy They also forgot to ask him to explain the fact that the cur- Secretary General with responsibility for peacekeeping. rent UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan – at the time in charge The document appears to confirm the conclusion of the rig- of peacekeeping – asked the UN Special Representative for orous investigation carried out by journalists Frank Westerman the former Yugoslavia (Yasushi Akashi) for an investigation and Bart Rijs. into the nature of the agreement between General Janvier According to the investigation, General Janvier initially had and Ratko Mladic, in Code Cable no. 1981 on 15 June 1995. no intention of reporting his meeting with General Mladic in And they forgot to ask him to explain the fact that, in a letter Mali Zvornik on 4 June 1995, to the United Nations. It was at dated 21 June 1995, the Secretary General of NATO himself the UN’s request, and only 11 days later, on 15 June 1995, asked the Secretary General of the UN for explanations about that he sent them his report, in a message coded Z995. that. Nor do we know why Russian president Boris Yeltsin had The current UN Secretary General, who was responsible for announced, during that same period, that French president peacekeeping at the time, asked the special representative Jacques Chirac had assured him that the use of air strikes in for Yugoslavia (Akashi) to carry out an enquiry into the Bosnia had ended. matter, in a message coded no. 1981 of 15 June 1995. Given the number of officials who mentioned a deal that had It was during an interview in Belgrade with Slobodan been reached, or wondered about that deal, the deputies Milosevic on 17 June 1995, that Yasushi Akashi learned of the need to take their investigation a lot further. At least, that is, nature of the agreement made between General Janvier and if they want to get precise answers to precise questions. General Mladic: Slobodan Milosevic explained that he had received a guarantee from French President Jacques Chirac that there would be no more air strikes, based on an agree- ment between him and Bill Clinton. The document published by MSF today is the record of that On 20 December 2000, MSF France sent the Fact-Finding interview in Belgrade. Commission on Srebrenica a copy of a confidential cable from the UN, confirming the hypothesis that an agreement had been reached between President Chirac and President Milosevic, linking the release of the French Blue Helmets ‘A Look at the World’ Dominique Bromberger, France who had been taken hostage to the suspension of air Inter 22 December 2000 (in French). strikes. The cable was published on the MSF France website on Srebrenica. Extract: Yesterday, Médecins Sans Frontières published a confidential document from the United Nations, in which the UN Secretary General’s special envoy, the Japanese [diplomat] Akashi M essage from Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF relates that Milosevic allegedly shared the following assur- Legal Advisor to François Loncle, President of ances from President Chirac with him: no bombardment would the Foreign Affairs Committee of the French take place without the explicit agreement of the French head National Assembly, 20 December 2000 (in of state. French). Milosevic, as we know, is a master of misinformation, and perhaps he viewed this as an opportunity to drive a wedge Extract: between the allies. Moreover, Jacques Chirac showed a great We are honoured to send you a copy of a cable from the deal of determination in creating the rapid reaction force, but United Nations number Z-1020 dated 19 June 1995, between it was a chaotic time and the Blue Helmets were no longer the special representative of the UN Secretary General for the being commanded by a struggling UN but by London and former Yugoslavia, Mr Yasushi Akashi, and Mr Kofi Annan, Paris. then deputy Secretary General with responsibility for peace- The story of Srebrenica is so tragic that, five years later, the keeping. The information contained in this document UN, the Netherlands, France and Great Britain are accusing appears to be of prime importance in light of the work being each other of responsibility for the massacre. Perhaps done by the Fact-Finding Commission you are chairing on the Srebrenica was simply indefensible, or perhaps the confusion circumstances of the fall of Srebrenica. and dissension are laying responsibility on men of good faith and goodwill. 106 In any event, one man – General Janvier – knows the whole matters. lennium, truths wedo not know aboutthe most serious of about aninadmissible secret. There are still,inthe third mil- would be terrible for all of us and would raise suspicions situation. He will be called togive evidence; his silence tary career, butwho stillobstinately refuses totalkaboutthe truth: arespectable man, who hashadanirreproachable mili- MSF hadsentthe Tribunal thelistof thewounded,patients and I wasalsoincontact withtheinvestigatorsat theICTY, since of theirowninvestigations. Journalists fromvariouscountries hadalsopublishedtheresults gave evidence. TherewasalsoaUnitedNationsinvestigation. operation of theDutchbattalioninSrebrenica, atwhichMSF out as they did. There was an enquiry in the Netherlands on the Commission onSrebrenica, which willreport next June. Akashi wassent by MSF tothe Parliamentary Fact-Finding NATO decided totake action, on30 August. The letter from and then the bombardment of the market inSarajevo, that Janvier requesting airsupport.It wasnot until the massacres The Serbsbesieged Srebrenica on7July, without General the UNhierarchy until he wasforced todo sonine days later. from Paris, Janvier allegedly did not report the meeting to head of UNPROFOR,and General Mladic. Under direct orders on ameeting on4June, betweenGeneral Bernard Janvier, would not be any further strikes? MSF’s hypothesis is based 26 May. Did France trade itssoldiers for apromise thatthere they hadtaken hostage following aninitial NATO airstrike on At thispoint, the Serbians released the final Blue Helmets ation wouldhelp torestart negotiations.” expect the rapid reaction force to be used, but that its cre Chirac. Milosevic added thatChirac hadstatedthathe did not there wouldbe no airstrikes ifthey were unacceptable to President Chirac aboutPresident Clinton’s agreement that states: “Milosevic confirmed that he hadbeeninformed by dent inBelgrade, on17June 1995.Among other things, it Nations, twodays afterhismeeting withthe Serbian presi - Kofi Annan, then deputy Secretary General of the United Akashi, the UN special representative informer Yugoslavia, to Cable “Z-1020”, published by MSF, was sent by Yasushi killed inafewdays. military reaction from the West. Around 7,000Muslims were under UNprotection, fellinto Serbian hands without any weeks later, the city of Srebrenica, which was theoretically between President Chirac and Slobodan Milosevic”. Afew hypothesis that an agreement onairstrikes was reached According toMSF, the document “seems toconfirmthe Extract: we have asked ourselves constantly why things turned Throughout theyearsfollowing thefall of Srebrenica, (France) 22December2000(inFrench). ment’ Jean-Dominique Merchet, Sans Frontières Publishes aConfidential UNDocu- ‘Srebrenica: Accusations Against Chirac –Médecins Libération -
12. Britishhuman rights activist. Another letter, senttotheUNSecretary General and around 20 people whose testimony itconsidered critical. mission, thepresident of MSFFrance setoutalistof On 10 January 2001, in a letter to the president of the There wereafewinteresting documents she hadaccessto. floor goingthroughallthesedocumentsspreadoutaroundher. went toherhomeinLondon,wherewefound hersittingonthe but wetoldourselvesitwouldcostnothingtogoandcheck.We willing to share with us. We had no idea if any of it was serious dential documentsandcablesfromtheUN,whichshewas documents to be declassified. But it did not get access to them. Commission, sothatitcouldaskfor certainclearlyidentified us tosubmitdocumentsandquestionstheinquiry “return” fax somewhere, andviceversa.Thisiswhatallowed had afax thatwasan“incoming”oneitmeanttherea have been abletoshowthatsuchdocumentsexisted. When we because we had a copy of certain UN communications that we nue toaskquestionsandgainaccessthisinformation. Itis So itisourlegitimacyinthefieldthathasallowedustoconti- defended themselves. French accusedtheDutchBlueHelmets, andtheyinturn Nations todefenditself.Then,theUnitedand by themselves. So we knew the argumentsused by theUnited mation thatwillgraduallybedeniedbyothersandsometimes nists justifytheirpositionbyoffering explanations andinfor- the “inquiries”andinterviews, themaininternationalprotago- may beusedagainstyou”. Andindeed,overthecourseof all state thewell-knownwarning“anything yousayfromnowon see that it’s monotonous but persistent work. Prosecutors often Each time, we gain a better understanding of the context and United NationsinNewYork. between UNPROFOR command in the former Yugoslavia and the ments. Amongstothers, thereweremessagesexchanged That’s howweobtainedcopiesof internalUnitedNationsdocu- sent usinformation ordocumentsbecausetheytrustedMSF. the victims but also people in the United Nations and others confirm andsomecontradicteachother. Somepeopleamong you comparepiecesof information andfindthatsomeelements our woundedorstaff.Whenyouworkdiligentlyovertime, contact us, totellustheyhadidentifiedcorpseswhomatched staff who had disappeared. From time to time they would a call from BiancaJagger (Bradol, presidentof MSFFrance)saidhehadreceived A fewweeks afterthestartof themission,Jean-Hervé Fabien Dubuet,MSF France DeputyLegalAdvisor, Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF LegalAdvisor, 1995-2005, interviewed in2015(inFrench) 12 , inLondon.Shesaidshehadconfi- interviewed in2015(inFrench) 107 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
NATO Secretary General and published on 11 January ‘No Request for NATO Officials to Attend a Hearing 2001, asked them to authorise a hearing for some of For the Srebrenica Commission,’ Agence France their members by the Fact-Finding Commission and send Presse, 15 February 2001 (in French). it the relevant documents. Extract: On 31 January 2001, NATO told MSF that it had not received No request for NATO officials to attend a hearing has been any request to attend a hearing from the French made by the French National Assembly’s Fact-Finding Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission. Commission on the tragedy in Srebrenica, according to the Alliance’s Secretary General, George Robertson, in a letter to MSF published the NATO response on 15 February 2001. the humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières [...] MSF President Jean-Hervé Bradol had asked him on 10 January to authorise and facilitate attendance at the hearing by senior officials in the Alliance, whose testimony is consid- ‘Some Twenty People Whose Testimony is Critical ered crucial to shed light on the tragedy. A similar request has to Shed Full Light on the Tragedy in Srebrenica been sent to the Secretary General of the United Nations. Must be Heard and Released From Their Obligation to Maintain Professional Confidentiality,’ MSF France Press release from, 11 January 2001 (in French). Meanwhile, on 24 January 2001, the French Ministry Extract: of Defence requested that the testimony of Generals Médecins Sans Frontières yesterday sent the president of the Bernard Janvier and Philippe Morillon be heard behind Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission, François Loncle, a closed doors. In a press release, the Ministry of Defence list of people whose testimony is critical to shed full light on justified the request on the grounds that it was under the tragedy in Srebrenica. the obligation to respect the procedures applied by the The list, which is attached to this press release, consists of International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia the names of some twenty senior French civilian and military (ICTY). officials who, at the time of the tragedy in Srebrenica, were working at the Elysée, Matignon, the Ministry of Defence and Subsequently, the Tribunal’s spokesperson responded that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. the ICTY’s procedures were unrelated to those of the French The list also includes French and foreign senior and other government and that the Tribunal had never expressed any officials who were in post at the United Nations and NATO reservation regarding the testimony of individuals it when the events occurred. intended to question. MSF publicly challenged the deci- Médecins Sans Frontières also wrote to the UN Secretary sion to hold the hearings behind closed doors and ques- General and NATO Secretary General yesterday, asking them tioned the validity of the arguments put forward by the to: Ministry of Defence. V15 - authorise and facilitate the attendance at a hearing of people working for both international organisations; - communicate any documents that would facilitate the work of the French Fact-Finding Commission. Press Release Issued by the French Ministry of Defence, 24 January 2001 (in French).
The National Assembly’s Committees on Foreign Affairs and Letter From the NATO Secretary General to the on National Defence and the Armed Forces have decided to President of MSF France, 31 January 2001 (in establish a Parliamentary Fact Finding Commission on the French). events that took place in Srebrenica in July 1995. The French Government has pledged its full support for the work of the Extract: parliamentary commission. All officials, both civilian and To date I have not received a request for any current or former military, whose testimony is requested, will thus testify NATO officials to attend a hearing on their actions at the time before the parliamentary commission. Some have already of the fall of Srebrenica from the French parliamentary Fact- appeared before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Finding Commission. Nonetheless, I must inform you that former Yugoslavia. France is fully cooperating with the NATO member states have adopted the principle by which the Tribunal so that the ICTY can gather all the information Organisation’s senior officials should not be called on to give required to perform its mandate and judge the perpetrators of evidence before the parliaments of other member states. various horrific crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia. To that end, some 30 French soldiers, including several gen- eral officers, have already testified, many at the request of the ICTY’s prosecution teams. Their testimony was heard in closed session according to procedures defined with the pros- 108 ecutor. The objective is to provide any information that can Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, [LegalDirector] for Médecins come under the control of the Ministry of Defence?” asks “Has the parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission onSrebrenica Srebrenica. the truth and an understanding of the events that occurred in bodies the means bywhich toachieve the determination of The French government isdetermined togiveeachof these pursue itsworkwhileenabling the ICTY tofulfillits mandate. such procedures istopermitthe Fact-Finding commission to Morillon beconducted behind closeddoors. The reason for commission thatthe testimony of Generals Janvier and Ministry of Defence asked the chairman of the Fact-Finding procedures as those defined by the Tribunal. Accordingly, the cooperation isrequired bythe ICTY testifybasedonthe same are tobeheard bythe parliamentary commission and whose In this framework, it is necessary that all public agents who arrested oragainst individuals facing secret accusations. be usedagainst alleged criminals who havealready been the Tribunal and the French government, statedMr. Chartier. the ICTY.” “To my knowledge, there is no agreement” between French government’s desire to ‘’respect its obligations towards deplored the decision butexpressed understanding of the of the Fact-Finding commission, deputy François Loncle, been heard earlier behind closeddoors bythe ICTY. The head had requested aclosedtestimony since the twomen had the French Ministryof Defence. The latterspecifiedthatit ultimately tookplacebehind closeddoors atthe request of Initially intended to be open to the public, the testimony Bosnia) inJuly1995.[…] stances of the tragedy thatoccurred inSrebrenica (and in mission conducted bythe French Parliament onthe circum- testified onThursday inthe context of the Fact-Finding com- person Christian Chartier toldAFP. The twoFrench generals with those of the parliamentary commission,” ICTY spokes The ICTY’s procedures are well known, and have no relation decision wasbased onthe procedures ineffectatthe ICTY. Friday. “The French Ministry of Defence has argued that its inquiry onthe tragedy inSrebrenica, the ICTY announced on tioning of Generals Janvier and Morillon bythe parliamentary request for a testimony behind closed doors during the ques- has nothing todo withthe French Ministryof Defence’s The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Extract: 24 January 2001 (inFrench). Doors on7,000deaths.” MSF France PressRelease, Tragedy inSrebrenica: Testimony Behind Closed ‘Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission onthe The Hague, 26January 2001(inFrench). Closed Testimony inFrance,’ Agence France Presse, ‘Srebrenica: The ICTY Has Nothing to Do With the - General Mladic toobtainthe release of the hostages? - Ultimately, whattype of agreement was reached with General Mladic propose atthe next twomeetings? Mladic at his first meeting with General Janvier. What did - The UNreport describes the agreement proposed byGeneral have inthe context of these negotiations? him these instructions and how much leeway did the general did he receive for conducting the negotiations? Who gave to negotiate the release of the hostages. Whatinstructions Janvier met withGeneral Mladic onthree separate occasions - According tothe UNreport onthe fall of Srebrenica, General asked today, inparticular toGeneral Janvier, such as: MPs. It alsoleavesunanswered key questions thatwere tobe and relevance of the investigatory workconducted bythe issues. This decision couldcall into question the credibility serious concerns regarding the consideration of substantive tude regarding astraightforward procedural issueraises Defence before acquiescing tothisdemand. Such alight atti- validity of the arguments putforward bythe Ministryof that the Fact-Finding commission did not ascertainthe More importantly, Médecins Sans Frontières isastonished has expressed no reservation regarding the testimony.” Bouchet-Saulnier, “since the Criminal Tribunal inThe Hague to using apretext instead of areason,” comments Françoise ever, are unsubstantiated from alegalstandpoint. “It amounts cials before the parliamentary mission. Such arguments, how presented byhigh-ranking French civilian and militaryoffi behind closeddoors, likely applicable toallfuture testimony to cooperate withthe ICTY inorder toimposethistestimony has not put forward military secrecy, it has invoked the need sented behind closeddoors. Although the Ministryof Defence responsibility inthe fall of Srebrenica. ation of aparliamentary investigative commission onFrance’s On 13July2000,Médecins Sans Frontières requested the cre- their opinion? are the individuals he consulted onthismatter and whatwas denied, can he specify the exact reasons for his refusal? Who the enclave wasunder attack? For each request thathe requests for airstrikes thathe received from Srebrenica once - CanGeneral Janvier provide the precise timeline of the sation of airstrikes? the release of the hostages inexchange for the definitive ces- in order tofree the hostages bymaking the following deal: tions conducted within the framework of the United Nations, - Is itconceivable thatFrance short-circuited the negotia- General Janvier everincontact withGeneral de Lapresle? the French government and hadeventraveled toBosnia? Was was potentially involved insuch negotiations onbehalf of the press stating thathispredecessor, General de Lapresle, - CanGeneral Janvier confirmthe information published in of the negotiations conducted bythe French government? with the individuals composing thiscommittee?Was he aware release of the hostages? Was the French general incontact tive, set up a special national committee to negotiate the - Did France, withthe largest number of hostages held cap Generals Janvier and Morillon, scheduled for today, bepre French Ministryof Defence requested thatthe testimony of Sans Frontières. Inacommuniqué issuedlastnight, the - - - - 109 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
On 30 January 2001, Jean-David Levitte, former “could have intercepted them at certain times” in 1996 “but Diplomatic advisor to French President Jacques Chirac, the Americans simply didn’t want to arrest them.” […] asserted to the Parliamentary Fact-Finding commission The French general also denounced the “ridiculous” mandate that no deal was made with the Serbs regarding Srebrenica. given to IFOR by the international tribunal, saying it was far too weak to allow the effective pursuit of people suspected of war crimes […] He acknowledged that Srebrenica, one of three Muslim enclaves in eastern Bosnia that was besieged by ‘No Deal Between France and the Serbs on Srebre- Serb forces in early 1995, had fallen “because it wasn’t nica,’ Claire Tréan, Le Monde (France), 31 January defended. If it had been defended, the Serbs wouldn’t have 2001 (in French). gone in,” he said. Heinrich said he believed there had been a secret agreement between the Serb and Muslim leaderships Extract: under which the Muslims would pull out of the three enclaves. On Tuesday, 30 January, Jean-David Levitte, former Diplomatic The other two were Zepa and Gorazde. He said the Commander Advisor to Jacques Chirac and France’s current Ambassador to of the Muslim forces at Srebrenica, Nasser Oric, had slipped the UN, testified before the information mission at the French away from the town before it fell to Serb forces in July 1995, National Assembly regarding the events in Srebrenica in July a fact that had been attested to in the Bosnian daily 1995. He endeavoured to ‘lay to rest’ any suspicions expressed Oslobdenje. Heinrich said he did not know why the Muslim by certain people regarding France’s attitude, in particular commander had left, but once he had done so, the enclave Jacques Chirac’s, by providing a detailed account of several was wide open to attack by Bosnian forces. key episodes that he had witnessed first hand. […] “Eighteen NATO aircraft were already en route towards Srebrenica: six had received the order to attack, and two would drop two bombs early that afternoon,” added Mr. Levitte. At this point in his narrative, he refuted the allegations from the previous From 16 to 20 March 2001, the President and the month, “using [these] facts,” that Jacques Chirac had prom- Communications Director for MSF France, as well as the ised to block any air intervention by the west in exchange for Programme Coordinator for the former Yugoslavia at the the release of the UN peacekeepers held hostage by the Serbs. time the enclave fell, traveled to Srebrenica to explain the A preliminary air intervention had been launched, followed organisation’s attitude towards the French Parliamentary by a full one the following month. “This proves,” Mr. Levitte Fact-Finding Commission. V16 emphasized, “that no deal of the sort was made.”
‘While the French Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission Pursues its Work, a Team from At his testimony on 7 February before the Fact-Finding Médecins Sans Frontières Travels to Bosnia.’ MSF commission, General Jean Heinrich, France’s Head France Press Release, 16 March 2001 (in French). of Military Intelligence from 1992 to 1995, then the Implementation Force (IFOR, NATO-led peace A delegation from the Paris head office of Médecins Sans enforcement force for Bosnia-Herzegovina) Commander in Frontières comprised of Jean-Hervé Bradol, the organisa- 1996, alleged that Srebrenica was not defended because tion’s President, Pierre Salignon, Programme Coordinator in of a secret agreement between the Bosnian Serbs and 1995, and Stephan Oberreit, Communications Director, vis- the Bosniaks. He said the Bosniak leader had escaped ited Bosnia in order to report to those concerned on the ini- from the enclave a few weeks prior to the city’s fall. He tiative launched by the Paris organisation to monitor the also reported that, in 1996, IFOR could have arrested Fact-Finding commission appointed last September and Mladic and Karadzic on several occasions without any tasked with shedding light on France’s responsibility in this opposition from US officials. tragedy. Médecins Sans Frontières entered the enclave in 1993, and for two years provided medical and logistical sup- port to the besieged population, officially under the protec- tion of the UN peacekeepers. They promised the population ‘U.S. Not Keen to Nab Bosnian Serb Leaders they would not be abandoned. Because of this ‘guarantee,’ in 1996,’ Agence France Presse, 8 February 2001 and other promises, the population remained in the enclave, (in English). rather than fleeing from the threat. And yet, despite its des- ignation as a ‘safe area,’ the fall of Srebrenica was followed by Extract: the deportation of 40,000 people and the execution of some NATO forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina could have arrested the 7,000 others. The MSF team could only stand by and watch, Bosnian Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic on powerless, as the population was separated into groups, several occasions in 1996 but U.S. officials were not inter- including the sick and the wounded, as the men were sepa- ested, a French general alleged here Thursday. General Jean rated from the women, and as groups in convoys departed to Heinrich told a French Parliamentary Committee that the unknown destinations. Dozens of wounded and sick people 110 NATO-led Implementation Force (IFOR) deployed in Bosnia under MSF’s care, ‘evacuated’ from the enclave by the Bosnian city felltestified before theFrench Parliamentary Fact- the two MSFvolunteers present inSrebrenica whenthe On 29 March 2001, Christina Schmitz and Daniel O’Brien, years. bigger battlethattheyhadalreadyrealizedwouldtake many Fact-Finding Commission was a minor episode in a much Dutch UNpeacekeepers. Sofor them,theFrenchParliamentary officially yet, they were already focused on condemning the and theEuropeanpowers. Even thoughtheyhadn’tvoicedit express deep frustration regarding the Bosnian authorities they understoodwhatweweretryingtodo.Theydid,however, initiated regarding the Parliamentary Inquiry Commission and them. But they were very interested in the approach we had we viewedourselvesasinconsequentialvictimscomparedto after suchtragicevents. We wereabitapprehensivebecause reconnect throughlanguage, toconverseviaourmediation point, itwasverymovingtowitnesspeoplelearninghow their Serb counterparts. From a human and political stand time thetwoMuslimswhoweretherehadeverheardthisfrom happened, we don’t defend the massacres.’ It was the first recognize thatmassacresoccurred,weareextremely sorrythis off bysaying,‘youknow, youcantalkaboutallof this. We bank holiday, justasmallgroupof people. TheSerbsstarted up theissueof themassacresbetweenthemselves. Itwasa Muslims wereontheMunicipalCouncil,buttheyneverbrought ground aseffectivelypossible. tions, for the purposeof positioning ouroperations onthe tection thatcanbeprovided (ornot) bypeacekeeping opera- coherent policy aimed atassessing the levelof civilian pro- initiative of France. ForMSF, thiscallfor inquiryreflects a use of force toprotect the safeareas, wasalsoadopted onthe Council Resolution 836(4June 1993),which authorizes the ment (AlainJuppé[Ministerof Foreign Affairs]). Security General Morillon and atthe suggestion of the French govern- Resolution 819of 16April1993under the initiative of French In fact, the ‘safeareas’ were created bySecurityCouncil Protection Forces (UNPROFOR)wasunder French command. decision-making role inthe crisis, asthe United Nations the United Nations and NATO. Indeed, France playedamajor both political and military, that resulted in the paralysis of requested clarification onFrance’s level of responsibility, tional protection inthe area, Médecins Sans Frontières has that itspresence helped maintain the illusion of interna- In memory of these colleagues and patients, and deeming staff were likewise executed. executed bySerbforces. Twenty-two members of MSF’s local Serbs and ‘under Dutchescort,’ were forced off the busesand sional life. Aprocesswassetup,sobothSerbsand It wasoneof themostmovingmomentsof myprofes 2000-2007, Interviewed in2015(inFrench) Dr Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France President, - - breadth of the events occurring, nor were we on 22 July when much engaged. So,Imust saythat wewere not aware of the having anything todo whatsoever. Not atall.We were very somewhere, watching the events unfold from afar, without fast. One event followed the other. It isn’t asthough wewere very quickly. There were onlytwoof us. Things happened very held captive. You must understand thateverything happened vague notions. Forexample, the house where the men were outside worldvia ourteaminBelgrade. Butallwehadwere much firmer interms of the information we relayed tothe Not atall.Otherwise, hadweknown, wewouldhavebeen say, today, thatwewere aware of whatwas going onexactly. separated, we knew there were problems. But I could never C. Schmitz: just atemporary displacement of the population. […] we thought thatwewouldbeabletogo backin.Thatitwas the enclave wouldfall. And on11July, asI’vealready stated, moment? We didn’t know, Iassure you,wedidn’t know that enclave, who wouldhavestayedwiththe population atthat local and international staffprior toorduring the fall of the lation, despite the events unfolding. Had weevacuated our evacuate ourlocalstaff,wewanted toremain withthe popu- back, it may have seemed foreseeable. As to why we didn’t happening? We didn’t know atthe time, eventhough, looking body know about them? Did you know that this was body here today. Were these massacres foreseeable? Did any- C. Schmitz:Thatis, firstand foremost, aquestion for every- uate orattempttoevacuate itsBosnian staff? and massacres were foreseeable, why then didn’t MSF evac- F. Loncle: […] Since you stated several times that the attack Extract: the continuationof theairstrikes. according towhich,theabsenceof suchateamprevented the French authoritiesfor thelackof timelyairstrikes, information contradicts the official justification givenby team of NATO military air controllers. Yet this piece of enclave, onthedayof theNATO airattack,of anadvance mony of thetwo volunteers regarding thepresence inthe Furthermore, noneof theMPspaidattentiontotesti- eventually concludedthatnothinghadbeenforeseeable. protect thepopulationwasn’t. Theinformation mission was foreseeable, thelackof intervention by UNPROFORto Christina and Daniel emphasizedthat,whiletheattack vs. unforeseeable nature of the attack and massacres. A standoff of sorts took place regarding theforeseeable of theProgramme Coordinator. analysis would be provided atthe upcoming testimony on narrating whatthey sawontheground, whilethe Finding Commission.Itwas decidedthatthey would focus English). on Events inSrebrenica, 29March 2001(in French Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission O’Brien,’ SFVolunteers inSrebrenica, Before the Testimony of Christina Schmitz and Daniel We had a vague notion that the men had been V17
111 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
we arrived in Zagreb. The awareness that something bad had the population of Srebrenica,” declared Christina Schmitz. happened didn’t come until later, very gradually. […] “The international community was represented by UNPROFOR D. O’Brien: […] I believe there were certainly concerns (United Nations Protection Force in the former Yugoslavia), regarding this matter because the local population and staff initially under the command of General Philippe Morillon at spoke with us. People knew that the men were being sepa- the time when the safe area of Srebrenica was established (in rated and that they were being killed. There is no doubt about 1993), then under the command of General Bernard Janvier that. So specific concerns were emerging around us. But at when the city was brutally conquered,” she stated. “Thousands times like that, you need to decide for yourself what to think of women and children were deported and lost their homes, and, personally, I couldn’t conceive, and I still can’t conceive, their fathers, their brothers, their husbands. Over 7,000 men that when you have thousands of people, individuals who were killed. This all took place in the presence of the peace- know, who are surrounded by UN soldiers, the world knows keeping forces. As a result, nobody can claim they didn’t what’s going on. I couldn’t imagine that these people, who know about the attack,” she added. “We would like to know lived together, would be separated from the others and exe- who is responsible. It’s not the role of a non-governmental cuted. No, I couldn’t believe it at the time, despite the fears organisation (NGO) to say who is responsible. That’s the expressed by the local population. I suppose my faith in question we’re asking,” responded Christina Schmitz and humanity was strong enough to believe that it simply couldn’t Daniel O’Brien to questions from the French MPs. happen. Sadly, such was not the case. In hindsight, we were naïve, but the locals, they knew. […] The tragedy has become an international controversy, par- F. Loncle: […] Your responses denote the entire issue of the ticularly between France, in command of UNPROFOR, and the foreseeable vs. unforeseeable nature of the situation. It’s dif- Netherlands, whose UN peacekeepers were stationed in ficult to confirm anything, although you have attempted to Srebrenica. MSF has conducted its own investigation into the during your narrative on this particular point. This is one of tragedy and the NGO’s head officers will present the conclu- the issues we have been struggling with throughout the hear- sions of the organisation’s investigation to the parliamentary ings. Your conclusion, however, is a tough indictment of what commission on 17 May. Christina Schmitz and Daniel O’Brien you initially referred to as “the responsibility of the interna- were on the ground in Srebrenica from 24 June to 21 July tional community.” […] For my part, I would ask you to be 1995. more specific, and you have been, to a certain extent, but please go further, regarding the responsibilities, people, countries, soldiers, civilians, political leaders, responsibili- ties that you wish to evoke, with greater precision, in this tragic case. If I may, the expression ‘international commu- On 24 January 2001, in response to accusations made nity’ is not specific enough. by Alain Juppé, France’s Minister of Foreign Affairs at C. Schmitz: […] The question you are asking is the same one the time of the fall of Srebrenica, during his testimony we have been asking ourselves and that’s ultimately the before the commission, Hans de Mierlo, former Dutch reason we are here today. We would like you to tell us, for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, claimed that General Janvier international community to tell us, who was actually account- denied air support for the Dutch UN peacekeepers. On able and for what. It is not the role of NGOs to say: “It was 12 April, at his request, Hans de Mierlo testified before this person, it was that country, it was this nationality.” We the mission, as did Joris Voorhoeve, the Dutch Minister ask the same question and it is the same one asked by the of Defence. MSF conveyed its interest in the testimony population of Srebrenica: who was responsible? Because even in the French press. today, we still don’t know. […] Jean-Hervé Bradol: I would just like to specify the context in which this testimony is taking place. The people here are Médecins Sans Frontières staff who were on the ground, that is ‘The French Army May get a Dressing Down,’ Karen to say, people trapped inside a situation, people who had Lajon, Le Journal du Dimanche (France), 8 April arrived there very recently, in June. […] The advice we gave 2001 (in French). them, [was] to limit their testimony to what they saw. Regarding the other elements of information in our posses- Extract: sion, as well as our organisation’s stand on this issue, as “We expect a lot from the testimony of the Dutch Ministers,” Christina has told you on several occasions, these will be pro- explains Fabien Dubuet, a lawyer at MSF specialising in inter- vided by Pierre Salignon in the testimony presented on 17 May. national humanitarian law, “because they may well bring crashing down entire sections of France’s political and mili- tary line of defence.” […] In Fabien Dubuet’s opinion, it’s clear that French leaders have “memory lapses” concerning ‘Srebrenica: The Members of MSF Denounce Events the period 6 to 11 July. One might legitimately ask whether and Provide Eyewitness Testimony,’ Agence France the French army may, in fact, have known that the Bosnian Presse, 29 March 2001 (in French). Serb forces were about to attack Srebrenica. This, especially since, based on the testimony of Henri Jacolin, former French Extract: Ambassador to Sarajevo, and Jean-René Ruez, Chief 112 “The international community has failed by not protecting Investigator for Srebrenica at the International Criminal tracks. General Quesnot, former Chief of Stafffor Presidents to air strikes hadstopped the Bosnian Serb forces intheir of command for air strikes. He also acknowledged that recourse he hadnever encountered any technical issuesalong the chain the UNForces from March 1994 toFebruary 1995,statedthat of Gorazde, Sarajevo, and Bihac. General de Lapresle, who led command, and onseveral occasions, todefend the safeareas strikes were infact carried outin1994using the same chainof aside bythe reality onthe ground. Firstof all,becauseair to direct operations, these arguments canagainbeswept command for air strikes and the need for forward aircontrollers launching airstrikes, such asthe complexity of the chainof political and militaryleaders toexplain the difficulty of Regarding the technical arguments putforward byFrench air strikes made bythe Dutchcontingent inSrebrenica. direct result of the delayed response torepeated requests for impossible to drop bombs. However, this intertwining was the peacekeepers were socloselyintertwined thatithadbecome when the Serbforces, the civilian population, and the UN not occuruntil 11July, afterthe fall of Srebrenica, atatime of Defence requesting the cessation of the airoffensive did Serb forces. In addition, the intervention of the Dutch Minister though some thirtysoldiers hadbeentaken hostage bythe that such arequest posedfor the UNPeacekeepers, even The Dutch Battalion wasprepared toassume the physical risks occasions, according tothe UNreport onthe fall of Srebrenica. first day of the attack(6 July) and againonfiveorsixother Battalion inSrebrenica hadrequested airstrikes onthe very lapses for the period 6to11July1995.Infact, the Dutch appears thatFrance’s leaders allsufferfrom odd memory the non-use of air strikes, is inconsistent with reality. It placing the burden of responsibility onthe Netherlands for It must be said that France’s line of argument, basedon authorities hadbeenforewarned.” Tribunal inThe Hague, itwouldappearthatthe French express request of the Dutchauthorities. timony that the idea of anairoffensive was rejected at the Prime Minister Alain Juppé, who had declared during his tes- strikes. He wasreacting tocomments made byformer French leaders “were mixing everything up” onthe issueof the air testimony, Hans Van Mierlo hadalready explained thatFrench Chief of Staff in Sarajevo, will also testify. Even prior to his Dutch Battalion inSrebrenica, and General Nicolai, UNPROFOR Thursday (19April),Colonel Karremans, Commander of the testify and present their version of events. The following Hans Van Mierlo, former DutchMinisterof Foreign Affairs, will April, Joris Voorhoeve, former Dutch Minister of Defence, and of defence onthe issue of the airstrikes. OnThursday, 12 crashing down entire sections of the French authorities’ line Fact-Finding Commission onSrebrenica may wellbring The next four testimonies presented before the parliamentary 2001 (inFrench). posted onMSF Website onSrebrenica , 12April ‘Risky Testimony for France?,’ Fabien Dubuet, advance aircontrollers and statesthatthey were fullyopera (on pages 28,56,69and 70)the presence of two teams of Srebrenica. The UNreport onthe fall of Srebrenica mentions Furthermore, advance teams of aircontrollers were present in added thatsuch airstrikes couldhavebeen used inSrebrenica. April 1994 to haltthe Serboffensive against Gorazde. He the air strikes had proved effective when they were used in François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac, also considered that safe area fell. presence of Britishmilitarypersonnel inSrebrenica, when the the Ministerof Defence hasalwayssought toconceal the information thatshould inform the debate inthe U.K.,where specified thatsome of the controllers were British,apiece of ence of advance aircontroller teams intheir testimony. They enclave when the tragedy unfolded also confirmed the pres- The twomembers of Médecins Sans Frontières present inthe teams were forced towithdraw withthe DutchUNPeacekeepers. the SerbstookoverSrebrenica, the advance aircontroller Since The UNand NATO did not defend the safearea soonce tional, even several days after the beginning of the attack. fraught withserious consequences? Whateveritmay be, on Was thismodesty ordeference towards afailed UNsystem small country without much influence,” statedMr. Van Mierlo. minds earlier toinstruct their soldiers toresist? “We are a expose their troops toretaliation, why didn’t itcross their on the ground. And also,since they finally hadthe courage to discontent earlier and relayed the callsfrom their contingent 10 July, wewanted toaskthem why they hadnot voiced their repeat that the UN had consulted them “for the first time” on earlier,” claims Joris Voorhoeve. […]Hearing bothministers General Gobillard, “hadissuedthe same request tenminutes halt the operation. Anofficer of UNPROFORinSarajevo, the air strikes continued. The Hague then asked the UN to ians who had sought refuge at the UN peacekeeping base if threatening tokillthe hostages and bombthousands of civil- city of Srebrenica had fallen and that General Mladic was hours later, the UNand The Hague were informed thatthe that destroyed atank–hardly alarge-scale operation. Two over the enclave, and onlytwoof them dropped twobombs Voorhoeve. It wasonlyat14:40thateight NATO aircraft flew units. But that morning, we saw nothing,” states Joris NATO planes wouldlaunch anattackonthe Serbartillery “I thought thaton11July, around 06:00or07:00,numerous for Dutchtroops. The operation wasn’tlaunched thatnight. mously agreed tolaunch the airoperation, despite the risk Serb forces inthe enclave, yetthe Dutchgovernment unani- strikes. FortyDutchsoldiers were being held hostage bythe asking ifthe Dutchgovernment wasopposedtowesternair on behalfof General Janvier, Commander of UNPROFOR, time,” itemphasized, inresponse toanappealfrom the UN July) the Dutchgovernment wasconsulted –“for the first On 10July1995(withthe Serboffensive underway since 6 Extract: (in French). selves inParis,’ LeMonde,(France), 14April2001 ‘Srebrenica: Two Dutch Ministers Explain Them- - 113 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
that Thursday, none of the French MPs noticed anything of programmes the former Yugoslavia in 1995, would worth questioning. Absolutely astounding. testify the next day. To provide additional background on the political context for this hearing, MSF uploaded extracts from an 30 October 1995 article published by The Independent (see page 84), stating that on May 24, 1995, during a closed-door briefing at the UN, UNPROFOR On 26 April 26 2001, MSF published two confidential commander General Janvier had advised abandoning the documents on its Srebrenica site that purportedly proved enclaves, which he considered indefensible. the existence of a non-intervention agreement between General Mladic and UNPROFOR as well as disagreements within UNPROFOR regarding the air strikes. ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Testifies Before French Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission on the fall of Srebrenica: Was the Commitment to Protect ‘Srebrenica: MSF Publishes Confidential Documents Srebrenica’s Residents Abandoned in Favor of Challenging General Janvier, Agence France Larger Political Objectives?’ MSF France Press Presse, 26 April 26 2001 (in French). Release, May 16, 2001 (in French)
Extract: MSF Deputy Programme Manager, in charge of programmes According to the humanitarian organisation, whose main in the former Yugoslavia, in 1995, will testify on Thursday, office is in Paris, General Janvier’s report on his first meeting 17 May 09:30 before the National Assembly in connection with Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic on June 4, 1995 - with the parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission on the this meeting was the subject of a June 15, 1995 confidential tragedy in Srebrenica. He will present information sug- fax between UN Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi and the Chief of gesting that the commitment to protect Srebrenica’s resi- Peacekeeping Operations at that time, Kofi Annan - “confirms dents was abandoned in favor of larger political objectives, the information stating that General Mladic had prepared an that is, the peace accords. He will also emphasise that the agreement that tied the freeing of the hostages to the non- fall and the killings carried out by Serbian forces were fore- use of air force against the Serbs.” On 1 June, the Bosnian seeable, that UN Member States failed to act to protect the Serbs had taken 377 UN hostages, whom they were freeing in residents of the ‘safe area,’ and that France exploited human- small groups. The last hostages – at least 26 people – were itarian action during the Bosnian conflict. During his testi- only freed on June 18, before the July 11 Srebrenica offen- mony, he will review the omissions and contradictions in the sive. The UN fax stated that General Janvier did not notify the official arguments of French political and military leaders Secretary-General about this meeting until 11 days after it regarding their responsibility in the fall of the enclave and took place and only after “the Secretariat’s express request.” the killing of 7,000 people under UN protection.
A second confidential document revealed by MSF, a 9 June 1995 report from a meeting between General Janvier, British General Rupert Smith, Commander of the UN forces in Bosnia Article Posted on the MSF Srebrenica Website, 17 (UNPROFOR), and Mr. Akashi confirmed the issues on which May 2001 (in French). French General Janvier was challenged by General Cees Nicolai, the Dutch UNPROFOR Chief in Bosnia, and Thom Extract: Karremans, Commander of the Dutch Blue Helmets deployed Today, Médecins Sans Frontières is publishing extracts from in Srebrenica, when they testified last Thursday before the an article by Robert Block in the 30 October 1995 issue of The French National Assembly’s Fact-Finding Commission investi- Independent. This article shows that the Contact Group (US, gating the disappearance of 7,000 people from Srebrenica. France, Great Britain, and Russia) sacrificed the protection of The two Dutch officers maintained that “if massive air sup- the Srebrenica enclave residents for the peace accords. The port had been implemented quickly, as of the first day of the decision to abandon the Srebrenica ‘safe area’ was reportedly Serbian offensive in Bosnia, this tragedy might have been made by certain members of the Contact Group at a 24 avoided.” General Nicolai emphasised the disagreement May1995 closed-door Security Council briefing by General between General Janvier and General Smith on the use of air Janvier. He also reportedly requested to be “relieved” of the force. Two strikes were launched on the afternoon of July 11, enclaves in northeastern Bosnia (Srebrenica and Zepa). but it was too late. The Bosnian Serbs then carried out a mas- sive deportation of the Muslim population and approximately 7,000 people – most men – disappeared.
On 17 May 2000, Pierre Salignon, MSF France Deputy Programme Manager, in charge of programmes in the former Yugoslavia at the time of the events, gave On May 16, MSF issued a press release announcing that testimony raising specific questions and highlighting 114 Pierre Salignon, MSF Deputy Programme Manager in charge the contradictions in the existing information. sibility inthistragedy. This iswhy allpossiblelight should beshed onFrench respon- - - of Srebrenica. tant to underline my convictions once again on the tragedy Conclusion: In order to reply to your questions I feel it impor Extract: air intervention inexchange for freeing the BlueHelmets ties hadpromised General Mladic that they wouldopposeany vanquished the “rumor” according towhich French authori- the testimony the mission had gathered to date had not yet Bosnia, when they wanted tostrike, they did.” He said that fying the lack of strikes contradict the facts. Because in what leapsoutisthatthe arguments presented toyoujusti- NATO strikes todefend Srebrenica,” he toldthe deputies, “but expertise to determine whether itwaspossible to carry out that the deputies havenot yetaddressed. “I do not havethe on? He alsosought tofocus attention on several questions in itsduty toprotect civilians, which ithadpromised totake could the international community havefailed sogrievously French deputies onthe verysubjectof thisproceeding: How clearly sought torefocus the investigation conducted bythe However, beyond his testimony, the MSF representative made tohim,bytheir Vice-President, Nicola Koljevic. the militarypreparations of the Bosnian Serbsand the threats clearer to western military observers,” he said, referring to an attackonthe enclave, “which should have beeneven In June, “the volunteers inthe fieldknew thatthere wouldbe who testifiedpreviously, that“the killings were foreseeable.” Thursday, he asserted-contrary tomost of the individuals from Bosnian Serbauthorities inPale for MSF’s new teams. On before July 1995 and tried to obtain access to the enclaves Thursday 17May. He hadvisitedSrebrenica several times of programmes in the former Yugoslavia in 1995, testified on Salignon, MSF France Deputy Programme Manager, incharge emphasised itsexpectations for the process when Pierre Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission and which strongly Sans Frontières, which wasbehind the creation of this and militaryleaders from thatperiod? “No,” saysMédecins weekly testimony since autumnfrom witnesses, and political ticularly before the French deputies who have been taking Hasn’t everything already beensaid inmultiple settings, par- Extract: They were abandoned. defend them contributed to leading them to the massacre. Srebrenica wasnot kept and the lackof political willto The promise of protection made tothe inhabitants of foreseeable. The fall as well as the massacres of Srebrenica was 16 May 2001(inFrench). Commission Hearings onthe Srebrenica Tragedy, During the French Parliamentary Fact-Finding Testimony Presented by[Pierre Salignon] MSF Tréan, ‘Deputies’ Timid Inquiryinto Srebrenica,’ Claire French). Le Monde (France), 20 May 2001 (in - war. We wereinawarof ethniccleansing. defended thembecausethecontext wasnot thatof atraditional enclaves, wetookthesideof Bosnia’s Muslimpopulations. We also apoliticalchoice. the time, thewarringpartieswereincapableof doingso.Itwas cases, youevacuate, youorganise, youdon’tstabilise. Butat arrived, theystabilisedapieceof territory, andthat’s it.Inthese tance existed within the enclave. It did not. The Blue Helmets of powerwasnotequal.It’s timetostopthinkingthatresis - recently andIwouldnotchangemypointof view. Thebalance will havebeenawasteof time. further, the French Parliament’s commission onSrebrenica with accuracy. Thursday’s hearing wasasignal, ifitgoes no ments, and needles the deputies, who are not littleconcerned able, the organisation atleastraises questions, seeksdocu - while many of the points inMSF’s assertions may bequestion- Bosnian forces ledbyNasser Oric, wasalsounjustified. But, committed inthe region’s Serbian villages bySrebrenica’s offhand manner withwhich he referred tothe earlier abuses two, radically opposedpolicies, Mitterand’s and Chirac’s. The of France, deliberately overlooking the fact thatthere were part of westerngovernments, orhiscriticism of “the” policy analyses, hisindiscriminate accusations of “cynicism” onthe One may wellchallenge thatanswer, along withsome of his Peace Accords” twomonths later. […] two enclaves indeed facilitated the signing of the Dayton “The facts are there. They show thatthe disappearance of the Srebrenica and Zepa enclaves.” He offered hisownanswer. tributed toadecision, bythe Contact Group, toabandon the peace negotiations among Serbians, Muslims, and Croats con- Salignon alsoasked whether “the interest infacilitating the concrete action planto protect the civilian population?” and General Gobillard inSarajevo, did not appeartohavea in the hands of two French generals, General Janvier in Zagreb terms, how wasitthat, afterwards, “the UNleadership, then Another question, withSrebrenica having fallen, inmilitary determine whatactually happened.” taken hostage inMay. “Ihope yourworkwillenable youto Coordinator for the former Yugoslavia in1993and 1995, Yugoslavia, 1992-1996,Interviewed in2015(inFrench) impartial. Ithinkthatinthecontext of Bosniaandthe The mostcautiouswillsaythatweremainedcompletely lanced intermsof theBosnianresistance. Irereadit The Le Monde reporter said that my testimony was unba Manager, incharge of programmes inthe former Pierre Salignon, MSF France DeputyProgramme Dr. Renaud Tockert, MSF Belgium Programme Interviewed in2000(inFrench)
- 115 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
In early June 2001, with the help of the British section of It was an open secret, but we learned about it through MSF, the organisation tried, without success, to convince this work on the French parliamentary commission. The the British authorities to allow General Rupert Smith, British and the French disagreed strongly about the strategy. UNPROFOR Commander in Bosnia-Herzegovina acting under The UNPROFOR Second-in-Command, Rupert Smith, was a General Janvier’s orders during the events in Srebrenica, British General, who had been annoyed, several times, by to testify as part of the French Fact-Finding mission. General Janvier’s failure to make decisions. We sensed that he was an extremely strong supporter of more firmness. The French did not adopt this stronger strategy until later, at the instigation of Jacques Chirac, who had changed the military balance of Email from the MSF Deputy Legal Advisor to MSF power. France Managers, dated 5 June 2001 (in French). Fabien Dubuet, MSF France Deputy Legal Advisor, Extract: 1995-2005, Interviewed in 2015 (in French) A letter [will be sent] to the next British Minister of Defense asking him to authorise General Smith to testify before the committee. General Smith wrote a letter to the commission explaining that British political authorities will not allow him to testify. A copy of MSF’s letter will be sent to the chairs of On June 5, MSF France sent the documents that the the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees of the House of programme coordinator referred to in his testimony, to Commons and to several members of parliament. The idea is, the chair of the French fact-finding commission, which obviously, to help the minister understand that the British did not have prior access to. MSF also included a list of Parliament (much more powerful than ours, including on other key documents that the organisation had been international matters) is part of this story. The letter will be unable to obtain but considered important for facilitation sent after the 7 June legislative elections because of the pos- of the commission. sible ministerial reorganisation and the appointment of the chairs of all the House of Commons committees. We intend to keep the British authorities from shirking their responsibili- ties by responding that the letter was lost because we sent it MSF Letter to François Loncle, Chair of the French at ‘the wrong time’ or to ‘the wrong person.’ Parliament’s Fact-Finding Commission on Srebre- nica, 5 June 2001 (in French). A copy of this letter will also be sent ‘off the record’ to a specific list of British journalists, but if we do not receive a Mr President, positive response from the minister, we will make it public. We will ask members of the House of Commons to raise a I have the honor to transmit several Médecins Sans Frontières question about this issue around the anniversary of documents that Pierre Salignon referred to during his 17 May Srebrenica’s fall in July. Jean-Hervé, tell us if you agree with testimony before your committee. In the interest of facili- the form and content of this letter because it would be pref- tating the work of your mission, MSF is forwarding all the erable, in protocol terms, for you to sign it. Bianca Jagger, United Nations documents that we obtained and that may who has been itching to work on this issue for years on the contribute to your investigation (list attached). We are also other side of the Atlantic and the Channel, will also sign. The sending you copies of: London office has been in the loop for two weeks, fully • The 30 October 1995 article by Robert Block from The informed and very cooperative on these initiatives. Independent newspaper. This article notes that the decision to abandon Srebrenica was reportedly made in May 1995, at the time of General Janvier’s closed-door briefing before the Security Council. The testimony of Jean-Bernard Mérimée, Email from MSF UK Press Officer to MSF Deputy France’s Ambassador to the UN in 1995, and that of his close Legal Advisor, 10 July 2001 (in French). collaborators to the committee, is of the greatest importance in that regard. You may also contact the journalist who wrote Extract: this article. Robert Block now works for the Wall Street Journal I just called the Ministry of Defense regarding the Srebrenica in Rome. letter we gave them last week. I explained to the secretary at • The 10 July 1996 La Croix article, which notes that the the office that we expected a prompt response to it, that we French and US intelligence services intercepted telephone would of course give them a couple more days, but then they conversations between General Mladic and General Perisic should expect us to start talking to “other people” about it. starting on 17 June 1995 (one month before the fall of He told me (in a slightly surprised tone) that they had Srebrenica). The two men were reportedly organising the received a letter from Bianca Jagger yesterday on the same attack on the enclave. subject, that they were looking into it, and that he appreci- ated what I was saying. I reminded him that the anniversary Your mission should obtain the transcripts of these recorded of the fall of Srebrenica is tomorrow. conversations from the Ministry of Defense. I have also 116 attached a list of documents that MSF has not been able to would be important. Giventhe contradictory and piece you alistof individuals whose testimony webelieved In addition, when the committeebeganitswork,wesent • • • south sector -Admiral Leighton Smith,Commander-in-Chief of NATO’s 1995 -Sergio Balanzino, Assistant Secretary-General of NATO in NATO: the Srebrenica area -Kenneth Biser, Director of the Civilian Branch of the UN for Peacekeeping Operations -Kofi Annan, Assistant Secretary-General inCharge of -General Rupert Smith, UNPROFORCommander inBosnia United Nations: initiative of France, the US, and Great Britain. the enclaves innortheastern Bosnia inMay 1995atthe 1995; and the Contact Group’s possibleabandonment of rounding the launch of airstrikes betweenJuly6and 11, nature of the fall the mass killings; the ‘dysfunctions’ sur halting the air strikes. Clarification on the foreseeable involved freeing the BlueHelmet hostages inexchange for that anunauthorised deal wasmade byFrance that sion should seektoobtainclarification onthe possibility hear, orhear again,the individuals listedbelow. The mis these hearings, we believe it is critical for your mission to meal nature of the information thatwasmade public during • • Foreign Affairs. These documents include the following: of Defence (Strategic Affairs Division) and Ministryof UN headquarters inNew York and from the French Ministry efforts. Your mission should request the documents from obtain butthatare critical toyourparliamentary oversight General Mladic. between General Janvier, General de Lapresle, and Minutes of the 6, 17, and 29 June 1995 discussions Forces” of General Janvier, Commander of UNPeacekeeping the Countries Contributing Troops, 24 May 1995, Report eastern Bosnia. This document is entitled “Meeting of troops asks to be “relieved” of the enclaves in north Council. Inthisdocument, the Commander of the UN May 1995 closed-door session before the Security General Janvier’s briefing document prepared for his24 Contact Group during the BlueHelmet hostage-taking; for a“more realistic” peaceagreement) sent tothe to reach apolitical resolution of the conflict (proposal tion (gathering of the troops) and the revival of efforts 29 May 1995French memo onthe UNPROFORreorganisa the BlueHelmet hostage-taking; sions betweenGeneral Mladic and General Janvier during Yasushi Akashi to inquire into the nature of the discus 15 June 1995fax from Kofi Annan (no. 1981) asking to avoid mass killings; guarantees to protect or evacuate Srebrenica’s residents around Srebrenica and warning of the need toprovide forces, particularly Arkan’s troops, were concentrated informing the UNcivilian and militaryhierarchy thatSerb 4 June 1995report of the militaryobserversinSrebrenica, ------Secretariat in1995 -Director of the Private Office at the NATO General its report, scheduledfor thefall of 2001. statements onSrebrenica untilthecommissionpublished Following theseinitiatives, MSFdecidedto limit itspublic and lookforward tocooperating fullywithyou. wish you great success in your efforts to establish transparency Affairs and Defence Committeesof the House of Commons. We forward acopyof thatlettertothe twochairsof the Foreign General RupertSmithtotestifybefore yourcommittee. We will written request tothe BritishMinistry of Defence toauthorise In thisregard, Iwouldlike toinform youthatMSF willsend a (currently Director of the DGSEAction Division) in1995 the Ministerof Defence and hisDeputy, Xavier de Margnac -Mr Dillais, Director of the PrivateOfficewithinthe Cabinet of -General Heinrich, Director of MilitaryIntelligence (DRM) Intelligence Service (DGSE)in1995 -Jacques Dewattre, Director of the French External Defence -Jean-Claude Mallet, Director of Strategic Affairs, Ministryof -Hervé de Charrette, Ministerof Foreign Affairs -Charles Million, Ministerof Defence York) -Jean-Bernard Mérimée, French Ambassador to the UN (New -General Bernard Janvier, UNPROFORCommander France: fact-finding commissiononSrebrenica. not optimistic aboutthework of theFrench parliament’s his annualreport totheGeneral Assembly, thatMSFwas On June9,2001,thePresident of MSFFrance noted,in Fabien Dubuet [...]. - the limitations onthe workof the fact-finding commission strikes, and the issueof the hostages; that the French leaders havetaken onthe foreseeability, air - the weakness and the contradictions inthe line of defence - the nature of ourapproach; I thinkthatallourstatements should address: (France) and December(Holland). Parliamentary Commission] report is published in September statements regarding Srebrenica until the [French I wouldreally like ustobeverycareful aboutourpublic Extract: French). between MSF France Managers, 5 June 2001 (in ‘Demonstration inThe Hague,’ Emailexchange V18 117 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
Annual Report of the President of MSF France to The general also asserted that the report, that MSF notified the 9 June 2001 General Assembly (in French). the commission about, where he described his support for abandoning the Muslim enclaves of Srebrenica and Zepa was Extract: incomplete at his 24 May 1995 closed-door hearing before the Safe areas […] UN Security Council in NY. “I asked for directives and instruc- We are not optimistic about the work of the French parlia- tions and recommended that we withdraw from the enclaves, ment’s Fact-Finding Commission on Srebrenica. Although the leave observers on site, and develop strategic air forces.” work is not yet complete, it shows that the legislators, the government, the political class, and the military have only a very limited interest in shedding light on this matter, as indi- cated by: On November 20, 2001, François Loncle, chair of the - The closed-door hearing of the military leaders and the role French Fact-Finding Commission on Srebrenica, told Dutch played by François Léotard within this mission. He is, simul- television that General Janvier had under-estimated taneously, the Minister of Defence (at the time of the General Mladic and that he should have responded events), a witness heard by the committee, and the com- favorably to requests for air strikes. mission’s rapporteur. - The fact that not a single survivor was invited to testify before the members of Parliament. - That the military and political leaders who testified appar- Email from the MSF France Deputy Legal Advisor ently felt they could claim any excuse for abdicating their to MSF France Managers, 21 November 2001 (in responsibility; they benefited from the complacent attitude French). of some members of Parliament. Excuses included: the unforeseeability of the killings, refuted by the events that Extract: occurred during four years of war; the complexity of the Just a brief article by a Dutch reporter that appeared today. operation of the UN mission (with General de la Presle ulti- François Loncle spoke yesterday on Dutch TV and said that mately stating that this had never prevented him from General Janvier had under-estimated General Mladic. He using air force); the attitude of the Bosnian Army; a so- added that General Janvier should have responded favorably called Dutch veto of air strikes (refuted by the Dutch to the requests for air strikes from the Dutch soldiers in Minister of Defence); bad weather; and lack of ground guid- Srebrenica. It has not yet been confirmed whether this ance for the strikes (refuted by the MSF team’s testimony). acknowledgement of responsibility will appear in the report that might be published next week if the deputies manage to reach an agreement at Thursday’s meeting.
On 2 July, General Janvier testified again in a closed-door session of the Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission. He told the press that the minutes of the 24 May 1995 In late November 2001, before the Parliamentary Fact- meeting, revealed by The Independent in October 1995 Finding Commission’s report was made public, MSF and republished on 17 May 2001 by MSF, were incomplete. published an analysis presenting the questions it believed He added that he had also recommended keeping the commission should address. The report also included observers on site and developing strategic air forces. the list of documents critical for the commission to perform its work. The goal was to avoid the situation in which journalists received a three-volume document and a glowing report, drafted in advance, by the commission – as ‘General Janvier Explains During his Second Closed- happened during the Rwandan fact-finding commission. door Hearing,’ Agence France Presse, 3 July 2001 This analysis was also distributed to the British and (in French). Dutch media.
Extract: General Bernard Janvier stated Tuesday that his second hearing before the Fact-Find Commission on the tragedy in ‘Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission on Srebrenica (Bosnia) in July 1994 “was planned” and that the Srebrenica: Arguments, Gaps, and Contradictions closed-door session “made it possible to provide information in the Hearings,’ Médecins Sans Frontières’ France that could not have been released in an open hearing. […]” Briefing Document, November 2001, (in French). The general said that he “strongly countered the rumors, spec- ulation, and specious comparisons that have been thrown Extract: around.” The commission’s chair, Socialist Deputy François Srebrenica - Pending questions Loncle, had said that the committee wanted to hear General On the eve of the publication of the report of the Parliamentary Janvier again to “confront him with his contradictions” by Fact-Finding Commission, and without prejudging the con- 118 asking him to respond to a very specific set of questions [...] clusions of that work, Médecins Sans Frontières decided to ments and thatthey willbelistedinthe report’s appendix. that the commission was able to obtain certain key docu cific, documented answers tothese questions. MSF hopes The parliamentary commission’s report should provide spe- of the availabledocuments. became visibleoverthe courseof the testimony and areview - the contradictions and gapsinthese arguments, which who testified - The arguments made bythe political and militaryleaders these fivecritical questions: This summary document presents the following for eachof tection inSecurityCouncil Resolutions 819,824,and 836? Srebrenica’s residents, in accordance withthe promise of pro- 5) Why didn’t these countries organise the safeevacuation of the crisis? Srebrenica ‘safearea’ tofacilitate the political settlement of 4) Did France and the Contract Group decide toabandon the 1995 todefend Srebrenica and protect itspopulation? 3) Why didn’t General Janvier authorise airstrikes in July manent cessation of airstrikes? free the BlueHelmets held hostage inexchange for the per- agreement, outside the auspices of the United Nations, to 2) InJune 1995,did France enter into anunauthorised preparing toattackSrebrenica? seeable? Did France know thatthe Bosnian SerbArmy was 1) Was Srebrenica’s fall and the killings of itsresidents fore- Médecins Sans Frontières’ questions major ‘gray’ areas of thistragedy. liamentary commission with a set of questions addressing the peacekeeping missions, MSF has listedand provided the par- interest of improving the protection of populations infuture duct bythe political and militaryleaders concerned. Inthe war methods were clearlyknown toall,constitutes miscon- uation of Srebrenica’s population toGeneral Mladic, whose bility and indicate clearly whether leaving the fate and evac- the twintraps of technical arguments and general responsi- protect the population of Srebrenica. The report must avoid not honor itscommitment, made atFrance’s instigation, to finding mission must be, above all,to explain why the UNdid at the national level.Thus, the main purposeof the fact- report asked the Statestoconduct their owninvestigations within the UN’soverall responsibility. Consequently, the responsibilities of the Member States, which remained diluted that the organisation couldnot determine the specific 1999 UNinvestigative report onthistragedy acknowledges ties of the main actorsinvolvedinthe Srebrenica tragedy. The six years – regarding the political and military responsibili- gation. It notes the main questions - still unanswered after Commission’s work. This document is not a counter-investi- information thatwillhelp readers study and understand the prepare a summary document restating the questions and - Serb forces,” the organisation notes today […]” ‘under Dutchescort’werealsotaken off busesandexecuted by and ill patients whowere‘evacuated’ by theBosnianSerbs and Dutch UNPROFORbattalion.Severaldozenof MSF’s wounded destinations, aswelltothelackof actiononthepartof the women, andthedepartureof groupsinconvoystounknown forces] andthesickwounded,separation of menand impotent witnesstothescreeningof thepopulation[bySerb enclave in July 1995 or disappeared. “The MSFteam was an occurred. Twenty-two members of itslocalstaffdied inthe working inSrebrenica for twoyearswhen the Serboffensive was the onlywesternnon-governmental organisation (NGO) regarding the investigation, and testifiedtwice. Indeed, MSF them intheir entirety), sent the committeeitssuggestions operations.” It followed the hearings closely(and filmed improving theprotectionof populationsinfuturepeacekeeping The group lobbied for that outcome “ the creation of the Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) played a significant role in Extract: for Defence], the Britishauthorities refused toauthorise mission and aletterfrom MSF toMrHoon [Secretary of State you thatinspiteof several demands of the Fact-Finding com- team (exact location and hour still to be named). I remind next Thursday after apress conference by the investigation the mission wasadopted lastThursday and willbepublished bilities of France inthe tragedy of Srebrenica. The report of investigation to establish the political and military responsi- for and obtained lastyear, the creation of a parliamentary commission report onSrebrenica. As youallknow, MSF asked document before the publication of the French Fact-Finding Please find the enclosed Médecins Sans Frontières briefing Extract: Thursday. Kindest regards and seeyousoon. adopted lastThursday and willindeed bepublished next basis of an official document. The [commission’s] report was publicly only after the publication of the report and on the declarations onthe DutchTV, butIsaid thatwewill speak Dutch journalists calledme thisweek afterFrançois Loncle’s French, Dutch, and British media two weeks ago. A lot of MSF [France] briefing document that was transmitted to Please find enclosed the French and English version of the Dear Wilna, Monde (France), 29November 2001(inFrench). ‘Médecins Sans Frontières’ FiveKey Questions,’ Le November 2001(inEnglish). Advisor toBBC,The Sunday Times, USA.net, 26 ‘Srebrenica,’ 26 November 2001(inEnglish). MSF France DeputyLegalAdvisor toMSF Holland, “French InquiryReportonSrebrenica,’ Emailfrom Email from MSF France DeputyLegal in the interest of 119 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
General Smith’s hearing before the French Parliament. His vinced that General Janvier did not agree to Mladic’s demands,” testimony was nevertheless crucial. the report states.
The commission unanimously adopted the document. However, the members had to work on the conclusions twice. The goal was to make sure that the journalists already Some of the ten deputies challenged the first version of the had a question when the report came out in order to get conclusions, which totaled only one page out of a 1,000-page things going again. We recalled that at the final press confe- report. The new version did not produce a consensus, either. rence of the Rwandan fact-finding commission, Paul Quilès Two deputies, François Léotard and René André, expressed [Chair of the Commission] simply placed the report on the table their reservations in a letter published in an appendix to the and the journalists simply summarised what he had told them: report. They challenged the following statements incrimi- ‘France has nothing to be ashamed of in terms of its actions in nating France: “France is no less responsible than others for Rwanda.’ Obviously no one had time to read that 3,000-page the tragic fall of Srebrenica, France lacked all the resources report! The Srebrenica investigative commission did not try to necessary to carry out its mission in the field,” etc. They also ‘manage’ the key media message so closely when the report challenged, as François Léotard writes, “the constant mention came out. We used the passing lane to overtake them. But that’s in the conclusion of General Janvier’s responsibility, which fails how communication works. We aren’t required to be unprofes- to convey a much more complex reality.” Green Deputy Marie- sional idiots. Hélène Aubert and Socialist Deputy Pierre Brana also took a different position from their colleagues on rumors of a deal Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF France Legal Advisor, between France and the Serbs to free the hostages, stating Interviewed in 2015 (in French) that suspicions remained […]
The publication of the transcript of General Janvier’s two hearings is the newest piece of information in the report. The former UNPROFOR Commander is one of the officers who had The French parliament’s investigative report on Srebrenica always been prohibited, by the Ministry of Defence, from was published 29 November 2001. It found that the speaking publicly and whom the deputies were able to ques- responsibility for the tragedy was shared by the entire tion only in a closed-door session. The general mounted a international community and specifically criticised the vigorous defence against those accusations in the hearing. Dutch Blue Helmet battalion for failing to put up any He referred to disagreements both with Yakushi Akashi, the resistance to the Serbs. It acknowledged General Janvier’s UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative, who sup- “errors of assessment,” but stated that his claims that he ported a minimalist approach to the Blue Helmets’ mission in entered into an agreement with General Mladic were false. Bosnia, and Rupert Smith, the British General who com- Two deputies refused to support the final conclusions, manded UNPROFOR in Sarajevo. The latter supported believing that no proof had been provided allowing any engaging militarily against Serb forces (he refused to tes- conclusion to be reached. V19 tify). General Janvier stated that he received only one request for air support in Srebrenica, on July 9, and the commission’s report does not explain how the previous demands were lost. The former UNPROFOR head appeared as both a strict enforcer ‘Srebrenica Massacres: Deputies Find that France of the UN’s limited mandate to the Blue Helmets, and as a Failed,’ Claire Tréan, Le Monde (France), 29 Novem- frustrated soldier, who roundly blamed the Dutch battalion in ber 2001 (in French). Srebrenica. He ended by asserting, as a heartfelt cry, that if the French had been in their place, they would have fought Extract: “and everything would have been different.” A diplomatic inci- Established through the efforts of MSF, the Parliamentary dent with The Hague placed in perspective […] Fact-Finding Commission on Srebrenica published its report on Thursday, November 29. […] The members found that the Srebrenica tragedy “was also a failure on the part of France.” They point to “the lack of clear political will in France, the ‘Conclusions that Skirt Several Critical Moments,’ United Kingdom, the United States, and the Bosnian authori- Le Monde (France), 29 November 2001 (in French). ties in Sarajevo themselves to intervene in Srebrenica.” They moderate only slightly the criticism often directed at General Extract: Janvier, then-Commander of UN forces in the former You must be willing to overlook a lot if you want to subscribe Yugoslavia, for having opposed NATO air intervention when to the conclusions that the deputies produced today. We will there was still time to act. The report describes him, among spare them any specific reference to the ignorance of the others, as “a link in the UN chain.” It challenges the accusa- facts, which became glaring during the hearings, their tion against General Janvier made by journalists and NGOs of absence, or their pathetic efforts in dealing with MSF to having promised Serb military leader Ratko Mladic to halt air determine the questions to ask at the next hearing […] strikes in Bosnia in exchange for freeing the Blue Helmets 120 held hostage. “Most of the commission’s members are con- responsibility. the UnitedKingdomandHolland,whichalsoincurred the organisation raised and called for investigations in of specificity in the responses to the five key questions General Janvierasascapegoat.They pointedtothelack responsibilities, itignores thepoliticalonesandtreats publicly thatwhilethereport acknowledges themilitary In thefollowing days, MSFFrance’s officials emphasised The organisation loststaffmembers inthe offensive. parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission into the massacre. that left 7,000 people dead and had advocated strongly for a the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica during the Serb offensive MSF, which wonthe 1999Nobel Peace prize, wasworking in the political willtoprotect the population,” he continued. answers tothe five key questions welistedand, particularly, and transparency, I amdisappointed by the lackof clear process iscourageous and interesting interms of democracy interviewed in connection with this investigation. “While the After all,these are ministerswho made decisions,” he added, which isverygood, butIthinkthatwecango much further. […] “The report touches onsome responsibilities inFrance, hides responsibilities thatare much more political innature.” that he wasassigned the easyrole of the scapegoat, who Bosnia between1993and 1995,toldAFP. “My impression is Pierre Salignon, MSF programme manager, specifically in Janvier, Commander of UNForces inthe former Yugoslavia,” tary’s responsibility, inthe personof French General Bernard “One piece isverystrong –the acknowledgement of the mili- Extract: political responsibility.” using Janvier to exonerate yourselves and avoid determining Bradol, President of MSF. “One might wonder whether youare there isadouble standard atworkhere,” saysJean-Hervé populations evacuated after the enclave fell?“It seems like tate the political settlement of the crisis?Why weren’t the France and the Contact Group abandon Srebrenica tofacili - Why did General Janvier refuse tolaunch airstrikes? Did have not yetbeenanswered inclearand definitive fashion. which lobbied toestablishthe parliamentary commission, Most of the questions raised byMédecins Sans Frontières, Extract: 29 November 2001(inFrench). bilities Overlooked,’ Agence France Presse, ‘MSF and the Srebrenica Report:Political Responsi- 2001 (inFrench). Isabelle Lasserre, LeFigaro (France), 30November ‘France Asks Questions About its Role in Srebrenica,’
- Whilethe military responsibilities have beenestablished, it the airstrikes toprotect Srebrenica; it wasamistake from general Janvier not tohaveauthorised - We recognise thatitisanimportant stepto establishthat was asfollows: made an interview withBBCradio. Basically, MSF reaction and radios) and inthe Netherlands. As for Britain,FYI,I[did] France (front page of LeMondefor instance and several TVs lished last29thof November under heavy media coverage in inquiry report conclusions onSrebrenica. The report waspub- Please find enclosed, FYI,anEnglish translation of the French Dear all, ments, did not cooperate. because the government, which did not provide key docu- fell? The commission could not answer those questions Why weren’t Srebrenica residents evacuated afterthe enclave for the freedom of the BlueHelmets held hostage atthe time? Many unanswered questions remain. Was Srebrenica traded not toseekoutthose who hadthe political responsibility. Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier: Becausethe mission wascareful Le Point: Why? The lie hasretreated butweare stillfar from the truth. indeed calledfor airstrikes, which General Janvier ignored. tingent hasnow beendismantled. We know thatthe Dutch which attributesthe entire responsibility tothe Dutchcon- Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier: The official French version, satisfy you? General Janvier, Commander of the BlueHelmets. Does that Le Point: The report challenges the “errors of assessment” of Extract: France hasnothing tobeashamed of interms of itsactions.” on the Rwandan genocide, itwon’tbeenough tosaythat joined. “Unlike whathappened withthe fact-finding missions looks political responsibilities.” Still,the debate hasnow been result satisfies her onlypartially, particularly “becauseitover- on the front lines of the struggletohold such aninquiry. The Saulnier, LegalAdvisor atMédecins Sans Frontières, which was seemed like blasphemy then,” says Françoise Bouchet- truth. “The questions weasked aboutFrance’s responsibilities rians, nonetheless represents anew phaseinthe search for results of the investigation byacommitteeof Dutchhisto- This report, which follows the UN’sand whileawaiting the Extract: December 2001(inEnglish). MSF France DeputyLegalAdvisor to MSF UK,13 ‘French Inquiryreport onSrebrenica,’ Emailfrom (France), 7December2001(inFrench). Médecins Sans Frontières’ LegalAdvisor,’ LePoint ‘Three Questions for Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, (France), 30November, 2001(inFrench). ‘Soldiers –Scapegoats,’ Marc Semo, Libération
121 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
is not the case for political responsibilities and we think that On December 15, 2001, MSF France and the International general Janvier is used as a scapegoat; Federation for Human Rights organised a conference in - We were asking for precise and documented answers to 5 Paris titled “The Tragedy of Srebrenica.” It addressed crucial questions. We have obtained undocumented answers issues of France’s military and political responsibilities (none of the key documents mentioned by MSF have been and responsibilities under international law. obtained and published) and very ambiguous answers on the hostage issue and on the possible deliberate abandonment of Srebrenica by the Contact Group. The only precise answer given by the Fact-Finding commission is that the fall and Conference Programme - The Tragedy of Srebre- massacres of Srebrenica were unpredictable. We said that this nica,’ 15 December 2001 (in French). was an unacceptable answer as in 1995, the methods of war of Mladic were clearly known by all the political and military Part I: What are the responsibilities of military and political leaders. leaders? The French Example: Analysis of the Report of the - We ask for the same kind of enquiries in Britain and in the French Parliament’s Fact-Finding Commission. USA since those two countries were key actors in the man- Part II: What are the responsibilities under international law? agement of the Bosnian crisis as the UN (report in 99), France • Responsibilities incurred for acts committed by Serb forces (report this year) and the Netherlands (report to be published • Role of international forces in protecting the safe areas next April 2002) noted.
While no one within MSF France was formally opposed to We are satisfied because there was still a kind of official monitoring the Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission, parliamentary recognition that mistakes were made and questions arose later about the legitimacy of involving that populations were sacrificed. But we are frustrated, too, the organisation in such a process: where would it lead because despite the incisive questioning during the hearings, and how would it operate? Shouldn’t MSF have been people like Léotard continue to deny that there was a deal. The satisfied simply that the mission was created? Does a military has acknowledged that it did not come to the aid of non-elected, non-profit organisation have the legitimacy Srebrenica’s population. We finally understand how they aban- to play a role in the work of the Members of Parliament? doned Srebrenica, that’s been established – but we don’t know Was MSF positioning itself as a prosecutor of only the why. The question that remains unanswered is this, were their UN and Member States’ practices by failing to examine operations inadequate or was this calculated? From that pers- the gray areas of the agreements entered into between pective, the parliamentary fact-finding commission brought out Bosnian Serbs and Bosnians? additional information, in an official context, showing that people were, indeed, abandoned. The soldiers who defended themselves raised the restrictions on their operations, in which ‘they could not do everything.’ But we learned nothing about There was an element of revenge behind this. We were why they abandoned them – aside from incompetence, lack of accusing certain actors, saying, ‘you lied, and here’s resources or planes. what actually happened.’ We hoped that something would come This has led us to an a priori hostility towards this policy, which to light as a result of all these investigations. That was the involves creating humanitarian areas close to conflict areas so vision of some individuals. Then, at the collective level, you that people do not cross borders and conflicts do not extend obviously have to ask questions about MSF’s role and its limits beyond their national framework. The crisis in the former in a process that remains highly political. Yugoslavia seemed to us to be the apogee of this strategy of containment, which did not work. Between Kibeho and Dr. Marc Gastellu-Etchegorry, MSF France Deputy, Srebrenica, the protected areas fell each time and several thou- Director of Operations, 1992 to 1997, sand people were killed. This further convinced us that when Interviewed in 2015 (in French) political or military leaders want to conduct humanitarian acti- vities outside the traditional system that involves refuge in another country, it was difficult to believe that they would keep their word. For us, it was a very practical question. Under these I don’t remember if we were questioned or challenged circumstances, do we say to people, ‘yes, you should go to that during the time of the Fact-Finding commission. Maybe area, we’re going there, too?’ In the years that followed, this Rony, once or twice, but ultimately we had carte blanche. Maybe strengthened our mistrust of military-humanitarian operations. that wasn’t such a good idea. We should have been challenged MSF’s leaders had an almost automatic reaction, right, ‘huma- more, with greater accountability. I was really involved in the nitarian area,’ ‘humanitarian corridor’ – it always ends with heart of this work and I have no regrets about what we did. In people who thought they were protected being killed and States France, I think we participated in a movement, a small democra- that shirk their responsibilities.’ tic and institutional revolution that made it possible for the parliament to assert itself in terms of the oversight of external Dr Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France President, operations, diplomacy and defense. That’s quite an achievement. 122 2000-2007, Interviewed in 2015 (in French) Yet, over time, it raises a problem for me. Is it an NGO’s role to deals. Izetbegovic abandonedSrebrenicajust astheothersdid, intersected the Izetbegovic/MladicandKaradzic/Izetbegovic Bosnians madeamongthemselves. The Janvier/Milosevicdeal rely eliminateUNPROFORinBosnia fromthedealsthat Izetbegovic andKaradzic toabandonSrebrenica.We can’tenti necessarily France’s responsibility;for example, thedealbetween deals amongtheparties. Therearehiddenareasthataren’t Last, it involved working in hidden areas, the shadowy areas of natural roleof NGOs. Soyoucansayanything–andthecontrary! counter-power thatanNGOcanplay.Otherssaythat’s the macy comesfromelections. Sotherearelimitstotheroleof democratic legitimacy;we’renotelected.Inademocracy, legiti contribute tothatkindof institutionalchange?We haveno are unfounded or, atleast,unfair. share that, personally. That vision leads to critiques that I think based onasortof idealvisionthatwehaveabout it,butIdon’t unhealthy position.Overall,ourpositionsvis-à-vistheUNare And it’s not asifwearetheUN’s inspectors. Ithinkit’s an and Françoisebecausetheywerepushinghardonthat. involved inthematter. Irememberdiscussingthiswith Pierre both asahumanitarianorganisationandan government, to me that seemedto cross the line of legitimacy, points of the reportbehighlighted, accusing Franceoranother ‘right’ questionsthatshouldbeasked, thewayinwhichcertain ment intheseevents, itmakes sense. However, insistingonthe without it, might not have been conducted. Given our involve- put allourweightbehindobtaininganinvestigationthat, mentor andmoralconscienceisproblematic. It’s goodthat we seen, testifyinginthevisualsenseof theword.Thisroleof very end,butsimplyspeakoutastowhatwebelievedhad too far. We didn’thavetopursuethelegalinvestigation legal sophisticationandinvestigationof France’s rolethatwent and safeareaskept comingupallthetime. and arealonefor thefuture, becauseproposalsfor corridors areas, which they had on their side. It was a solid argument But, therewasthatargumentaboutthesafehumanitarian I thoughtthatPierreandFrançoiseweregoingabittoofar. our legitimacy. Iwas a little defensive. There were times when bombs? We werepushingtheboundariesof ourknowledgeand done itornot?Didtheyhavetherightplanesand outside our area of expertise. Could the planes [airstrikes] have ments, arevalid.Someof themilitaryaspectswerecompletely end wars, and their need to sometimes rely on secret agree action. Itishardtoassessifthemethodsstateswantuse political realm, slightly removed from humanitarian I wasalittleuncomfortable becausethismovedintothe describe, as certain relentlessness. There was a level of I thoughttherewaswhatdescribedthen,andstill Fabien Dubuet,MSF France DeputyLegalAdvisor, 1995-2005, Interviewed in2015(inFrench). 2000-2007, Interviewed in2015(inFrench) Dr Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France President, - - -
we were required to do – too late – in Srebrenica. we wererequiredtodo–toolate –inSrebrenica. our roleandinteractionswith theinternationalsystem,as certain masskillings. Theymustcontinuetoleadusquestion African Republicshow. Theyhavemadeitpossibletoavoid the DemocraticRepublicof Congo,SouthSudan,andCentral lations. Thesemandateshavechanged,asintheexamples of international operationsthatincludemandatestoprotectpopu operational positionsinothercrisesbecausewecontinuetoface Finding commission on Srebrenica then contributed to MSF’s gered thepeaceprocess. OurworkontheparliamentaryFact- had not ordered the air strikes because that would have endan Yugoslaviaacknowledged, before theFrenchParliament, thathe that question when the UN High Representative in the Former populations underallof theseagendas. Ifound theanswerto organisations to know how much emphasis is given to protecting achieve apeaceagreement,butitis importantfor humanitarian to havenegotiateinconflictsituations, includinginorderto guarantees toevacuateandprotectthepopulation. It’s normal ment and, in that case, why theagreement did not include enclave wastheresultof amilitaryaccidentorpoliticalagree rests. Yet, wehadtotryunderstandwhetherthetakingof the national communityisonlyadisparatecollectionof stateinte We knewthat states havemultipleagendas and thattheinter tarian aidwasunderwayinthenameof protectingpopulations. action, and protect populations. The militarisation of humani interventions intendedtorestorepeace, facilitate humanitarian We can’tforget thatthiswasthestartof theinternational If youstarttoworkinthegrayareas, youcan’tstophalfway. that what was happening in eastern Bosnia was a war of religion. religiously homogenised because itcan never be stressed enough in thename of a‘realpolitik’thattried to make everything seem protection of populationsindanger. international responseintheface of masscrimesandthe understand andhighlightthestrengthsweaknessesof the investigation for moralorpoliticalreasons. We wantedto leading role in the former Yugoslavia. We didn’t call for this critical becausethediplomatsandFrencharmyplayeda the countries’internalarchives. TheFrenchinvestigationwas Nations doesnothavethatpowerandaccessto own investigationintheircountrybecausetheUnited expressly calledontroop-contributingstatestocarryouttheir acknowledged thelimitsof itsfact-finding abilities and follow through–otherwise, whyask?TheUnitedNationsreport From themomentwhenyouaskfor something,you’vegotto responsibility, wecanmoveon,’ shocked mefor tworeasons. at thetime, butit botheredmelateron.To say, ‘thisisn’tour It’s notMSF’s role.’ Therereally wasn’tadiscussionwithinMSF mission, wecanmoveon.It’s for others totake careof that. Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF France Legal Advisor, Dr Rony Brauman, MSF France President 1982-1994, now thatwe’vesucceededincreatingthisfact-finding Some peoplesaid,‘ourrolewastobeinSrebrenica.But MSF Foundation Research Director from 1994, Interviewed in2015(inFrench) Interviewed in2015(inFrench) ------
123 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
Some, like Pierre, Françoise, and I, were enthusiastic. REACTION TO THE REPORTS ON Some of us really wanted to push forward. We were all so involved with somewhat vengeful attitudes, that at certain DUTCH RESPONSIBILITIES moments I did wonder, ‘is this really intellectually sound? Or was there an element of the ‘old Bosnia hands’ at MSF who were trying to settle scores? In any event, the president was for and the executive director was for. As for the director of operations, it wasn’t particularly his thing. But I don’t remember having to fight. There was not a strong opposition. There were discussions In March 2002, MSF Holland set up a working group to and, indeed, groaning in the corridors, ‘what’s the point of this?’ prepare a document analysing the Srebrenica report that ‘This isn’t MSF’s role,’ and so on. In the end, there were tensions the Dutch Institute for War Documentation (NIOD) was between Jean-Hervé and Françoise about an interview that she about to publish, an investigation requested by the Dutch gave. He didn’t know about it. He learned about it after it was Parliament in 1996. published. He was quibbling over wording. He thought that Françoise was pointing the needle towards the law, while he On April 9, 2002, on the eve of the official publication of wanted to move it in the other direction [more political]. I the report, MSF Holland issued a press release and a docu- didn’t have any problem talking about international humanita- ment titled, “Questions for the Future,” that raised three rian law. However, some doctors had a different perspective. For questions about the foreseeability of the events of July example, the executive director said that there were ‘too many 1995 in Srebrenica, which the organisation believed the lawyers here.’ This was the start of an atmosphere in which the report should have answered. An op-ed piece was also ‘not-100%-medical’ approach was challenged. It was a critique published in the Dutch daily newspaper, Trouw. of methods, ‘that’s not what we do,’ or a critique of legitimacy, ‘that could endanger operations and blur our image.’ In the end, I thought it made sense to do that. It wasn’t enough for us to make a fuss about the last epidemic. We showed that we could ‘Srebrenica, Questions for the Future,’ Memo MSF also work on an in-depth issue several years later. Our presence Holland, 4 April 2002 (in Dutch, in English). at the hearings and Christina’s and Daniel’s testimony gave meaning to all that. So, to all those people who interpreted this Extract: as things spiraling out of control, ‘we’re going too far, this isn’t Open and honest debate needed for survivors and Dutch our responsibility,’ I say that it was done intelligently. society The NIOD enquiry was not the first enquiry that was carried Stephan Oberreit, MSF General Coordinator in the out; a number of reports have been written about Srebrenica. former Yugoslavia May- November 1995, MSF France The discussions have revolved around the role and mandate Communications Director 2000 - 2006, of the UN, but the specific role and mandate of the Netherlands Interviewed in 2015 (in French). remains a sensitive issue and a taboo until now. MSF Holland applauds the release of the NIOD report and looks forward to an open and honest debate about the lessons that can be learned from the Srebrenica massacre and the international We certainly can’t criticise ourselves for not talking about failure to prevent such horrors. However, MSF Holland is dis- Srebrenica enough. We held several press conferences heartened that it has taken more than five years to produce and we made a lot of noise. Afterwards, to establish the chain this independent report. The lessons learned from Srebrenica of military command and political decisions, via the deputies, would have been useful for the Netherlands and the interna- it’s true, that raises questions. These are matters of ‘defence tional community that have been involved in various military secrets.’ Good luck getting access to all that! It took courage to interventions since Srebrenica. Moreover, the survivors of do it. Srebrenica are still struggling to piece together their lives and their country. It is essential to gather all info about the Dr Eric Gomaere, MSF Belgium Executive Director, events preceding the fall of the enclave so that the survivors 1994-1997, Interviewed in 2015 (in French) can cope with the aftermath. ln the interest of the survivors, MSF-Holland would like to know if the NIOD has had access to all relevant sources of information and if these sources have been used in the investigation. Was everyone who played a role in this tragedy questioned, including members of the Bosnian society and survivors of the mass murder! […]
Why is MSF speaking out now? In March 1993, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) started working in the enclave of Srebrenica. In July 1995, two inter- national staff workers, Christine Schmitz and Daniel O’Brien, were present with national staff in the enclave at the time of 124 the fall, the deportations, and the executions. As the only killed afterthe enclave had fallen? Could ithavebeenforeseen thatsomany peoplewould be Question 3 Could the fall of the enclave havebeenforeseen? Question 2 Was the concept of ‘safearea’ credible and tenable? Question 1 the following questions: The questions protection realised inpractice? […] the population offered protection and ifso,how wasthis There is one question that is central to all four stages: Was mass murders were carried out. 4. The final stage wasthe period afterthe fall inwhich the sequent reactions of Dutchbatand the United Nations. 3. The third stage wasthe seizure of Srebrenica and the sub- Srebrenica from February 1994 tothe beginning of July 1995. 2. The second stage wasthe presence of Dutchbatin Brigade tothe enclave of Srebrenica. cess thatledtothe dispatchof abattalion of the Air-Mobile 1. The firststage wasthe run-up,the decision-making pro- stages: ment inthe Srebrenica tragedy canbedivided into four the many thousands that were murdered. The Dutch involve- Meho Bosnjakovic chose tostaywithhisfamily and isone of MSF succeeded inevacuating 13of itsBosnian colleagues. Srebrenica. Of the 128 employees, 22never arrived inTuzla. organisation worked closely withthe hospital staffin needs to be taken. MSF is in part, so involved because the raise afewimportant questions for which responsibility now Prior tothe publication of the NIOD report, MSF wouldlike to protection. failure of the UNforces inBosnia tomeet their promise of Srebrenica deserve an open and honest explanation of the are ultimately responsible for the massacres, the survivorsof parliamentary debate are crucial. And, evenifthe Serbforces still could. Thatiswhy the NIOD report and the subsequent that may have influenced their decision not to flee while they are never againlulledinto believing they are safe--abelief sible responsibilities and failure, and toensure thatcivilians tiny, toguarantee thatoursoldiers never face such unfea- to ensure thatno population iseverlefttoface such ades - demand total disclosure of the facts. This openness is required witness to events provides us with the responsibility to many thousands of people. The fact of ourpresence, bearing community’s failure to act, which resulted in the deaths of and the days thatfollowed. MSF witnessed the international death amongst the population during the fall of the enclave Srebrenica atthattime, MSF witnessed the panic and fearof international aid organisation withinternational staffin - The NIOD report must provide an answer to here, and someone from aResearch Institute for International terday evening withsome journalists, apeaceorganisation tion of civilians in war zones. […] We had a discussion yes- can’t and don’t want anymore responsibility for the protec- eral will only draw a cynical conclusion from Srebrenica: we cerns thatHolland and the international community ingen- opinion article inthe newspaper thatwillunderline ourcon- presentation of the report. Next Tuesday, wewillpublishan leading questions inthe political debate thatwillfollow the will answer and clarifysatisfactorily and which should be we present some questions, which wehope the NIOD report We haveproduced a‘brochure,’ orreport ifyouwant, in which and protection infuture international interventions. for clarityregarding the issueof failed protection inSrebrenica tribute tothe debate, more specifically: how wecouldpush Holland hasbeenpreparing itself and seehow we couldcon be presented: 3,000pages, +2,000pages annexes. MSF French report. Next Wednesday, 10 April, the NIOD report will sion inHolland and dismissedthe defensive responses onthe out astatement tocallfor aserious, open,and honest discus these statements. Thisiswhere MSF Holland came in.We sent been inSrebrenica [...]Dutchpoliticians reacted furiously on anything to resist the Serb attack. Had a French battalion the DutchUNbattalion inSrebrenica, asthey hadnot done The French commission criticised the attitude of Dutchbat, resolved (no proof, butalsono proof against it.) were identified. The storyaboutGeneral Janvier wasnot report was disappointing, asno clearpolitical responsibilities Mladic torelease the UNhostages. The outcome of the French enclave. It wasstatedthathe did so,inreturn for adeal with strikes. These airstrikes might haveprevented the fall of the was the role of General Janvier, who hadallegedly blocked air cific questions. One of the strong foci of the investigation inquiry and hasinfluenced through lobbying and posing spe- Srebrenica lastyear. MSF France hadbeenpushing for this ment hasconducted aninquiryinthe fall and massacres of are waiting for the report [...]As youknow, the French parlia- Referring repeatedly tothe NIOD report blocked debates: we tive waytoavoid apolitical confrontation aboutSrebrenica. responsibility. The NIOD research hasproven tobeaneffec- covering upallsortsof details, and thatthey didn’t face their picion in the public in Holland, that the government was sented picture of the events. There wasagreat sense of sus- kept popping up, which then challenged the previously pre- history. The attemptsfailed, asnew facts and information after several attemptsto‘close’thisblackchapterinDutch killings. The government assigned the [enquiryto]NIOD, process, the context inBosnia, the fall of the enclave and the research assignment wasrather broad: the decision making the fall of Srebrenica and the Dutchinvolvement. Infact, the Documentation (NIOD) to do a comprehensive study about Dutch government assigned the Dutch Institute for War it for web/orother purposes. As youmay recall in1996,the Please find attached a report thatweproduced. You canuse (in English). (edited) to MSF Communication Departments, 5April2002 ‘Srebrenica,’ Emailfrom MSF Holland Press Officer - - 125 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
Affairs about the NIOD report and strategies to try and get a fall of the enclave regarding the protection of civilians sensible discussion ongoing in Holland, and we will engage threatened by the violence of war? Since Srebrenica, the in interviews and public debates. Netherlands has adopted a highly restrained position with regard to peace missions. This is understandable in view of the traumatic experiences. But the lessons learned by the Netherlands are clearly reflected in its most important mis- sion since Srebrenica, the UNMEE mission in Ethiopia/Eritrea. ‘The Lessons of Srebrenica: Take Protection of The Netherlands is now taking part in low-risk peace missions Local Populations Seriously,’ MSF Holland Press whereby its own safety comes first. UNMEE explicitly had no Release, 9 April 2002 (in English). responsibility for the protection of the local population. The agreement was that UNMEE would leave immediately as soon Extract: as violence broke out between the warring parties. However, Médecins sans Frontières warns the Netherlands and the inter- one lesson of Srebrenica is that when the UN and the national community against drawing the wrong conclusions Netherlands have troops stationed in an area, they assume a from the failure of Dutchbat in Srebrenica. The fact that a moral responsibility towards the population. The local civil- mass murder could be perpetrated on Bosnian males, despite ians count on the UN troops for protection. After all, who else the presence of UN troops must lead to a profound analysis of can they turn to? the mistakes that were made. These mistakes must be avoided in future missions. The basic question is how to offer real More and more often civilians in war zones are being deliber- protection to populations threatened with war violence? ately threatened and murdered. Médecins sans Frontières Médecins sans Frontières is however, afraid that the Dutch works in many of these regions. Our team in Srebrenica wit- government and the international community may already nessed the tragedy that unfolded there. Our personnel tended have drawn a cynical conclusion, namely, that it is best to to the wounded and saw the mortal fear that took control of remain uninvolved. Since Srebrenica, they have clearly the people when the Bosnian Serbs advanced. No matter how avoided protecting populations threatened with war vio- essential humanitarian aid is to survival in these areas, as a lence. For example, protection was explicitly ruled out during humanitarian organisation, we can only shield the civilian the peace mission in Ethiopia/Eritrea. The primary focus of population from violence to a very limited degree. If we are attention was the safety of the troops. If violence erupted, not to turn our backs in total indifference, then the interna- the Dutch UNMEE [UN Mission in Ethiopia/Eritrea] troops tional community will have to assume responsibility and act. would be evacuated. It will then also have to accept the inevitable obligation to actually protect the people. The true circumstances of the fall The pending publication of the NIOD investigative report has of Srebrenica and the mass murders that followed must come rekindled the debate on Srebrenica in the Netherlands and on to light. Inevitably, we must recognise the mistakes that the international stage. Up to now, this debate has been were made. This is crucial in order to ensure that people are scarcely possible due to political sensitivity in the never again left to fate in such a way. Moreover, no troops Netherlands, and has been characterised mainly by shifting must ever again be confronted with such impossible respon- the responsibility. It is shocking that seven years after the sibilities and such tragic failure. Finally, never again must a mass murders - which took place in the presence of a UN force civilian population be given an illusion of safety, which leads - so little is known about what actually happened in them to mistakenly decide not to flee on time. It is only Srebrenica. The NIOD report will have to make a significant through meticulous analysis and an open debate on the contribution towards satisfying this need for clarity. We events that the right conclusions can be drawn for the future. therefore call upon the Dutch government to hold an open debate unhampered by persona! or political sensitivity. This It would be too cynical if the conclusion from Srebrenica were debate must lead to a clear statement on how and under that we should never again protect civilians. The lessons of which conditions the Dutch government intends to realise Srebrenica must address the question of why the mission the actual protection of threatened civilians in crisis zones. failed so tragically and how real protection should be pro- vided. We hope that the NIOD report will offer a clear analysis of the failure of the Srebrenica mission and we call upon the Dutch Government to institute an open debate. The results of this debate ought to be that the Netherlands makes clear how ‘Draw the Right Conclusions from Srebrenica,’ MSF and under which circumstances it intends to provide real pro- Holland Letter to the Editor, Trouw (The Nether- tection for threatened civilians in crisis zones. lands), 9 April 2002 (in Dutch).
Even before the long-awaited publication of the NIOD report on Srebrenica, revelations are coming thick and fast. The expectations for the report are extremely high and will prob- We managed to get some insight, through a report from ably be followed by a tough political fight. However, hardly a Dutch organisation, Pax Christi that came out before any attention has been paid to the cardinal question sur- the NIOD report. I coordinated the group working on the MSF 126 rounding Srebrenica, what lessons are being learned from the report, trying to get it out. This was not easy. It was so hard to this reportdidn’thavemuchresonance. get anagreementhere. Emotionswerestillaround.AndIthink the notionof ahostagedealwithBosnian-Serbforces. Janvier of not authorising air strikes in time, it rejected the UN,shared responsibility. WhileitaccusedGeneral the actors intheinternationalcommunity, particularly the Srebrenica enclave On April10,2002,theDutchNIODreport onthefall of naked. Pronk, DeMilliano,Christina,andMSFtosaythatthekingwas was notpossible. ThatiswhyIthinkitwascourageousfrom of the fact that the Dutchbat hadfailed. Butin1995,1996it balloon that was empty.Andbythattime, there was recognition could take responsibilitieswithnoconsequences. Itwaslike a known for beingveryslowand thenitranto2002andthey sation of theissue. We putitinthehandsof historiansthatare nothing todowithpolitics. Thischoicewasalreadyade-politi- was appointedbecausetheNIODisabouthistoryandhad do the same. The choice of the NIOD that was politics. The NIOD something elsewillbemoreimportant.To behonest,weatMSF NIOD alsopoints the finger atthe media, which itcriticises referring to Dutch political leaders and the militaryhierarchy. heavy responsibility” outof negligence, the report states, keeping mission. Many who supportedthispolicy beara ill-considered and, inpractical terms, unachievable peace- political ambitions led the Netherlands to participate in an five years of research that,“humanitarian considerations and at the request of the country’s government, itconcludes after Written bythe DutchInstitute for War Documentation (NIOD) analyses the responsibilities and sources of the tragedy. Area,’ details the events thatledtothe mass killings and Background, Consequences and Analyses of the Fallof aSafe The report titled, ‘Srebrenica, aSafeArea -Reconstruction, Extract: Yugoslavia, 1991-1993,then Head of the Emergency Desk, September 1992–1996,interviewed in2015(inEnglish) then various positions inthe MSF-Holland Bosnia desk Sarajevo, Bosnia, December1991–September1992, commission. Theywillbebusyfor twoyears, andbythen That isapoliticaltrick:ifyoudon’tknow, youinstalla then Director of Operations, Interviewed in2015 10 April2001(inFrench). of the Dutch Soldiers,’ ‘Srebrenica: AReportDiffusesthe Responsibility Wouter Kok, MSF Holland Medical Coordinator in Wilna vanAartzen,MSF Holland inthe former was published.Itfound thatall Agence France Presse , (in English)
image. seriousness of the events so as not to tarnish the army’s According tothe authors, Dutchheadquarters minimisedthe to poorcommunication withthe Dutchmilitaryhierarchy. political initiative atthe time of the mass killing isattributed future wasuncertain,” the authors state. The Hague’s lackof lead to mass killings, even if he was aware that these men’s battalion commander could not have realised thatthis would own desire toleaveasquickly aspossible.” Inaddition, “the cleansing,” given the “threat of epidemic and the Muslims’ for granted,” evenifitconstituted participation in “ethnic Dutch soldiers participated, the NIOD describes itas“taken With regard tothe “screening” of the population inwhich the ordered orsupportedthe killings. notes thatitdid not find information suggesting thatBelgrade Mladic’s forces bearprimary responsibility for the massacre. It hostages held bythe Bosnian Serbs. NIOD finds thatGeneral to refrain from air strikes in exchange for the freeing of Dutch UNPROFOR, hadentered into anagreement with General Mladic NIOD rejects the notion that General Bernard Janvier, head of on airintervention, which the UNPROFORleaders hadrejected. instructions.” To counter the Serbs, the battalion wascounting Srebrenica becausethatwouldhavebeen“contrary toUN ever, that the Dutch could not have taken any action to defend offered bythe DutchBlueHelmets, the writersbelieve, how- to take the entire enclave “giventhe lack of armed resistance” Ratko Mladic, military leader of the Bosnian Serbs, had decided Helmet) withthe Serbassailants. Acknowledging thatGeneral of “collaboration” (according toatermusedbyDutchBlue soldiers couldnot maneuver freely. They reject any accusation vision wasblurred bythe “illusion of the safearea,” the Dutch prohibited from responding unlesstargeted directly. Their caught in the crossfire, were required to remain impartial and by virtue of their limited number – 200 - poorly-armed men - indirectly caused the mass killings. The authors conclude that uted to the mission becoming trapped in a “quagmire” and It specificallyblames the soldiers’ UN mandate, which contrib- fate of the Muslim population. for suggesting thatthe Dutchsoldiers were indifferent tothe poor sanitary conditions. Infact, NIOD says, they have given compound as there was shortages of food and waterand very they feared abig humanitarian disaster in and around the chose tofacilitate a quick evacuation of the population, as the events ???According totoday’s presentation, Dutchbat the Serbs–would this haveresulted inadifferent courseof happened when Dutchbathad taken astronger stand against suggested, thatthere isaquestion astowhatwouldhave within their mandate, havefollowed instructions. It isonly judgment aboutDutchbatisquitemild. They haveacted What is remarkable in the summary given today is that the Extract: (in English). (edited) MSF Communication Departments, 10 April 2002 Email from MSF Holland Information Officerto ‘First Reactions Srebrenica Report in Holland,’ 127 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
priority to the evacuation of the women and children and, in 3. MSF is organising an internal event on 31 May with two of a way, accepted that they couldn’t really help the men. At the NIOD investigators and relevant MSF members to debate this point in the presentation of the women of Srebrenica, the MSF-related issues (medical, security, protection). the ex-UN translator, Hassan Nuhanovic stood up and left the The WG is currently brainstorming about MSF’s conclusions. room, he found this an appalling statement. As for responses Does the report answer our questions adequately? Do we want to the media: to raise specific questions during the parliamentary inquiry? - We unfortunately must insist that we need some time to What further steps should MSF take? The WG is preparing a really digest the report and judge in light of our questions. document for internal use to explain MSF’s role in Srebrenica These questions in short: was the mission at all feasible, as in the NIOD report and a formal comment for external use was the fall of the enclave foreseeable, and was the geno- in response to the earlier document. The WG lost its coordi- cide foreseeable? nator, Wilna. Members of the working group often have other priorities and there is a vacuum of leadership and opinion After these questions, follows the crucial question, what was building. The WG will soon conclude what MSF’s role should done to ensure proper protection of the population? Given be and draw up an action plan. the very tragic events in Srebrenica, it is clear that the pro- tection failed. Now it is important to see why it failed. We will read the report to see if it provides a full and credible analysis to answer these questions. Next step is that the politicians discuss these issues and come up with a clear position about On 16 April 2002, the entire Dutch government and the Srebrenica, and very important for MSF, draw clear conclu- Army Chief-of-Staff resigned following the publication sions with respect to protection of populations in future of the NIOD report. crises.
We can reiterate our position as presented in the opinion letter of yesterday, in which we focus on that issue of protec- ‘Wim Kok’s Government Resigns in Holland,’ Le Monde tion. We fear that only cynical lessons will be learned from (France), 18 April 2002 (in French). Srebrenica, meaning that we won’t even assume responsi- bility anymore for protection of populations in crises. The Extract: line of the presentation today even reinforced this worry, it On Tuesday 16 April 16, after meeting with his ministers for focused so much on the circumstances, as if the events were three hours, Wim Kok offered the resignation of his team, unavoidable. So again, we will particularly try and find the acknowledging that the conclusions of the Srebrenica inquiry lessons that can be learned from Srebrenica. Was everything were “serious” and “had to have a political conclusion.” The considered that could be done to really protect the popula- prime minister’s remarks, establishing his country’s “co- tion, even if the mandate was poor, even if the circumstances responsibility” for the atrocities committed by Serb troops were complex? Here in Holland we might be asked whether we led by General Mladic, caught Dutch public opinion by sur- want a parliamentary enquiry. We are not going to actively prise. He was unanimously hailed by the political parties, advocate for this, but we might come to that conclusion. The including the opposition CDA (Christian Democrats), whose importance of such an enquiry can be that: leader spoke of his “respect” for Mr. Kok’s decision. […] Will - it is public, so those responsible will have to account for this affair have an impact on the 15 May election? “Mr Kok their actions and decisions publicly - accountability has unquestionably made a fine gesture, but in the minds of -an enquiry should focus on conclusions towards future inter- most voters, he left a long time ago,” a Dutch diplomat said. ventions: how can we provide protection to population ?
So Wim Kok resigned. I personally think that he meant ‘ Minutes of MSF Belgium Board Meeting, 29 April it, that he intended it as accepting the consequences. 2002 (in English). But the government was already at the end of its term that was due one month later. So, the authenticity of his gesture was Extract: questioned, because it was known that he would not stand for NIOD report on Srebrenica re-election. And in the end the whole government fell because Lisette [Luykx, MSF Holland President] reports from the he was the Prime Minister. It was a hollow gesture because it working group [WG]. The, NlOD report is substantial and the had no consequences, it did not affect his pension scheme, and team members are still working through it. The report has led there were to be elections anyway. If they had resigned in to intense public debate and political steps by the govern- August 1995, there it would have been a real taking of ment. MSF Holland’s role to date has been minimal. responsibilities. 1. MSF-H’s press release before the report was released was only published in the Trouw. Wouter Kok, MSF Holland Medical Coordinator in 2. The debate organised by IKV [Dutch Interchurch Peace Sarajevo, Bosnia, December 1991 – September 1992, Council] went well but was not well attended, probably then various positions in the MSF-Holland Bosnia desk, 128 because media interest is already huge. September 1992 – 1996, Interviewed in 2015 (in English) NIOD present. from theSrebrenica events, withoneof themembers of made public. On 31 May, MSF Holland tried to draw lessons report was distributed within MSF Holland but was not On 8May2002,adetaileddocumentanalysing theNIOD • • • • • • Main conclusions of the report and the Appendix which wouldarousetheemotionsof theDutchpublic. that serioustensionemergedbetweenthetwoorganisations, to the population byMSF and Dutchbat.Itwasinthisdomain Medical Aspects,which describes the medical help provided the appendix to the report: DutchbatIIIandthePopulation: in and the aftermath until the end of 1995, which is addressed among itsmembers. Iconcentrated onthe fall of the enclave working group distributedthe reading of the 6,000pages entirely clearand the conclusions are scattered. AnMSF tragic events, ishighly detailed, the analyses are not always investigation, which aimed toprovide areconstruction of the questions berecorded for ourinstitutional memory. The NIOD the most relevant questions. It wasalsoimportant thatthese everyone, but it was important for MSF to gain insight into appendices and aCD-Rom,couldnot possiblyberead by document, comprising amain report of 3,400pages, four to describe the key questions thatitraised. This6000-page Shortly afterthe publication of the NIOD Report,Iwasasked Introduction Extract: of Dutchbat. murder of Muslim men from Srebrenica took place in front The report contests repeated assertions since 1995thatthe Serb army asthe main perpetrator of the mass murder. The NIOD report points toGeneral Mladic of the Bosnian- for the executions. It is“unclear” whether Karadzic wasinvolved inthe order Belgrade withregard tothe mass murder (p.2575). between the Bosnian-Serb army and the Milosevic regime in No evidence was found of “political or military cooperation” exceptionally violent, fuelledbyhatred and revenge. plete surprisetoMladic. The response tothisflight was (p. 3154).The researchers claimthat thiscame asacom- enclave wasthe unintended trigger for the mass executions The attemptbythousands of Muslim men toescapethe in advance (p.2573). found no evidence thatthe mass murder wasplanned well after the fall of the enclave (i.e. after 11 June). The NIOD The mass murder of 7,500Muslim men wasplanned only Part IVofthemainreport.At the same time, Istudied English). man, MSF Holland, 8May 2002(inDutch,in and the NIOD ReportonSrebrenica,’ Malou Noze- H ‘MSF Internal Report:Médecins Sans Frontières media. to prepare journalists and influence whatispublished inthe media iscontrolled byall sortsof mechanisms. It isdifficult Paul Koedijk: Political authorities make useof the media. The work withstillneed toknow whatisgoing on. out for the people. When alldoors are closed, the peoplewe Participant: MSF isnot outthere to collectdata buttospeak difficult. oping within MSF but swimming against the current is very nising whatyousee, and understanding the context isdevel- Maarten teKulve: Datacollection, understanding and recog- used. Iknow of atleastone casewhere thishappened. sages without being aware of the source, or you are being yourself beusedfor political purposes. Donot spread mes- Dick Schoonoord: Speaking outisgood butshould not let interpretations. […] for MSF, tomake peopleaware of these crucial differences in the perception of the people. Inthisfieldthere isalsoa role mitment, the incongruence betweenthe official mandate and Kenny Gluck: The failure of the Dutchwastheir initial com- nothing happens withit? Participant: Butwhataboutwhen wespread information and have tostayvigilant allthe time. for MSF toplayitsrole. Conclusion isthat,inourwork,we is clear how a short period of two or three days can be crucial information triggered the action. Talking aboutSrebrenica, it the airand ithelped. Afterwards the UN admitted that our was aliar. We provided information and the UNputplanes in we provided him with but just specific parts. We realised he this MSF information. Akashi did not use all the information In Gorazde, MSF alsoprovided information and the UNused without having allthe proofs and facts isalwaysaproblem. always difficult. How to get our information ‘on the air’ Jacques de Milliano: tion published bythe mass media. from MSF couldhaveplayedanimportant role inthe informa - very worried. At thatverymoment first-hand information had fallen; there was a conference inwhich the UNHCR was Dick Schoonoord: Isawone possibilityon11Julythe enclave sibilities for MSF toget itsmessage across? Arpad Gerecsey: About the information flow:were there pos- subject for ongoing discussion? How to get ourmessage through insuch circumstances is a the flow of mass media and hypes. the problems itencounters, evenwhen itmeans going against swiftly tonew developments. MSF always hastochallenge to the context,’ to always remain vigilant, and to respond MSF should always do its utmost tobe and remain ‘tuned in from optimal and ledto wrong decisions inthe field. For MSF, many decision-making layers, the information flowwas far worst-case scenario tofocus the mission. There were too wrong butno one knew how todeal withit.There wasno For Dutchbat:there were enough signs things were going To sumupsome lessons: Extract: English). (edited) Holland Association Evening, 31May 2002(in ‘Srebrenica, Lessons toLearn,’ Reportonthe MSF The role of MSF in such situations is 129 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
Kenny Gluck: When the political will is not there we have to ‘Vital Questions Unanswered by Dutch Inquiry into go straight to the public. Srebrenica Massacre- Médecins Sans Frontières Calls for the United States and Britain to Carry Out Their Own Investigations,’ MSF B/F/H Press Release, 29 January 2003 (in English, in French).
On 5 June 2002, the Dutch Parliament created a Enquiry Reacting to the report published by the Dutch Parliamentary Commission to investigate the fall of Srebrenica. The Commission of Inquiry into the fall of Srebrenica, Médecins commission’s report was published on January 27, Sans Frontières calls for the remaining, unanswered questions 2003. The next day, MSF Holland issued a press release to be taken up in further, national inquires in Britain and the noting that the commission had failed to answer the key United States. Eight years after the fall of the enclave and the questions regarding responsibility for the mass killings. massacre of more than 7,000 people, who were supposedly The organisation again called on the US and Great Britain protected by the UN, crucial issues have still not been to conduct an investigation on their own responsibility resolved in inquiries by the UN, France, and now the for the events in Srebrenica. Netherlands. MSF, who had a medical team working in the enclave, believes that the UN’s failure has not been ade- quately explained. Most significantly, the reasons, which led General Janvier, UNPROFOR’s Commander, to refuse NATO air ‘Introduction by the Chairman/Summary [of the] strikes, remain obscure. These strikes were requested by the Most Important Conclusions,’ Email from Wouter Dutch UN battalion in July 1995, in order to halt the Serb Kok, MSF Holland to MSF Communication Directors, offensive against the Srebrenica enclave and to protect the 28 January 2003 (in English). civilian population.
Extract: The Dutch report does clear up some of the ambiguities which 1. The report was received with a feeling that it is a meager remained after the French Parliamentary Fact-Finding duplication of the much more thorough NIOD report (that led Commission. Notably, the report reaffirms that all the condi- to the fall of the cabinet last year). That little or no new facts tions were met for an air strike and concludes that the deci- are found. The whole enquiry is seen more as a tool for all sion to not use air power is the responsibility of General (Dutch) players in the drama to come forward with sort of Janvier. However, the report does not furnish any explanation public show of accountability. To express in front of the of what led to the decision. The Dutch parliamentarians public who did what, what went wrong. The two facts that restricted themselves to commenting that “uncertainty stand out (compared to NIOD): remains concerning the motivations of General Janvier” and - Janvier still does not want to testify, therefore, we still do that “his decision was met with incomprehension from his not know why close air support was refused, why the enclave team.” MSF also regrets that General Janvier was not allowed was not defended. But it is clear that this was a UN decision, by the French authorities to be interviewed by the Dutch and that “our boys” were not guilty, they couldn’t do a thing parliamentary commission. (I am talking about the perception here, not my opinion). - General Couzy is straightforwardly accused of deliberately Questions remain about what negotiations could have led to withholding crucial information from the political leadership. the decision by the UN to abandon Srebrenica. Was there an Knowledge of the massacre he undoubtedly had, was not agreement on the liberation of UN soldiers held hostage, or shared with the minister. He is pensioned already, so I do not was it part of a deal in the peace negotiations being con- know what follow up it will get. ducted by the Contact Group? In accordance with the UN 2. Internal MSF Holland: We think that the maximum atten- report on the fall of Srebrenica, which requested that all con- tion for the Srebrenica situation was raised through the NIOD cerned member states carry out national inquiries, MSF calls and the parliamentary enquiry. Neither within the Dutch on the United States and Great Britain, who played a major society, nor within MSF Holland do we have the feeling that role in the military and diplomatic management of the much more can be achieved. I am afraid the major importance Bosnian conflict, carry out open, public investigations. MSF of the Srebrenica situation will be looking at the future: we states that these inquiries must lead to increased protection expect it will be used mainly for future reference to get a for civilians. The failure in Srebrenica, where the deployment maximum mandate for other missions, in which protection of of military forces with a purely humanitarian mandate made civilians will be the cornerstone to judge these mandates. It them incapable of opposing criminal policies against civil- will, as such, probably have a positive effect on the Dutch ians, must never be repeated. contributions toward peace missions. One would hope for less naiveté and more realism, during the design of missions. I realise that it is the population of Srebrenica that had to pay the price, nobody else. What’s the attention in France aiming With this question, we reached a new level in the deci- at? We will check what sort and if translations are foreseen, sion chain and an epilogue to the history of these and let you know. events. Why did NATO planes conduct sorties over the site but Thanks, Wouter Kok not drop bombs? Yasushi Akashi [UN Special Representative for 130 Yugoslavia] had already revealed it: ‘An agreement is worth Extract: April that“the Bosnian Serbforces committed genocide for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) confirmed on Monday 19 The appealchamber of the International Criminal Tribunal Bosnian Serbforces committedgenocideinSrebrenica. and war crimes. The Tribunal definitively ruled that the imprisonment for genocide, aidingandabettinggenocide, perpetrators of theSrebrenica massacres, to35years General Radislav Krstic, one of theleadingBosnianSerb Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced In an appeal verdict on 19 April 2004, the International operations andpeaceprocesses. to knowwhatwatchoutfor – anddistrust - in peacekeeping on theseissuesprofessionally haveenoughinformation today the enclaves, thiswouldnothavehappened.People whowork something specificatDaytonaboutprotectingandevacuating subject of trade-offs. I strongly believe that if there had been those whoareminoritiesinmajorityareas, andwhowillbethe peace process, it must watchfor thevulnerablepopulations, actor shouldknowthatatthemomentwhenitentersintoa announced. That’s whenallthe ‘dirtytricks’ areplayed.Every rience. The most dangerous time in war is when peace is more thanlives.’ Andeveryoneshouldknowthisfromexpe- be movedtoor‘safeareas.’ UN andtheSecurityCounciltocreateareaswherevictimscan is onlysymbolic. Nowthereisarealreticenceonthepartof the western contributiontopeacekeeping operationstoday–orit send theirsoldiersasBlueHelmets. Thereisnolongerany ping. First,isthefact thatwesternstatesnolongerwantto had considerableconsequencesfor theUNintermsof peacekee - the UNanditsPeacekeeping Department.Thesetragedies also certain discussions, decisions, andthinkinglateronthepartof Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF France LegalAdvisor, much greaterimpactthananyoneleton.Itfactored into In termsof protectingcivilianpopulations, thishada Fabien Dubuet,MSF France DeputyLegalAdvisor, (France), 21April2004(inFrench). ‘ICT: Srebrenica Massacre was“Genocide,’ LeMonde 1995-2005, Interviewed in2015(inFrench) EPILOGUE Interviewed in2015(inFrench)
on theprotection of populations. regarding the discourse of the international community daily newspaper Libération thatMSFremained wary in theformer Yugoslavia in1995,declared totheFrench Pierre Salignon, in charge of MSF France’s programmes On 11 July 2005, ten years after the events at Srebrenica, been onthe runfor the last nine years. military chief of the Bosnian Serbs, Ratko Mladic, who has estimation, the moral authority layselsewhere, withthe author of the genocide but merely an accomplice. In their as, inthe view of the magistrates, he wasnot the direct ment. OnMonday, hissentence wascommuted to35years, the executions, wasinitially sentenced to46yearsimprison Commander of the Drina Corps, whose soldiers carried out ming-up of the Krstic case. General RadislavKrstic, fashion” inJuly1995,the fivejudges declare intheir sum thousand male Bosnian Muslims were killedinsystematic driven out of the enclave, and between seven and eight “Elderly, female, and veryyoung Bosnian Muslims were on whether the events effectivelyconstituted “genocide.” against the Muslims of Srebrenica,” concluding the debate and are now directly affectedbythe commemoration process. solidarity tothe families who are atthe core of thistragedy been since 1995 at the Potocari memorial. We extend our Some of ourmembers willprobably bepresent, asthey have “There’s no willtodo sointerms of MSF asanorganization. anniversary? Will you be participating in the commemorations of the tenth intentions declared and the real aid delivered. being asked aboutthe deployment of UNtroops amid the fine munity onthe protection of populations. Questions are still warier withregard tothe discourseof the international com- states, the worstthings are possible. Nowadays, we’re much Quite simply, ifthere isno political willonthe partof nation What do youmean bythat? tional community. We received anice lessonincynicism. we hadtore-examine ourview of the action of the interna - organization present in the enclave at that time]. In the end, as wewere present onthe ground [MSF was infact the only the massacres and the absence of assistance and humanity, into thinking thatwewouldavoid the worst,inother words It’s awound thatstillhasn’thealed. We deceived ourselves Srebrenica? Ten yearson,whatlessons haveyoudrawn from the fall of Extract: (French). Yugoslavia,’ cins Sans Frontières’ Operations inthe Former with Pierre Salignon, Formerly inCharge of Méde - ‘We ReceivedaNice LessoninCynicism,’ Interview Libération (France), 10July2005 - - 131 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003 MSF Speaks out
We are merely providers of aid, and that’s how we want to conviction,” said Judge Wolfgang Schomburg of the remain. This is not a time for controversy.” International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. The 41-year-old ex-bodyguard to former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was convicted two years ago but given a two-year sentence - much less than that demanded by the prosecution. He was ordered to be immediately released, On 26 February 2007, the International Court of Justice because of time he had already spent in custody. Many Bosnian in The Hague ruled that Serbia was not responsible for Muslims (Bosniaks) regard him as a hero, and believe the deci- the genocide of Srebrenica. sion to prosecute him was made to counter complaints by Serbs that the tribunal was biased against them, correspon- dents say. Mr Oric was commander of the Bosnian Muslim forces in the town of Srebrenica from May 1992 onwards, ‘For the International Court of Justice, Serbia Was while the city was under siege from Bosnian Serb forces. Mr Not Responsible for the Genocide in Srebrenica,’ Oric’s lawyers said the attacks on Serb villages were legitimate Le Monde (France), 27 February 2007 (in French). actions against military and strategic targets, or operations to obtain food for the starving population of Srebrenica. Extract: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) confirmed that geno- cide took place in Srebrenica in Bosnia-Herzegovina, but exonerated the Serbian State from responsibility. […] The Bosnians took Srebrenica in March 1993, at the height of the On 22 July 2008, the Serbian authorities arrested the war. [...] The magistrates of the ICJ, the UN court in charge Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and handed him of settling disputes between states, ruled that the events of over to international justice. July 1995 in Srebrenica did constitute genocide. The fall of the enclave, a ‘safe zone’ under UN protection, was followed by the systematic murder, over the course of three days, of nearly 8,000 men, all of them Muslims. […] ‘The Serbian Authorities Put an End to the Long Escape of Radovan Karadzic,’ Agence France But Belgrade was not responsible for the genocide, in the Presse, 22 July 2008 (in French). view of the ICJ judges, who place the blame with the forces of the Bosnian Serb separatists, whose principal leaders, Extract: Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, have been on the run for Radovan Karadzic, the former political leader of the Bosnian over eleven years. While Belgrade was found to have given Serbs, indicted for war crimes and genocide by the interna- “considerable support to Republika Srpska (a constituent tional justice authorities, was arrested by Serbian secret ser- member, along with the Croatian-Muslim Federation of vices on Monday, after a 13-year manhunt. Radovan Karadzic Bosnia-Herzegovina),” permitting payments to the soldiers was wanted by the international justice authorities as the of the separatist army and providing it with officers, it was instigator, together with the former chief of the Bosnian Serb found neither to have planned nor ordered the genocide. army, General Ratko Mladic, of the genocide of Srebrenica in On 3 July 2008, Naser Oric, Commander of the Bosnian Muslim eastern Bosnia, where nearly 8,000 Muslim men were killed in forces in the east of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Srebrenica in July 1995 - the worst massacre in Europe since the Second particular, was acquitted on an appeal hearing at the World War. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He had been accused and found guilty in a first trial for failing to stop his men from committing atrocities against the Serbian population and of torturing prisoners. On 31 March 2010, the Serbian parliament passed a resolution for a public apology for the massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995. V20 ‘Srebrenica Muslim Chief Cleared,’ BBC, 3 July 2008 (in English).
Extract: ‘Serbian Parliament Apologizes for the Srebrenica He was convicted of failing to prevent men under his com- Massacre,’ Le Monde (France), 31 March 2010 (in mand killing and mistreating six Bosnian Serb prisoners. His French). alleged crimes took place well before the 1995 Bosnian Serb massacre of nearly 8,000 Srebrenica Muslims. Between 1992 Extract: and 1993 he commanded troops who allegedly destroyed 50 On Wednesday 31 March, the Serbian Parliament passed a Serb villages, causing thousands to flee. But judges at The resolution offering a public apology for the massacre of eight Hague ruled the first trial had failed to prove he had control thousand Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995. The country 132 over the men. “The appeals chamber [...] reverses Naser Oric’s remains profoundly divided concerning this chapter in its his- international justice. Bosnian Serbforces was arrested andhandedover to On 26May2011,Ratko Mladic, Commanderof the Slobodan Milosevic inthe 1990s. declared Branko Ruzik,whose socialist partywasledby conviction onthewarcrimescommittedinSrebrenica,” measure bypolitically-responsiblepeople, founded onpolitical describe the events as‘genocide.’ “We havepassedacivilized Serb forces and the Serbian paramilitary militias. It does not action toprevent the massacre, committedbythe Bosnian sympathy for the victims and regret for not taking sufficient adopted afterthirteenhours of televiseddebate, expresses wars of the 1990s. The text of the resolution, which was closer tothe European Union and exorcise the demons of the tory. The resolution ispartof an attemptbyBelgrade tomove the Dutchtroops “should not haveparticipated inthe depor- Srebrenica massacre. Inthe view of the court atThe Hague, of UNpeacekeepers (Dutchbat), atthe height of the while seeking refuge inabaseoccupied byaDutchbattalion Bosnian Muslims who were turned overtothe Serbian army July that the Netherlands is liable for the deaths of over 300 After nineteen years, aDutchcourtruledonWednesday 16 Extract: the 8,000victimsof theSrebrenica massacre. Netherlands liablefor thedeathsof 300Muslimsamong On 16July2014,acourtinTheHaguefound the union. before the country couldget ontrack tojointhe 27-nation hended and turned overfor trial inaninternational court European Union, which had insisted that Mr. Mladic be appre a major obstacle toSerbia’s becoming amember of the since World War II.The capture of the former general removes on itselfduring the Balkan wars, the bloodiest inEurope Serbia’s intention of finally escaping the isolation itbrought Srebrenica in1995,wasarrested onThursday, signalling sible for the massacre of some 8,000Muslim men and boysat Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb general held respon- Extract: 2014 (inFrench). Stéphanie Maupas, LeMonde(France), 17July ‘Srebrenica Massacre: CourtBlames DutchArmy,’ Times (USA), 26May 2011(inEnglish). Dan Bilefskyand Doreen Carvajal,TheNew York ‘Serbia SaysJailed Mladic WillFaceWar Crimes Trial,’ - to improve theprotection of populationsindanger. to over-commit itselfinproposals for actionsdesigned to protect itcontinuestofuelacertainMSFreluctance the populationof Srebrenica by thosewhowere supposed Twenty years later, thememoryof the abandonmentof any casegoatitagain.Andwedecidednotto. asked ourselvesifweshoulddosomething,sayin Holland was responsible, maybe partially, but he didn’t. We reasons. since then,sometimesfor goodreasons, butsometimesfor bad proposals, aswedidinthe1990s. However, wedoless andless re-engage onthissubject.Thatwouldinvolvemakingconcrete lesson wedrewfromthe1990s, butwe’regoingtohave on thereality of civilian protection mechanisms. That’s the and lack of confidence on our part, as well as a degree of lucidity riences inthe90sRwandaandBosnia.There’s stillsuspicion aren’t readyfor it,thatwe’restilltraumatizedbyourexpe- underestimate it.It’s afightwehavetomake butIfeelwe humanitarian medical organization,butwehaveatendencyto an importantrole, whichfalls clearlywithinthe remitof a force. was atthe heart of the mandate of the UNpeacekeeping responsibility inthe fall of the enclave. The duty toprotect because the judges exonerated the Netherlands from any tion isnevertheless considering appealing the verdict the courts, the decision marks a major victory. The associa of Srebrenica, the association that brought the case before they were, theywouldnothavebeenkilled.”Forthe Mothers tainty thathadDutchbatallowedthesementoremainwhere In the view of the judges, “We canaffirmwithsufficient cer- Potocari base, justnorth of Srebrenica. […] tation of over 300 men” who had sought refuge in the the former Yugoslavia, 1991-1993,then Head of the to Srebrenica.We thoughthewasgoingtosay that Last year, at a certain moment, the Prime minister went decisions concerningtheprotectionof civilians. Thisis MSF canexercise considerableinfluenceonthepolitical Fabien Dubuet,MSF France DeputyLegalAdvisor, of Operations, Interviewed in2015(in English). Wilna vanAartzen,MSF Holland coordinator in 1995-2005, Interviewed in 2015(inFrench) Emergency Desk,then Director -
133 MSF and Srebrenica 1993 - 2003