MSF and the War in the Former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 in the Former MSF and the War Personalities in Political and Military Positions at the Time of the Events

Home , Alain Destexhe, Battle of Livno, Battle of Vukovar, Bosanska Krajina, Brioni Agreement, Central Bosnia

Msf and the War in the Former Yugoslavia 1991 - 2003

This case study is also available on speakingout.msf.org/en/msf-and-the-war-in-the-former-yugoslavia P

MSF SPEAKS OUT MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

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]

- “MSF and Srebrenica 1993-2003” Laurence Binet - Médecins Sans Frontières [July 2015]

Editorial Committee: Laurence Binet, Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, Marine Buissonnière, Rebecca Golden, Michiel Hofman, Paul Mac Phun, Aine Markham, Jérôme Oberreit, Darin Portnoy - Director of Studies: Laurence Binet - Research Assistant: Martin Saulnier - Translation into English: Leah Brumer, Mandy Duret, Justin Hillier, Derek Scoins, Caroline Serraf (coordination), Karen Stokes, Karen Tucker - Editing/Proof Reading: Liz Barling, Rebecca Golden - Design and Layout: tcgraphite - Website Designer and Administrator: Sean Brokenshire.

Thanks to Wouter Kok and Bas Tielens for research and translation from the Dutch press, to Juliette Estival for part of Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier’s interview. 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. December 2015 FOREWORD

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). Yugoslavia 1991-2003 in the former MSF and the war

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 application 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 documents 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 response. 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 agreement 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 Speaking Out Case Studies

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

4 1. Document excerpts and interviews have been translated into both languages. CONTENTS

People interviewed and their position at the time of the events...... 6 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 in the former MSF and the war Personalities in political and military positions at the time of the events...... 7

Acronyms...... 9

Map...... 10

Introduction...... 11

MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 ...... 15

Vukovar: humanitarian intervention in the eye of conflict...... 20

Condemnation of ‘the humanitarian alibi’ and ‘call to arms’ ...... 41

Denouncing ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity ...... 51

Srebrenica: entering the enclave...... 65

Gorazde under fire...... 85

Working like prison doctors...... 100

Abandonment and fall of Srebrenica...... 108

Final territorial reorganisation before a status quo is established by the peace agreements..... 126

Croatian-bosnian counter-offensive...... 127

Do not abandon Gorazde...... 133

The ‘dissident’ Muslim refugees of Kupljensko...... 140

1999-2003 Parliamentary inquiries into the Srebrenica tragedy...... 151

MSF appeal to establish the French responsibilities in the Srebrenica events...... 152

Critical support to the French parliamentary fact-finding mission...... 157

Reaction to the reports on Dutch responsibilities...... 167

Epilogue...... 173

NB: This case study does not cover the Kosovo war (1998-1999) and partially covers the events of Srebrenica. For more details, please see these two studies: http://speakingout.msf.org/en/violence-against-kosovar-albanians-nato-intervention http://speakingout.msf.org/en/srebrenica 5 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

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 France Foundation Research Director from 1994

Dr Eric Dachy, MSF general coordinator in Belgrad, October 1991 - August 1993

Dr Georges Dallemagne, MSF Belgium Director of Operations

Dr Alain Destexhe, MSF International Secretary General until May 1995

Dr Graciela Diap, MSF Belgium/France Medical Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, October 1993 - 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 - April 1994

Michiel Hofman, MSF Holland Coordinator in Croatia, August 1995 - July 1996

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, MSF Holland General Director, 1985 - 1996

Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, May - November 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000 - 2006

Pierre Salignon, MSF France Deputy Programme Manager, in charge of programmes in the former Yugoslavia, 1992-1996

Eric Stobbaerts, MSF Belgium/France General Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, December 1993 - 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 Emergency Desk, then Director of Operations

Dr Brigitte Vasset MSF France Director of Operations

6 PERSONALITIES IN POLITICAL AND MILITARY POSITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE EVENTS

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 Yugoslavia 1991-2003 in the former MSF and the war

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

Lord Peter Carrington, EC negotiator from 1991 to 1992 and former British Foreign Secretary

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

William Claes, Secretary General of NATO from 1994 to 1995

Bill Clinton, President of the United States from 1993 to 2001

Muhamed Filipovic, Leader of the Bosnian Muslim Organisation

Major Robert Franken, Deputy Commander of the UNPROFOR Dutch battalion in Srebrenica

Alija Izetbegovic, President of the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina from October 1990 to October 1996

General Bernard Janvier, Commander of UNPROFOR in the former Yugoslavia 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

Dragan Kalinic, Minister of Health of Republika Srpska

Radovan Karadzic, President of Republika Srpska from December 1992 to July 1996

Helmut Kohl, German Chancellor from 1982 to 1998

Nikola Koljevic, Vice-president of Republika Srpska in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Radislav Krstic, Chief of Staff of the Republika Srpska’s army in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Lt-Colonel Tom Karremans, Commander of the UNPROFOR Dutch battalion in Srebrenica

François Léotard, French Minister of Defence from March 1993 to May 1995

François Loncle, President of the French Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission on Srebrenica

7 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Ante Markovic, Prime Minister of Yugoslavia from March 1989 to December 1991

Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Former Yugoslavia

Jean-Bernard Mérimée, French Ambassador to the UN from 1991 to 1995

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 Bosnia-Herzegovina

General Philippe Morillon, Commander of UNPROFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina from September 1992 to July 1993

General de Lapresle, Commander of UNPROFOR in the Former Yugoslavia from March 1995 to February 1995

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

Malcolm Rifkind, British Secretary of Defence from 1992 to 1995 then Foreign Secretary from 1995 to 1997

Lt-General Michael Rose, British Commander of UNPROFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1994 to 1995

Muhamed Sacirbey, Bosnian Ambassador to the UN from 1992 to 1995

Zvonimir Separovic, Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs from July 1991 to May 1992

Lt-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

Joris Voorhoeve, Dutch Minister of Defence from August 1994 to May 1998

8 ACRONYMS

AFP Agence France Presse AP Associated Press

BBC British Broadcasting Corporation Yugoslavia 1991-2003 in the former MSF and the war BiH Bosna i Hercegovina BRT Vlaamse Radio en Televisieomroeporganisatie (Flemish Radio and Television Broadcasting Organization) BSA Bosnian Serb Army CNN Cable News Network 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) EC European community HVO Hrvatsko vijece obrane - Croatian Defence Council ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross IFOR Implementation Force (NATO Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina) JNA Jugoslovenska narodna armija - Yugoslavian National Army 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 Oxfam Oxford Commitee for Famine Relief PSF Pharmaciens Sans Frontières - Pharmacists Without Borders RS Serbian Republic of Bosnia SAS Special Air Service (British special forces) UN United Nations UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UNMO United Nations Military Observer UNCRO United Nations peacekeeping operation in Croatia from March 1995 to January 1996 UNPROFOR United Nations Protection Force for the Former Yugoslavia WHO World Health Organisation (UN)

Extract from MSF archives or press clippings.

Extract from interviews conducted in 2000 and 2015 MSF people who participated and/or witnessed the events. 9 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

BUDAPEST

HUNGARY SLOVENIA CROATIA VOJVODINA ROMANIA LJUBLJANA Osijek ZAGREB Gasinci BUCAREST Vukovar Karlovac Kupljensko Kozarac Omarska BELGRADE Banja Luka Bihac Tuzla Cerska 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 INTRODUCTION

After the dismantling of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia1

experienced separatist tensions of its own. Yugoslavia 1991-2003 in the former MSF and the war

These tensions were exacerbated by the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, President of the Republic of Serbia, who sought to create a “Greater Serbia” encompassing all regions populated by Serbian minorities. The Federal Army fell under the control of Serbia and supported pro-Serbian militias operating in the Croatian region of Krajina and Eastern Bosnia2. In March and April 1992, the Republic of Serbian Krajina and the Republic of Bosnian Serbs (Republika Srpska), respectively, declared independence without any constitutional basis.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Bosnian Serb militias conducted a policy they qualified as ethnic cleansing by using terror to expel all non-Serbian minorities from the new republic. This policy affected Bosnian Muslims in particular, who took refuge in Muslim-majority cities in eastern Bosnia. These cities became de facto enclaves that were overcrowded, besieged, and regularly bombed by Bosnian Serb forces.

In September 1991, the European Community (EC) dispatched civilian ‘White Helmets’, powerless observers of multiple ceasefires that were regularly broken. Then, refusing to forcefully impose a political solution, the EC instead focused on mass distributions of humanitarian aid to victims of the war.

Beginning in February 1992, an international peacekeeping force called UNPROFOR was deployed first to Croatia and then to Bosnia. Its mandate, however, restricted the use of force to defending UN troops (blue helmets) and protecting humanitarian aid convoys.

In May 1992, The UN Security Council placed an embargo on arms deliveries to the belligerents. This had the practical effect of giving an advantage to the Serbian forces, which had inherited the weapons from the Yugoslavian Federal Army.

In August 1992, journalists revealed that Bosniak prisoners were being held in concentration camps in inhumane conditions by the Bosnian Serbian forces. Under international pressure, the prisoners were finally released on condition they left Bosnia for western Europe.

In late 1992, fighting also broke out between Bosnian and Bosnian Croat forces, which lasted until a ceasefire went into effect in February 1994. This was followed by the creation of the Muslim-Croat Fede- ration, which brought together the Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, founded by the Bosnian Croats and the territory controlled by the army of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

In March 1993, Bosnian Serb forces attacked the Srebrenica Muslim enclave. General Morillon, Commander- in-Chief of UNPROFOR, promised that the UN would not abandon the population. Srebrenica remained under siege, but was declared a UN-protected safe area as well as Bihac, Gorazde, Sarajevo, Tuzla, and Zepa.

In March-April 1994, Bosnian Serb Forces attacked the Gorazde enclave. NATO air strikes, in support of UNPROFOR, prevented its seizure. However, the enclaves supposed to be under UN protection remained besieged.

1. The Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia was composed of six republics (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia) and two autonomous provinces attached to Serbia (Kosovo and Voivodina). 2. Bosnia-Herzegovina is made up of three ethnic groups: Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats and Bosnians or Bosniaks, who are Slavs who converted to Islam under the Ottoman Empire. 11 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

In July 1995, Srebrenica finally fell to Bosnian Serb forces despite the presence of a battalion of Dutch peacekeepers and NATO air strikes, which came too late, were insufficient, and ineffective. Eight thousand men over 16 years of age were separated and massacred during a forced evacuation of the population.

During each of these episodes, Bosnian Serb forces took blue helmet peacekeepers hostage in attempts to dissuade NATO from conducting air strikes. In late August 1995 in response to renewed Bosnian Serb bombing of Sarajevo, these air strikes were finally conducted more consistently and efficiently. The NATO strikes put a stop to the Bosnian Serb forces’ seizure of territory after more than two years of laying siege to the enclaves of eastern Bosnia.

In the aftermath, the Croatian forces from Croatia and Bosnia, and Bosniak forces recaptured Croatia’s Serbian territories, including the Krajina region. Tens of thousands of Serbians were then driven out of their homes and expelled to Serbian Bosnia while the Bosnian Serbs continued ethnic cleansing operations.

On 14 December 1995, the Dayton Accords, negotiated under the leadership of the United States, brought the war to an end and led to the creation of the State of Bosnia-Herzegovina, comprising the Muslim-Croat Federation and the Serbian Republic of Bosnia.

Around the same time, the media released information suggesting that shortly before the fall of Srebrenica, UNPROFOR and Bosnian Serb leaders had agreed to free the UN hostages in exchange for cessation of NATO air strikes.

On 15 November 1999, a UN report on the Srebrenica events recognised the organisation’s ‘‘errors in judgment’’ and asked the implicated member states to conduct investigations regarding their own responsibilities for the events.

From 2000-2003, investigations were carried out in France and the Netherlands and concluded that the international community acting in the region bore responsibility for the tragedy in Srebrenica.

MSF ACTIONS IN THE CRISIS

At first, Médecins sans Frontières struggled to set up operations in an environment where needs were still being met by health facilities and health workers remaining from the former Yugoslavia.

Resolving to provide aid during the conflict, MSF organised a convoy on 18 October 1991 to evacuate 109 wounded patients from Vukovar, a Croatian city besieged by Serb forces. On their return, a mine exploded under the wheels of a truck and seriously wounded two MSF nurses. MSF publicly condemned the mine attack and soon learned that this event was instrumentalized by the same Croatian and Serbian belligerents that authorized the convoy: the Serbs allowed the convoy to pass through in exchange for the release of a contingent of the Yugoslav army being held by the Croats. The Croats hoped to get injured combatants out of Vukovar.

From 1992, MSF sections based in Europe, where public opinion was very sensitive about the events occurring in the former Yugoslavia, partnered with other organisations to urge political leaders to intervene.

The MSF Belgian and Dutch sections decided to focus on distributing medicines, medical supplies, and first aid materials throughout Bosnia and to refugees in the neighbouring republics. The European Community was the primary donor for these projects.

For its part, MSF France chose not to develop such operations, believing they supported the policy of “humanitarian alibi” pursued by the European Community. In effect, the MSF France President, actively present in the media, advocated that the international community’s policy of mass distribution of huma- 12 nitarian aid could not compensate for their reluctance and weakness to take the necessary political and military measures to end the conflict. In June 1992, he publicly summoned the need for military force against the Serbian artillery surrounding Sarajevo. During the following weeks, the secretary-general of MSF international and the general director of MSF Holland also came out publicly in favour of force.

In late 1992, the French section of MSF set up a project to support former Bosnian Muslims concentration camp prisoners who had taken refuge in France and documented their personal accounts of events. In December, MSF published a report based on these accounts. The report described the ethnic cleansing process carried out by Bosnian Serb forces in Eastern Bosnia, as “crimes against humanity.” The report was accompanied by a series of video clips that were unfortunately released at the same time as a Médecins MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 in the former MSF and the war du Monde poster campaign comparing Milosevic to Hitler.

In March 1993, a team from the Belgian section managed to enter the Srebrenica enclave with the UNPRO- FOR convoy. MSF teams reported to the press the desperate living conditions in the enclave and demanded that this population be protected.

MSF set up a medical and health project that would be jointly managed with the French section, like the one opened in July 1993 in the Bosnian Muslims enclave of Gorazde. For MSF France, bringing humanitarian aid in these enclaves would definitely meet basic needs and save lives.

For two years, MSF teams engaged in a constant arm wrestle with the besiegers in an attempt to get authorisation to supply the enclaves, which some considered open-air prisons, where populations asphyxia- ted by the siege were barely kept alive. MSF regularly denounced the Bosnian Serb authorities for the hindrance of supplies entering Gorazde and Srebrenica.

During the attacks against Gorazde in 1994 and Srebrenica in 1995, MSF expatriate volunteers remained in the enclaves, helped local teams treat the wounded, witnessed the situation in real time, and made continual appeals for protection of the population.

In Tuzla, another MSF team supported Srebrenica survivors and collected their accounts, which were widely distributed to the media.

In August 1995, MSF teams helped Serbian refugees fleeing Croatian Bosniak offensive in the Krajinas and publicly reported their situation. MSF also condemned Bosnian Serb forces for expanding their ethnic cleansing operations to the remaining Muslims of Banja Luka.

In late August 1995, MSF expressed its concern about the lack of protection for the Gorazde population as the Ukrainian and British Blue Helmets were withdrawing from the enclave. Then, MSF drew attention to the plight of a group of Bosnian Muslims dissident refugees, allied with the Serbians and rejected by all sides, found by the side of the road in dire conditions from the Kupljensko camp.

In December 1995, after the Dayton Peace Accords were signed, MSF released a public statement questioning whether the desire for peace would interfere with justice and a determination of responsibility for the events in Srebrenica.

In February 1996, MSF published a report containing personal accounts of the evacuation of Srebrenica and of 22 members of MSF’s local staff and medical personnel that went missing during the events of July 1995. MSF launched an appeal for information about their fate.

In July 2000, MSF France appealed to the French parliament to establish a commission of inquiry regarding France’s responsibility for the events in Srebrenica. The parliament set up a fact-finding mission, to which MSF lent critical support, suggesting questions to ask and documents to research. Transcripts of the hearings were made available on a MSF dedicated website.

Upon the publication of the fact-finding report in November 2001, MSF France released a public statement 13 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

stressing that while the report recognised France’s military responsibility for the events, it failed to mention the government’s political responsibility.

For its part, MSF Holland released public statements in 2002 and 2003 on the various reports published at the request of Dutch authorities, insisting on the need to learn lessons for the future protection of civilians from war-related violence.

In January 1993, MSF France and MSF Hollande publicly asked the United States and United Kingdom to conduct investigations regarding their responsibility for the events in Srebrenica.

MSF DILEMMAS AND QUESTIONS

Throughout this period, MSF faced a variety of questions and dilemmas:

• To what extent, such as in Vukovar, should MSF risk the lives of its staff in order to operate in conflict zones?

• Should MSF condemn obstacles set up to limit the access to populations in the enclaves of Eastern Bosnia, if it means no longer having any access at all?

• Could MSF, as a humanitarian medical organization, denounce the fact that humanitarian aid was presented by international political leaders as the only solution to the conflict and then call for military force, an action that would lead to loss of human life?

• By agreeing to provide a minimally acceptable level of relief to a besieged population, wasn’t MSF contributing to the strategy of the besieging troops while concurrently softening their image? Could MSF call for the evacuation of civilians who wished to leave, thereby risking abetting the ethnic cleansing policy of the besieging army?

• Could MSF, as in Gorazde, raise alarm about the seriousness of the crisis by disseminating a balance sheet of the wounded and dead that is difficult to verify, at the risk of being instrumentalized by the source of the numbers?

• Having trusted the UN Protection Force’s commitment to protect the enclave and its population, must MSF accept partial culpability or complicity in the UN’s abandonment of the enclave and the ensuing massacre of the population? Did MSF give the population the false impression that they were safe as long as the team was present?

• Is it the role of a humanitarian medical organisation to issue an appeal for an investigative parliamentary commission then, once it is established, to actively monitor and criticise? 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 that MSF teams had supported with relief? Can MSF call for a parliamentary investigation without ensuring that sensitive questions are asked that will give clear answers regarding the events?

• By failing to also explore the shadowy areas of agreements signed between the Bosnian Serbs and Bosniaks, doesn’t MSF risk acting as a prosecutor of only the 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 tuent partofSerbiaon1April1991. proclaimed on16March1991.Itillegallybecameaconsti- Serbian Krajina’,coveringathirdofCroatia’sterritory,was militia finally took control oftheregion. The ‘Republicof August 1990.Supported by the Yugoslavfederal army, this subject toarmedrebellionbyseparatistSerbmilitiasince minorities (includingtheplainsofKrajina)hadbeen Those regionsofCroatiawhichwerehometolargeSerb being formedintheseregions. supported thearmedpro-Serbianmilitiaswhichwere include all the regions wherethe Serb minorities lived. He advocated thecreationofa‘GreaterSerbia’whichwould The Serbianregimeofthetime,ledbySlobodanMilosevic, several monthstokeeptheYugoslavFederationintact. in theFederationandparticularlyarmy,triedfor The republicofSerbia,whichwieldedagreatdealpower greater autonomyifnotindependence. Yugoslavia where most of the republics were demanding tensions wererisingintheSocialistFederalRepublicof In theearly1990s,afterbreak-upofSovietUnion, 1991-2003 YUGOSLAVIA FORMER THE IN WAR THE AND MSF Krajina authorities. Serbian ministryof the interior bemade availabletothe government of Serbia thatthe equipment and forces of the and territorial integrity of the region”. Finally, he asked the formation of voluntary detachments “todefend the freedom then ordered the mobilisation of Krajina’s population and the and lawsof the Republic of Serbia wouldnow beapplied”. He the territoryof the Serbian state” and that“the constitution omous region, has stated that Krajina is “a definitive part of does not bode atallwell.MilanBabic, president of the auton- minority inCroatia –tobecome partof the Republic of Serbia autonomous region of Krajina –populatedbythe Serb The decision taken on Monday 1 April by the leaders of the Extract: 3 April1991(inFrench). into the Republic of Serbia’, LeMonde(France), region of Krajina hasdeclared itsincorporation ‘YUGOSLAVIA: locatedinthe southof Croatia, the well as other ethnic minorities. well asotherethnicminorities. to monitorcompliancewiththeceasefireagreement. ministers whosuggestedthatEuropeanobserversbesent the EuropeanCommunity.TheECsenta‘troika’offoreign the signing of the Brioni Agreement, under the aegis of federal armyofYugoslaviawhichendedinmid-Julyafter Conflict then arose between thepeople ofSlovenia andthe from Bosnia. Yugoslavia. The Bosnian Serbs are Serbsfrom Bosnia. The Bosnian Croats are Croats the Ottoman Empire. They were calledMuslim inthe Socialist Federal Republic of 1. The Bosnian Muslims are Slavswho were convertedtoIslam atthe time of or Bosniaks three peopleswerelivingtogether:theBosnianMuslims Tension wasalsorisinginBosnia-Herzegovinawhich forces), andtheCroatianarmyitsown‘irregulars’. army (described as‘irregulars’ by theofficial armed consisting oftheSerbminoritysupportedbyfederal In themeantime,violenceescalatedbetweenmilitias by thefederalgovernment. Yugoslav Federationon25June1991,whichwasrefused venia officially proclaimedtheir‘dissociation’ fromthe Based ontheresultsofareferendum,CroatiaandSlo- believes that “without further delay and in the spirit of any changes toitsborders”. MrMarkovic’s government were requested toprevent “the carve-upof Yugoslavia and ‘conclusions’ under which the government, army and police That evening, the federal parliament alsoadopted aseries of and void”. unlawful”. According tothe text, they were therefore “null other constituent parts of Yugoslavia”, were “illegaland these “unilateral” acts, adopted “without consulting the ister Ante Markovic, the federal authorities declared that by Slovenia and Croatia. Inacommuniqué from prime min- government rejected the declarations of independence made On the night of Tuesday 25/Wednesday 26June, the federal Extract: French). pendence,’ ‘Yugoslavia: two republics declare their inde - 1 , the Bosnian Serbs and the Bosnian Croats as , theBosnianSerbsandCroatsas Le Monde (France), 27June1991(in

15 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

democracy, it is essential” that discussions on resolving the the Republic of Croatia, asked his people to “be ready for constitutional crisis and the country’s future political organ- all-out war”. He added: “Croatia is under threat – we shall do isation resume, and asks “all citizens” to remain calm and everything to save her. Unlike some, we do not want a Greater refrain from any acts of violence. According to the official Serbia or a Yugoslavia”. Tanjug news agency, units of the federal army stationed in Unlike the ethnically homogenous Slovenia, Croatia has a Slovenia have been put on alert and have prevented Slovenian population of 4.7 million, 12.2% of whom are Serbs, according customs officials from displaying the symbols of this republic. to last April’s census. This population is concentrated on the southern and eastern edges of the republic and refuses to become part of an independent Croatia. It has even declared itself an autonomous region under the name of Krajina and ‘While the Federal Presidency adopts the Brioni proclaimed its attachment to the mother republic of Serbia. Agreement, the Yugoslav government is concerned Tension has continued to rise in these regions which have a that the crisis is worsening,’ Le Monde (France), lot of mixed blood in their veins. The risk of this tension 14 July 1991 (in French). boiling over could drag the entire country into a spiral of violence capable of destroying what little goodwill remains Extract: among the various actors in the Yugoslav drama. President On the night of Friday 12/Saturday 13 July in Belgrade, the Tudjman is unequivocal: there is no question of giving up one federal government adopted the Brioni Agreement drawn up inch of ground. He repeated his No to Serbian expansionism on 7 July under the aegis of the EEC. It also adopted a memo- and the dark intentions of the new-style communists in randum submitted by the EEC’s ‘troika’ regarding procedures power in Belgrade. for the organisation and operation of the group of European observers responsible for monitoring compliance with [the Agreement]... In a communiqué released on Friday, the government thought In August and September 1991, the conflict worsened that both the republics and the Federation were beginning to and tens of thousands of refugees were forced on the ‘lose control’ of the situation, and stated that political par- move, whilst European attempts to mediate met with ties were organising their militias on ethnic or political intransigence by the belligerents. grounds. The communiqué expressed concern that the crisis was deepening, particularly in Croatia, and threatening to On 7 September, the ‘Standing Conference on the former turn into a “large-scale armed conflict”. A warning was issued Yugoslavia’ was established and the ‘white helmets’, to Slovenia and both the warring parties in Croatia: the Croat European peace-agreement observers, were deployed. majority which had stepped up the mobilisation of its forces; and the Serb minority which had formed militias. The mobilisation of reservists in western Bosnia (majority Serb) without the knowledge of this republic’s government was also deemed ‘The worsening crisis in Yugoslavia - Serbia thwarts to be “arbitrary” by the government. European mediation,’ Le Monde (France), 8 August On Friday, the leaders of the republic’s main parties stated 1991 (in French). that Bosnia-Herzegovina was “seriously threatened with disintegration” and advocated that the European Community Extract: send observers. They accused Serbia and its president, “Yugoslavia is heading for tragedy and catastrophe. Our mis- Slobodan Milosevic, of “putting Bosnia-Herzegovina under sion has failed. We have done everything we can to help the extreme pressure and provocation with the aim of breaking it country move forward, to stop the killing and to renew the up”. On Friday, Muhamed Filipovic, leader of the Muslim dialogue about the country’s future”. Speaking in Belgrade on Bosniak Organisation (MBO), reported troop movements on Sunday 4 August, this is how the Dutch minister for foreign the republic’s territory and the mobilisation of a large number affairs summarised the European ‘troika’s’ fourth visit to of national defence reservists and police. Yugoslavia . ”The only thing we can do now is appeal for reason”, said Hans van den Broek. The acting president of the EEC specified that the European mission had put forward a certain number of measures so that the ceasefire ordered by ‘Between war and peace,’ Le Monde (France), 24 the Yugoslav presidency overnight on Friday/Saturday last July 1991 (in French). week could become effective. The memorandum, which must be submitted for signature by Yugoslav leaders, proposed that Extract: the ceasefire-monitoring mission be mixed and composed of Fighting on Monday 22 July in the eastern Croatian ‘mixed’ representatives of the federal army and the Croatian and region of Slavonia (20% Serb and 65% Croat) left twenty Croatian Serb authorities, and work together with the European people dead in just one day. This already brings the number observers whose mandate is thought to have been extended to of victims of ethnic clashes in the Federation’s second-largest Croatia. “One of the parties was opposed to this and the debate republic which, like Slovenia, declared independence on 25 has stalled” stressed the Dutch minister. ”We offered technical June, to 40 in one week... Following this sudden but foresee- assistance whilst not wanting to get involved in the country’s 16 able worsening in the situation, Franjo Tudjman, president of domestic affairs. We wanted to be objective partners and sug- mation on. not yet intervened onYugoslav territory, passedthisinfor- in theformer Yugoslavia. TheFrench section, whichhad that MSFwould bemountinganEEC-fundedintervention Nonetheless, on 12 September, a press release announced decided tomaintaincontactsoasmonitorthesituation. were beingcovered by localstructures andstaff,they Yugoslav Federation territory. Notingthatmedicalneeds carried outajointpreliminary exploratory missionon In August 1991,theBelgianandDutchsectionsof MSF concerned willprevent anescalation of armed conflict”. the current situation develops... and hope thatthe parties who havesuch leaders. Allwecando now iswaitand seehow lack of political willtorestore peace, he added: “We pitythose for themselves”, explained Mr Van den Broek. Stressing the make decisions ontheir behalf–they must take responsibility gest impartial collaboration.... But we are not in a position to and aGreater Serbia isbeing created. tively, land seizures atatime when borders are being redrawn porting Serb separatists in their offensives, which are, effec- federal army which in recent days has ostensibly been sup- being acomplicated one. It willnotably havetodeal withthe gent of ‘whitehelmets’ isonitsway, butitsmission risks more orless impartial report of the situation. The firstcontin- war, itisonlythe foreign observers who are abletoprovide a Serbia and Croatia -are alsowaging aviolent propaganda In the current tragedy, where the twomain protagonists - moment, and tospeedupitsattemptsatmediation. Europe hastherefore decided to‘forget’ aboutthisatthe in their thousands and seeking refuge, mainly in Hungary. partially destroyed and peopleare fleeing the affectedareas The fighting continues in Slavonia; some towns havebeen week hasnot beenrespected. signed byallthe parties concerned inBelgrade earlier inthe tilities must ceaseinCroatia, butthe ceasefire agreement these negotiations, the EEChadfirststipulatedthatall hos- in The Hague onSaturday 7September. Prior toentering into chair the Peace Conference onYugoslavia thatisdue toopen Lord Carrington, who has been appointed by the Twelve to A highly delicate mission awaitsformer UKForeign Secretary Extract: fact-finding mission. Medical needs are currently being cov- Yugoslavia: MSF Band Hhave submittedareport of their Extract: 5 September1991(inFrench). ‘Yugoslavia, adelicate mission,’ LeMonde(France), tee of MSF France, 8August 1991(inFrench). Minutes of the meeting of the executive commit - credibility. as weremainedinourcentralpurchasingunits, wehadno saying towhatwewereactuallydoingontheground.As long to understandthesituationandthenconnectwhatwewere period. Andsowehadtochangeourentireapproachinorder who wasreadytogointothefieldandcommit for asustained The problem is that we could not find anyone of a certain calibre supplies anddrugsfromMSF. Itwascompletelyupsidedown! in the villages would come to Split and stock up on medical a sortof centralpurchasingunit. TheothersmallNGOsworking tions. Theyopenedakindof medicaldepartmentstoreinSplit, The firstteamsIsentdidnotdoagoodjobinterms of opera- could integrateourselvesthere, whichprogrammeswereneeded. we didn’tknowwhatshouldbedoneinthosecountries, howwe worsened sharply andthenwedidn’thave direct access. In fact, paying attention to what was going on there, first, the situation stronger inParis thaninBrussels. Whenwefinallystarted were verystrongwithinoperationsandIthinktheyeven business there. WhenthecrisisbeganinBosnia,thosevoices was amovementstronglyopposedtothat.Theysaidwehadno So, when we had togo work in the countries of the East, there in adefined zone. clashes, ithasbeendecided thateachsection willintervene ence soastomonitor developments. Ifthere are any major ered by local structures. They would like to maintain a pres- separatists. the civilian victims of the conflict betweenCroats and Serb ecus toMédecins Sans Frontières for thisintervention with Community’s Emergency Fund which hasgranted 140,000 This operation isfunded bythe European Economic tions of those displacedbythe conflict. ment of medical needs in situ and monitor the living condi- the Netherlands for Yugoslavia willprovide afurther assess- Furthermore, twotwo-man teams thathaveleftBelgiumand the central hospital inOsijekthe next fewdays. has left Brussels and should be delivering supplies mainly to A lorry carrying 5 tonnes of surgical and medical equipment teams toZagreb. Médecins Sans Frontières hasdecided tosend equipment and equipment and drugs totreat victims of the fighting, Following appealsfrom various Yugoslav hospitals short of even ifthatrancountertothethirdworldmovements. MSF was built on the notion of North-South solidarity, September 1991(inFrench). former Yugoslavia,’ Pressrelease,MSF France, 12 ‘“Médecins Sans Frontières” intervenes inthe Dr Georges Dallemagne, MSF BelgiumDirector of Operations, interviewed in2000(inFrench).

17 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

We held back compared to the other sections, with the all to see. The term ‘peace-keeping force’ itself does not notion that this violence was clearly moving in the direc- appear in the Twelve’s final declaration, which simply refers tion of a real war but that things were still in check. We also to “peace-keeping efforts”. Paris and Bonn have also suffered thought that the local facilities in Yugoslavia had what they a major diplomatic setback. ...More than a failure for any one needed to meet the needs. We weren’t particularly interested in country, the failure at The Hague is the collective failure of a standing at the arm of a Yugoslav surgeon just to try to find our Community which maintained its unity by finding the lowest niche. common denominator between the resolve of some and the restraint of others. The result is a paradoxical compromise, in Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982-1994, that the Twelve met as a matter of urgency but reached a MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, decision that plays for time. interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). Thus taking the risk of appearing to slow down or even reach a stalemate in its diplomatic action, Europe is giving the impression of holding back on its efforts and wanting to adapt to the pace fixed by the Yugoslavs themselves.... We used to go for a drink at the local cafe every evening. ...During the conference’s second plenary session, Slovenia We’d say: “it’s not possible that this is happening here and especially Croatia considered it futile to continue talking where we live and that we can’t do anything. What good are we whilst weapons were still being fired. Serbia also recognised doing here? They ought to shut MSF down. I meant it.” that “the success of the conference depends on the situation in Croatia”. Acknowledging this consensus, Lord Carrington Brigitte Vasset, MSF France Director of Operations, decided to grant the parties to the conflict a five- to seven- interviewed in 2015 (in French). day deadline in which to apply the ceasefire signed earlier in the week at Igalo.

With the Serbian offensive in Croatia escalating, the European Community and the UN Security Council were On 3 October, Serbia and Montenegro seized federal power still divided about the suitability of an intervention to in the belief that the Yugoslav Federation was “facing end the conflict. the imminent threat of war”.

Nonetheless, on 25 September 1991, the UN Security On 8 October, the Croatian parliament voted to sever all Council unanimously adopted Resolution 713 imposing a ties with the Yugoslav Federation. total embargo on the supply of arms to Yugoslavia. On 15 October, the Sarajevo parliament adopted a declaration of sovereignty for Bosnia-Herzegovina.

‘Yugoslavia – the Twelve’s rejection of immediate On 22 October, the Federation’s ‘Serbian bloc’, citing the military intervention is a failure for France and “right of peoples to self-determination”, rejected the Germany’, Le Monde (France), 21 September 1991 latest European peace plan which proposed a “loose union (in French). of sovereign states” and which had been accepted by the other republics. The Yugoslav army became the de facto Extract: army of the self-proclaimed ‘new Yugoslavia’ consisting of In this inauspicious atmosphere, the Twelve, reined in by the Serbia and Montenegro. UK, have adopted a minimalist declaration. It is no longer a matter of deploying a powerful interposition force of several thousand men on the borders of Serbia and Croatia, as per the text of the Dutch presidency or the text published that same ‘Yugoslavia: “times of war,”’ Le Monde (France), morning by President Mitterrand and Chancellor Kohl, but of 5 October 1991 (in French). the much more modest dispatch of several units to protect the EEC’s observers and allow them to accomplish their Extract: mission. In the absence, therefore, of Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia ...Meeting once again to assess the situation in Yugoslavia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, the ‘Serbian bloc’ has decided that the Twelve’s aim was to stimulate if not revive the peace the imminent threat of war which had been “evoked” on 1 process forty-eight hours after Lord Carrington, chairman of October during the most recent session of the Yugoslav presi- the conference in The Hague, had secured a ‘last chance’ but dency, requires this collegiate presidency to exercise the scorned ceasefire agreement. They failed. powers which, in such circumstances, are devolved to it by The failure of the Dutch presidency of the EEC, which advo- the Constitution and by a presidential decree approved in cated sending an interposition force under the banner of the November 1984 – which, until now, had never been made WEU, is all too clear. The signs were there in the days leading public or applied.... 18 up to the foreign ministers’ meeting, but it is now plain for The Yugoslav presidency will therefore assume certain powers to Bosnia and Montenegro. Serbia and which hadintensified in recent weeks, spreading federal army’s reserve forces which hadbegunon1Julyin therefore de facto legalised the partial mobilisation of the ceasefire inCroatia, and mobilisation. The ‘Serbian bloc’has command, withparticular regard toimplementation of the dency alsoratified all measures taken bythe militaryhigh collectively byallmembers of the government. ...The presi- the right tocommand Yugoslav armed forces, aright enjoyed from the federal parliament. It then decided todeny Slovenia first measures to ensure the creation of anindependent state. dence on25June and acceptedthe moratorium, adopted the ...On Tuesday, Slovenia, which alsoproclaimed itsindepen- solution tothe crisis. the European Community inaneffort tofind a negotiated had beensuspended for 3months on7Julyatthe request of independence that Croatia adopted on 25 June and which This decision marks the implementation of the declaration of the republic severing allties withthe Yugoslav Federation. On Tuesday 8October, Croatia’s parliament votedinfavour of Extract: and Muslims of forming an alliance to render Serbia a minority Serbs) hadnot taken partinthe vote. He accusedthe Croats three constituent peoples of Bosnia-Herzegovina (i.e. the and unconstitutional” inthatrepresentatives of one of the Karadzic, leader of the SDS,said thatthe decision was“illegal immediately condemned by the Bosnian Serbs. Radovan October) byCroat and Muslim members of parliament was The proclamation of thisrepublic’s sovereignty (LeMonde,16 matic” parliamentary session inSarajevo. pers onthe eveof the conclusion of whatthey calleda“dra- Bosnia-Herzegovina”, wrote several daily Yugoslav newspa- being reduced toSerbia. “Civilwarisknocking atthe door of its desire to“stayinYugoslavia”, evenifthisYugoslavia was opposed whatitcalledan“attempt tosecede” and reaffirmed October, the Serb party (the Serb Democratic Party, or SDS) indivisible” Bosnia overnight on Monday 14/Tuesday 15 or HDZ)expressed their supportfor a“sovereign, neutral and or SDA) and the Croat Party (the Croatian Democratic Union, Although the Muslim party (the Party of Democratic Action, the population are Muslim, 31.5%Serband 17%Croat. republic where, according tothe April1991census, 44%of ment risksaccelerating the break-up of thistri-national The splitthathasappeared inBosnia-Herzegovina’s parlia- Extract: October 1991(inFrench). ties withthe Federation,’ LeMonde(France), 8 ‘The Croatian parliament hasvotedtoseverall Monde (France), 17October1991(inFrench). Bosnia-Herzegovina’s attemptto “secede”,’ Le a declaration of sovereignty, the Serbsdenounce ‘Following the Sarajevo parliament’s adoption of the hospital inSplit,half-way betweenDubrovnik and Rijeka. The ship will also evacuate some of Dubrovnik’s wounded to road yesterday for Crikvenica near Rijeka. ment for the hospitals of Dubrovnik. This aid left Brussels by meats, pastaetc)and eight tonnes of medico-surgical equip - The shipwillalsobecarrying 10tonnes of food aid (preserved medical and logistics teambasedinZagreb. be asurgical teamwhich leftParis yesterday, and anMSF Community and Médecins Sans Frontières. Onboard there will Sending the shipisajoint initiative bythe European to runoutof food. The roads havebeencut. The situation inthe hospitals istragic and peopleare starting siege and being shelled bythe Yugoslav army. for Dubrovnik. This southern Croatian town iscurrently under town of Crikvenica inthe Rijeka region of northern Croatia, Tomorrow, Wednesday 9October, aferrywillleavethe port- aim of isolating Serbia and Montenegro. republics (Bosnia, Macedonia, Croatia and Slovenia) withthe and of attempting to form an association of four Yugoslav forces) andevacuate thewounded toSplit. Dubrovnik (theCroatian town undersiegeby Serbian surgical and logisticsstafftosupportthehospitalsin a shipwithmedicalequipmentanddrugs, andmedical, port of the European Community, they would besending informed thepress that,againwiththefinancial sup- On 9October, theBelgianandFrench sectionsof MSF Serb peopleinCroatia”. political solution not found to guarantee the security of the blockade of federal barracks inCroatia is not lifted and a actions and offensive operations willbetaken “as long asthe ceasefire agreement reached onFriday inThe Hague; decisive to Belgrade, Croatian forces continue tofloutthe latest ...the army isthreatening Croatia withreprisals if,according ‘armed forces’ of this‘new Yugoslavia’. state. At the same time, the Yugoslav army willbecome the allowing the peopleswho sodesire ittosavethe Yugoslav decided to implement, asquickly aspossible, a process representatives from Serbia and Montenegro havetherefore The militaryhigh command and the Yugoslav presidency’s Extract: MSF Belgium/France, 8October1991(inFrench). SHIP FOR DUBROVNIK”,’ Press release ‘Yugoslavia: ajoint MSF/EC relief operation “A (France), 8October1991(inFrench). the federal army isshowing itstrueface,’ LeMonde ‘Categorically rejecting the European peace plan, from

19 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

We resupplied Dubrovnik by boat. We left on a large most have been destroyed. The town is completely encircled, Croatian ship which went down the coast. We brought like something out of the Middle Ages” It is estimated that up supplies and we left at night. We didn’t see anything. It was to 15,000 people are trapped in the town, with 300 thought just a small operation – two days there and back. to be wounded, 100 of them seriously. Médecins Sans Frontières has proposed to the EC a second Dr. Alain Destexhe, MSF International Secretary convoy, but with more limited goals on condition that polit- General until May 1995, Interviewed in 2000 (in French). ical guarantees for its safety are given by the leaders of Serbia and Croatia. Under the EC flag, it would take only drugs and would attempt to evacuate the wounded and perhaps the women and children. This week’s convoy was hopelessly misconceived, Dr Destexhe says. Its 45 trucks were full of supplies donated by towns VUKOVAR: around Croatia. “Most of the material was completely useless” he said “they needed drugs but were going to get nappies” Dr HUMANITARIAN INTERVENTION Destexhe insisted, however, that the four EC monitors who led the convoy were above criticism. At one point a Croatian IN THE EYE OF CONFLICT general attempted to arrest for treason a federal army officer attached to the convoy. An EC monitor intervened and said the general would have to kill him first. The first problem for the convoy was that even with the cooperation of the Croatian and federal armies, neither side had any control over freelance irregulars fighting on both sides. On 14 October, after three days of blockades and negotia- Consequently the safety of the team could never be guaran- tions, an aid convoy was prevented from crossing the front- teed. Moreover, the Croatian drivers wanted to abandon the lines and forced to turn round. It was funded by the EEC convoy at the first sign of trouble, Dr Destexhe said. to provide aid to the people in Vukovar (a Croatian town But once the convoy was at last within striking distance, the besieged by Serb forces), and among those on board were federal and Croatian forces no longer wanted to co-operate MSF International’s Secretary General and an MSF – with both sides striving to lay blame for the difficulties on anaesthetist. the other. On the one hand, the Serbian army did not want the convoy to supply food to a town it was trying to crush by MSF publicly blamed the mission’s failure on the parties siege, while the Croats feared that opening a passage for the to the conflict, who sought to exploit the humanitarian convoy would provide a fatal opening in the city’s defences. operation. The Serbs refused to allow the convoy through Dr Destexhe also accused both sides of ignoring all the normal because they feared Croat combatants would commandeer conventions of human rights in war. “I saw ambulances with its food and other supplies. The Croat forces, on their hand, the red cross markings full of soldiers with their weapons. I were loath to let a convoy through which would effectively have never seen anything like that before” he said. open up their defence wall.

MSF’s Secretary General also denounced the presence of soldiers in vehicles bearing the Red Cross symbol. Operation Vukovar - Meeting at MSF Belgium on 23th October 1991 (in English).

Extract: ‘Vukovar convoy doomed from start’ says aid of- With Alain Devaux, Alain Destexhe, Stéphane Devaux, Pierrot ficial,’ The Independent (UK), 16 October 1991 Harzé, Georges Dallemagne - and Jean-Pierre Luxen, near the (in English). end. Previous EC convoys Extract Alain Destexhe: The EC made three attempts to reach Vukovar, with a convoy including 45 Croatian vehicles, a few doctors Describing scenes of hopeless confusion and mistrust, Alain and scores of useless medicines, diuretics etc. The convoy Destexhe, Secretary General of the medical charity Médecins was more a solidarity operation than a humanitarian one. Sans Frontières, accused all sides in the fighting of deliber- Each town in Croatia had gathered bits and pieces for the ately preventing the convoy from reaching its goal. “It was a occasion. The EC monitors were either diplomats or ser- total mess” Dr Destexhe said on his arrival at Brussels airport. vicemen. The first convoy, which did not go further than “It soon became clear that no one, not even the Croat whose Nustar in a day, was led by a diplomat. The second one was a convoy it really was, wanted us to make it. It became a polit- Croatian-only operation, of course doomed from the start. ical affair and not a humanitarian one at all.” The third convoy, in which Marianne Fleury and I took part Recounting how the convoy got within one mile of entering almost by chance, stopped 1 Km short of Vukovar. lt was led Vukovar, Dr Destexhe said the town had clearly been utterly by Cdt Michel Robert, who was to lead the MSF operation. The 20 destroyed. “Every single house has been hit by a bomb and EC convoy was obviously part of a political deal: Borongaj would stress the urgency of meeting youassoonpossible. which iswilling totake partinthishumanitarian action. We and thatof any other international neutral organization, only of ambulances and busesmarked withECand MSF colours and the women of Vukovar. The convoy hasto be composed based onthe evacuation of the wounded people, the children poses tothe ECitshelp onastrict humanitarian rescue action organisation with broad experience in conflictual areas, pro action tosucceed. Médecins Sans Frontières, asaneutral cines isapolitical gesture whlchprevent ahumanitarian aim of the convoy, which is partly to supply food and medi on and aceasefire had not been respected. Insuch context the due to the political atmosphere. The fïghtings were still going in vain.The humanitarian [mission] hasnot attained itsend, this convoy[is]stranded not far from Vukovar, allthe efforts they need tobeevacuated assoonpossible. Unfortunately Vukovar and withthe children and the women of the town; with the situation of the wounded peopleinthe hospital of convoy to Vukovar. Médecins Sans Frontières isvery concerned A teamof twodoctors hasaccompanied the humanitarian 17 totheevening of Sunday19October. for theduration of itsjourney from theevening of Friday the EECandpartiestoconflictacceptedaceasefire The convoy would beescortedby militaryobservers from with aquickturnaround. Secretary General was appointedtoorganise theconvoy to thepress, was agreed by allthesectionsand On 16October, theoperation, whichwas alsoannounced Vukovar’s hospital. medical purposesonlyfor evacuating theinjured from MSF organise itsown convoy, tobeusedfor strictly retary General of MSFInternationalrecommended that On 14 October, when the EEC convoy returned, the Sec- strong militaryescort.ltwasattacked. a psychiatric hospital in a Serbian-controlled area with a had beenemptied. Bythe way, the ICRC alsotried toevacuate convoy. The operation wasstoppedafterhalfof the barracks barracks inZagreb were being evacuated atthe time of the tarian convoy that achieved the impossible by reaching Owing toextreme tensions inthe region, the EEC’s humani- October 1995(inFrench). evacuate the injured,’ Pressrelease,MSF, 14 ‘Yugoslavia: MSF requests accesstoVukovar to English). Republic of Yugoslavia, 14 October 1995 (in of the European Community Mission inThe Federal Letter from MSF International tothe Ambassador - - to carryoutthisevacuation mission working withthe EEC. ical convoythrough toevacuate the injured. MSF hasagreed immediately asked the parties tothe conflict toallowa med- why, in response to the urgency of the situation, MSF has and istherefore asticking point betweenthe parties. Thisis likely tobeseenasanopportunityfor distraction and rescue In such atense climate, humanitarian and logistical aid is civilians are alsobeing held captive. from the town;where anywhere between10,000and 15,000 one hundred in a serious condition, have to be evacuated According toinformation collected, 300 injured, including nessing heavy bombardments and huge destruction. An MSF teamtravelling withthe convoyhasreported wit- within one kilometre of the town. Vukovar has been forced to turn back after making it to secondary. –the operation should take placeonSaturday –a vious EC convoyhadtaken: more roads withasphalt, though started negotiating ona better route thanthe one the pre - France asked me totake overthe general coordination. Martin Alain Destexhe: OnWednesday 16th,Holland, Belgiumand Mossinkoff. Alain Robyns and the “diplomatic” aspecttoMartin ment to give responsibility for the operations and logistics to for the Croatian side. ForMSF, there wasagloballocalagree - Aaseta, the federal army topofficial in Zagreb, and Col Agotic vicemen proved vital.Martin Mossinkoff negotiated withGen port, but in the field the help provided by experienced ser- Today Ithinkwe couldhavehandled itwithout the ECsup- pressure from MSF-France onthe French Ministry of Defence. headed byMichel Robert,which wasmade possiblebysome both sides. The other condition was to have the convoy although they are pro Croatian, they are stillacceptedby with EC monitoring and decided to do it with the EC – ence, wediscussedthe possibilityof doing itonourownor on thatriskyoperation, which wasapity. lnthe teleconfer- team did not really havethe choice whether toembarkornot that before they tooktheir decision. Ithinkthatthe Yugoslav quarters briefed their staffaboutit.The staffwasbriefed on knew there were “freelance” groups and Istressed that head- Alain Destexhe: Ofcourse[the] riskswere enormous. We The risks Wednesday 15th,wedecided tosetupthe operation. the field wasverydangerous. lnateleconference on possible political guarantees, Istatedthatthe situation in stood abetterchance of success. Nevertheless, evenwithall carried out by an independent organization such as MSF, an operation limited to the evacuation of the wounded, and severely wounded people inthe wards. Ireally thought that according tothe hospital staff,there were around 300 15,000 peoplewere thought tobetrapped inVukovar, and pletely surrounded for twoweeks:between10,000and operation wasthat Vukovar hadbeenbesieged and com- Alain Destexhe: My reason for launching another typeof Extract:

23 October1991(inEnglish). Operation Vukovar –MeetingatMSF Belgiumon

21 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

ceasefire from Friday at 5pm to Sunday midnight – a proce- conflict to allow unrestricted access to its convoy. Com- dure for the convoy to go through frontlines – the federal posed of volunteers from MSF Belgium, MSF France and army guaranteed that the irregular Serbs north of the town MSF Holland, the convoy would be escorted by military would respect the ceasefire. For Croats this was regarded as observers from the European Community. MSF insisted an official recognition from the army of its control of Serbian that the media present the operation as being MSF’s own crazies. and not one sent by the EC, as the previous one was. Alain Devaux: Alain Robyns said he would have preferred to delay the operation, but he gave up the idea because of the agreement. Alain Destexhe: I think we could not wait for many reasons: “Ref: Neutral Humanitarian convoy for evacuation in Yugoslavia everything changes very quickly. You have to of wounded,” Letter from Dr. Christopher Besse, use the guarantees you have as quickly as possible. The MSF to Dr Vesna Bosanac, Medicisnki Center, ceasefire was more likely to be respected on the first day than Vukovar, 17 October 1991 (in English). the second; we had to react quickly to the failure of the EC convoy;– politically, we had to implement on Saturday the Extract: agreement we had just reached. Here is the timetable: The Dear Dr. Bosanac agreement was reached at 10.30 pm. The convoy left Zagreb I am aware of the extreme difficulties which you are facing in around midday. Arrived late in Dakovo. First meeting with the the light of this crisis. I would like you to calmly read this team at 11 pm. Loaded ambulances and trucks, put up letter carefully – as it is essential to the success of the mis- stickers, fixed radio equipment and so on until 2am. Got up at sion. We propose to perform an evacuation operation of your 4am. From a logistic point of view the operation was not very seriously ill patients by road, by means of a NEUTRAL CONVOY well prepared. For example, there was a lack of communica- which will be entirely staffed by members of our organization between vehicles. Everybody is now trying to avoid tion. As you know, a previous attempt has failed. This was responsibility for those problems. I think that MSF, other due, in part, to lack of preparation with respect to security, people and I did not realise sufficiently the importance of in particular that the contents and aims of the convoy were organizing such a convoy. Our safety was not put in jeopardy unacceptable to the relevant security forces. We now believe so much by logistic problems as military ones. lt remains that that these mistakes have been corrected. You will understand those problems contributed to give a sense of insecurity to that we have had to compromise substantially in our aims, to the team. guarantee safe passage to and from your hospital. For this Alain Destexhe: We had an optimistic timing: two journeys reason, you may, at first, be disappointed, but you must were scheduled. But we thought that in case we could not believe that we are making all possible efforts on your behalf. make it the same day we would negotiate to do another one […] We have been following your helpful reports on the situ- on Sunday. ation in the hospital. We are therefore well informed of the severe crisis which confronts you. With this in mind, we would be grateful for as much cooperation and calmness as possible. It is hoped that, following the success of this mis- It so happened that I was in Zagreb with an anaesthetist sion, we will be able to perform further humanitarian jour- from MSF France, Marianne, and I heard about an EEC neys to the hospital of Vukovar, perhaps to relieve your convoy that was being sent to Vukovar. Right away we both said severely overworked staff and replenish your stocks of medi- that’s where we had to go. We joined the convoy that was never cines while the conflict continues. Please understand that we allowed through. Then we thought, if it’s not allowed through, are completely devoted to your cause and hope your courage we’ll negotiate on behalf of MSF. We’ll attempt to enter Vukovar can continue to be so strong. with a convoy. Since I was Secretary General of MSF International, I kind of forced all the sections to sit around the table and agree to organise this convoy together. The aim was to evacuate the injured from Vukovar hospital. Message from the MSF coordinator of the Vukovar In fact, in the EEC convoy, there was food, blankets. We assessed operation to the programme managers at MSF what had happened and we said: a convoy of supplies didn’t Belgium, France and Holland, 18 October 1991 get through even with the EEC’s ‘credibility’ so we won’t take (in French). anything with us; we’ll just get the wounded out. We held negotiations in Zagreb for several days and finally they agreed.” Extract: Second from last point: Dr. Alain Destexhe, MSF International Secretary It seems that the Yugoslav army will give its go-ahead and General until May 1995, Interviewed in 2000 (in French). guarantee to “control Serb irregular forces” (which they said regarding the previous convoy, but let’s wait and see!) We have a very tight window if we want to get into Vukovar twice in one day – otherwise it will have to be one trip only. We have to spell it out everywhere that this is an MSF opera- On 18 October, MSF broadcast an announcement on the tion (this morning the local press only mentioned the army 22 local Yugoslav radio stations asking the parties to the escort and the EEC!) medical teamand the peoplethey willrescue. field tocommitthemselves toguarantee the safety of the conduct of war. MSF isalsocalling onthe various forces inthe conflict tolettheir operation go ahead. It will not affectthe Sans Frontières is calling on all parties involved in the present unhindered freedom in the exercise of the function. Médecins and the right tohumanitarian assistance. It demands fulland trality and impartiality inthe name of universalmedical ethics gion, creed or political affiliation. MSF observes strict neu populations indistress without discrimination astorace, reli neutral international organization. It offers assistance to medical aid mainly inwarzones. MSF isanindependent and tarian organization withaproven track record inemergency the city. Médecins Sans Frontières is a 20-year-old humani Neither food nor any other kind of supplywillbebrought into ited tothe evacuation of wounded peoplefrom Vukovar. strictly neutral and humanitarian. Its objectiveisclearlylim to the warring forces. The MSF rescue operation to Vukovar is Médecins Sans Frontières wouldlike tomake asolemnappeal and Croat languages are veryslightly different). Devaux sohe cando the same thing inZagreb (N.B. the Serb to AlainDevaux.They need tobesent urgently toStéphane going tohaveread outonthe localradio stations inCroatian I sent the draft press release and astatement thatweare observers willescort the convoy. tion, led conjointly by all of MSF’s European sections. EEC Médecins Sans Frontières, isastrictly humanitarian opera - The evacuation of the injured, now tobeorganised by voys, the neutrality of which wascalled into question. proved particularly tough in light of the previous failed con- Yugoslav army and Croatian authorities. These negotiations operation afterlengthy negotiations withthe federal Médecins Sans Frontières was given the green light for the bombings. hospital the night of 16Octoberfollowing violent To these figures, we need toadd the 56patients admitted to ical condition while54are inaserious butstablecondition. able tospeakwithdirectly, over250individuals are inacrit- According tothe director of Vukovar hospital, who wewere injured people. cross the front lines withthe aimof evacuating 160seriously four ambulances, eight trucks and twocars willattemptto Twelve doctors and nurses and sixlogisticians travelling in under siege for the pastthree weeks. injured from Vukovar, the townwhich hasbeencompletely begin animportant mission toevacuate the most seriously On Saturday 19October, Médecins Sans Frontières issetto 1991 (inEnglish). Médecins Sans Frontières Statement,18October 18 October1991(inFrench). of the injured from Vukovar,” MSFpress release , ‘Médecins Sans Frontières undertakes evacuation - - - - stable enoughconditiontobetransported. patients, mostlymenwhowere seriouslyinjured but ina At Vukovar hospital,MSFvolunteers evacuated 109 to changedirection. blockaded by Croat ”irregular forces”, they were forced by European observers. Afew kilometres from thetown, forces”, the MSF convoy travelled to Vukovar, escorted to theconflict,whoalsopromised tocontrol “irregular On 19October, withtheauthorisation of bothparties the children, isverylow. are malnourished and resistance todisease, especially among yeast and they havetoslaughter the animals for meat. They two months, there is no fruit or juice. There is flour but no the situation isdeteriorating fast. There has beenno milkfor people,” said Dr Ante Corosic. “There is no epidemic yet, but the blockade ifthey are tosavethe livesof these 12-15,000 ness inthe town.“Ido thinkthe fighters havetoliftorbreak – doctors treated the wounded who described the wretched - which one elderly patient haddied of burns during the night station southof Dakovo yesterday –aconvertedschool, in significant food supplies for six weeks. At the medical field tiles aday.” The cityhasbeenwithout electricity, water, or are killedorwounded. The usual quota isabout3,000projec- while they are outside, and thatis how most of the civilians cellars are wetand stinking. Then they send inmore rockets half anhour and peoplecome ontothe streets becausethe system isthis:tosend inalotof rockets. Then they stopfor tated, said: “The cityisliving underground incellars. Their hit.” One Croatian fighter, Trago Skoko, his right armampu - does not exist,” said one driver. “Every house has had a direct described the desperation of the ravaged town.“Vukovar After firstlight yesterday, the patients, fighters, and doctors Extract: Alain Destexhe: Considering how smoothly the convoy had altogether? Stéphane: did youeverthinkof cancelling the operation continue the agreed route. small barin the rubble. Then they refused to allow us to ular Croats: Asterix-like type of situation, they hadputupa Convoy goes through todestroyed Bogdanovci, held by irreg- actually aminefield, withsixorsevenunburied bodies. Marinci, no man’s land, which had not been agreed on before, slow crossing. Before Marinci, brief search byJNA.After The operation First no man’s land: sirens on to warn troops, Extract: 1991 (inEnglish). Dakovo, Croatia, TheGuardian (UK),21October of Battered Town of Vulovar ‘ by Ed Vulliamy in ‘Relief Convoy Finally Breaches Seven-Week Siege 23 October1991(inEnglish). Operation Vukovar –Meeting at MSF Belgiumon

23 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

proceeded so far and how the ceasefire was broadly respected, an ambulance and take them to an armoured car which deliv- our only thought was to go on and enter the town. ln addi- ered them to an army helicopter for transfer to Belgrade. The tion we had Vukovar hospital on the line and the Croats guar- convoy was again diverted southwards through the Serbian anteed the road was safe. Michel Robert and I decided to take village of Petrovci, as Croatian defenders from the town of over responsibility for the change of route. From Bogdanovci Visci declined to allow the army to the gate of their town for we then took a narrow road through the cornfields. We a transfer. For eight hours, the convoy skidded and ploughed entered Vukovar before ten: very moving moments, tears and along mud tracks and fields. After joining tarmac roads flowers, applauds, it reminded us of Romania. lnside the hos- through Serbia, the bedraggled caravan crossed into Croatia, pital I made a mistake: I did not ask anybody to assess the and was inexplicably redirected again and again by Croatian situation at the hospital and in town. Alain Robyns was authorities and finally split between the field centre and responsible for vehicles, Christopher Besse for screening the hospital. wounded and I coordinated the loading. We picked up 109 wounded in 1h 30. There were at least 300 patients, some of them were fighting to get on the convoy. The hospital includes two blocks, one of which was completely destroyed. Operation Vukovar – Meeting at MSF Belgium on The remaining block was full to the brim with wounded. I 23 October 1991 (in English). think Christopher selected many civilians but the screening system stopped working at one stage: Wim who was jointly Extract: responsible for screening, was needed to load people on to The way back the trucks. So many people avoided MSF’s screening and got Alain Destexhe: At the very moment we left the hospital on the convoy. lt remains that all the patients on stretches (11.20 am), heavy fighting started – planes, tanks, etc. had very serious injuries. On the whole, bandages were OK, Stéphane: lt might have been muscle flexing from the federal there was quite a lot of medical staff, although there were army. few doctors. Alain Destexhe; We took the same road as on our way in: ln a Pierrot [Harzé]: The fact that there were no kids proves that bend outside Vukovar, the convoy – led by a Croatian car, an families have sent them away. EC car and then mine – stopped in front of JNA tanks. The Alain Devaux: Anyway, I think the difference between a Croatian car headed for the ditch and the driver escaped. fighter and a civilian in this type of war, where every man Michel Robert, the drivers and I jumped out of our cars and carries a gun, is very thin indeed. threw ourselves into the ditches. I crawled to the back of the Alain Destexhe: I promised we would be back the day after, I convoy to alert the rest of the team, who were not aware of was pretty sure we would make it. anything – corn was three-metre high in that bend. 25 minutes of absolute confusion: our Croatian escort had left us and the JNA soldiers were afraid of being attacked by Croats from behind the convoy. Stéphane: the army HQ in Belgrade were informed of the situ- Late morning, on the way back, after the ceasefire had ation minute by minute. Alain: We found an antipersonnel just been violated, the convoy returned to the road taken mine and its wire close to a truck. Fortunately the thread was to get there but was stopped by the Yugoslav army and loose. We found many more mines around us in the ditches. forced to take the route originally planned. Several kilo- Michel Robert used his EC T-shirt as a white flag; the tank metres along, one of the trucks was hit by a landmine. came even closer. Six Serbian soldiers, all very aggressive, approached us. Top ranking officers Theo told us we had to go Two nurses were seriously injured. Three others received back on the agreed route. 12.30: journalists from A2, ITN and minor injuries. The wounded were transported by federal two Serbian television crews are waiting for us on the road. forces to Belgrade hospital. The rest of the convoy contin- Stéphane: Belgrade seemed to be very much in control of the ued on its way across the front line through muddy fields media. But in a long telephone conversation the journalist to avoid minefields. It was diverted from its route several from A2 told me that nothing had been prepared in advance: times by Croat forces. The expedition ended the following as he was waiting for the convoy on the agreed route, a JNA day in Dakovo for the injured from Vukovar and later in group and Serbian journalists passed along. ln a way he was Zagreb for the MSF team. V1 V2 just given a lift. Alain Destexhe: What was described as a JNA-controlled area on our map was actually a no man’s land. That’s where the sixth vehicle of the convoy hit the mine. The road was ‘Relief Convoy Finally Breaches Seven-Week Siege asphalted, in a very good condition. Nobody in the vehicles of Battered Town of Vukovar’ by Ed Vulliamy in which proceeded first had seen anything dubious on the Dakovo, Croatia, The Guardian (UK), 21 October asphalt.[…] They were unconscious, we really thought it was 1991 (in English). extremely serious. The driver turned out to be severely wounded as well. Florence and Dominique were at the back of Extract: the truck before, but they were slightly protected from the Ten [error: two] nurses from Luxembourg [and Switzerland] blast by tarpaulin. We had a JNA tank pull the truck into the 24 were blasted through the windscreen. The team had to empty ditch and squeezed all patients in already crowded vehicles. hospital inBelgrade by 8pm. Mikanovci at2am. where Croatian doctors were waiting for us. We arrivedin to take the motorway tohead backfor Mikanovci and Dakovo, Petrovci wedecided togo further into Serbian territory, just for the rest of the convoyfor several hours inthe dark. ln munication –allradios were inambulances. They hadtowait were afewmilesahead of the convoy, without radio com- The teamwent through difficult times: atone stage trucks JNA tanks prevented trucks and ambulances from toppling. have made it.The second problem wasasteepslope, where the mud and without JNAtankspulling uswewouldnever the patients. lttookus6hours tocover4km:wegot stuck in Vukovar. Going toPetrovci, aSerbian stronghold, terrorised the First World War-like Serbian frontline to the south of that asasoldier he knew better. We tookadirttrack round to check the road butIfellinwithhisopinion -Ithought field, he favoured the road to Petrovci, considered tobesafer did not want togo further onwhatmight have been a mine- taken safely in the morning. The JNA left us to choose: Michel From there wecouldseeBogdanovci and the road wehad tected bysandbags. The sick (300, maybe more?) were lower floorsand the semi-basement were being used, pro- The upperpartof the hospital wasdestroyed soonlythe the hospital, not asingle building wasspared. we’d justpassedthrough. However, along the road leading to The town was surprisingly less damaged than the villages civilised behaviour inthisplaceuttershambles. destroyed, and another swept outside hisdoor, the only strapping Croatian guywasrepairing hisroof, three-quarters our arrival.One oldguygaveussome flowerswhilesome it toVukovar. We were welcomed bypeopleintearscheering After some issuescausedbyuneven terrain, wefinally made vehicle licence platesand any distinctly Croat marks […] Before crossing the first Serb lines, we had to cover up our me later. was blownupbyamine, animage thatcame backtohaunt the rotting bodies wesawbeside avehicle onthe road that Crossing the second bitwasparticularly macabre becauseof man’s land wasthe most fascinating partof the journey. tiamen just looked at us with contempt. Going through no friendly gestures atuswhilesome rather unpleasant mili- as tense aswewere expecting: several Serbian soldiers made woven. Whileitwasn’trelaxed, neither wasthe atmosphere We passedaseries of Croat and Serblines, which were inter- real. have stoodbehind them, making the warsuddenly seemvery the windows were asadsouvenirof the peoplewho must all sortsof debris, burnt-out cars… The impactmarks around facades were riddled withbulletholes, the roads strewn with fighting involving tanksand light artillery. Almost allthe Very quickly wepassedthrough villages destroyed byviolent Extract: ‘ team, 25October1991(inFrench). doctor and member of the evacuation convoy Report on the Vukovar mission,’ Dominique Martin, The twonurses hadbeeninamilitary into the arms of hiscomrades. Igave up trying tostophim. him tohospital first,butfinally hecalled them over and fell wanted tojointhem. Stupidly Itold himthatwehadtoget turing: he’d recognised some mates from the federal army and Suddenly one of the injured I was sat next to started ges erless toget off thispatch of land churned upbytanks. concerned for the girls stuck inanambulance thatwaspow- We spent hours wading through the mud. We were all really the countryside, and Iget whathe meant. most annoying thing about the war is that it takes place in their rat holes. Louis-Ferdinand Céline once said thatthe brown/dirty soldiers tried towarmusupwithbraziers around Dozens of tanks were lined up in the mud and grey/green/ After Vukovar/Beirut, itwas like Verdun! army beckoned usthrough the middle of itslines. Finally aftergetting backonto the road withsome tanksthe to their face. […] spotted withblood. Two patients alsosustained mildinjuries I went backtothe truck. Florence wasaswhiteasheet I thought Isawthe TV, itmust havebeenamistake. replies see, I was sure they were dead, I asked, I couldn’t hear the truck, bodies on the ground, people moving about, I went to When Ifinally lifted upthe tarpaulin,Isawthe blownup few seconds torealise Iwascompletelydeaf (totalsilence!). have beenseriously injured. As for me, however, ittookme a she was fine –with what little blood she had, she couldn’t Florence asked me ifher face wasokay (typical girl!).Isaid for amoment, Ifound myself lying among the patients. Florence, we received a big slap in the face. After passing out And then boom!Whilewewere merrily chatting awaywith continued onitsway. Finally the hasslewasover! At last we got back on the tarmacked road and the convoy (probably more) wouldreach Vukovar. […] and violent explosion of amissile. At leastone of the shots the launch, the sinisterwhistleof the shell and the sudden events happened inquick succession: the deafening sound of At the same time as intense artillery fire hailed down, three wheels of ourtrucks! and there were landmines everywhere, including under the about the firstproblems: wewere being obstructed bytanks a tank.Afewminutes later, Alain,stillreally upset,toldus sat inthe cabinof the truck behind us, who said she couldsee instructions, wedidn’t move amuscle, wewaitedfor Fabienne, Soon after, the convoystopped, weheard sirens. Obeying We got backonthe same road: “Hill 102again!” heart-breaking. back laterthe following day. Despite, everything, leaving was We leftasfast aswe’dcome withthe intention of coming vised bysoldiers. […] The whole scene wasfilmed by men inwhitecoatsand super- weapon orthreatening object. take… We did aquick check that nobody was carrying a To behonest Ihaveno idea who made the decision onwho to injured were putinfirstand then the walking wounded last. quickly: 109individuals in90minutes. The most severely It wastotally chaotic but we loaded the people invery their relative good condition despite often serious injuries. and the patients had been well cared for, which explained crammed intogether, buteverything seemed wellorganised -

25 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

They walked off arm in arm. I had a fleeting moment of doubt ‘Relief Convoy Finally Breaches Seven-Week Siege about what we’d done and then finally I realised he was right, of Battered Town of Vulovar ‘ by Ed Vulliamy in if he hadn’t have gone I’d have handed him over to the Croat Dakovo, Croatia, The Guardian (UK) 21 October health authorities without giving a second thought and the 1991 (in English). poor guy would have ended up in prison. This little episode seriously damaged the relations between the driver and the Extract: people around and I had to order him to clear off as he was The convoy was itself mined by Serbian guerrillas on its heckled by the soldiers riled up by their rather ungrateful return journey, seriously wounding two nurses, and it was mate. used by the army for its strategic purposes in what one EC Finally the trucks and cars were extricated by Serb tanks and soldier, Birt Nauta, called “a set-up, a charade”.[…] According we carried on along a slightly more passable track. to the EC team leader, Commander Michel Robert, as the We arrived in Petrovski, a Serb garrison town where we stayed convoy approached the Croat-held village of Bogdaovci, it several hours without being able to get out of the tucks, not was rerouted by the Yugoslav army up a tarmac road laid with knowing what was happening, not being able to see anything Croatian mines. “They knew they were there. They did and completely chilled to the bone. nothing,” he said. But witnesses also claim that Serbian The driver tore off his MSF T-shirt and wanted to leg it, so I irregulars pulled a jump-mine into the convoy’s path with a had to have a go at him. piece of string. Either way, said one Dutch driver: “The eighth He and the patients were terrified at being in Serbia, con- car blew up. I was driving the ninth.” vinced we were going to hand them over to their worst enemy. At last Alain announced to everybody that we were going to get back on a motorway by passing behind the frontline and that we’d do the exchange over there between Serbia and Operation Vukovar – Meeting at MSF Belgium on Croatia. The rest of the journey went without any hitch until 23 October 1991 (in English). we got to the transit centre where the Croat military unloaded the trucks in record time. Some of the patients were trans- Extract: ported to Djakovo, the reception centre only big enough to Alain Destexhe: I promised we would be back the day after, I hold 80 people. […] was pretty sure we would make it. We think it is a deliberate Personally, I had no qualms about the purpose of this mis- attempt to kill because: Fabienne and the driver say some- sion, there was nothing more humanitarian than what we did thing was pulled from the ditch on to the road;– [and] we and is what MSF is all about. I took part voluntarily, with found another mine on the other side of the road after the willingness and enthusiasm, and I have no regrets. incident. According to Michel Robert, this is a classical mili- That said, this operation received a great deal of criticism: tary trick: in a single movement from a ditch it is possible to The organisation was barely adequate. But we need to be move two mines by pulling a thread through the handles. We clear on one thing: the accident itself had nothing to do with were attacked either by: Croats, in order to put the blame on the organisation (with the negotiations, yes probably!) and the federal Army; [or] Serbian crazies, the JNA, which forced at the end of the day, everything went well elsewhere (with a us to take that particular road, and whose top officers disap- lot of luck!), and the poor organisation didn’t have any peared even after the mine exploded. lt also happened 100 serious consequences on the operation’s overall performance. metres away from their lines. They might have planned the […] attack to delay our convoy to allow time for federal army soldiers from Borongaj barracks in Zagreb to reach Serbia. Having said that, they might also have used other means to delay us, such as thorough searches, etc. wounded Croats, with the soldiers from Borongaj still in Croatia, imagine the The MSF team in Zagreb assisting the operation realised kind of opportunity the Croats would have had to stop the that they were probably being manipulated by both par- military convoy. ties to the conflict. The Serb military authorities agreed Stéphane: The JNA obviously did its best to orchestrate the to the ceasefire to allow the convoy to pass through in operation: they evacuated the two nurses as quickly as pos- exchange for the release of a contingent of the Yugo- sible, journalists were directly informed by the army, the JNA slav army being held in barracks in Zagreb. Meanwhile, held a press conference at the hospital ... the Croats hoped to get injured combatants out of the Alain Destexhe: A few details point to the JNA: - because besieged town. they FORCED us to use that road - we were very close to Serbian-controlled ground - top officers did not even stay While it could never be proven for certain, it is highly with us after the girls were wounded. […] likely that the mine which exploded under the convoy was The deal a deliberate attack by Serb irregular forces intended to Alain Destexhe: We were hostages of a kind but I cannot help hold the MSF convoy ‘hostage’ until the federal forces thinking that a deal involving a division of armed soldiers released from the barracks had passed the frontlines and against a relief convoy is unbalanced. reached their final destination in the area occupied by Georges [Dallemagne]: We need to contact the EC about their federal forces. possible involvement in a deal. 26 Alain Destexhe: Ambassador Van Houten told us that both known publicly weshould havehadtosayno. Jean-Pierre: The conclusion must bethatifthe deal hadbeen deal being brokered behind ourback. yes. Ithinkitispartof ourjobtogo for itevenifthere îsa wounded inCroatian villages withthe assent of Serbia. Isaid Pierrot: lnCroatia Iwasonce asked ifwewouldpick up deal. contact the EC to find out more about what they knew of the Georges and Jean-Pierre [Luxens]: We should nonetheless MSF. wounded. The operation would not havetaken place without were not invitedbythe Croats togo and pick uptheir Pierrot [Harzé]: lnthiscaseWEinitiated the operation. We any evacuation. wounded. Without MSF’s initiative there would not have been as possible. Forusthe main concern wastoevacuate the place everywhere wework.We must tryand avoid itasmuch ties from using ouroperations for political purposes. lttakes focused on the evacuation. We can never prevent other par the parties involved. We were aware of apossibledeal butwe The ECthen assumed thatthe question hadbeensettledby factions had said to the EC: “Leave that ‘deal’ business to us.” On the wayback, the federal army deliberately divertedthe the field?). last minute changes tothe final leg of the planned route (in In the end it was the Croats who prevented this by making danger and prevent itreaching Vukovar. up todamage the convoywithout putting any human lifein In actual fact, itemerged that amilitaryplanhadbeendrawn men from the barracks inZagreb. used asabargaining chipfor the Serbstoevacuate their own After the event, werealised thatthe MSF mission hadbeen B.6. The Serbs own ends. Croats and they had taken advantage of our goodwill for their We realised wehadbeencompletelymanipulated bythe the fighting. died in hospital) but who could be re-enlisted to continue were inacritical condition (withthe exception of one who the rest (90%)men aged between20and 50,none of whom fewer than10women, no children, one 60-year-oldman and The Vukovar mission finally resulted inthe evacuation of or atany rate ithadfared betterthanthe hospital inOsijek. may havebeenhit,itwasstillinarelatively good condition In fact, once we’d got there, we saw that while the hospital were inadesperate situation. injured, women and children, allsheltering in the cellars, saying, the hospital hadbeencompletelydestroyed and the team tospeedupthe Vukovar mission. From whatthey were The Croats didn’t hold backonapplying pressure onthe MSF B.5. The Croats Extract: November 1991(inFrench). October 1991,’ Alain Robyns, MSF Belgium, 14 ‘Report on the Vukovar mission inYugoslavia, - released”. Thatwasthedeal. convoy throughifthesoldiersimprisonedinZagrebwere negotiations hadtaken place. TheSerbssaid“Okay, we’llletthe I gottoZagreb, theconvoywasblockaded. We’d heardthat took asmallplanetoSloveniaandanMSFcarZagreb. When in the morning. From there I caught a flight to Austria then a cabfromOviedotoMadridatmidnightandgotthereseven the countryside. They asked me if I could get to Vukovar. I took had leftwiththetrucks andtheinjuredweredrivingthrough lem inVukovar: aminehadexploded underatruck.Theteams evening, RonyBraumancalledmetotelltherewasaprob- Spain, toreceivethePrinceof Asturias Award. At 11inthe I was in Oviedo, in Spain, with Jose Vargas, President of MSF where andtheyweredrivingthroughmuddyfields. Rightthen, received theslightestinstruction.Therewerelandminesevery- the fourth lorrythatwashit. explode anti-tankminesinthemiddleof theroadanditwas was aguyinditchwithbunchof wiresthathetriggeredto take material.So,theSerbs negotiatedtoallowour convoy going toneedit. Police wereattackingthebarracks totryand to getholdof warmaterialandtheYugoslavfederalarmywere was to secure arms and ammunition. Each camp was attempting This wasthetimeof theBattleof theBarracks, theaimof which with thefact wehad nosayovertheroute. there, the route forced us over a fair few frontlines. I had issue Plus Ididn’tagreewiththeroutewe’ddiscussed! On the way else tonegotiatebutwedon’tknowwhatthatis.” else is going on and the European Community has something don’t haveanycontroloverwhatwe’renegotiating.Something said toDestexhe: “We’re notinagreat positionbecausewe We wereallowedinjustatcertain pointsof theproceedings. I itate”. Mostof thetime, wewereoutsidethenegotiationroom. representatives of theEuropeanCommunitywerethere to “facil- some of them wereascoldice–“negotiating” and sion hadbecome evengreater thanbefore. tages and the usual stakes associated withthiskind of mis- We realised thatthe Serbshadusedthe mission tofree hos - exploding onamine. convoy backonto the original route which resulted inatruck General until May 1995,Interviewed in2000(inFrench). 1985-1996, interviewed in2000and 2015(inFrench). Dr Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director, it would have been atotalcatastrophe. People hadn’t We had alucky escape. From an operational perspective, route. Iwasinthefrontcaraheadof allthetrucks. There On the way back, a mine was placed along the convoy sitting aroundatable–Iwassatoppositethemand The YugoslavgeneralsandtheCroatswhowerethere, Dr. AlainDestexhe, MSF International Secretary

27 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

through in exchange for the release of a contingent of federal MSF Zagreb Press release, 21 October 1991 (in forces [who were majority Serb] and war material stored at the English). barracks in Zagreb. But the contingent was blockaded en route to Belgrade. And while it wasn’t said in so many words, they Médecins Sans Frontières deplores the mine attack against its kind of kept us hostage. rescue convoy to Vukovar in which two MSF nurses were We were truly caught in an ultra-political deal, in a negotiation injured. The circumstances in which the mine was put on to that we’d had no say in. We were the pawn in a negotiation with the route of the convoy, which carried 114 wounded people, more at stake than the passage of a convoy. are being investigated. Médecins Sans Frontières does not plan to organize a similar convoy in the near future but will Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF legal advisor, continue its medical mission in the country as usual. Having interviewed in 2015 (in French). succeeded in entering the besieged town and carrying out its evacuation mission, Médecins Sans Frontières hopes that a small space for negotiations has been created between warring factions in a conflict where basic humanitarian principles are widely ignored. Because the accident had occurred in full view of journalists travelling with the federal forces, the images were broadcast that very evening on Serb and European TV channels. ‘Relief Convoy Finally Breaches Seven-Week Siege of Battered Town of Vulovar ‘ by Ed Vulliamy in A press release reporting the events and calling on the Dakovo, Croatia, The Guardian (UK) 21 October parties to the conflict to guarantee the safety of the team 1991 (in English). was released the same day. Extract: On 21 October, another press release announced the The convoy of doctors and nurses – accompanied by a mili- launch of an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding tary team from the European Community – told of utter dev- the presence of a mine on the route taken by the convoy. astation in the town which is strewn with human and animal corpses, and of flagrant abuses of the conventions of war by All these events were widely covered by the media. Some the army and air force who pound civilian targets. reports commented that by escorting the MSF convoy after Among these targets is the destroyed hospital of Vukovar, the mine had exploded, the federal army turned the situ- now operating underground, which has been hit by 250kg ation to its advantage by closing off certain routes into bombs during air attacks. […] The convoy finally reached its Vukovar as it passed through. destination of Dakovo Hospital and a medical field station nearby, in driving sleet and bitter cold early yesterday morning. Although some of the seriously injured had travelled by “ Médecins sans Frontières forced to change routes ambulance, most arrived in tarpaulin-covered goods trucks. on its way back from Vukovar” MSF Zagreb Press It was like a scene from an apocalyptic medieval painting: release, 19 October 1991, 4pm (in English). aboard the trucks was a mess of bloodied, bandaged, wounded humanity, packed four deep, some lying in two inches of icy For security reasons Médecins Sans Frontières’ evacuation water that had soaked through the canvas. The wounded convoy to Vukovar was forced to change its initial route to wore strange expressions of bewildered relief as hospital head south from Bogdanovci in the direction of Petrovci, on orderlies tried to unload them on to stretchers without its way back from Vukovar. The medical team had evacuated hurting them further. “I’ve arrived in heaven,” said one man, 109 severely wounded people from the besieged town’s hos- his body ripped by shrapnel wounds. pital, on board […] 7 trucks and 4 ambulances. The ceasefire The MSF doctors explained they had moved only those stable which had been agreed on the day before was violated on enough to face the journey, leaving the critically wounded several occasions from 11 am throughout the day. From behind in Vukovar along with about 12,000 besieged citizens Bogdanovci, 7 km west of Vukovar, the convoy was then and the fighters defending the town. About half of those escorted by the Yugoslav People’s Army. Two nurses of our evacuated were combatants. team were injured as a truck hit a landmine. The more severely The convoy entered Vukovar, passing from Croatian to army wounded is already in hospital. Médecins Sans Frontières is lines and then to the Croatian defenders. On the way, said one calling on all parties involved in the present conflict to guar- Dutch doctor, destroyed tanks, corpses and the debris of war antee the safety of our team and the patients they have littered the roadsides. The convoy was not allowed to take rescued. medicine or supplies. On the way out, carrying its pathetic load, the convoy crossed a track cut through a cornfield sometimes used by Croatian guerrillas at night to penetrate Vukovar, but which was now closed by the army escort behind the convoy, taking full military advantage of the 28 evacuation. ence of the TVwasagainst the agreement withJNA). unforeseen TVcrew on the way back from Vukovar. (The pres- the rescue operation. However apress talkwasmade toan we agreed thatthe fieldwould not approach the media during focus/control the operational side of the convoy. Moreover press conference himself, instead of delegating thisand to than tothe operation. Friday 18/10he insisted [ongiving] a seemed tome thatAlainD.gavemore priority to the press barricaded the office. […]More alarming isthe fact thatit phones [rang] all Saturday and a crowd of local and intl. press that MSF entered the spotlights of the world media; two kind of work.Her attentive approach contributed tothe fact Marie [Huby, MSF International Press Officer]isborn for this “madhouse” our office became the following days. Anne although atthatmoment Inever couldhaveforeseen the I’m glad we requested a press officer on Thursday 17/10, Press approach Extract: combatants. tioned the fact that most of the patients evacuated were the dangeritplacedaidworkers in,whileothers ques- Some challenged the wisdom of the operation because of had merit,itspoororganisation was widelycriticised. internationally. Whilenobody contested thatthemission ovar was discussedand assessedby eachsectionand In thefollowing days andweeks, theoperation inVuk- same evening where they received surgery. Both nurses were transported tothe hospital inBelgrade that unharmed. truck and the injured being transported inthe vehicle were Luxembourg wasalsohurt inthe explosion. The driver of the mine afterleaving the townof Vukovar. Anurse from The truck carrying Ghislaine Jacquier wasblownupbyaland- Frontières. two carswasaccompanied by18members of Médecins Sans The aid convoyformed of four ambulances, eight trucks and helping toevacuate 109patients from the townof Vukovar. Ghislaine Jacquier wasinjured on19Octoberwhileshe was feet and one leg,and lung damage. Geneva. She sustained injuries tobothears, fractures inher landmine near Vukovar hasbeenrepatriated from Belgrade to Sans Frontières, Ghislaine Jacquier, whose truck washitbya On Tuesday 29October, the Swissnurse working for Médecins October 1991(inEnglish). Martin Mossinkof, MSF coordinator inZagreb, 29 Evaluation Switzerland, 30October1991(inFrench). near Vukovar repatriated,” “Swiss Médecins Sans Frontières nurse injured rescue operation toVukovar 19/10/91, Press release, MSF resources from allsections. Georges: Thatwouldmean investing alotof energy and one. to get them out through a single frontline, evenaSerbian wounded peopleinVukovar. There might beanopportunity Conclusion: […]Let’snot forget thatthere are still160 find asingle coordinator for allmissions. complex nature of the Yugoslav conflict, Ithinkweshould which proved verycoherent and experienced. Considering the shaken, butmore positive. lnthe field, thiswasagreat team, tion. Those who came from the headquarters went back fairly they were not prepared psychologically for thistypeof opera- came from the permanent team in Yugoslavia. Apparently after the mission Ihavethe impression thatmost of them As for those of the team who hadthe most negative feeling is verymuch a“Chemists Without Borders” typeof mission. Alain Destexhe: Ourmission inYugoslavia, although useful, 7) Thefutureof ourmission should make ourposition clear. Georges: Evenifitisnot newsworthy anymore, Ithinkwe all practical details. be done inaprofessional way, withthe nurse’s testimony, and Pierrot [Harzé]: Ifweare toissueapress statement, ithasto 6) Theattack kind of riskyoperations. Georges: We should tryand alleviate EC’squalms aboutthat 5) TheEEC Stéphane: They were preparing asimilarconvoyatthe time. 4) TheICRC procedure. tion of thiskind, weneed tosetupanew kind of operational Alain Robyns did not stopbickering. And for the next opera- Georges: Another thing which did not help is that Martin and had towork. must take into account the time limits in which Alain Robyns Alain Devaux:To putthose problems into perspectiveyou for whatwent wrong. and probably also the headquarters, are jointly responsible munications and vehicles. Martin, AlainRobyns and myself, Alain Destexhe: The main problems happened in radio com - 3) Operations Georges: lnthe future weneed a strict protocol. on numbers and not the typeof peoplewewere totake. as wethought wewould come backthe day after, we focused soldiers. The screening systemstoppedworking properly and, Alain Destexhe: Most were men, butwedid not pick uponly not discussedinnegotiations inZagreb. Georges [Dallemagne]: The most serious thing isthatitwas choose. precise directives astowhatkind of patients wewere to Alain Destexhe; Although wediscussedthatpoint wehadno 2) Thepatients Extract: 23th October1991(inEnglish). Operation Vukovar –Meeting at MSF Belgiumon

29 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Minutes of the MSF Belgium board meeting, 5 was an MSF mission par excellence, we nevertheless need to November 1991 (in French). do our utmost to guarantee the safety of our men and women. Jean-Marie Kindermans agreed with Anne Krings and also Extract: feels that the risk is increasingly being trivialised and that we Yugoslavia (Alain Devaux, Alain Destexhe) are currently carrying out operations that we would never MSF’s mission in Vukovar came about following discussions have dreamed of a few years ago. We have a tendency to go between the field and the executive boards of the French, where we’re sure we’re going to be talked about when we Dutch and Belgian sections and negotiations with the local could be carrying out just as important work in the side-lines. authorities. The entire operation had been meticulously It would be interesting to carry out a retrospective study on planned, aside from the unforeseeable. safety. Réginald Moreels and Jean-Marie Kindermans are The convoy was made up exclusively of empty trucks and staff going to meet to discuss this. […] whose job was to evacuate the injured from the besieged Eric Goemaere wondered what our position was with regard to town of Vukovar. Everything was fine on the way there, aside Vukovar, which is still under siege. Alain Devaux replied that from when the convoy was diverted north. A total of 109 seri- we were exploring the possibility of breaking the blockade ously injured were carried out. and performing a rescue operation via Serbia. Heading back, the convoy was forced to take the route ini- In future, MSF will also handle the supply of medical and tially planned which was when the explosion occurred, the surgical equipment and displaced persons inside and outside eighth truck being hit by a landmine after the seventh truck the region. had passed through. Those responsible might have been either Serbs or Croats or even the army itself. Once again, added Alain Devaux, humanitarian aid was thwarted by an unacceptable act. ‘ Report on the Vukovar mission, Yugoslavia, While the operation could be described as successful given October 1991,’ Alain Robyns, MSF Belgium, 14 that people were evacuated, a sense of failure nevertheless November 1991 (in French). hangs over us because there were MSF victims. Does this impugn this type of operation or rather the role of Extract: MSF? We might well ask the question. a) The preliminary study of the geopolitical situation in Status on the MSF victims: Yugoslavia was not done sufficiently well by certain individ- Fabienne Schmidt: sprained ankle and eardrum trouble uals, the consequence of which was greater risks in the field. (making good recovery). b) For multiple reasons, the logistical organisation was Ghislaine Jacquier: serious fractures in both feet, mild pneu- underprepared: lack of time, teams sent out too late, con- mothorax and problems with both eardrums. flicts between sections, etc. Dominique Martin: fractured radial bone and hearing prob- c) Instead of sending out a logistics specialist, “we” sent a lems which might leave residual symptoms. press attaché… which shows how important it was for MSF to A first comment from Reginald Moreels was that so long as MSF turn the Vukovar mission into a “media scoop.” continues to take on risky operations, we will remain “MSF”. d) On the ground, the security problem was overshadowed by There is the idea of “going there” which is crucial. The second the “go-getting approach” of the Belgians, by the “adminis- comment was that cruelty is universal. trative aspect” of the Dutch since a protocol had been signed Jean-Pierre Luxen asked us to think about two things: and by the “reassuring” presence of Commander Michel for - More and more often, we’re seeing MSF in situations that are whom the war represented the be all and end all. too complex even for MSF. In the medium term, we need to e) There was no coordination or climate of trust between MSF gauge the general capacity of our resources. Belgium and MSF Holland. - We merrily slap on the EEC stickers when the community is f) MSF acted as a requester to the EC and not as the leader of starting to adopt a political persuasion. Shouldn’t we review an international organisation, which in the Yugoslav context this approach? where MSF has no real recognition is a negative factor. Alain Devaux replied that nobody in Yugoslavia knew who we were and given the little respect shown to aid organisations, it was important to have the EEC beside us.[…] We’d tended more and more to carry out operations conjointly Minutes of the MSF France board meeting, 15 with other MSF sections, said Jacques Pinel. This might have November 1991 (in French). consequences in terms of the accountability of decisions and this shouldn’t be underestimated. Extract: Anne Krings had the feeling that the risks have escalated in A strictly humanitarian operation destined to evacuate the recent years and that MSF is going into risky situations more injured was subsequently organised subject to three frequently. Alain Devaux thought that this operation was no conditions: more dangerous than the mission in Liberia not so long ago. - A political agreement with the Serb and Croat generals to Alain Destexhe added that this had opened up a humani- guarantee the convoy crossing the various front lines en tarian space that didn’t exist before. route, Johan Verheyen said that although we will never be able to - Announcements in the Serb and Croat media to announce 30 reduce to zero the risk of a mission such as this one, which the operation’s humanitarian dimension, and anaid convoycrossed frontlines for the firsttime. mission wasnot acompletefailure: patients were evacuated A discussion onthe matter ensued, Rony concluding thatthe - - - - - questions: The circumstances of thisoperation openupanumber of deliberate attack. responsible, butthere isahigh probability thatthiswasa to Belgrade. It wasimpossibletoget aclearidea of who was path. Fourpeoplewere injured, one seriously, and evacuated was reassembled, one vehicle hitanexplosive placedonits the convoy’spathwasobstructed bytanks. When the convoy when several vehicles were forced to cross aminefield when extremely difficult.The return wasparticularly disastrous The operation, which managed toevacuate 109patients, was - MSF tohavefulloperational control. experience. which thiswould bethefirst andlastoperational tional effectiveness of MSF’s internationaloffice, for Over this criticism hangs the question regarding the opera - and monitoring. tion afforded by theoperation at theexpense of planning by somefor havingprioritisedthescopefor mediaatten- The Secretary General of MSFInternationalwas criticised injuries butwhomighthavehadgoodreasontogetout. had 109injuredevacuated,fullstop.Includingsomewithmild people who,for Xreasons, betheymilitary, strategicorpolitical, based onhumanitariancriteria.Theyweresingledoutbyother to avoid getting shot. In any case, we didn’t make a decision But itpreventedthemfromgettingexecuted. It’s notacrime Serbs. Justlike theywereeffectivelymassacringtheSerbians. ties, contrary tothe humanitarian action of the mission. It appears thatthe operation wasmanipulated bythe par- negotiations? Was itnecessary tousethe EECasashield inthe clear coordinating role. Seven sections took partwithout any of them assigned a negotiations and planning. which could not be done since we only had three days of A convoy of this kind calls for painstaking organisation, this the role of MSF? Was it opportune to carry out this kind of operation and is October 1991-August 1993,Interviewed in2000,2015, soldiers, guys thatweregoingtogetmassacredbythe It’s clearthattheconvoyevacuatedessentiallyonly Dr Eric Dachy, MSF general coordinator inBelgrad, (in French) coordinate the operation. […] coordinator gavepreference tocoverthe media more thanto properly taken care of bythe teaminZagreb. The general the spotlights of the worldMedias. The coverage hadbeen Press approach As aresult of thisoperation, MSF hadentered tion of tasks.[…] was not suitablefor thisjob. Thisledtouncontrolled delega- organisational structure. Moreover the appointed coordinator appointing anew general coordinator, created adisordered of responsibilities, thatoccurred atthe lastmoment, by Organisational structure/responsibilities The imposed change Extract: good inthiskind of mission?). with media attention (doesn’t the media do more harm than of guaranteeing securityfor the mission and overlyobsessed cerned withhisownself-image and statusthanthe objective assume the responsibility of the post,he being more con- sending in a general coordinator who lacked the ability to directly involved in the Yugoslav programme. A mistake B. It wasamistake tosend inageneral coordinator not 2. Emergency mission inVukovar Extract: opinions of the teambefore orafterthe operation... […] the injured there and gaveverylittleconsideration tothe doctor participating inanaid mission decided toleaveone of should remember thatafterthe explosion of the mine, this person from MSF International delegated to the field, we If there wasany doubt regarding the right choice of the He wasparticularly keen toraise MSF’s media profile... of role. Vukovar mission whilehe was inthe wrong jobfor thiskind He wasthen appointed initiator and coordinator of the an observerof the Dubrovnik mission. The representative of MSF International went to Yugoslavia as action. mission (amongst others) as promoting MSF’s image and Recently created, thisorganisation seems tohavedefined its B.4 M.S.F. International Extract: (in English). ate guarantees for safepassing, 29October1991 Martin Mossinkov, coordinator inZagreb to negoti- Evaluation rescue operation toVukovar 19/10/91, ‘ for Croatia, 26October1991(inFrench). Yugoslavia and Vukovar, Patricia Morkoss, doctor November 1991(inFrench). October 1991’AlainRobyns, MSF Belgium,14 ‘Report Observation on the Vukovar mission inYugoslavia, concerning the MSF mission in

31 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

B.7 The media We organised the convoy to Vukovar and it ended badly Throughout this whole affair, the media played their usual with an ambush on the way out. There’s disagreement role. Although we mustn’t forget that it was MSF who called amongst us about who attacked us but in any case we don’t on them. have any proof. In the end we directed our accusations – which We might nevertheless question how the media was used by I wouldn’t say were unfounded although there wasn’t any formal MSF and by certain managers with a personal agenda that evidence, but it’s highly likely – at the Serb militia who we jeopardised the operation... believe carried out the attack. I was convinced because of the method and the circumstances: they had booby-trapped the road the moment our convoy was passing through. But I don’t have anything but my own intuition to go by. The media talked a lot about the MSF convoy. A crew So not only was it a case of snatching captive patients from the from Antenne 2 was there. It was taken along with the killers’ clutches – and ensuing events told us that if they hadn’t convoy by the federal forces who no doubt wanted to show how been evacuated, they would have died – but also to condemn kind they were being. Fifty metres after the journalists joined the attack on the convoy by the militia. us we went over the mine. They filmed everything and in the So Vukovar was a symbolic operation kind of used for the news that day our convoy in Vukovar was the opening item… purposes of ‘témoignage’ [speaking out, or public advocacy]. just after the Formula 1 Grand Prix. At that time, everything There was a massacre that was happening in Europe, we get the was focused on Dubrovnik, the media weren’t paying any atten- injured out, we’re a little bit entitled to talk about this massa- tion to Vukovar, they couldn’t go there, and no-one was speak- cre. The massacre itself had got a lot of media coverage. It ing about it. So MSF helped get people talking about Vukovar wasn’t a covert massacre so we didn’t add much. I don’t think because it was really only in the last few weeks, especially after that made a great deal of noise, but from our point of view it the convoy, that the media started to talk about Vukovar and was very decisive. the terrible events there while the town had already been under siege for three months. Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982-1994, But at MSF we were all in shock internally because two nurses MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, had been seriously wounded and two other people sustained interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). mild injuries. So afterwards the main feeling was a sense of shock. We decided to drop our major communication campaign. We did announce that bombing a town in that way was inexcus- able. I wrote a few articles, gave several interviews. But we were At MSF Belgium that gave rise for critics close to Alain all kind of traumatised by the fact that the operation had ended Destexhe to practically lynch him. Since then I’ve pieced in disaster. We were left with the impression that the humanitar- things together so I can’t tell you if it’s the absolute truth, but ian space had been taken from us now that they were attacking the authorisation he had to evacuate the hospital in Vukovar us with landmines. MSF wasn’t accustomed to this. Into whatwas granted by the Serbs. It was used as a bargaining chip with ever conflict we’d sent teams to work before, in Salvador, in the Croat authorities who authorised at the same time as the Nicaragua, in Africa, there had still been a degree of respect convoy the evacuation of Serb barracks (well, of the federal shown to aid workers. Yugoslav army), of barracks in Zagreb. And the problem was that it wasn’t a humanitarian operation accepted and respected Dr. Alain Destexhe, MSF International Secretary by the parties to the conflict, but a negotiation during which General until May 1995, Interviewed in 2000 (in French). any move was allowed. But everything happened so quickly that Alain couldn’t have known otherwise.

Dr Eric Dachy, MSF general coordinator in Belgrad, You might criticise Destexhe on how he did things but October 1991 - August 1993, Interviewed in 2000, 2015, not what he did. He judged the situation well. Vukovar (in French) was no longer accessible. Alain forced the truck into Vukovar in his inimitable way. He took a huge amount of risk. It became almost a personal mission for him. The organisation was pretty shambolic, but history has shown that if MSF hadn’t evacuated I found it a little too easy and a bit frustrating that a a proportion of the patients from the hospital, they would have single individual had got so much flack for an operation been killed like the others who were left behind. Alain was put that, at the end of the day, had been given the go-ahead and under pressure with this operation because he might have taken for which the people in the field had been given the flexibility too many risks but he should have been congratulated for rescu- to adapt to the events as they unfolded. It was a good idea to ing 120 people. People need to learn to accept that in the send this operation to Vukovar because MSF was suffering from context of war there’s no such thing as the ideal intervention. a sort of paralysis. Maybe this experience provided an opportunity to get things moving in some way. Dr Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director, 1985-1996, interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). Dr. Marc Gastellu-Etchegorry, Deputy Director of operations for MSF France, interviewed in 2015 32 (in French). federal armieswithregard totheconvoy. the negotiationsthattookplacebetween theCroat and also presented, wrongly, as having knowingly accepted tions offering media opportunities. The organisation was which feltthatMSFhadatendency toprioritise opera- echoed thecriticismmadeby someaidorganisations of thepatientsevacuated from Vukovar, somereports While the media generally praised MSF for saving the lives would havebeencompletelydifferent. after thefact. Ifthisattackhadneverhappened,MSF’s future but thatwecouldn’tholdourselvesaccountablefor ittogether that wecouldtake theriskof goingintoanincidentalltogether, dinated bytheinternationalbureauinbud.We hadevidence Vukovar nippedtheexperience of internationaloperationscoor- at all. trying touniteallthatwiththemedia,didn’tgodownwell operations. Theinternationaloffice withabrilliantguywhowas tional centrescouldmanageandtake responsibility for tional office. Theconclusiondrawnwasthatonlytheopera- In fact, thereweretwoscapegoats:Destexhe andtheinterna- of conflictscrossingthefrontline. didn’t havemuchexperience andrarelyfound itselfintheeye over anypartof thenegotiations. Intheearly‘90s, MSFstill organise anoperationoverwhichtheyhadabsolutelynocontrol any other. Ithinkthatanysectioncouldhavetaken theriskto taking risks. Idon’tthinkhewasaworseoperationsleaderthan leader. They said he wanted to shine a spotlight on himself while was fallout, Destexhe wasaccusedof beingabadoperations Everyone washappytoundertake theoperation.Butsincethere against atownundersiege. of operation and tofinally highlight the brutality of the violence to tellpeoplewewerethere, thatitwaspossibletorunthiskind the evacuationintoamediaopportunity.Itwasalsochance International] wasthere, it’s becauseDestexhe wantedtoturn If Anne-Marie [Huby, head of communications at MSF to handlethings. are always a trade-off between what is needed and who’s there And ithappenedlike that,inanopportunisticway.Operations it makes senseanditcanbenegotiated. inundated, is provided for by international humanitarian law, because thewarwason-going,inahospitalwhichisitself Saturday, aconvoy byMédecins sans Frontières (MSF), apri- including three efforts bythe EC.All failed. Then, last Many attempts havebeenmade toreach the crippled city, Extract: siege wheretherewasgoingtobeyetmoreinjured Proposing anevacuationof patientsinaplaceunder Sunday (UK)27October1991(inEnglish). ‘Convoy’s high profile infiring line,’ Scotlandon Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF legaladvisor, interviewed in2000(inFrench). […] […] director of emergencies. “ButthankGod, somebody did.” the ones togo into Vukovar” said Marcus Thompson. Oxfam’s member havecourage. “Idon’t thinkMSF should havebeen gency relief. It hasnot alwaysbeenpopular, butfewdeny its MSF hasbrought adramatic new styletothe field of emer- nothing. resolutely avoid being used as a pawn but risk achieving action and risk it being hijacked for political purposes: or alty management inwarzones havetomake achoice: take What isclearthathumanitarian agencies involvedincasu- spokeswoman for MSF. deal until after ithadhappened.” said Anne Marie Huby, a make any deals withanybody, and wedidn’t know aboutthe “Our role inVukovar wasstrictly humanitarian –wedidn’t tarian agencies aren’t vulnerable toexploitation of thiskind. MSF onthe other hand saysitisnaïve tosupposehumani- ating inthisway, where woulditend?” lives are balanced against eachother. Ifyoustarted negoti- wouldn’t behappytopartof any deal of thissort,where Geneva-based director of itsYugoslav operation, says:“We The ICRC calledthis“political blackmail”. Francis Amar, the rison of Serbian soldiers. negotiated aquid pro quo: 109Croatian casualties for agar- In other words, the Serbsand the Croats hadapparently rison thatthey hadheld inthe Borongaj barracks inZagreb. heard that the Croatians had, in turn, released a Serbian gar- alties. It arrived at about 10am on Saturday, and at noon with the agreement of bothsides, tobring outCroatian casu- have an Achilles’ heel. The MSF convoy went into Vukovar however noble their intentions all humanitarian agencies and neutrality but warforces choices, evencompromise. And ophy. Bothorganisations are committedtoindependence Central tothe issueisafundamental difference of philos- over where the more cumbersome RedCross isfailing? ring-do action, mean the young, fast-reacting, MSF istaking world’s largest charitablerelief organisation. Doesthisder- the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Traditionally, thistypeof mission hasbeenthe specialty of Since Saturday however, anew question hasbeenraised. MSF became the heroes of the hour. and nine wounded civilians were brought outfor treatment: vate humanitarian organisation got through. One hundred Croatian town of Vukovar toevacuate some of the wounded. convoy organised by MSF broke through to the besieged do. Lastmonth, accompanied byTVcameras, amedical news themselves for being there firstand for acts of derring- MSF also an MSF doctor. Whenever a disaster hits the news, The ideal husband, according to teenage girls in France, is Frontieres doctor, orsoreaders of aFrench magazine believe. If Jesus were toreturn today, he wouldbeaMedecins sans Extract: workers are likely to be there and, as often as not, in the (UK) 6November 1991(inEnglish). Frontières,’ Felicity Lawrence, TheIndependent ‘A cavalier way with charity –Medecins Sans

33 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

In the next few days, MSF plans to send a team into the there.” The mine, which exploded one of their trucks, was no beleaguered city of Dubrovnik. doubt laid during the operation. MSF doctors possess undeniable courage, often accompanied “On both sides, the generals give guarantees of safety but by an irresistible sense of style. In Peshawar, Pakistan, where these are blatantly ignored,” Amar criticises. “Apparently the organisation’s Afghanistan programme was based, the they have lost control of their troops.” French team lived in “The White House”, ran a bar, rigged up For the representative of the ICRC, this part humanitarian, a sound system, and kept horses so that their people could part political “bargain” is frankly not reprehensible for an learn how to ride across the mountainous border. “We are les organisation like MSF which is not related to the General chevaliers blancs,” said MSF France’s director of public rela- Conventions. But it doesn’t serve the cause of the injured nor tions, Francois Dumaine, explaining their attraction. “We are of the ICRC. Getting the local authorities to accept humani- les aventuriers.” tarian action without a payoff is only becoming more But “aventuriers” roughly translates as cowboys, according to difficult. some British aid agencies, which do not approve of the way MSF rushes to the scene of disasters. “If you send a plane off to an emergency in three hours, you are bound to get it wrong,” says Marcus Thompson, head of Oxfam’s Emergencies Right of reply from Médecins Sans Frontières Unit. Oxfam, Save the Children Fund and other British organ- to La Tribune de Genève by Françoise Saulnier, isations insist that an assessment must first be made.[…] legal advisor at Médecins Sans Frontières, and Jacques De Milliano, President of Médecins Sans Frontières lnternational, 30 October 1991 (in French). ‘The ICRC refuses to bargain,’ Mathieu van Berchem, La Tribune de Genève (Switzerland), 26-27 Oc- Its actions challenged in your article of 27 October 1991 on tober 1995 (in French). the humanitarian negotiations in Yugoslavia, Médecins Sans Frontières objects that such serious and flippant accusations Extract: can serve as the basis for an assessment of the complex and The ICRC is struggling in former Yugoslavia because it has no tragic crisis in the country. intention of “bargaining”, as Médecins Sans Frontières did, Médecins Sans Frontières has, like the ICRC, been very over its humanitarian operations. Last Saturday, the aid affected by the brutality of the conflict and by the paralysis organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) entered Vukovar, of its relief operations. a town in the region of Slavonia under siege for the past Having noted the impasse reached by the humanitarian/ month. Its convoy managed to evacuate 109 injured, political trade-off that the EC’s mission had attempted on although not without difficulty: on its return, one of the several occasions with regard to the besieged town of seven MSF trucks exploded on an anti-tank mine, injuring two Vukovar, Médecins Sans Frontières had focused the entire nurses. The International Committee of the Red Cross, mean- negotiations with the authorities on the strictly humani- while, has still not succeeded in getting into the town, nor tarian and impartial nature of a mission intended to evacuate Dubrovnik on the other side of Croatia. Its own failure, and injured patients from the hospital there. The fact of the MSF’s partial success, is cause for concern for the ICRC. matter is that this allegedly impossible mission was a success “We had made five attempts to enter the town,” explains and 109 of the injured were evacuated. It then became bla- Francis Amar, Director General of the ICRC for Europe, “but tantly apparent that the Serb and Croat authorities had used the security conditions have still not been met. A few weeks the agreement we made with them with regard to the injured ago, a nurse was injured during an ambush staged by armed as us vouching for the authorisation that they had given to forces, who fired for over an hour on the vehicle bearing the each other to lift the blockade of the barracks in Zagreb. Red Cross emblem. This is a clear indication of the extreme breakdown of rela- “This episode traumatised our people,” explained Amar, vis- tions between the different powers in this country. But the ibly saddened by the brutality of the conflict. “In the heart of incident involving our convoy which injured two of our nurses Europe and 128 years after the Red Cross was founded, we are is a testament to the price that MSF has paid to uphold in this unable to remove the wounded from the battlefield.” country a promise, a commitment, a humanitarian space. We Médecins Sans Frontières has managed to. After unfortunate can only hope that, at the very least, the severity of what is attempts by the European Community, MSF took up the torch happening in Yugoslavia inspires in the aid organisations and led the EC convoy after scaling it down. While Francis concerned the confidence and solidarity necessary to rise to Amar acknowledges the courage demonstrated by the French challenges such as these. organisation, he does not approve of its policy. “The opera- Médecins Sans Frontières is a private international organisation was used as a bargaining chip. The evacuation of the tion that for 20 years has provided humanitarian relief in injured was allowed in exchange of opening the doors of the locations at peace or in conflict. Over 1,000 people in the federal barracks,” explains Amar. “We were asked to team up French, Belgian, Dutch, Swiss, Luxembourgish, Spanish and for this convoy, but we refused. Humanitarian action cannot Greek sections roll out humanitarian assistance in line with be subject to political negotiations.” Médecins Sans Frontières’ mandate and by applying all the “What’s more, today MSF is in the same situation as us,” says relevant provisions of international law and the Geneva 34 the Director General. “Its aid workers don’t want to go back Conventions. the movements of itstroops around thetown. isation’s operation in Vukovar contributed to paralysing diminished amongCroats whobelieved thattheorgan- In thefield, volunteers notedthatMSF’s imagehad metres from Vukovar totendtheinjured evacuees. The sameday, anMSFconvoy arrived in Borovo, 10kilo- executed. Over 460peoplewere rounded upatthehospitaland On 18November, thetown was seizedby federal forces. of direct militaryconfrontations. important securityguarantees weneed toenter the regions and this perception isdefïnitely not going togiveusthe so this makes MSF rather tolerated thanappreciated inZagreb, front, are but[a]fewexamples of the poorimage wehave. All lysed allstrategic and military movements onthisside of the Croatian hands ifitwasn’tfor the MSF-EC convoythatpara- newspaper article claiming thatVukovar wouldstillbein show upatafinal meeting withthe Ministry of Health anda Health; the coordinator of the Vukovar convoy who doesn’t general coordinator who refuses totoastwiththe Ministerof keep upto,MSF isbadly[perceived] inZagreb. The former Apart from the unimportant neutrality we want and have to Extract: 109 injured personfrom the besieged townof Vukovar. tion operation, which tookplaceon19October, torescue Médecins Sans Frontières hadalready organised anevacua- various authorities totravel toVukovar. Médecins Sans Frontières received the go-ahead from the awaiting treatment. and go straight tothe hospital where almost 500patients are As soonasconditions allow, the convoywillenter Vukovar products. ical and surgical equipment, blankets, beds, food and hygiene In addition tothe MSF team,the convoywilltransport med- ated from the town. town located10kmfrom Vukovar, totreat the injured evacu- set upanemergency health and surgical unitinBorovo, a This afternoon, Monday 18November, a firstconvoyleftto Croatia, 9December1991(inEnglish). faan DeWolf, MSF Belgium,interim mission in ‘MSF Belgium/France in Croatia’ 18 November 1991(inFrench). health unitoutside Vukovar,’ MSF Pressrelease, ‘Médecins Sans Frontières hassetupanemergency Memo from Ste- Wednesday. […] fighters are hiding. The evacuation wassupposedtobeginon pital, locatedinadistrict where the lastCroat resistance heads. Around 400civilians havesought refuge inthe hos- corridors, you pass patients with legs in casts and bandaged and injured, including 100children, inthe institution. Inthe According toitsdirector, DrVesna Bosanac, there are 420sick patients held inthe hospital, which isseverely damaged. Marin Vidic is helping with the evacuation of civilians and “We need tositdown and talk.” Vukovar will understand that this war is madness,” he says. deal withallthisdestruction. Anyone who makes itto of the Croat government, Marin Vidic. “Someone willhaveto truly realise whatthey’ve done,” announced arepresentative months of fighting. “I don’t thinkthe Serband Croat leaders itants, Serbsand Croats, isnothing butrubbleafterthree Vukovar, which previously hadapopulation of 50,000inhab- Similar scenes were playing outalloverthe town. rotting onthe ground, for several days bythe lookof them. street, the bodies of two men and an old woman were left On Liberation Square, abuilding wasupinflames. Ina nearby town. noon, sporadic shots couldstillbeheard inthe north of the out” the lastpockets of Croat resistance. Until mid-after - the streets of Vukovar, where the Yugoslav army was“clearing Bodies of civilians were rotting on Tuesday 19 November in Extract: relief wasallthe more crucial since itwas the only help we which arrivedon18October tobring fresh supplies: this Sans Frontières also brought aid by organising the convoy underground areas and in its own nuclear shelters. Médecins From 25August to20November, the hospital was runinthe […] was alull,upto100when the fighting intensified. admitting around fiftypatients a day –a dozen when there the clock,resting whenever they could. Onaverage, wewere in the hospital’s basement; the nurses were working around teams were working upto20hours aday inmake-shift rooms members of medical and technical personnel: the surgical But wemanaged thankstothe superhuman efforts of the 266 patients without water, without electricity, without drugs. raids. Ontopof thismilitarypressure, wealsohadtotreat rockets daily –and ontwooccasions itwasevenhitbyair barded everyday byheavy artillery –between100and 200 It wasunbelievably traumatic. The hospital wasbeing bom- the battered town[…] During the 86-day siege of Vukovar, youran the hospital in Extract: 21 November, 1991(inFrench). strewn withbodies’ LeMonde/Reuter(France-UK), ‘Civil warinYugoslavia where the streets are 1991 (inFrench). them, Vesna Bosanac interviewed byEdouard Van Vel- ‘On the Vukovar siege and the warinCroatia,’ Dr Le Soir(Belgium),21and 22December

35 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

got and we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the whole but the journalists weren’t allowed in and the emotional impact MSF team who took such risks to bring help. Other organisa- was very minimal and instantly watered down. It was horren- tions wanted to do the same on several occasions, but they dous, it really haunted me. were prevented from doing so by the federal army. Do you have precise numbers regarding the human toll of the Dr Eric Dachy, MSF general coordinator in Belgrad, Battle of Vukovar? October 1991 - August 1993, Interviewed in 2000, 2015, During the period of the entire siege, 1,850 patients were (in French) admitted to the hospital, 70% of whom were civilian. Over 500 people, 520 to be exact, were also brought to us when they were already dead. But, near the end, the fighting was so intense that it was impossible to go and help all the victims. And, according to the most reliable statistics, the fig- The events in Vukovar were one of the first manifestations ures I’ve just given you should be marked up by about 30%. of the ethnic cleansing strategy and violence that would However, except those of its members we treated in accor- be carried out by the Serb forces throughout the war. dance with the respect of humanitarian principles, of course I don’t know the loss of life in the federal army. How did you feel the first time you came into contact with soldiers from the federal army? Beside the terrifying destruction of the town, 95% of which After what happened in Vukovar, we couldn’t credit the was razed to the ground, the army behaved as the aggressor Serbs with being a relatively innocent party or give them on entering the town. After the arrests made at the hospital, the benefit of the doubt since they had just completely destroyed the officers “sorted” the prisoners. The 15,000 inhabitants a town. And yet there were people who were asking me: “Is it who had survived hell were also divided into two categories: true the Serbs are daring to deport people?” I’d reply: “Are you those who wanted to go back to Serbia, about 5,000 people, joking? They’ve completely destroyed a town, the kind of were released immediately; the others, however, who wanted destruction done in Ancient times. You could practically drive a to go to Croatia, were sent to prisons or concentration camps. plough through the place!” Right now, some 5,000 of them must still be there. The others, Why would the Serbs go on to do better or worse in Bosnia than including myself, have been released in the meantime. in Croatia? It was the same people, it was Milosevic, the same extremists, the same lunatics, the same military resources, the same programme, the same political ambition: all the Serbs in the same State. Afterwards, all the media kind of managed to forget what had just happened, saying: “My god, look what the Ultimately the operation wasn’t entirely in vain since Serbs are doing, shouldn’t we start feeling outraged?” In fact, when Vukovar was captured, all the other patients at the outrage should have really started at the time of the siege the hospital were executed. So we saved the two hundred of Vukovar in 1991. wounded we got out of there. Dr Eric Dachy, MSF general coordinator in Belgrad, Dr. Alain Destexhe, MSF International Secretary October 1991 - August 1993, Interviewed in 2000, 2015, General until May 1995, Interviewed in 2000 (in French). (in French)

I was there the day Vukovar fell on 19 November. We got Vukovar was really the first time where we witnessed the to the hospital with the ICRC. It was horrible, squalid, programme of ethnic cleansing in action: they besiege disgusting. It was all rubble. We drove along an avenue between a town, they bombard it, again and again and again, first with the centre of Vukovar and a suburb. The two traffic lanes on artillery then they let insurgents, rebels and militia attack it. either side were completely covered in cases and shells. Our tyre And then the final stage: they massacre as many people as they burst on the cases... The trees were all burnt! It was can and deport anyone left. post-apocalyptic. It really is a very particular method of war. Civilians were the My Serb interpreter told me: “The people are scared because the main target but not in the sense of the military target since Serbs have taken away all the men. They’ve taken them to a they weren’t trying to necessarily kill them all. But they were village called Ovcara and executed them.” absolutely intent on getting rid of their presence from this area, Afterwards, I realised that pretty much nobody had any idea of similar to what was happening with the population exchanges what was happening in Vukovar. in the Balkans after the First World War, which was done in the Vukovar was a town full of civilians without any troops. They’d name of the peace agreements. These population exchanges razed it completely to the ground. We talked about the time of and the massacres went hand in hand. And it is because the the fighting and the fall, but you really had to have gone there massacre of Vukovar was what it was that later on the decision and seen for yourself what 15,000 deaths in the town looked was made to create enclaves, protected zones. Otherwise the like. A five minute report on what was left of the town following history of the massacre and the cleansing would have been 36 the ‘liberation’ by the Serbs would have sent a chill through you, totally different. It was really important for MSF to shed light zone undertheprinciplesof theGeneva Conventions. zone around Osijekhospital,whichisdeclared aprotected with theSerbandCroat authorities:itisincharge of the Finally, on30December, theICRCsignedanagreement authorities. ment regarding thismatterhadbeensignedwiththe On 5December, MSFannouncedtothepress thatanagree- also undersiegeby Serbforces. patients from thehospitalinOsijek,atown thatwas MSF entered intonegotiations to evacuate wounded a secondmissiontoevacuate thewounded from Vukovar, After planningandthenabandoningfor securityreasons, of Europe, besiegedandbombarded. on the level of violence against civilians, on a town in the centre wounded, women and children from Osijek,another besieged We are also negotiating the possibilityof evacuating the guarantees for safetyare assured. situation. They will not initiate action until the necessary young, are verycautious and haveagood overall vision of the Alain Devauxhasfaith inourteams inthe fieldwho, while twice about raising questions at the slightest sign of problem. needs tobewellthought through and we should not think From asecurityperspective, nowhere issafeand eachaction emerging. difficult, and weare seeing far-right and neo-Nazi groups The political situation is extremely unstable, exceptionally action in Yugoslavia. Indeed, there isabsolutelyno respect for humanitarian did not go through withitoutof fear for the livesof itsstaff. system of ‘témoignage’ [public advocacy]and protection but MSF hadcontemplated putting teams inplacetoestablisha captive byitsownnational guard. get near itasissurrounded byextremist factions and held 5,000 people have already been killed. It’s very difficult to The townisconstantly being bombarded; webelieve that bility of planning asecond evacuation from Vukovar. country at warand, onthe other hand, toexplore the possi- to study the humanitarian spaceavailabletoMSF inthis The purposeof hisvisittoYugoslavia was, onthe one hand, presently. from there, to give apresentation on what is going on there tion inYugoslavia and asksAlainDevaux,who’s justreturned The Board wishes toobtainfullerinformation onthe situa- Extract: cember 1991(inFrench). Minutes of MSF Belgium’sboard meeting, 2De- Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF legaladvisor, interviewed in2015(inFrench). involved inmaking securitydecisions must bereduced. away individual accountability. The number of individuals We are currently seeing aprocess of delegation thatistaking tion and who might perhapsnot havebeencautious enough. on head office and the board who are in a more objectiveposi from the field, the responsibility of whathappened should fall Anne Krings added thatifthe initiative must effectivelycome are there. opinion; you can’t really understand the situation unless you and the field. Hisrecent visittothe field supports this that decisions must betaken conjointly betweenhead office Alain Devaux disagreed withthe last statement and believes taken bythe peopleathead office and not those inthe field. set up.He added thatdecisions regarding securitymust be scale inconflicts and recommended avigilance committeebe Georges Dallemagne thinksthatit’sdifficulttoestablish a ence like thisone? tion toaskisthis:are weprepared tohaveanother experi - Yugoslavia we had two of our people injured. The real ques one and the previous ones, said Pierre Harzé, isthatin The fundamental difference between an operation like this and weare providing real services […] there and ouraction isbecoming more concrete day byday ence isimportant. We are witnesses towhatishappening Alain Devauxthinksweshould stayinYugoslavia asourpres- when ourexperience inthistypeof situation islimited? Aren’t we pushing the role of ‘humanitarian guardian’ too far Also weare entitled toaskifthisisreally the placefor MSF. - The humanitarian spaceisverylimited. - - this mission because: Georges Dallemagne believes thatMSF isthe bestpartyfor The United Nations havealsobeencontacted […]. sion soastoneutralise the convoy. town. We haveincluded the ICRC withthisevacuation mis- assistance to the victims of thisconflict. tion, are endeavouring toafford medical and humanitarian September, and itsteams, whatevertheir geographical posi- present inBelgrade and inZagreb since the beginning of and impartial humanitarian, medical organisation, has been idly aspossible. Médecins Sans Frontières, anindependant 250 to 300 wounded patients in the Osijek hospital, as rap- order tobeablelaunch the operation, which concerns the suing negotiations with the military and health authorities in organisation. Médecins Sans Frontières isthus instantly pur- December 1991, the agreement proposal drawn up by the of the wounded inthe Osijekhospital, havesigned today, 2 already pronounced themselves favourable tothe evacuation Both militaryand health authorities inZagreb, who had considerable. Aid problems are limitedand international assistance is huge. This isadangerous warwhere the securityproblems are 1991 (inEnglish/in French). Osijek hospital,‘ MSF Pressrelease,5December proposition for evacuation of the wounded in ‘Signature inZagreb of Medecins Sans Frontières’s - -

37 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

‘Yugoslavia: the ICRC obtains neutralisation of a ‘After the referendum in favour of the independence protected zone in Osijek,’ Press release from the of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the grip of ethnic ICRC, 31 December 1991 (in French). violence,’ Le Monde (France), 3 March 1992 (in French). Friday, 27 December, 1991, in Pecs (Hungary), representatives of the Federal Executive Council of Yugoslavia, the Extract: Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Serbia and the Federal On Saturday and Sunday the Serb community (32%) who Secretary of People’s Defence met under the auspices of the opposes the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). On 30 wishing to “remain in Yugoslavia”, followed its party’s direc- December, they signed an agreement declaring Osijek hos- tives and boycotted the ballot. Conversely, the Muslim com- pital and its perimeter a protected area pursuant to the prin- munity (44%) and a majority of Croats (17%) went to the ciples of Article 24 of the Geneva Convention (I) of 1949 and ballot boxes to vote, for the majority, in favour of indepen- Articles 14 and 15 of the Geneva Convention (IV). dence. Initial estimations on the participation rate were con- This protected zone will be placed under the supervision of sidered accurate enough to think, by Sunday, that the “yes” the ICRC with the consent of all the parties to the conflict and vote would win. will provide special protection to the civilian and military But come Sunday evening, Sarajevo was not celebrating inde- wounded and sick, persons over the age of 65, children under pendence. Instead of cheers of victory the air was filled with 15, pregnant women, the mothers of children under seven the sound of artillery, and fatal shots fired between ethnic and the hospital’s medical and administrative staff. Other communities. Once a haven of peaceful coexistence between non-combatants may be admitted into this zone subject to three communities, Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and the discretion of the ICRC. Herzegovina, took up arms and witnessed its first inter-ethnic This agreement entered into force on 3 January at midnight troubles. […] local time. In this partition, the leaders of the Serb community have reclaimed one-third of the capital which will be attached to the neighbouring commune of Pale, where they are the majority, then to all the other territories in Bosnia where they are – or were before the war – in the majority. In total, two- On 21 February, the UN decided to send a ‘protection thirds of the present Bosnia and Herzegovina were today force’ to the former Yugoslav federation. counting on celebrating independence by maintaining its territorial integrity. In the mountains, along the road that connects Pale to Sarajevo’s old town, further barricades have been erected to prevent Muslims and Croats from “entering ‘Yugoslavia News Bulletin: high risk.’ Le Monde Serb territory.” […] (France), 23 February 1992 (in French). The tension that accompanied the independence referendum spiked suddenly on Sunday in the middle of the afternoon Extract: when a Serb was killed in the eastern district of old Sarajevo, The international community has taken the plunge. After with its small stores and many mosques. The incident was spending several long months watching Serbs and Croatians sparked when a group of youths, in all likelihood of Islamic kill each other on the plains of Slavonia and in the mountains origin, tore down and burnt a Serb flag bearing a religious of the Dalmatian countryside, demonstrating greater concern symbol that was being carried in a funeral procession. […] for the “world’s heritage” than human blood; after displaying A few hours later, gun shots rang out in the night. The Serbs deep divisions and a guilty helplessness in the face of a war had put up their barricades and old Sarajevo theirs. “There’s straight out of the past, the UN decided, on Friday, 21 a war on, you can’t go any further.” At the entry into February, to send a “protection force” to the former Yugoslav Bascarsija, on the road leading to Pale, in “Serb territory”, Federation. At the same time, it showed its displeasure at the the local police “protects the people from the neighbour- financial cost of the operation. hood, who fear retaliation from the Serbs”. […] During the 12 hours of the referendum, the number of barricades multiplied all over Bosnia and Herzegovina and notably on the main roads taken by the Bosniak expats, who travelled in vast numbers to the country to vote for independence. In March 1992, the situation in Bosnia deteriorated – Dispersed, these incidents did not hinder the ballot, but and in Sarajevo in particular – after the Bosnian Serbs clearly highlight the mistrust and rivalries that now exist refused to accept Bosnia’s declaration of independence between the three communities. and the peace plan drawn up by the European Community. The desecration of sacred places, bomb attacks at polling stations or at the party head office, Serb barricades outside Muslim or Croat villages or barricades against the Yugoslav army and its factions raise concerns of a rapid Lebanisation in this Bosniak powder keg where everyone is now armed to the teeth. 38 2. Serbia including the territories of Voïvodine and Kosovo. federation they declared was thesuccessortoformer Yugoslav April, Serbia andMontenegro created afederation which Community recognised the independence of Bosnia. On 25 On 7April,the12MemberStatesof theEuropean spread tothewholeof Bosnia. continually besiegedandunderattack.Theconflictthen scale attackonSarajevo, whichhadalready found itself On 6April1992,thefederal forces launchedalarge- ervations from the Muslim and Croat parties. power with a central authority, was approved albeit with res- state inBosnia where several constituent unitswouldshare Brussels document, which envisaged the creation of afederal Yugoslav community withSerbia and Montenegro. The Republic and haveproclaimed their desire toremain ina to liveinanindependent Bosnia. They havecreated aSerb country, namely Muslims, Croats and Serbs. The latter refuse tensions between the three communities co-habiting in the Herzegovina, where multiple incidents havemaintained high proposed bythe ECinabid to settle the crisis in Bosnia and On Wednesday 11March, the Bosnian Serbs rejected plans Community, tototallydisregard the most activist elements. President of the conference onYugoslavia organised bythe they haveshown concern, asencouraged byLord Carrington, therefore not discouraged the ECTwelve. Onthe contrary, The fresh outbreak of clashes inBosnia and Herzegovina has EC’s) and Bosnia and Herzegovina. January, having arrivedatadifferent conclusion from the pened, Slovenia, Croatia (they didn’t take the plunge in – that the United Statesrecognised, afterall that’s hap - over the council, alluded toitinhisstatements tothe press Pinheiro, the Portuguese ministerof foreign affairs, presiding Luxembourg, wewere therefore expecting –Joao de Deus new Republics of the former Federation. OnMonday in expressed hisdesire toseeacoordinated recognition of the his visit to Brussels, James Baker, US Secretary of State, Yugoslavia istaking shape. Justafewweeksearlier, during effective aid from the West, the new face of the former also to the arrival of UN forces in the field, with more or less And so, little bylittle, incounterpoint to the fighting but French). by the EC,’ LeMonde(France) 14March 1992(in ‘The Bosnian Serbsreject the agreement proposed Le Monde(France) 8 April1992(inFrench). have deferred their decision regarding Macedonia,’ the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina and ‘Meeting inLuxembourg, the ECTwelve recognise 2 . serious hope thistime of obtaining the authorisation to MSF Bis starting a sustained assessment in Kosovo with the disorganisation). times of crisisand how this might evolve (total Serbia and inMontenegro toassessthe medical system in A friendly teamfrom MSF France iscurrently onmission in first aid equipment to refugee centres. equipment tohospitals; distribution of food, hygiene and MSF Belgium’sprogramme: supplies of drugs and medical the extremely authoritarian attitude of the government. serious; a political crisis is looming increasingly heavily despite In Serbia, the economic and infrastructure crisisisincreasingly the Serbs. Sarajevo, andMSFBelgiuminBelgrade inzonesheldby needs of every hospitalinBosnia,was intervening in MSF Holland,whichhadworked outadetailedplanof the munity funds. These activitieswere mostlyfinanced by European Com- by thewar inBosnia(andtoalesserextent inCroatia). and medical supplies to local people and those displaced ment of relief operations and the distribution of drugs the eye of theconflict, were focusing onthedevelop- events whichhighlightedtheproblems of intervening in MSF BelgiumandHolland,affectedby theVukovar Belgrade, tothe former State. Republic of Yugoslav, the onlysuccessor, according to 27 April, it will declare the establishment of the Federal For itspart,Serbia hasannounced that,withMontenegro, on Carrington, President of the Peace Conference onYugoslavia. Muslim and Serbcommunities inthe presence of Lord ment signed the day before in Sarajevo by the Bosnian, Bosnia and Herzegovina, contravening the ceasefire agree- Fighting continued, onFriday 24April,atseveral spotsin solution tothe war. hostilities, even if it cannot bring a political or diplomatic helmets that, itishoped, willmitigate the situation and stop and lesseffective, everyone isawaiting the arrival of the blue since the ceasefire, installed on3 January and proving less conflict or, atleast,fresh outbursts of violence. Inpractice, recent events inBosnia raising concerns of anoutbreak of from ourTVscreens, the situation there isno lesstense, While Yugoslavia, orwhat’sleftof it,may havedisappeared Extract: Le Monde(France) 25 April1992(inFrench). Serbia and Montenegro are creating afederation,’ ‘As fighting continues inBosnia and Herzegovina, March 1992(inFrench). Contact, MSF Belgium’sinternal newsletter, 8 Belgium informer Yugoslavia tothe managers of Message from the General Coordinator of MSF

39 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

create a mission there, the medical situation there looking outcome of this referendum to take place”. So tensions rose, catastrophic. and on 5 April was the declaration and on the 6th the fighting In Bosnia, MSF Holland is running a large-scale and ambi- begun. Another lucky fact was we had ordered the first supply tious programme supplying essential drugs to all primary of medicines to come and arrived in Sarajevo in early April, just health centres in the Republic (4.3 million inhabitants) and before the siege. So at the moment the siege started there was is now preparing to cope with the emergency. only one organisation with a bit of supplies and it was MSF. We In Croatia, where massive international aid and the effective were working together with the Institute of Public Health where organisation of the health authorities are helping to mitigate we were given a warehouse and lots of staff. Within the health the situation, the MSF B team is running a relief programme system, there were too many doctors, so [there were] a lot of in several institutions for children with disabilities and unemployed doctors and it was very easy for us to hire them mental health issues (traumatised by the war) who are living and to build up. We had a Serbian one, a Croatian one, a in atrocious conditions (i.e. have absolutely nothing). Bosnian one. So we could cover also all these areas.

Wouter Kok, MSF Holland medical coordinator in Sarajevo, Bosnia, December 1991 - September 1992, then Press release MSF Holland, 19 April 1992 (in various positions in MSF Holland Bosnia desk, September English). 1992-1996, Interviewed in 2015, (in English).

As a result of current difficulties of transporting drugs supplies by land to the victims of the conflict in BiH [Bosnia and Herzegovina], MSF Holland in coordination with IRC and We had a strong feeling that things weren’t over, that OFDA (Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance), arranged an air- things were going to flare up in Bosnia again. In fact, lift of 24 tons of medical supplies which arrived in Sarajevo around February/March ’92, trouble was already brewing. So we on 19 April 1992 The medical supplies has been donated by started to hang around the region. We passed checkpoints OFDA. These drugs will be distributed to the areas of conflict controlled by Bosniaks armed with old guns or by Serb militia. within the next ten days to be able to sustain emergency It reeked of trouble, things were deteriorating; we were getting surgical operations for the victims of this conflict. Before the word of massacres here and there. It was difficult getting infor- conflict MSF-Holland supplied all the 19 Hospitals of BiH. But mation because Bosnia is a big country. due to the outbreak of fighting on a wide scale, MSF Holland supplies was critically low and not sufficient to respond to Dr Eric Dachy, MSF general coordinator in Belgrad, these needs. October 1991 - August 1993, Interviewed in 2000, 2015, (in French)

Between December 1991 and April 1992, we were still able to travel around Bosnia, and we made an inventory When I went to Sarajevo in 1992, to check out MSF of the health system in the whole of Bosnia. Bosnia existed out Holland’s mission, what I saw was a situation of hope- of 404 or 406 Opstina (City councils). Our ambition was to visit lessness, rebellion, but no medical distress. The Dutch were every Opstina, so we had two teams, one was visiting the delivering drugs, which later we referred to as a “pizza delivery Serbian side and the other team was visiting the South, which service”. What they were doing was quite good because they was more Croatian. It was limited to Bosnia and Croatia. We were working in collaboration with local committees of Muslims, had a beautiful map. I learned so much from that. In the map Jews, Christians. Everything seemed to be working quite well, every Opstina was defined by its ethnic composition, based on people were getting along, without any problems, were talking, the latest census a couple of years before. We could exactly see were coordinating together. So there was contact with Sarajevo’s in each Opstina you had for instance 40% Serbs, 30% Croats multicultural community which was really reassuring, very and 30% Bosnians. So we could also predict where the ethnic uplifting. But the practical use of all of this was still rather cleansing was going to happen, where the fighting was going debatable. Nobody in Paris was questioning this type of to happen and where there would be relative calm. In places programme, but we were really pleased somebody was doing it with 80% or 90% Croats there was no fighting to be expected. because we thought we had better things to be getting on with. So at the moment the war really started we had a beautiful knowledge of where the war was going to be, where the medical Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982-1994, shortages were going to be. I think there was nobody in Bosnia MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, who understood the health system as good as we did at that interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). moment. The referendum in the end of January when Bosnia voted in favour of independence was quite an event because the capital, Sarajevo, was disconnected from the outside world for two or three days by Serbians siege around the city. That was an omen On 19 May 1992, a rocket hit and destroyed an ICRC convoy of things to come. It was an act of aggression but also a form heading to Sarajevo hospital. Delegate Frédéric Maurice 40 of protest from the Serbian side: “we are not going to allow the was killed and two other passengers wounded. Despite on 22May willberespected. it receives assurances thatthe terms of the agreement signed allow itsdelegates toreturn toSarajevo. It isimportant that intention of negotiating, indetail, anaction planthatwill ernment and of the Croat, Muslim and Serb parties, with the Geneva, on 30 May, the representatives of the Bosnian gov- providing help to victims. It has decided to convene, again in This does not mean thatthe ICRC has washed itshands of Herzegovina.” temporarily withdraw its delegates from Bosnia and continue its humanitarian action and is therefore obliged to stantly and blatantly violated, the ICRC is no longer ableto rights of victims and the most vulnerable peopleare con- ished. In such circumstances, where the most fundamental that brought such bloodshed tothisRepublic hasnot dimin- evening of 27 May, that “the horrifying escalation of violence only seen,asitdescribed in apress release issuedonthe set down bythe RedCross but,unfortunately, the ICRC has agreed, inGeneva, torespect the humanitarian conventions On 22May, the representatives of the parties toconflict other delegates sustained mildinjuries. Sarajevo, waskilledbyrocket fire targeted atthe convoy. Two tonnes of emergency supplies tothe civilian hospital in Frédéric Maurice, who was escorting a convoy transporting 15 mission inthe Bosnian capitalfor aslong asitisable. Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) decided to continue its ICRC’s most competent delegates, the International In spite of the death of Frédéric Maurice (aged 38),one of the Croatia, where they resumed theirsupplyprogramme. tions for several monthsinKiseljak,attheborder with The MSFHollandteamalsoleftSarajevo andsetupopera- warring parties. safety guarantees they couldhopetoexpect from the tarian organisations intermsof theunreliability of the These tragic events served asawake-up calltothehumani- by sniperfire. left Sarajevo following the death of a photographer hit Community withdrew itsobservers andmostjournalists remove itsdelegates. Thefollowing week, theEuropean wake of thetragedy andescalatingviolence–resolved to wanting to stay in Sarajevo, on 27 May, the ICRC – in the because thescope of mycoordinationresponsibilities gotbigger ties you’reable to bedealingwith.”Theydidn’t like thatatall them: “I’llworkwiththeSerbs andyouworkwiththeauthori- When thefrontlineswereorganised, Imadeasuggestionto didn’t evenwantmysupervision. coordinate theDutch.Theydidn’t wantmetobeincharge, they There were French in my team. But it was impossible to There wereFrenchinmyteam. But itwasimpossibleto I wassupposedtobetheinternationalcoordinator.

Le Monde(France) 29May 1992(inFrench). ‘The ICRC withdraws from Bosnia and Herzegovina,’ alliance sufferedablow. into Croatiaandwhichworked, except whentheCroat-Bosniak recovered theirsupplylinefromKiseljakwhichwasthegateway dialysis machines, surgicalequipment.Afterwards, theDutch the localteam.Ibroughtthemdialysisfluid for thehospital’s when theyhadtheevacuationandtherewasnobodyleftbut while. However, I could have got into Sarajevo too. I went there side anymore. ButtherewasstillSarajevowhichmadeitworth- when theSerbsinvaded!Theycouldn’tevengoovertoother Secretary of MSFInternational. echoed in the Belgian press by Alain Destexhe, General broadcast thismessageintheFrench press, whichwas also “what isneededmilitaryintervention”. Hewidely “cowardice of theEuropean Community”anddeclared that On 29 May, invited toRTL radio, hecondemned the tance toimposeapoliticalsolutiontheconflict. Yugoslavia withhumanitarian aidtoconcealtheirreluc- the Western stateswhichwere floodingtheformer He alsocriticisedthehumanitarianalibibrandished by condemned theescalatingviolence. was nonetheless very present inthemedia,whichhe the former Yugoslavia. Butitspresident, Rony Brauman, MSF’s French sectionhadstillnot initiated operations in Frontières, eventhough Iknow full well you’re not just presi- do incasessuch asthese? You’re president of Médecins Sans else, 1,200,000Bosnians forced into exodus. Whatshould we practically the same thing: 20,000injured and, ifnothing Herzegovina, 5,000dead ormissing, whileelsewhere it’s gives more orlessthis:after twomonths inBosnia and Philippe Caloni: SoSarajevo, reading the press headlines, Rony Brauman: Hello. Philippe Caloni:Rony Brauman, hello. October 1991-August 1993,Interviewed in2000,2015, ‘THE HUMANITARIAN ALIBI’ Dr Eric Dachy, MSF general coordinator inBelgrad, Belgium, France), 29May 1992(inFrench). France, byPhilippe Caloni,RTL(Luxembourg, Interview with Rony Brauman, President of MSF AND ‘CALLTO ARMS’ CONDEMNATION OF V3 (in French)

41 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

dent of Médecins Sans Frontières, but what should be done in listen to RTL in the morning. cases such as these? Rony Brauman: I want to say that as president of a humani- Rony Brauman: Well, in cases such as these we don’t do tarian organisation, I want to say that the humanitarian anything. sector has no say in this affair, I want to say that now it’s not Philippe Caloni: What is it? Sarajevo is what? An hour and a just a matter of sending in doctors… half by air from Paris? Philippe Caloni: … Ah, you’re going over there… Rony Brauman: A one-and-a-half-hour flight and a few hours Rony Brauman: … Of sending drugs. We’re stopping, it’s over, by car and something horrific is happening. For months, we can’t go on, our people left Sarajevo a few days ago with humanitarian organisations, MSF, the International Red Cross the European Community, but now we need to go the extra and others have been trying to intervene, send in aid workers, mile if we want to be able to look at ourselves in the mirror and get shot at. Yesterday or the day before that, there was tomorrow without burning red from shame, if we want this one killed and two injured in a deliberate attack when a Europe that claims to uphold human rights, democracy, soli- rocket was fired at their vehicle which was, in theory, sup- darity, and I entirely agree with this entreaty. If we want this posed to be under Red Cross protection. Europe to have the right and dignity to exist, well it needs to Philippe Caloni: Because they knew they were there? stand up, it needs to intervene! Troops need to intervene in Rony Brauman: Of course they knew they were there, of Sarajevo so that the hospitals, markets, old people, kids, course they knew, because they were completely pointed out, women, who are systematically targeted now! People need to their convoy had been advertised to the various parties know that it’s them who are being targeted. Just yesterday, present, and despite all that, they were still attacked. Just the army fired, deliberately, at a market during a truce, like the Médecins Sans Frontières convoy a few months ago leaving several dozen dead, hundreds injured, more horror. So when they were rescuing the injured from the town of are we going to put up with this at some point in the future Vukovar, which was also attacked. And with these multiple, in Paris? Are we going to be able to say for much longer that repeated attacks, what we’re seeing from the international we’re in the process of building Europe, that we’re building community is absolutely nothing, zilch, indifference, they’re peace, that we’re creating a centre of democracy while letting looking the other way. And what I want to say to the people this carnage take place without even batting an eyelid? It’s who are calling Médecins Sans Frontières to find out what no longer an option. they can do, how they can take action, what… Philippe Caloni: But Rony Brauman, what are you doing? Philippe Caloni: … There’s Médecins Sans Frontières and the What are you trying to say? What are you trying to say to others too… I mean, everybody else. President Mitterrand, to Jacques Delors? What needs to be Rony Brauman: … There are the others… And everybody, the done now in practical terms? public needs to know because it’s been going on for a while, Rony Brauman: That the false pretence of humanitarian and we’ve all been reduced to a state of complete powerlessness. legal action has lasted long enough and that it’s military Even when we do have volunteers in the field, when they’re intervention that is needed over there, that we absolutely supplying drugs, blankets, clothing, food, they are supplying need to go and protect, by any means we have at our dis- them to places where they’re not needed and the places posal, after all we have arms, we have resources. When Iraq where they’re desperately needed they can’t manage to get invaded Kuwait, we managed to find the resources to, and why can’t they get there? Because we stop them. necessary… They’re prepared to take risks but they’re not willing to Philippe Caloni: … But that was the UN with the US. It won’t commit total suicide and we stop them. have escaped you that the United States, the Secretary of Philippe Caloni: So Rony Brauman, what needs to be done? State James Baker is extremely concerned by what is hap- Who’s being accused? Who’s not doing what they should be? pening over there, but apparently not enough to send anyone Rony Brauman: The countries of Europe. I believe there’s a out there. resignation, a failing, cowardice on the part of the European Rony Brauman: Listen, I’m telling you that if today we’re not Community that is verging on atrocity. A few years ago, we capable of reacting, then we have to say goodbye to all these declared that war was practically unlawful in Europe and here virtuous declarations on the new international order, the we are discussing Maastricht, the European single right to interfere, the duty to assist, political morality, the currency… establishment of new relations at the global level. It’s over. Philippe Caloni: … And the common agricultural policy, We won’t have the right to say anything anymore, because that’s important… we’re presently in the process of standing back and watching Rony Brauman: …And the common agricultural policy. Of carnage, but carnage that isn’t a confrontation between course, we need that, it’s important. But please can they stop opposite tribes… nattering on about cereal, bolts, wine, pigeon shooting, Philippe Caloni: … It’s the Kurdish problem all over again? when just next door there are people dying and we’re not Rony Brauman: Yes, it’s the Kurdish problem all over again, even able to carry out the slightest act of solidarity, to show because at the end of the day when the Kurds were massacred we’re interested in what happens to them. When all this is so in 1988 by Saddam Hussein’s chemical attacks, when they dreadfully hypocritical and that’s what I came here to say were then massacred by Saddam Hussein’s helicopters, today. nobody did anything, but when the Kurds crossed over their Philippe Caloni: So Rony Brauman, in concrete terms, what borders, when they arrived in Turkey and Iran, that’s when do you have to say as president of Médecins Sans Frontières the international community started to react. Now I want to 42 to those who are listening, because there are people who do make an appeal, one that’s slightly inflammatory, I want to citizen and evenmore outraged asacitizenof Europe. head of a humanitarian organisation, outraged as a French Rony Brauman: Yes, I’mtotallyoutraged, outraged asthe Philippe Caloni: ical means tostopit. ting this carnage persist when it has the material and phys - process of discrediting itselftothe rest of the worldbylet- that totallyinexcusable and IthinkthatEurope isinthe directly, we’re going toletthismassacre continue and Ifind so long as, apparently, solong asthey don’t threaten us guarantee aproperly coordinated international reaction. But flood ourfrontiers, and itwon’t beuntil then that wecan come and invade Italy, Austria, France and Switzerland, to say tothe Bosniaks and the Croats toleavetheir borders, to respected inthiswar, especially bythe Serbian militia – shells. Not even the most basic rulesof humanity are being there was hitbyasalvo of very carefully adjusted mortar as ourteams inSplitcanconfirm:the paediatric department cally targeting civilians. It iseven opening fire on hospitals just seeninthe bombing of Sarajevo market, issystemati- whether doctors orjournalists –toflee. The militia, aswe’ve workers, astrategy of terror designed toforce witnesses – We are upagainst adeliberate policy of attacksonaid but impossible. not justdifficultand dangerous like inSriLanka or Mogadishu, We have done so because our work in Sarajevo had become teams from atownatwar. The towninquestion isSarajevo. twenty yearsago, wehavedecided towithdraw one of our For the firsttime since Médecins sans Frontières was founded Brauman. right to interfere and the duty to assist,” concluded Dr virtuous declarations onthe new international order, the the worldbyletting thiscarnage persist,it’sgoodbye toour “Europe is in the process of discrediting itself to the rest of way,” he said. nothing, zilch,indifference, and they’re looking the other on behalfof the international community isabsolutely because before allthese dead and injured, whatwe’re seeing enough and whatweneed now ismilitaryintervention there, “The humanitarian and legal false pretence haslasted long the European Community thatisverging onatrocity.” stop becausethere isafailing and cowardice onthe partof “It cannot go on”,cried DrBrauman onRTL,“weare going to take intervention inSarajevo bysending troops.” Brauman, launched anappealonFriday asking “Europe to The president of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Dr. Rony (France) 4June 1992(inFrench). viewed byRenéBackman, LeNouvel Observateur ‘Carnage onourdoorstep.’ Rony Brauman inter- France Presse, 29May 1992(inFrench). European troops tointervene inSarajevo,’ Agence ‘Rony Brauman (MSF) launches anappealfor You sound pretty miserable. it should stoptelling usthat thisisthe dawn of “a new era”. ingredients of camembert and the grading of nuts and bolts, intends to limit its actions to regulating dove hunting, the to the carnage happening onitsowndoorstep. IfEurope definitively meaningless if it is incapable of putting an end diplomacy. These virtuous stances willbecome totallyand invokes the right tointervene and talksabouthumanitarian solidarity. It hasdeclared war tobeunlawful on its soil. It itself to be the universalhub of human rights, democracy and danger thaninBurma, Somalia orKashmir. Europe proclaims Yugoslavia, weare evenguiltier of failure to assistpersons in the other side of the world. If we do nothing for Former what happens onourdoorstep thantowards whathappens on tics of responsibility. We have more responsibility towards ments. There issuch athing asthe geography orthe geopoli- hidden itsshameful abdication behind aveilof worthy senti- action hasfailed inFormer Yugoslavia and thatEurope has reality of the situation. And the reality isthathumanitarian making this kind of proposal. But we have to accept the paradoxical for the head of ahumanitarian organisation tobe thereby avoiding aLebanese-style stalemate. It iscertainly powerful to be dissuasive and force the fighting to stop, tection. Inother words, aninterposition force sufficiently place thatwillprovide the civilian population withreal pro- envoys who serveno usefulpurposeand putmeasures in react accordingly; tostop engaging inempty talkwithaid Today, weneed toacknowledge the savagery of thiswarand saved thousands of lives. being brought in,might havebeeneffective. It might have a seablockade toprevent more weapons and munitions from been taken afewmonths ago, thisresolution, combined with international community tosuch abarbaric conflict. Ifithad far short of the response wemight haveexpected from the And lastly, becausethisdecision hascome toolateand falls population which willmake laternegotiations more difficult. because itislikely togenerate asurge of cohesion among the titute who are hardest hitbyembargoes and, secondly, has taught us that it is always the most vulnerable and des that question. But I’m sceptical. Firstly, because experience We need to wait and see how it is applied before answering put inplaceaddress provide aresponse tothese problems? Will the embargo thatthe United Nations hasjustdecided to resulting inlessvigilance. viding false reassurance tointernational public opinion and than a sort of smoke screen hiding reality, and possibly pro- been mainly symbolic, eventually becoming nothing more equipped hospitals and qualified doctors. Soouractivityhas third-world country. It is a developed country withproperly- greatest, onlywhere the needs are minor […] They havenot beenallowedtogo where the needs are uous conditions informer Yugoslavia for quitesome time. In fact, humanitarian aid teams havebeenworking inambig- we hadno choice butto withdraw. responsible for most of the atrocities. Giventhe conditions, interest intheir plight whilethey stayedwithin Iraq’s borders. the wake of the Gulf war in 1991, no-one took the slightest in Saddam Hussein’s chemical attacks in 1988, and again in Hungarian and Greek borders. When the Kurds were massacred what happened inIraq and inundate the Italian, Austrian, Today, I’mtemptedtotellthe Bosnians todraw lessons from

this isnot a -

43 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

It is only when they began flooding in their hundreds of thou- victim of a bloody confrontation between hate-filled tribes. sands into Turkey and Iran, threatening the regional equilib- Week after week, while the mass graves on our doorsteps fill rium, that the world sat up and took notice, finally launching up and the war advances, we piously deplore these terrible an unprecedented foreign intervention. Today, Europe remains acts of violence, recall our ambassadors and then rapidly indifferent to the tragedy taking place in Bosnia, as what is move on to more serious occupations. “How dreadful!” we happening in Sarajevo is not threatening its equilibrium or exclaim distractedly at the sight of bombed out hospitals in disrupting its habits. We are reliving Munich 1938, but this Zadar or Sarajevo. But it is not the free handout of a few time the sacrifice is human rights and solidarity. medicines – in any case stuck on the wrong side of a blockade for weeks now – that the Bosnians and Croats expect of us. It is a sad but true fact that humanitarian aid in Former Yugoslavia is nothing more than a mask for disguising impo- ‘Impotence‘ Rony Brauman, President of MSF tence, a mantel for hiding abdication, however brave the France, Le Figaro (France) 17 June 1992 (in actors, with ethics replaced by the aesthetics of physical per- French). formance. And grandiose statements about a future “right to intervene” only serve to dissimulate a huge and this time “Shame must be made more shameful by publicising it”, clearly visible step backwards in terms of assuming political according to Karl Marx, and this, albeit with a slightly dif- responsibility: Europe may not be able to end the civil war in ferent objective, is what we are reduced to in the face of the Sri Lanka or Somalia, but it is morally and practically obli- carnage in Former Yugoslavia. gated to find the means – all and every means – to loosen the Yet the pictures we received today from Sarajevo and Mostar, deadly grip in which Bosnia is being held. or yesterday from Vukovar or Osijek, and that will arrive tomorrow from Kosovo are apparently still not enough to shake Europe out of its stupor. While busily reassessing our compensatory amounts, grading our nuts and bolts and ‘Bosnia: It’s not too late to intervene,’ Alain repeating that war is no longer possible on the old continent; Destexhe, General Secretary of MSF international, our Euro-strategists invoke the ruins of the past and the speaking in a private capacity, La libre Belgique, economy of the future as if they are attempting to distract us 29 June 1992 (in French). from the present. Yet the present is the ethnic cleansing, to quote the Serbian Extract: militia, happening as we speak in the towns and villages of Each day brings further death and suffering to Sarajevo and Bosnia-Herzegovina; it is the deliberate bombing of humani- the other Bosnian towns being relentlessly bombed by the tarian convoys and markets and the massacres of civilians. Serbian militia. The present is the longest and most intense conflict, the most Until now, the European Community and UN have refused to massive exodus that Europe has known since the end of the use force, confident that economic sanctions will be enough to Second World War. It is the siege of a town of 400,000 inhab- make the militia listen to reason. However, it is clear that over itants on which missiles have rained down every three sec- the last three weeks the population’s plight has only worsened onds for weeks now; it is the shelling of hospitals, the and there is no sign, other perhaps than the progress of the powerlessness of European observers turned targets in this Serbs, of a negotiated solution, not even for the limited killing game. opening of a humanitarian corridor worthy of the name. And lastly, the present is an admission of the failure of From Willy Claes to Jacques Delors, many have said that there humanitarian aid. This failure is not due to the aid workers – is nothing more we can do. Last year, in the wake of the Gulf the number of victims among them is proof enough of their War, some people were noisily celebrating the new world engagement. Nor is it due to a lack of means – the public, order and the right of intervention: two concepts buried in governments and the EEC have all been extremely generous. the ruins of Sarajevo. Yet Europe has both political and moral This failure – and everyone should be made aware of this – is responsibility in the Bosnian tragedy. the result of the pitiless brutality of the Serbian militia, 1. In a way, Bosnia is the European Union’s creation. Let’s not acting with total impunity, equipped, trained and informed forget that it was the European Community, on the recom- by the ‘Federal Yugoslavian’ army. And whereas the open con- mendation of the Badinter Commission, which encouraged demnation of this ethnic folly does honour to the numerous the leaders of this republic, where the communities had until Serbs who have risen up against it, the limpness of Europe’s then been co-habiting reasonably well, to hold a referendum reactions, understandable at the start of the conflict, has for self-determination. The results of this referendum (more today become intolerable. It is both the recognition of this than 90% of yes votes among Croatian and Muslim voters and failure and the desire to wake Europe from its torpor that a boycott by the Serbs) led to the declaration of indepen- have prompted the author of these few lines to remove the dence…and, shortly afterwards, to the declaration of war. We white coat of the doctor and don the garments of a citizen. must assume the consequences of our actions. After encour- Since the beginning of the war, various embargo measures aging independence, the Community can’t simply ignore the that do not differentiate between the attackers and the aggression it has caused. attacked, the victims and the tormentors, have been taken 2. Current humanitarian action, despite the courage and alongside decisions to send in humanitarian aid: another way merit of those undertaking it, is largely symbolic and is a 44 of sitting on a fence from where everyone is viewed as a derisory response to the fate of the 300,000 inhabitants face of political inaction. cannot remain indifferent tothisslaughter and silent inthe worker’ must take a back seat to the European citizen who table organisation speaking like this. Butsometimes the ‘aid Some people may be surprised to hear a member of achari eyes? We can’tpretend wedidn’t know! nothing tostopthe massacres taking placebefore ourvery explain toourchildren without feeling ashamed thatwedid struction under the most critical of spotlights. How willwe the Yugoslavian tragedy places the notion of European con- ruins of Sarajevo. Withthe great Community debate underway, impossible. Thisidea of European solidarity isdying inthe essentially founded onthe premise thatwarinEurope is 4. Lastly, Europe’s honour isatstake. The Maastricht Treaty is risks, butmaybe it’sthe price topayfor saving lives. the sands of Kuwait, ifyouremember. Ofcoursethere are always happen.We predicted thousands of allied deaths in won’t crumble at the first sign of resistance. The worst doesn’t that these ‘apprentice Rambos’who fire oncivilians from afar certain weapons during the Gulf War. There is nothing to say shelling. We heard enough aboutthe merits and accuracy of terday in Vukovar and today inSarajevo –isremote artillery not conducting partisanwarfare. Its method –asseenyes- actions. Contrary topopularbelief, the ‘Yugoslavian’ army is ference between operations like ‘Desert Storm’ and one-off this wouldinevitably result inastalemate. Butthere isadif- are said tomake amilitaryoperation impossible. Apparently total lackof political will.The relief and the number of militia 3. ‘Military arguments’ are essentially aploytodisguise pretext for politicians towashtheir hands of Bosnia. ings bySerbian militia. Humanitarian aid must not serveasa protecting hundreds of thousands of people from the bomb the responsibility of political leaders: inSarajevo thismeans humanitarian aid istorecognise itsownlimitsand point up humanitarian spaceinBosnia. One of the strengths of Bosnian towns. For a number of weeks, there has been no real trapped inSarajevo, not tomention Mostar and the other Sarajevo undersiege. Then therewon’t bea need for assistance. ing and neutralising the Serbian batteries that are keeping settled withhumanitarianaid. Military forces shouldbebomb - continue. It’s apoliticalproblem,notsomethingthatcan be – thebombardmentof acapitalcityjustdowntheroad–to the citizenof France, of Europe. We can’tallowthisblockade myself sayingquiteviolently:“This isn’tthedoctortalking;it’s a sort of anger and not sure how to position myself, I found He invitedmeontohisprogrammeandthat’s how, spurredby to hostagesthatwe’llresolvetheproblemof hostage-taking”. blockade, theyarehostages, andit’s notbydistributingpizzas ian masqueradecan’tgoon.People areundersiege, there’s a Yugoslavia, thesiegeof Sarajevo. Itoldhim:“thishumanitar- for RTL. I rang him up and said I wanted to talk to him about I usedtobeonfriendly terms withPhilippe Caloniwhoworked in Europelesspossiblethancarnageelsewhere? tance of carnageonEuropeanterritory.Anyway, whyiscarnage Europe’s politicalindecision;itispassiveanddulcoratedaccep- place, it’s asham,smoke screen,ameansof hiding I saidtomyself:“All thishumanitarianaidbeingputin - - was never implemented. media campaigntomobilisepublicopinion.Intheend,it Meanwhile, aproposal was madetolaunch awide-scale in fullswing. the debateonform andsubstanceof ‘testimony’ was Dutch sections and within theinternational Council where controversy amongthemanagers of MSF’s Belgianand This ‘call to arms’ made without prior consultation sparked strategy wasn’tstupidinitself. thing judiciousaboutit,anddenouncingtheEuropean/UN much hardertoachieve. Butatthetime, thisstancehadsome- intervention. NowIseethemiracleof amilitaryliberationas Today [in2015],I’mmuchlessenthusiasticabouttheideaof commendable attitudetotake! politician, thecitizen,activist.I’mnotclaimingthiswasa remains thatIexchanged myaidworker’s garbfor thatof the given theopportunitytospeakoutinpublic!Butfact never forget thatit’s becauseI’minhumanitarianaidthat distancing myselflike thatfromhumanitarianaid–becauseI I’m notevensurethat’s exactly whatIsaid– this isnotthepresidentof MSFspeakingitiscitizenBrauman.” of theinterviewsaying:“That’s enoughof thismasquerade- because I’mpresidentof MSF, butthenItake itoff inthemiddle both ways, infact. Iturnupinthestudiowithmywhitecoat I thinkthisreactionjustifiescriticism,becausewasplayingit I said.It’s probablyworthchecking… Europe andthisisintolerable”. That’s moreorlesswhatIthink witnessing afascistic attack,awaveof fascism intheheartof Assistance isplayingintothehandsof theassailants. We’re imity toeachother. populations involvedinthe conflict living in such closeprox- It isverydifficult for aid toachieve anything withallthe powerless. We are inasituation where humanitarian aid istotally nothing. others hadalready said and sounfortunately itcame to Some people thought this would just be repeating what Council hadconsidered issuing apress release onthe subject. Reginald Moreels tellsthe board thatthe International via the peacekeepers. have managed todo issend equipment toSarajevo hospital corridors tofacilitate access tothe hospitals. Sofar, all we Sarajevo airport,butthere are stillno plans for humanitarian The SecurityCouncil hasvotedtodeploy UNpeacekeepers at Extract: Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982-1994, MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, meeting, 9June 1992(inFrench). Minutes of MSF Belgium’s Board of Directors interviewed in2000and 2015(inFrench).

45 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Anne Krings asks for an opportunity to discuss Rony Minutes of the International Council meeting of Brauman’s comments on the subject. Reginald Moreels 26 June 1992 (in French). informs her that it is on the agenda of the next meeting and that mention will be made of the fact that one president must Extract: not adopt such a clear-cut position when other sections are Yugoslavia: in the field. This is a code of conduct that must be respected. The Council is informed that the car in which Reginald, Alain, Two questions are raised all the same: Eric and Gérard were travelling was the target of a deliberate Is it legitimate for a humanitarian aid organisation to call for attack and that Reginald has written a letter asking that “this a military intervention to enable it to provide care? Can situation be denounced.” humanitarian aid be under military protection? Discussion on the comments made by Rony which have Karim Laouabdia-Sellami points out that only Rony Brauman’s caused reactions within the Swiss Board of Directors. comments on an armed intervention were reported in the Rony believes that governments are instrumentalising media, but these comments should be put back in the general humanitarian aid by using it as a pretext for doing nothing context which was not reported. and a cover for the deep cynicism with which European countries view what is happening in Yugoslavia. For Rony, his stance was a matter of individual conscience, a question of fundamentals and principle. Minutes of MSF Belgium’s Board of Directors The international community looked set to take a decision meeting, 23 June 1992 (in French). that would be both reassuring and frustrating and a necessarily mediocre consensus. Extract: Operating as a group has its limitations. Sometimes indi- With regard to the events currently taking place in Former vidual initiatives by members of the IC should be allowed to Yugoslavia, Alain Destexhe wishes to make the following pro- take precedence over institutional positioning. posal to MSF-B: To conduct a wide-scale media campaign to On the whole, reactions have been positive. Humanitarian aid draw attention to the tragedy taking place in Bosnia and is rarely criticised. It is important for aid operators to be able Europe’s responsibility in the matter. He suggests putting up to criticise their own action. a large digital billboard in a place where lots of people will Jacques [de Milliano, MSF H GD]: Making pronouncements see it (e.g. Grand Place in Brussels) with a counter showing without consensus must remain exceptional. the number of deaths and a slogan such as “What’s Europe Josep [Vargas, president of MSF Spain]: We should adopt a doing?”, signed MSF. clear position and denounce governments’ inaction and Although the idea is tempting, Jean-Pierre Luxen feels that hypocrisy. we have no legitimacy with regard to Yugoslavia as we haven’t Doris [Schopper, president, MSF Switzerland]: If we start managed to carry out any concrete actions whereas convoys calling for war, where do we stop? belonging to other organisations have got through. Philippe It’s a subject for debate. Autier reminds the Board that two of our people have been For Josep, there is a need to differentiate between personal injured in Croatia. Alain Destexhe adds that we have been in reactions and an MSF mandate. Croatia since the start of the crisis and are still getting relief through. For Georges Dallemagne, the crisis is causing a major political problem in Europe. One of MSF’s objectives could be to bring Minutes of MSF Belgium’s Board of Directors an end to the war by mobilising public opinion and putting meeting, 17 August 1992 (in French). pressure on the politicians. Anne Krings ask why we shouldn’t do the same thing for Extract: Somalia. If it’s good for the goose, why not for the gander? 3) Alain Destexhe’s position on his article on former Alain Destexhe replies that as citizens our responsibility is Yugoslavia different. It’s within our power to stop the massacre in Alain Destexhe explains to the Board of Directors why he Yugoslavia; this is not true for Somalia. published his article. Jan Van Erps considers that it is not MSF’s role to call for an armed intervention in Yugoslavia. Alain Destexhe replies that we are not calling for a military intervention; we are urging politicians to face up to their responsibilities. ‘Testimony, yes! Politisation du discours de MSF, Pierre Harzé points out that 25 July will be the anniversary of non !’ Politicising MSF’s message, no!’ Memo from the start of the conflict. Jean-Pierre Luxens, General Director of MSF Bel- Conclusion: The Board of Directors votes on Alain Destexhe”s gium, to his Board of Directors, 17 August 1992 proposal (in French). For: 3 votes – Against: 2 votes - Abstentions: 3 votes The Board of Directors tasks the executive with implementing Extract: this decision. As I am not able to attend the debate on ‘new témoignage [advocacy]’ that I myself asked to be opened, I am requesting 46 that my point of view on this subject be examined. - - - ered awayof promoting MSF withinBelgian society, but: C) Perhaps being perceived as‘intellectual’ couldbeconsid- to take apublic stance. account and trytobroaden the internal debate before rushing offending one majority or another. So let’s take this into makes itdifficulttoadopt boldpolitical stances without This wealth (?) of democracy, or at least of associations, niences of having a multitude of tendencies and opinions. Within MSF-B wehaveacceptedthe advantages and inconve- be respected. It isthe price and the valueof ademocracy. be heard once and for all.The willof aGeneral Assembly must for the impactof ouractions. Thismessage isclearand should forms of communication) to reflect ourvalues and concern Belgian society (including témoignage [advocacy]and other over-simplify things, ourmembers want ourbehaviour in at MSF-B’s lastGeneral Assembly that,without wishing to they reflect the will of anassociation’s members. It wasclear B) General Assemblies may wellbeconservative bodies, but our neutrality and feelcheated. ments attempting toanalyse aconflict asaninfringement of always beenrespected. Our‘interlocuters’ willseeany com- the aid worker and the doctor, who until recent conflicts have is perceived as neutral because of two values and symbols, reading of all parties toall conflicts, Istill believe that MSF Without implying thatourCharteristhe favourite bed-time baddies! flict environment, withitscorollary, the goodies and the Strong positioning alwaysgenerates acaricature of the con- are!). staff, MSF’s teams (often the lasttobeinformed, ifthey ever A) Iconsider ittobeverydangerous for the securityof field to encourage usinthis): dropped for avariety of reasons (evenifthe media are happy Political témoignage [advocacy][…]isahabitthatmust be co-opted members and thousands of donors adhere. ensure respect for the essential valuestowhich hundreds of I refuse tostand byand watch.My remarks are intended to ical analysis, and thisin the name of Médecins Sans Frontières. tarian testimony’ towards positioning thatismore like polit- feel like I’mwitnessing the slowbut sure slide of ’humani- reader of the Belgian and foreign press (including Contact), I selves. For my part, as a co-opted member of MSF-B and But the writers of these texts have mostly pleased them- this conflict. sity of the pronouncements made bycertainMSF sections on of MSF, wehavebeenoverwhelmed bythe wealthand diver- of action taken onYugoslavia for many reasons independent Although wehavebeen(and stillare) frustrated bythe lack MSF and témoignage [advocacy],anolddebate, and yet… achieved ontwo conditions by: If wewant MSF togo down in history, this canonly be message. timony beyond this, we run the risk of diluting our expertise inourownfield of activity. By extending ourtes- Our legitimacy resides inouraction’s credibility and inour us directives onvaccination, the choice of medicines, etc. receptive and tolerant when EEC or NATO staff start giving but inmilitarystrategy too! We willhaveto beextremely and behold’, the doctors are not onlyexperts indiplomacy, To some people, our comments must seem pretentious: ‘Lo cries of the victims. Why stopnow? For me, MSF’s strength hasalwaysbeeninexpressing the Henry Levyand the other ‘stars’. interest thanmaking pronouncements alongside Bernard (from placeswhere nobody elsegoes!) willattract more well-turned phrases). Bearing witness toparticular situations possible, and without replacing AUTHENTIC reactions with and candid, basedonreal experience (lessthan48hours, if tions, amessage thatislessintellectual, butmore refreshing be working onamore subversivemessage thatraises ques- think thatweshould bedoing justthe opposite. We should we cansitatthe ‘big table’withthe influential players. I gradually adopt amore ‘institutionalised’ approach sothat Wanting atallcoststoplayamoral role willoblige usto citizen does not justifyadopting apolitical stance. The need toresolve one’s ownproblems of conscience asa game. we are listened to),sowehavetorespect the rulesof the When wespeakout,itisbecauseare MSF (which iswhy departure from MSF’s positioning. democracy do not justify making pronouncements that are a humanitarian aid organisation and an individual citizen of a Difficulties in reconciling the fact of being a member of a compass thanaverbalone. weather forecast; becoming anewshound; being lessamoral to haveone’s sayoneverything, from the top50tothe Leaping onthe slightest incident togiveanopinion; having ado aboutnothing. modern-day foible; “....variant: making much intellectual Extract from Mélancolie Democratique dog story’… writing editorials for LaLibreBelgiqueonevery‘man-bites- a point of view onabsolutelyeverything. We’ll soonbe wanting tokeep upwithfashion isthatMSF willhaveto tions they hold are short-term –asisfashion. The danger of MSF is a long-term enterprise. The individuals and the posi really meet aneed atMSF? suited toBelgium?Doesthis‘new MSF school of thought’ of fashion, no doubt right for Parisian society, butnot atall D) And then, betweenyouand me, isn’tthisaspiration asort - resemble either of these, butallthe same! and Amnesty International. Ofcourse, we’re not looking to albeit limited field. Such is the price of recognition for ICRC creditable onlybecausewehavetotalmastery of ourown 2) Acknowledging thatthe effectiveness of ouractions is and giveititscredibility; 1) Staying intune withthe fieldactorswho fuelour message ists”. We had neither the time nor the inclination to organise a an opinion onthe EPI? interventions in Sarajevo, when wehaven’teven expressed Why must we have a position on diplomatic and military Our owndomain isbroad enough and far from fullyexplored. bombed, warshould bedeclaredontheSerbnational - What Isaidwas:“Thehillsaround Sarajevoshouldbe by Pascal Bruckner: A -

47 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

media campaign. And I’m not at all sure I could have convinced at all. He did it for his own benefit. That’s my opinion, even if people to organise a press conference. I think that if we had I shared his views. started discussing it between ourselves and then with the other sections, the upshot would have been to say nothing. Saying Dr Eric Dachy, MSF general coordinator in Belgrad, nothing is not necessarily a bad thing, but at the time there October 1991 - August 1993, Interviewed in 2000, 2015, was a sort of need to speak out. There were lots of people asking (in French) “how, why?” People were really shocked by that war. So I employed what I have to admit was my own method: I didn’t call many people beforehand. I often wrote my own press- releases to avoid endless discussions, or with just the help of Rony caused a big international crisis by saying there the communication director. In Paris, some people thought I was no humanitarian solution, that the only solution was going a bit too far, but it was generally accepted that when was military and that there had to be a military intervention. I had something to say, I said it. He even advised the refugees to come here, saying: For the other sections, so I wouldn’t have to go back on my “Yugoslavians, if you stay in Yugoslavia, Europe will keep ignor- word, I preferred to shock them a bit. There were problems with ing you. You need to come here to get a reaction out of Europe the Dutch and the Belgians. It was the first time an aid organ- … then we’ll start to take you seriously.” [He] did that without isation had adopted this kind of stance. It was taken up by the warning anybody, and he was right to do so. If he had informed Dutch papers: “MSF’s president calls for war to be declared on the other managers, they would never have authorised it. I the Serbs” or something like that. That really stirred things up agreed with him completely. I never had any problems with this in Holland because Jacques de Miliano was woken up at home way of doing things. But I remember it caused total uproar in at six in the morning and ordered to explain himself! Jacques, all the sections. with whom I had a strong but somewhat stormy relationship, They may well have agreed in theory, but their view was that was of course furious to find himself in the slightly ridiculous this wasn’t MSF’s mandate. MSF should never call for a military situation of having to answer for a position taken in Paris that intervention. That was the role of other organisations, not ours. had appeared in the Dutch press before he knew anything about it. I would have been furious too in his position. Dr Alain Destexhe, Secretary General of MSF International until 1995, interviewed in 2000 (in French). Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982 - 1994, MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French).

At the end of May, after the UN’s departure from Sarajevo, the Secretary General of MSF International suggested a I don’t blame Rony – during that phase it was almost “political’ visit to the besieged town by MSF volunteers impossible to do otherwise. A debate was underway to demonstrate the movement’s refusal to allow this inside the movement on whether we were credible to speak out population to be abandoned. in public when we were not present in the field. For a lot of people at MSF Holland and MSF Belgium, the answer In June, the president of MSF Belgium, accompanied by was no. MSF Holland’s Board was OK with the situation. There three other MSF volunteers, made a lightening visit during was a lot of discussion, but they never got to the stage of saying which their car was attacked by snipers. Back in Belgium that MSF France should keep quiet or of distancing themselves he told the press that this attack had been intended to from MSF France’s action. But it is true that MSF France used force MSF out and put a stop to all humanitarian aid to the fact that other sections were present to voice its own opin- Sarajevo. ions. In other words, it was thanks to MSF Holland’s presence in Sarajevo that the French section was able to speak out. Tensions within the movement at the time meant we weren’t communicating well between us. The international line was not ‘Yugoslavia/Sarajevo/Urgent’ Message from Alain sufficiently clear, otherwise we would have said: “we carry out Destexhe, Secretary General of MSF International the operations, so we do the communication.” to the directors of operations if MSF Belgium, France and Holland, 18 May 1992 (in French). Dr Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director, 1985-1996, interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). Following the evacuation of most of the UN forces, and after a conversation with Pim de Graaf [MSFH] and the ICRC’s Yugoslavia programme manager, here’s what I can tell you:

When Rony was in favour of a military intervention, I Since the departure of the UN contingent, fighting seems to agreed with him 100%! But at the different head offices, have started up again in Sarajevo. some people were screaming, “Look out, he’s going to disrupt As you know, the Secretary General’s decision to withdraw has the work of the teams in the field!” On the other hand, it served been criticised by the Security Council. 48 no useful purpose whatsoever for Rony to say what he did. None In any event, resolution 752 adopted on Friday is unlikely to were not injured. Miraculously, ourcoordinator inBelgrade, Eric Dachy, and I his steering wheel inshock. Ithought he wasdead. Vandriessche. He wasshot inthe hand and fellforward onto grazed byabullet. The next target was ourdriver, Gérard he wasthe driver. OurFrench colleague, François Guyaux,was they firstaimed for the man inthe front leftseat,presuming an MSF mission inIraq. Ourattackers didn’t know thisand so our jeepwhich wasaright-hand drive vehicle leftoverfrom vest. Ihadhung itupagainst the right-hand side window of - Not quite. General McKenzie hadlent me hisbullet-proof You and yourcompanions were unharmed… gun nest. The shooting startedonbothsides atonce. side of the road there were snipersand onthe other amachine- General McKenzie, commander of the UNpeacekeepers. Onone past Sarajevo airportwithacolumnof vehicles headed by - It wasawell-planned attackbythe Serbs. We hadjustdriven try and get toSarajevo. rapidly), made up of volunteers from our head offices who will mission’ outfor afewdays (the situation islikely tochange action opentous. However, Ipropose sending a‘political tion of Sarajevo. Obviously there are not many coursesof the UNand the rest of the worldabandon the civilian popula- Sarajevo to show that we refuse to accept a situation whereby tions. ButIstillthinkweneed tomaintain apresence in to conduct adistribution programme inthese kinds of condi- I understand why MSF’s teams havepulledout.It’s impossible Belgrade toSarajevo today. According toICRC, one of their teams managed toget from Another thing, ICRC is keeping ateamof 10peopleonsite. the wayisclearfor ustodo whateverwewant. combatants; ifthe UNdoes nothing when weattackastate, UN’s departure islikely tosetaprecedent for allbudding vene afterthe failure of the European Community), and the (if youremember, ittooksevenmonths for the UNtointer- for two reasons: there is no superior body to take up the torch The UN’swithdrawal islikely tohavedisastrous consequences not onthe agenda. The Gulfwarhasbecome adistant memory. sanctions onthe aggressor (orone of the aggressors) are still ognised asanindependent state, butanintervention ortough because Yugoslavia wasasovereign state. Now Bosnia isrec When Vukovar happened, it was impossible to intervene Serbia. as the situation improves”. No measures were adopted against should not resign itselfand stand ready tointervene assoon short, the resolution saysthat“the International Community curb the fighting or, more importantly, the Serbs’ ardour. In of the Bosnian capitaland then deliberately fired onit? snipers laid in wait until MSF’s vehicle was leaving the walls back from alightening triptoSarajevo. Is ittruethatSerbian You are president of Médecins Sans Frontières and you’re just June 1992(inFrench). Sarajevo,’ Eddy Surmont, LeSoir(Belgium)30 ‘Reginald Moreels onhislightening mission to - by the day. which isalready completelyoutof hand and getting stronger – without concessions –toputanend tothisethnic hatred - Ihope thatdiplomacy atthe highest possiblelevelwillable French president.) This interview was carried out before the intervention by the What do youseeasthe solution toallthis?(Editor’snote: demics inthe city. go onmuch longer. To my great surprise, there are no epi- reserves and mainly eatbread and onions. Thisclearlycan’t imbalance in nutrition. People are living off their natural - We can’tcallitfamine, assuch. More like anexcessive Is there adanger of epidemics? Is the civilian population of Sarajevo suffering from famine? of medical materials and medicines. intensive bombardment mean wewillsoonbecompletelyout arrival of large numbers of people seriously injured in the qualified personnel. Butthe three-month siege and the daily harmony. Sarajevo hasamagnificent hospital withhighly- Bosnian and Muslim idealists. They work together in perfect - Our teams in Sarajevo are made up of young Serbian, medical materials? besieged city of Sarajevo? Are there enough personnel and What kind of conditions are MSF’s teams working ininside the moment. way of organising convoys to the Bosnian capital at the Commission for Refugees should alsoget through. There isno With the same method, food supplies provided bythe High once aweekinone of the armoured peacekeeping vehicles. intended for MSF’s teams in Sarajevo would be taken through - General McKenzie promised me thatmedial materials Are westillgetting supplies through toSarajevo? a stoptoallhumanitarian aid inSarajevo. were trying todo twothings: get MSF topullouttooand put aged to get the Red Cross to pull out. By trying to kill us, they - Bykilling [Frédéric Maurice] ashort whileago, they man - Why did the Serbsattack MSF? was clearatthetimeandstilldon’ttoday. nor theother’typemessage, abitinsipid,whichIdidn’tthink possible. We havetohelpthosepeople.” A‘neitheronething right what’s happeningoverthere, it’s scandalous, it’s not because hehadjustgotback,andallsaidwas, “It’s justnot for amilitaryintervention.He wasaddressingthewholemedia International until 1995,interviewed in2000(inFrench). Belgium, coming back from Sarajevo and refusing to call I can still see Reginald Moraels, the president of MSF Dr AlainDestexhe, Secretary General of MSF

49 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

On 28 June, the French president, François Mitterrand, In July, with 70% of Bosnia under the control of the paid a surprise visit to the besieged city of Sarajevo, Bosnian Serbs, MSF Holland and MSF Belgium publically accompanied by the Secretary of State for Humanitarian announced that they would be flying aid into the Bosnian Action, Bernard Kouchner3, who had organised the opera- capital, despite the bombings. tion. In a press conference, the president emphasised the purely humanitarian nature of his visit. In an article published in late July in the Dutch press, Jacques de Milliano, then general director of MSF Holland, characterised the use of humanitarian aid as a smoke- screen for the lack of political action and advocated the ‘Mr Mitterrand visits Sarajevo,’ Le Monde (France), use of force to get the belligerents in the former Yugoslavia 30 June 1992 (in French). to agree to a ceasefire.

Extract: It’s all in the timing: an anniversary – seventy-eight years to the day since the assassination of the Austrian Archduke ‘Médecins Sans Frontières charters three planes Franz Ferdinand – and a crucial moment in the siege of the for Sarajevo,’ Press release MSF B/F/H, 2 July Bosnian city. On Sunday 28 June, Sarajevo had no electricity 1992 (in French). and was preparing to share out the last of its bread supply. Imprisoned by its mountains and its maquis, under threat of Médecins Sans Frontières is sending three planes to Sarajevo. famine and epidemics, the city had given up praying for a The first is leaving from Amsterdam today, loaded with 1.5 miracle, its last hope of a humanitarian corridor fading as tonnes of medicines and surgical supplies, and will make an Serbian armed forces continued to shell Sarajevo airport day overnight stop in Zagreb. The second will leave tomorrow at after day. 9am and fly straight to Sarajevo, carrying 2.7 tonnes of sup- It’s all in the timing. Twenty-four hours after the European plies. The third plane, transporting 2.7 tonnes, will leave on summit in Lisbon, twenty-four hours after the Security Monday. Council met in New York and voted in favour of using military United Nations forces will provide protection for these sup- force to protect Sarajevo airport, forty-eight hours since the plies between the airport and Sarajevo hospital. expiry of the UN’s ultimatum to Belgrade, François Mitterrand 35 tonnes of medical and surgical equipment are currently announced that he simply wanted to “open a door”, “to see, being stored in a warehouse at Amsterdam airport, waiting to listen, bear witness”, in the true humanitarian tradition and be flown to Sarajevo as soon as we find more planes. in one of those spectacular displays of gall in which Bernard Médecins Sans Frontières’ team at Sarajevo’s civilian hospital Kouchner had encouraged him […]. has evaluated the medical needs and requested the supplies “The people of Sarajevo are truly prisoners, victims of mur- transported in these planes. They will be used to provide care derous attacks. I feel an overpowering sense of solidarity and treatment for the very large numbers of wounded in the with them”, said François Mitterrand, during a press confer- hospitals. ence. “I believe in the power of symbolic action”, he empha- Médecins Sans Frontières has been working in Sarajevo since sised, adding that he hoped to “spur the world’s conscience January this year, but was forced to evacuate its expatriate to come to the aid this population in danger. […] What is staff in May. happening here is not acceptable. It has gone too far. I hope that an amicable agreement will be reached to allow humanitarian aid to transit through the airport, and I’m calling on all the parties involved to make this possible”, continued the ‘Médecins sans Frontières sends more aid to Sa- president [...] before adding, ”We are not declaring war on rajevo,’ MSF press release, 17 July 1992 (in anyone. France is not the enemy of any of the Republics in French). this region.” As the sixth convoy sent out by Médecins du Monde and Pharmaciens sans Frontières – five lorries loaded The Belgian government is funding Médecins Sans Frontières with tonnes of foodstuffs and medicines – arrived in Sarajevo to transport emergency supplies to the besieged population on Sunday, President Mitterrand announced that two military of Sarajevo. Three C130 planes will ensure flights between cargo planes had just taken off from Paris en route for the Brussels and the Bosnian capital. Bosnian capital […].Wearing a bullet-proof vest, the head of MSF’s team on site has identified the needs with the man- state was forced to switch to a military helicopter, the only agers of the central hospital, Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Ministry one still intact, and fly to Split, as the wing of the presiden- of Health and HCR. The supplies will be made up exclusively tial jet, a Falcon 900, was damaged as it taxied into position of medicines and surgical equipment. by a Serbian vehicle that was deliberately driven into it. MSF’s team will distribute the supplies directly at Sarajevo’s central hospital, in close collaboration with UNPROFOR and HCR representatives to make sure the donations reach the beneficiaries safely. The first plane will leave Brussels (Melsbroek) for Sarajevo at

3. Co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières, Bernard Kouchner left the organisation 8am, carrying 15 tonnes of supplies. This C130 will then pro- 50 in 1979 vide an air bridge between Zagreb and Sarajevo until 30 July. cines canbe distributed now. a more ‘human face’ –ifyoucancall itthat.Foodand medi - The UN force in Sarajevo and other cities have given the war then thatkiddie onhis bike gets killedbysniperfire.” continuously. Children need togo outside sometimes –and “People live in air-raid shelters, butthey can’t stay there time snipershaveyoudirectly targeted.” less accidentally being hitbygrenades whileatthe same in acitywhere, onthe one hand yourunthe riskof more or De Milliano describes itasa”verystrange experience tolive for the head –that’sagiven.” Particular snipersalwaysaimfor the spine, others alwaysaim snipers’ victims exactly where inthe citythey were hit. “Doctors inSarajevo cantell from the injuries suffered bythe Milliano, who wasinSarajevo lastweek. Cross ambulances and our organisation’s equipment,” says De they are snipers’ direct targets. “They intentionally fire at Red In Somalia, aid workers riskbeing shot, inBosnia-Herzegovina otherwise the authority of the organisation?” work! Surely that is the responsibility of the UN; what is flict – because they would otherwise be unable to do their recruit armed men – who themselves are involved in the con- “It is absurd,” he continues, “that aid workers there need to who havesince died wouldstillbealive.” entire country the wayithas, and the thousands of people “Then the conflict would not havebeenableto macerate the force should havebeenstationed eighteen months ago. Somalia where, he says, a lightly armed UNpeacekeeping To illustrate ‘how itshould not bedone’, DeMilliano refers to not end their war.” warring parties thatmilitaryaction willbetaken ifthey do detached from the obligation tosend aclearsignal tothe ning political responsibility. The provision of aid must not be “but the provision of aid may never serveasanalibifor shun- Refugees. “Thatmay sound good enough,” DeMilliano says, over 230million guilders tothe High Commissioner for During the conference, the participating nations pledged aid and not –ashe hadhoped –into political decisiveness. pating nations hadtranslated their collectiveindignation into on Yugoslavian Refugees. He wassurprisedthatthe partici terday from Geneva, where he hadattended the UNConference Jacques de Milliano, Director of MSF Holland, returned yes Yugoslavia. The organisation has already sent several planes to Former respectively. other supportteams are basedinZagreb and Belgrade MSF hasbeenworking inSarajevo since January 1992.Two The second plane isscheduled toleaveon25July. winter setsin,otherwise thousands willdie from the cold.” Yugoslavia to cease the fighting. This war must end before “Force must beusedtopressure the warring parties in Extract: 1992 (inDutch). Hanneke de Witt,Parool (The Netherlands) 31July fears thousands of Yugoslavians willdie’ by ‘“Peace must beachieved byforce”’ -de Milliano - - pressure from the international community.” gency aid for aperiod during which the warisended under basis. “What is needed is not permanent support but emer- from former Yugoslavia must beprovided ona‘temporary’ De Milliano believes itparamount thataid giventorefugees sponding deadlines, cityafterwillbedestroyed.” UN and European nations imposecleardemands and corre- times onSaturday. The destruction continues, and unlessthe Milliano. “The hospital Isleptinwashitbygrenades three “But wemust not letthatappeaseourconscience,” saysDe cities.” cleansing of regions, thismurdering, thisdestruction of munity should sayis:thisisunacceptable –thisethnic always beabletofind an excuse. Whatthe international com- something youdo not want todo no matter what,youwill unable toenforce peaceinformer Yugoslavia. “Ifthere is situation issocomplicated –awidespread UNforce wouldbe Neither does De Milliano share the view that – because the living incampsfor 45yearsnow.” them incamps. Lookatthe Palestinians, who havebeen Milliano does not agree. “People get forgotten once youput gees insafe zones intheir country asfar as possible. De the UNconference chose for the alternative –toplacerefu - With the exception of Germany the nations participating in pressure onthe parties concerned tolaydown their arms. gees will convince governments even more of the need to exert should opentheir borders very liberally. The pressure of refu During thatshort period, DeMilliano explains, countries and under attack. and underattack. had attemptedinvain togainaccess, was stillbesieged ments for acease-fire, theGorazde enclave, towhichMSF On 12 July, despite numerous demands by western govern- Bosnia intensified. Serbian militia in Muslim towns and villages in the east of The ethniccleansingcampaignconductedby Bosnian- and Herzegovina, Serbian nationalist forces today begana cies demanded an end to Serbian militaryoffensives inBosnia Four days after the leaders of seven major industrial democra- Extract: DENOUNCING ETHNICCLEANSING AND CRIMESAGAINST HUMANITY 12 July1992(inEnglish). East,’ John. F. Burns, TheNew York Times (USA) ‘Serbs assaulting LastStronghold inBosnia’s -

51 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

major assault on the last big Muslim-controlled town in prisoners were starved and tortured. On 2 August, this eastern Bosnia…. information was confirmed by the journalist, Roy Gutman, With the capture of Gorazde, where 50,000 people are under in several US media outlets. siege, Serbian forces would be free to concentrate attacks here on Sarajevo, the capital. Bosnian forces here are being weakened daily by diminishing supplies of ammunition in their attempt to withstand shelling and the Serbian siege. ‘Freed prisoners tell of Serbian concentration […] camps’ Roy Gutman, Newsday; New York Times Except for Sarajevo, no Bosnian town has faced as bleak a service; Los Angeles Times service; AP, (USA) 2 situation as Gorazde, where 50,000 people – most Muslims, August 1992 ( in English). 23,000 of them refugees from previous Serbian attacks elsewhere in eastern Bosnia – have been surrounded and cut off Extract: from supplies for more than three months. The Serb conquerers of northern Bosnia have established two Amateur radio operators who have been the only link with the concentration camps in which more than 1,000 civilians have outside world say that Gorazde’s people have been eating been executed or starved and thousands more are being held grass, that 15 children a day are dying of malnutrition and until they die, according to two recently released prisoners. other diseases and that surgery has been carried out without The testimony of the two survivors appeared to be the first anesthesia. Maj. Sefer Halilovic, the Government’s military eyewitness accounts of what international human rights commander, said the Serbian forces moved columns of heavy agencies fear may be systematic slaughter conducted on a armor toward Gorazde over a 48-hour period and attacked at huge scale. dawn today from three sides. An amateur radio operator’s Bosnian Muslims and Croats say that the Serb nationalists report quoted in a Sarajevo broadcast called the situation battling the independent Bosnian government run 45 con- after a six-hour bombardment “hellish,” with much of the centration camps holding at least 70,000 people. Serbs say town burning from shells, and heavy casualties taken by the about 40,000 of their people are currently jailed in Muslim town’s defenders. Top Government officials said they doubted and Croat camps. that the defenders could last more than a day or two before An Associated Press visit to the Manjaca camp near Banja Gorazde, like every other Muslim town in eastern Bosnia, fell Luka earlier this month found the 2,300 prisoners in reason- to the Serbs. […] ably good condition. But neither the Red Cross nor journalists Major Halilovic, the army commander, said the Serbian units have been permitted to visit most of the camps. In one con- that had converged on Gorazde included armored reinforce- centration camp, a former iron-mining complex at Omarska in ments from a Yugoslav Army corps based at Uzice, in south- northwest Bosnia, more than 1,000 Muslim and Croat civil- western Serbia. Uzice has been a staging post by the Serbian ians were held in metal cages, without sanitation, adequate paramilitary groups that have been responsible for many food, exercise or access to the outside world, according to a attacks in the Drina River valley. Major Halilovic said intelli- former prisoner who asked to be identified only as “Meho.” gence reports from the Gorazde area indicated that the para- The prisoners at the camp, he said, include the entire political military forces, including a widely feared group, the White and cultural elite of the city of Prijedor. Armed Serbian guards Eagles, had been involved there.[…] Accounts from wit- executed prisoners in groups of 10 to 15 every few days, he nesses have told of the paramilitary groups’ torturing and said. “They would take them to a nearby lake. You’d hear a killing thousands of Muslims in the drive to “cleanse” the volley of rifles. And they’d never come back,” said Meho. region for exclusive Serbian habitation. “I think if these places are not death camps, we might have At dusk tonight, Gorazde was said to be facing 40 Serbian access to them,” said Pierre Andre Conod, head of the tanks, 40 mobile anti-aircraft guns and an array of multiple- International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in rocket launchers, as well as thousands of fighters. It now Zagreb, which oversees conditions in northern Bosnia. seems likely to fall like all the other Muslim towns in a “They’d have reason to show them to us if the conditions are 125-mile-long stretch of eastern Bosnia bordering Serbia. acceptable.” Captured county centers like Zvornik, Bratunac, Vlasenica, The Red Cross has gained access twice to what Bosnian Serbs Srebrenica, Visegrad, Rogatica, Cajnice and Foca are mostly have called a prisoner-of-war camp in Manjaca. Serbs, who ghost towns now, with their Muslim populations either dead, claim the Bosnian region as their own, describe the policy of in one of the detention camps where 100,000 Muslims are expelling Muslims and Roman Catholic Croats as ethnic said to be held, or among the tide of refugees. Many of the cleansing; reports by the two survivors suggest that this is a refugees reach Sarajevo, bringing with them accounts of euphemism for a campaign of atrocity and brutal deportation fresh atrocities. Last month, two trucks from the French at best. What is involved is nothing less than the expulsion group Doctors Without Borders tried to reach Gorazde. They of non-Serbs from regions of Bosnia that are contiguous to were turned back by Serbian commanders. Serbia and Serbian-occupied areas of Croatia. The testimony to the practice is widespread and poignant. In some places, refugees say, posters urged non-Serbs to leave. In other places attacks came with no warning – just raids, arson and executions. In cities like Sarajevo, Tuzla, Goradze, For months, information had been circulating about Bihac and Mostar, the Serb forces laid siege with mortar and 52 the existence of concentration camps where Bosnian artillery shelling. With such tactics they were able to drive humanitarian aidorganisations tothedetentioncamps. and medicines within Bosnia and demanded access for force if necessary to secure the safe delivery of foodstuffs adopted theresolution n°770authorisingtheuseof On 13August, theUnitedNationsSecurity Council ference onBosnian refugees. lished last week in Geneva in conjunction with a special con- animals,” the commission said inanemergency report pub- day. We givethem no food and no water. They willstarvelike There is sun and rain, cold nights, and beatings two times a “We won’twasteourbullets onthem. They haveno roof. the prisoners atOmarska byexposing them tothe elements. as telling a U.N. monitor that the authorities planned to kill sioner for refugees issued a report quoting a guard at Omarska that area uphere.” […]Lastweek,the U.N.high commis- to anarea around Sarajevo, and move 150,000Serbsfrom to clearthe Muslims out of the Bosanska Krajina, move them simply introduced ustoitastheir goal. They said they want the Norwegian head of the area’s U.N. observer force. “They are very straightforward about it,” said Major Helge Ringdal, the Bosanska Krajina –and replace them withSerbs. “They of the population of northwestern Bosnia –anarea known as 300,000 Muslim Bosnians who composemore than80percent Serbs havemade their aimclear:They want torelocate According tolocalofficials and United Nations observers, the burned. equally brutal,withmen shot and maimed, houses and barns ties, the terror hasreportedly beenlesstechnological but out 90,000of Mostar’s 120,000people. Insmaller communi- Herzegovina, although officials saycontingency planning is authorization tosend military forces into Bosnia and announced any plans tomake useof the SecurityCouncil’s So far, the United Statesand itsEuropean allies havenot under wayinthe former Yugoslav republic. with the United Nations” and not atending the civilwar must beaimed atspeeding updelivery of aid “incoordination such military action, although it makes clear that any force action. The resolution does not saywhich countries may take Persian Gulf warand which isunderstood to include military through – a phrase similar to that used to authorize the “all necessary measures” to assure that relief supplies get India and Zimbabweabstaining, sayscountries may now take supported by12of the Council’s 15members, withChina, and other partsof Bosnia and Herzegovina. The resolution, that supplies of food and medicine reach civilians inSarajevo today toallowthe useof militaryforce ifnecessary toinsure The United Nations Security Council voted overwhelmingly Extract: English). The New York Times (USA), 14 August 1992 (in support force inassisting Bosnia’ byPaul Lewis, ‘Conflict inthe Balkans; U.Ncouncil votesto come out.” come out.” state gointoSarajevo andapresident of theRedCross tarian visit’toSarajevo inJune:“We witnessedaheadof France, fiercely criticisedtheFrench president’s ‘humani- In thepublicdebate, Rony Brauman, president of MSF regime anditsethniccleansingpolicy. tentionally playing intothehands of theBosnian Serb operations andwhatsomepeoplesawastheriskof unin- tarian alibidilemmacontinued.MSFquestioneditsown Within theMSFmovement, thedebateabouthumani - found inwestern countries]despitethedestruction.” because the“medicalpotential[was] comparable to[that to work in thecampswhichwere, atthattime, open, potential interventions. However, MSF France decided not Bosnia toassessthesituationinthesecampsandidentify two members of MSFFrance’s Board of Directors, visited On lateAugust, aninternationalMSFteam,including inmates receive “adequate food, shelter and medical care.” detention centers inBosnia and Herzegovina and that “unimpeded and continuous access”toallprisoncampsand Cross and other aid organizations immediately begiven And itdemands thatthe International Committeeof the Red bers of the Western European Union. natively topermitjoint action bythe NATO powersormem- coalition similar to that which fought the gulf war, or alter guage thatwouldallowthe formation of anAmerican-led ally orthrough regional agencies and arrangements” –lan- says countries may take such militaryaction either “nation- Yugoslavia killedaproducer for ABCNews. The new resolution firing on a convoy carrying Prime Minister Milan Panic of The dangers became ever more apparent today when snipers warn couldprove adifficultand dangerous operation. are reluctant tocommitground forces towhatmany experts under way. And allthese countries havemade clearthatthey do not present any specific pathologies calling for a medical tion carried outbyWHO, Esmeralda explains thatthe people In response toaquestion from the assemblyonthe evalua- that thiskind of intervention inBosnia wouldcause. endorse ethnic cleansing and the serious securityproblems Questions are raised aboutthe ethical risksof being seento run the riskof being instrumentalised. Esmeralda thinksthatbyworking inthese camps, MSF would camps are now opentojournalists and aid organisations. to whatwasalready known, especially assome of these be taking place. They feltthattheir visitcouldadd nothing the campswhere the poortreatment wassaid bythe press to Guy [Hermet] and Esmeralda [Luciolli] didn’t actually go to Extract: August 1992(inFrench). Minutes of MSF France’s board meeting on28 -

53 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

intervention, but they’re beginning to get fed up with being returning to Former Yugoslavia means being willing to main- the subject of exploratory missions that can’t tell us any more tain a continuous presence – and not just when it is in the than we already know. media spotlight - and carrying out the sort of interventions Frédéric Laffont doesn’t understand why MSF has kept silent we don’t usually implement. about the situation in Yugoslavia over the last few months and on the humanitarian aid issue in general. Rony Brauman feels that, with the Yugoslavian crisis, humanitarian aid has met its limits. In this particular case, he sees ‘The aid worker, I tell you, or the suitcase, the remaining silent as being the right approach as it leaves us coffin and the ambulance,’ Rony Brauman, presi- time for serious reflection into the events and stops us falling dent of MSF France, Télérama (France), 9 Sep- into the trap of using humanitarian aid for partisan tember 1992 (in French). purposes. Born in 1989, in the ruins of the Berlin wall, the New World Order will have lived and died like roses in the spring, blos- soming in the mountains of Kurdistan and cut down by ‘Former Yugoslavia: the waste,’ Guy Hermet, Serbian artillery in Vukovar, Ossijek and Sarajevo, in plain member of the Board of Directors Esmeralda Lu- sight of an international community mesmerised but other- ciolli, programme manager for MSF France, Mes- wise untroubled by the contrast between its virtuous state- sages (MSF France’s in-house newsletter, also ments of yesterday and its cynicism of today. distributed to 100 journalists) n°53 September For the invaded Kuwait and its oil wells, the aggressor was 1992 (in French). struck down by the Sword of Justice. But for dismembered Bosnia and its picturesque mosques, there has only been a Extract: “Biscuits and IV Storm”. For one, the strong arm of justice, for We did another exploratory mission in Yugoslavia to see how the other, pity and humanitarian aid. the general situation had developed, identify any problems Well, we will say, systems change, the world moves on, but with the management of refugees and gather information on war and lies remain. There’s nothing very new about that, the detention camps. This mission, conducted jointly with a except for those who had been naïve enough to believe that member of MSF Holland’s Board of Directors and the field the end of the cold war meant that war of any kind would be teams, took us to Croatia and Serbia. We met a lot of man- relegated to the history books. And after all, we will add, agers (HCR, UNPROFOR and health managers), refugees and humanitarian aid is the daughter of violence, flowering on its journalists and visited some refugee camps. As far as the ruins. So let’s just swallow our indignation of circumstance reception of the refugees is concerned, both Croatia and and carry on. Which is exactly what Médecins Sans Frontières Serbia have healthcare provision capabilities similar to our is doing: carrying on with its action in the field. own. More than 95% of refugees are living with host families. Except that there is, in fact, something new under the sun of The rare camps are well organised and provide perfectly sat- old Europe, and it concerns not only humanitarian ‘activists’, isfactory basic services. The only problem is the lack of finan- but the citizens we all are – or should be. I’m referring to the cial resources, especially for providing accommodation over role played by the ‘humanitarian of state’ in dealing with the winter. This type of aid does not fall within the remit of conflicts. When President François Mitterrand entered a NGOs. bombed-out Sarajevo, many of us hailed the head of state’s Refugees and other sources in the camps confirm the exis- panache and courage, both physical and political. At last an tence of places of detention which, although not extermina- end to the strategy of hiding under the covers, we heard folks tion camps as has been claimed, is still unacceptable. say, especially in humanitarian organisations, after months Summary executions, ill-treatment and the arbitrary deten- of procrastinating and faint-hearted legalism. The state of tion of civilians are common practice at all stages of ethnic Bosnia-Herzegovina, already recognised by the Twelve, thus cleansing. entered de facto into international political life thanks to this From a humanitarian point of view, the dilemma is whether to visit by one elected president to another elected president. A provide assistance to a country with medical potential com- nation under attack was at last going to receive the support parable to our own, despite the destruction. of another nation, whose tradition, if not its history, aligns it And it is also whether to serve as a smoke screen for the more readily with the besieged than the attackers. political cowardice of European governments, take part in But those who hoped that the purpose of this trip was to new tourist trips of horror in the camps, put ourselves in loosen the lethal grip on the population of Sarajevo were serious physical danger in order merely to preside over uncon- rapidly disillusioned. The real agenda was to get the humani- trollable distributions of medicines or protect injured people tarian machinery working again by reopening the capital’s at risk of dying by becoming a health service for torturers and airport to allow foodstuffs and medicines to be brought in. executioners. But at the same time, the risks we run else- There was of course no doubt about the usefulness of this where are even more formidable and the humanitaro-political given the deadly siege underway, but questions about the cocktail is equally worrying. “Former Yugoslavia” also fasci- organised crime planned by the government in Belgrade and nates ‘donors’ here, yet MSF France pulled out five months executed by the so-called Yugoslavia army, the business of ago, leaving the Dutch and Belgian teams in the field. terror and systematic destruction conducted by the Serbian 54 Ignoring the albeit selective emotion is a problem. But militia, were evidently unwelcome – and unrelated to the Too long blinded by the slogan of “just struggles”, the senti- what their intentions were onmatters of Human Rights. crushed under the repression of Baghdad for ayearand ahalf, to patrol the skies of Iraq, weshould haveasked the Shi’ites, role inthe Armenian genocide. Similarly, before dashing off reminded the Kurds, under fire from Saddam Hussein, of their ‘Provide Comfort’ machinery into motion, weshould have of the GulfWar and setting the gigantic and life-saving But inthiscase, before adopting resolution 688inthe wake to useHistoryasawitness for the prosecution. the balance isnot reached eloquently enough, weare quick victims of allkinds –and tormentors –of allparties. And if cannot be divided up, a share-out is only possible between republic of Bosnia iscuttopieces. As the ideal of Good Indeed, thisiswhatwecanseetaking shapeasthe still-born everyone being tarred withthe same brush. starting position of ethnic hatred, tribalmassacres and such as these, it is hard not to find ourselvesback atthe the convoysthatare bringing them supplies. Inconditions seeking to prompt an international intervention by firing on tion is engaging in a sort of ‘ends justify the means’ strategy, tomorrow… And finally, we remark thatthe besieged popula- opened any concentration campsyet,they might welldo so engage intorture and, let’sface it,evenifthey haven’t Bosnians are far from littleangels, that they take hostages, to consolidate the position further, wediscoverthat the performance and courage –the delivering of relief. And, asif Olympic year, is quite rightly endowed with the virtues of ried off the stage and replaced byanenterprise which, inthis Thus politics barely put in an appearance before being hur- that welacked asingle IVbottle. of Sarajevo willeither die or leave, but never will it be said Under the bombsand snipers’bullets, the entire population self-destruct. kinds, unitedbythe same relentless determination to to-face between humanitarian convoys and militia of all made inthe violence and the situation isreduced toaface- focus of everybody’s attention. Again no distinctions are Act three: humanitarian aid becomes the main character, the leaders, onlyBernard Kouchner hasthe courage tospeakout. However, weshould take note of the fact that,among our campaign isunderway. Politics return tocentre stage. erately massacred. We then learn that an ethnic cleansing unbearable pictures of civilians, women and children, delib- The turning point is the bombing of Sarajevo market and the the existence of anaggressor and the victims of aggression. Act two:public opinion turns, suddenly becoming aware of tionist leanings. Thisis the infra-political phase. the spectre of the FirstWorld War todiscourage any interven- reaffirm the existence of historic alliances and we brandish brutality of another age. We refuse to name an aggressor, we only fratricidal battles, undifferentiated slaughter and the Act one: inthe eyesof the press and public opinion, there are recap. or, more precisely, itsperformance onthe French stage. Let’s And sothe curtains went uponthe third actof thisconflict continue. corridors were being built,the slaughter wouldbeallowedto Sarajevo and apresident of the RedCross come out.Whilethe reasons for thisvisit.We witnessed ahead of statego into politics and humanitarian aid. realism. Asadpicture for anyone withadifferent vision of charitable activismand draped inthe mantel of political tressing image of ourselves:thatof cowardice disguisedas ment of any attempttocontain the situation reflect adis- state founded on racial supremacy, and the clear renounce remains thatthe emergence atthe veryheart of Europe of a – hopefully temporary –of Maastricht’s Europe. The fact whereas immoderate useof the second explains the rejection of these tworegisters that wasusedtosupportthe GulfWar, ties for public debate and collectiveinitiative. It isthe first cratic: the reign of the “experts”, depriving usof opportuni- both metaphysical: rejecting the forces of Evil,and techno- tics are fading along withthem, replaced byavision thatis ideologies havedisappeared, which isno badthing. Butpoli- more ambiguous sentiment of compassion. The messianic ment of justice hasbeenlost,tobegradually replaced bythe determination would chase away the temptation of main faced withthe carnage inBosnia. We believed thatpolitical air to everyone who was outraged by Europe’s impotence François Mitterrand’s journey toSarajevo wasabreath of fresh While the Balkans were “not worththe bones of asingle abandonment. screen behind which peoplemodestly hide impotence or states into the politics of the ambulance, ithasbecome the in relation totheir ideological significance. Transformed by politically motivated: the injured were of no interest except World Order. Foratime, the morality of emergency action was which did not seemtotrouble the high priests of the New tice, a process of annexation, now foiled by the Lebanese, made Lebanon’s absorption byitsneighbour official –inprac- the shadow of the Syrian tanks, ‘elections’ were held and Three years later, encouraged byFrance and the EECand in back around 100patients –50%Christians and 50%Muslims. gunboats, hastilychanged into hospital ships, and brought with itshistorical godchild: asaresult, itsent inanumber of France decided toremind the worldof itsspecial relationship Lebanon byshelling Christian neighbourhoods inBeirut, In 1989,when Syria entered the final stage of itsconquest of Lebanon. Let’srecall whathappened. ously inthe Sarajevo basinand onthe heights of Mount But humanitarian policy has its limits, as we saw simultane useful. duly arrivedevenasthe bombardments continued, and itwas promised thatbandages were ontheir way. As promised, help stranglehold thatwasslowly killing them, and instead were tarian organisation. They were waiting tobefreed from the man they sawleavewasmore akintothe head of ahumani- full of hope, hadcheered the arrivalof ahead of state. The But we quickly became disenchanted. The people of Sarajevo, territorial conquestbasedonastrategy of racial hegemony. then, perhaps, Europe, would finally put a stop to a process of taining the status quo, we imagined that first France and Libération (France) 9September 1992(inFrench). Rony Brauman, President of MSF France, Rebonds, ‘Humanitarianism, the modern word for cowardice,’ - - -

55 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Pomeranian grenadier” for Bismarck, for François, George, ing more than concealing cowardice or an absence of political John and the others, peace at home was certainly worth the responsibility. It’s more political than that, so it’s more under- few first-aid workers who worked courageously to fulfil their hand than that, it’s done to hide something else.” In the begin- mission. But nothing more. Meanwhile, in the background, ning I was talking about humanitarian action as giving up, as the first racial state in Europe since the 3rd Reich was being a way of disguising indecision or a lack of responsibility. Later, built on our stacks of medicines and humanitarian convoys, I gradually became more and more convinced that humanitarian now that the process of ethnic cleansing – planned, action wasn’t about giving up, but a roundabout way of pursu- announced and then implemented with no real opposition ing a policy that couldn’t speak its name. Humanitarian action from a European community that had nonetheless been cre- was being used to reverse the image of a policy of support for ated, as Alain Finkielkraut tirelessly reminded people, on the Serbs so that it looked like support for the Bosnians. rejecting such practices – was almost complete. Humanitarian action, particularly military humanitarian action, The apprentice Führers and budding caudillos could already with armoured vehicles and armed men who don’t use their learn a first lesson from Lebanon and Bosnia: it was open weapons and only use their armoured vehicles to protect them- season and, provided the prey did not have any hidden oil selves, helped people believe that they were coming to help the reserves or other strategic resources in its possession, no Bosnians – whom we had put in this situation by recognising holds were barred... as long as the humanitarian convoys, the their state – when in reality they were giving the Serbs free rein. new stimulants administered via the television, were allowed That’s when I came across this neat expression from Ovid: to get through. And if they fancied the idea of camps and “governing is about making people believe”. So gradually, I said ghettos reappearing in Europe, they would not face any major to myself, “no, this idea of humanitarian action as an alibi, it’s problems provided they just let us get on with filling up the just another example of naivety. The politicians know exactly medicine cabinet and the pantry. what they’re doing: their refusal to adopt a position is a position Hannah Arendt has shown how, in always wanting to soften in itself.” the blow, in always seeking moderation and compromise, For me, MSF’s stance throughout the conflict, up to Srebrenica, political prudence – even if it calls itself realism – ultimately was entirely focused on the deceitful role that humanitarian comes down to cowardice. It is easy to understand what a sad action was playing at that point. observation this is for all those who still have a different view The idea I had in my head all the time was that it was by ques- of humanitarianism and politics: humanitarianism is gradu- tioning humanitarian action and its role that it became possible ally becoming the modern word for cowardice or to think about responsibility, to pinpoint our responsibilities abandonment. and those of other people.

Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982 - 1994, MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, It was Rony who invented the term ‘alibi’ but it has been interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). interpreted in several different ways. It meant several completely different things. At MSF France, it meant ‘States use humanitarian action as an alibi to hide the fact that they’re not doing anything else’. And when people spoke about MSF The MSF movement took some time to adopt the notion Belgium, they said, “They are abandoning humanitarian prin- of the humanitarian alibi. But after a while, it was ciples by using the obligation to be there and do something as universally accepted. It became a recurring theme, which was an alibi”. The humanitarian alibi was put forward to hide the picked up in the media and used in all situations. So it was no fact that they were dependent on the state and that they were longer a problem. I breathed a sigh of relief the day it was just going to do what the Serbs allowed them to do. And then accepted: it’s important to understand that at the time, each there was a third meaning. MSF France said that to be able to section’s communications were targeted at the media in its own engage in public humanitarian discourse, there would have to country. In France, for example, they overestimated the overall be a programme on the ground, which would serve as an alibi impact of the first-hand account, assuming that if it was picked for our position: “We, as humanitarians, are going to take up by France Inter or on the Antenne 2 news programme, then actions to justify our words. They will be alibi operations.” the whole world would know about it. I hired Anne-Marie Huby, People at home were uncomfortable. They were worried about a remarkable woman, as the press officer for the international what an “alibi operation” was. The Belgians were uncomfortable office, to focus solely on the English-speaking media. So once too, but they no longer spoke out. we had a more or less coherent message, we could jump in and take advantage of it, we could go for it. But first, we had to Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF legal advisor, establish a basic core of coherent messages within the MSF interviewed in 2015 (in French). movement.

Dr Alain Destexhe, General Secretary of MSF International from 1991 to 1994, interviewed in 2000 I played a significant part in spreading this idea and (in French). later I kicked myself for doing so, when I analysed things in more detail and when I said to myself, “It’s a new kind of 56 humanitarian naivety to think that humanitarian action is noth- certificates required. member of MSFstaffinEurope shouldprovide oneof the There was discussionaboutaproposal thatevery salaried associations requested thatthisshouldnotbeapplied. would letthementerthecountry. MSFFrance andother of accommodationfrom French residents before they ticular, demandedthattherefugees present acertificate however, were slow towelcome them.France, inpar- they would betaken inby western states. Thelatter, release theBosnianprisoners from thecamps, provided In September, theSerbianauthoritiesfinallyagreed to Thanks for attending ateleconference onthattopic. Please discussthe matter urgently inyoursection!!! welcome peoplefrom former Yugoslavia. This wouldbeastrong pressure tooblige ourgovernments to those 5,000refugees inourcountries. proposed thatMSF declares thatweare ready towelcome Following my fax thismorning, Françoise Saulnier [has]now teleconference, wecouldtake adecision. If everyone coulddiscussthe proposal indetail before the bring ittofruition. tarian solution, backed bythe logistical resources needed to policy of ethnic cleansing, and isoffering atangible humani- accepting the consequences of their refusal toopposethe sibility of European governments, which are incapable of In doing this, MSF is denouncing the cowardice and irrespon- presence. so they canenter any European countries where MSF hasa cates of accommodation toallowthe detainees toget visas all European sections of MSF should produce 5,000 certifi- discussing Françoise Saulnier’s proposal thatsalaried staffin France [the French section of MSF], for itspart,iscurrently conference for allsections today at16:00. host countries willing totake them in,there willbeatele- release of 5,000detainees inYugoslavia becausethere are no Following the fax from AlainDestexhe concerning the non- English). Sections GD and Dircoms, 30 September 1992 (in MSF International Secretary General toMSF All Urgent!’ ‘Urgent! French). ments of other sections, 26October1992(in tions Departments and Communications Depart- France Director of Communications toGDs, Opera - Urgent!’ ‘Urgent! Message from Michel Fizbin,MSF Message from AlainDestexhe, there, you can save the lives of people who are dying in prison said to them,“Instead of engaging in humanitarianactionover humanitarian alibiswithoutbacking themintoacorner. Sowe We couldn’t spend our time criticising European states for their stories andunderstandingwhat hadhappened. things in motion to seethings more clearly by hearing people’s go ifthey come toyou,” what canyoudo? We needed to set because wedon’twantthemtostay, but we’llagreetoletthem people inprison,we’retorturingthem,starvingthem When you’refaced withauthoritieswhoaresaying,“We have appalling thingwouldhavebeennottogiveintheblackmail. knew very little. It was an appalling dilemma, but the most be abletotelluswhattheyhadendured,becausewereally as wehadaccesstoevenalimitednumberof people, theywould values and so does MSF. Of course, I said to myself that as soon it wasvile, butEuropeneedstostandonthesideof human have beenimprisoned.”We knew fullwellitwasblackmailand tries torespondtheirblackmailbywelcomingpeoplewho community. Isaidtomyself“We needtoforce Europeancoun - struggle, drivenbytheSerbstoundermineEuropean Muslims, they needed to return to Turkey. This was anew power that peoplewereunabletoleave. Becausethesepeoplewere tions werepoorbecauseof overcrowding,causedbythefact According to their logic, these were transit camps, where condi- European countries, areshocked bythat,thenyoutake them!” toyed withthem,saying,“We don’twantthem: ifyou,as by theexistence of suchcampsintheheartof Europe, they quickly. lowing the board meeting sothatadecision couldbetaken The issues wouldbeexplored further during the weekfol - cleansing. over whether such action represented participation in ethnic people and their integration. Another question was raised bilities the organisation would have for the future of these mented, whatitsimplications might beand whatresponsi- A discussedensued onhow such action wouldbeimple- modation for the refugees. example bymobilising public opinion and organising accom- The question of MSF being activelyinvolvedwasraised, for agreed totake 300people. shoulder their responsibilities. The French government had position of European countries and ask that governments the other inassociation withother NGOs, todenounce the MSF hadputouttwopress releases, one initsownname and such campsduring the summer. unanimously shown their indignation aboutthe existence of willing totake them in,although westerncountries had release, they were stillbeing held becauseno countries were interned incamps:although the ICRC hadnegotiated their able and absurd situation of several thousand civilians being François Jean [MSF France Foundation] raised the unaccept- Extract: cal pressure from western states, which were scandalised Although theYugoslavianauthoritieswereunderpoliti- October 1992(inFrench). Minutes of the MSF France board meeting, 30

57 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

by taking them in, so why would you say no?” It was really people about their experiences and an epidemiological about re-establishing a tension between the states’ policies and study showed that they had survived a planned process of the obligation to think about people as human beings. eliminating Muslims from Bosnia. So I came up with the idea of accommodation certificates. First, I had to get the proposal accepted by the board, explaining that MSF therefore decided to compile their accounts in a report it was scandalous and that we needed to do something about and to publish it, denouncing the crimes against humanity it. We discussed what it would mean in political terms, what that had been perpetrated against them. these prisoners represented. On the whole, the board was enthu- siastic. And in the end, everyone agreed.

Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF legal advisor, ‘Former prisoners’ Message from the Director of interviewed in 2015 (in French). Operations and head of mission for former Yugo- slavia at MSF France to MSF Belgium and MSF Holland, 3 December 1992 (in French).

Extract: On 21 November, Rony Brauman, President of MSF France, During August 1992, the Western press revealed the exis- took part in a demonstration denouncing the “war of tence of detention camps in Bosnia, which were described in aggression by the Serbian regime against Croatia and ways that recalled a sinister past: that of the Nazi camps. The Bosnia-Herzegovina” and calling on the French govern- concept of ethnic cleansing entered the public arena, associ- ment to use all means “including the use of force” to ated with human rights violations that people believed had stop the war. been consigned to history in Europe. The ICRC quickly gained access to some of the camps, mostly in areas under Serbian control but also in areas under Bosnian and Croatian control. ‘Former Yugoslavia - A call to demonstrate in Paris The total number of prisoners was estimated at between “We won’t be able to say that we didn’t know”’ 7,000 and 10,000. As well as bringing food and blankets, the Le Monde (France) 19 November 1992 (in French). ICRC embarked on negotiations with the various parties to free the prisoners. UNHCR was able to set up a transit camp Extract: for 1,600 people in Karlovac in Croatia, which took in Bosnian A demonstration is being organised in Paris on Saturday 21 Muslims until it was full. In addition, it has made several November (at 14:00, Place du Panthéon) by a number of appeals to the international community for other countries to organisations, including the CFDT, and figures including take in the former prisoners. States have been slow to respond Cardinal Decourtray, Mr Rony Brauman (President of Médecins and the quotas most of them proposed are relatively low, Sans Frontières), members of parliament and intellectuals. which has considerably slowed down the evacuation The intention is to hold the demonstration in silence and process. carry just two banners: “ We won’t be able to say that we By 26 November, 5,309 places had been found in host coun- didn’t know” and “1991: Vukovar. 1992: Sarajevo. 1993: ?”. In tries, with a further 1,291 still needed. The reception proce- the text calling on people to demonstrate, the organisers dures are very slow: by the same date, just 831 former denounce the “war of aggression by the Serbian regime prisoners and their families had been able to be transferred against Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina” and express their abroad from Croatia. solidarity with the victims of the war, “of hunger and cold, Negotiations between the ICRC and the Serbian authorities and above all a policy of ethnic cleansing we thought could have been deadlocked for several days and transfers from no longer happen in Europe”. Challenging any policy that Bosnia to Croatia are at a standstill. The camp in Karlovac has “ratifies what has taken place”, they are also calling on the gradually emptied and the detainees who had attracted the French government and the European Community to “use all attention of the whole world for a while are still in prison, to means, including the use of force if necessary, to bring an end widespread indifference. to the war, maintain the integrity of internationally recog- The total of around 6,600 people, mainly civilians who have nised states, ensure respect for human rights and thus limit become undesirables in their own country, is based purely on the risks of the conflict spreading”. the count carried out by the ICRC since the start of its intervention. There is a risk that this number will rise quickly for several reasons including the fact that the ICRC has not yet had access to all the camps and has therefore not been able In the end, the French government agreed to accept 5,000 to count all the prisoners. Moreover, some camps adminis- Bosnian asylum seekers. tered by the Serbs, whose detainees had been evacuated by the ICRC, are alleged to be filling up again. At the end of November, MSF France sent a team of doctors Other factors may also bring the figure down: detention con- and psychologists to provide health care for former ditions remain precarious, in spite of the ICRC’s intervention, Bosnian prisoners and their families, who had been given and there is a significant risk that the onset of winter will 58 shelter in centres in Saint-Etienne. Interviews with these increase mortality in the camps. Moreover, negotiations are Thank youinadvance of the report assoonpossible. We wouldbegrateful for yourresponse onthe dissemination cerning the release of detainees. of negotiations withthe ICRC and the Serbauthorities con- the security of MSF teams on the ground, and on the progress respect wehavealsodiscussed the possiblerepercussions for cannot, of course, assessallthe consequences and inthis We would now like to know your views on our approach. We and thatothers willshare ourindignation. become just one more report about human rights violations course of events inBosnia. Letushope thatitdoes not We hope thatitwillresonate sufficiently toinfluence the conference. France and Europe and then made public atapress will bedisseminated next week to various key figures in A report of allthese accounts iscurrently being produced; it with allthe gravity itdeserves. tion and aduty tobearwitness toanintolerable situation accounts carryasignificant weight: wehavea moral obliga- We wanted toknow and they hid nothing from us. These ture, deportation and psychological terror. executions of entire groups of civilians, organised rapes, tor- atic destruction of villages and cultural monuments, tothe out inBosnia asthey were described tous:from the system- quate tocharacterise allthe human rights violations carried cleansing’ isnow commonplace inthe media, butisinade- of eliminating Muslims from Bosnia. The term‘ethnic described asthe survivorsof amethodical, planned process growing sense of unease. These families couldonlybe seen orsuffered. As their tongues loosened, the team felt a hope: the chance tobear witness tothe atrocities they had pate exceeded our expectations. Our approach was their last The welcome they offered usand their willingness to partici- logical questionnaire. tion and detention, using interviews guided by an epidemio- from 60families ontheir experience during the war, separa- detention. Inaddition, wehavegathered first-hand accounts chological consequences suffered bythese men during their interpreters. The aimof the mission wastoevaluate the psy- doctors, including one psychiatrist, accompanied byBosnian to acentre inSaint Etienne. We havesent ateamof three 76 former prisoners, were welcomed by the French authorities On 16November, aninitial contingent of 266peopleincluding national press, around the theme of ‘Populations inDanger’. Muslims ininterviews withvarious political figures and inthe days, wehavebeenabletodiscussthe fate of the Bosnian who are facing death and bring them toFrance. In recent the emergency. The aimmust betohelp evacuate more people pressure totacklethe indifference shown bypoliticians to MSF France hasdecided totake action inthe form of media human rights. capacity the country hasavailableand itsclaims todefend their families, ameagre contingent when you consider the The French government hasdecided totake in 300 men and chip withtheir adversaries. a number of prisoners for themselves, touseasabargaining currently verydifficultand the various parties want to reserve make thereportpublic. Ithadahugeimpact. Rony said“We needtodoit” and weheldapressconferenceto to bedeportedandwhatweretheygoingdothem? you exterminate. ButwhereweretheBosnianprisonersgoing logic of terrorduringtheSecondWorld War: youdeportbefore where theyweregoingtobeput,whichremindedmeof the used toterroriseandconvincepeopleleavewithoutknowing industrial process, adivisionof labour andasetof methods there andyouhaveit,weneedtocleanup.”Thiswasan can’t stayhere, sogetintotwolines, youoverhere, youover arrived onthepretext of re-establishingpeaceandsaid,“You militias, theysowedchaos, theymassacredandthenthe army ethnic cleansing.Itwasverysimpleandclear:theysentin had actuallysuccessfullydescribedtheindustrialmachineryof This wasn’tabouthumanitarianpathosorpoliticalwaffle;we constructed acollectivenarrativefromtheirindividualstories. instead of leavingthemscattered,weputalltogetherand Trnopolje. So we took all the separate pieces of the jigsaw and had escapedfromthecampsin Omarska, Keraterm and whole storyof theregionfromwhatweheardpeoplewho whole thingfromthefragmentstheyshared.We couldtellthe of separatestoriescouldbeputtogether. We couldrecreatethe Each of themhadlivedadifferentadventureandallthesebits been separatedinthecampswhenvillageswereattacked. And thatwaswhenwerealisedthemenandwomenhad happened tothem.Sowebriefedalltheformer prisoners. people comingoutof detentionandtalkingaboutwhat had It wasthefirsttimewehaddoneapsychologicaldebrief of them clearinformation abouttheirrightsinFrance. nothing abouttheirrefugeestatus, soitwasimportanttogive universal jurisdictionandcouldfileaclaiminFrance. Theyknew if they had been tortured, they would meet the criteria for carried outanevaluationof alltherefugees. We toldthemthat who got into the centres without any great problems, and We organisedteamsof psychiatrists, doctorsandtranslators, terror ... other terms. With thehelpof psychiatrists we played alittle potentially explosive inepidemiological,psychological and We didn’t know what state they would be in: the situation was people weregoingtoarrivestraightfromconcentrationcamps. of theirimmediatemedicalandpsychologicalneeds:these We suggested to the French authorities that we should take care how theyaretreated whentheyarriveandwhat needstobe we givetothepublic authorities, thestateand theregionson or less chronological fashion. The other aspect is the feedback reports. We have been able to piece events together in a more which we will gradually put together to produce a number of sions. There is a psychological aspect and a collection of stories, they fillthem.Withsome of them,wehavemoreopendiscus - aren’t intrusive:wejustgivethemblanksheetsof paperand France haddecidedtoaccept500migrants. We didn’t need the accommodation certificates since gist andlistentothefamilies tellustheirstories. We We sitdowninthereception centres withthepsycholo- Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF legaladvisor, interviewed in2000(inFrench).

59 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

done. So the reports operate on two levels: one is about their United Nations and the Council of Europe. For the first time, accounts and the other about advising how they should be it demonstrates the working out of a systematic plan of exter- treated in France. mination in a specific region. This report compiles minute and continuous information on ethnic cleansing as it was Pierre Salignon, Deputy Programme Manager, MSF applied, from 24 May to 1 October, in the town of Kozarac and France, in charge of programmes in the former Yugoslavia, the surrounding villages (with a former population of 1992-1996, Interviewed in 2015 (in French). 25,000), as well as in four detention camps in the region. For the first time this investigation presents more than a collection of first-hand witness reports. MSF has checked and double-checked this evidence which now clearly points to a calculated crime against humanity. The most striking ele- On 8 December, after it had been presented to the French ments in all this are the following: systematic killing of the and European authorities, the report was made public at educated classes; deportation and detention of other groups a press conference, during which MSF denounced a crime of people under inhuman conditions; summary executions against humanity and demanded that the ICRC should be and indiscriminate massacres in detention camps; violence given access to all the camps, that the camps themselves against and deportation of women, children and old people should be closed and that the detainees should be freed under horrific conditions. Two months after the principle of and given asylum in European countries. the release of prisoners was secured, only a very small number of them have actually left the camps as offers of asylum by western countries are insufficient and too slow to come forward. Moreover there remain a large number of unidentified ‘Ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina: A crime camps, which the International Committee of the Red Cross against humanity,’ Press conference and presenta- (ICRC) has not been able to visit. Ethnic cleansing truly puts tion of a report by Médecins Sans Frontières on the human conscience on trial. It must be stopped at any Tuesday 8 December at 11:00, MSF France, 6 cost. Three measures must be taken urgently: December 1992 (in French). - The detainees whose release has been secured or could be soon should be given immediate asylum in a third European Dr Marie-Rosaire Bériot, lead investigator, Françoise Saulnier, country; lawyer at MSF’s International Secretariat and François Callas, - The ICRC must be granted immediate access to camps which coordinator for MSF’s mission on the Bosnian detainees will have not yet been visited or registered; present a report based on interviews with 60 former prisoners - All the camps must be closed down and detainees be freed and their families, who have been given shelter in Saint- immediately. Etienne. Their accounts help to recreate in detail the almost industrial process of ethnic cleansing that took place in the Kozarac region starting on 24 May 1992, as well as the conditions in which people were held in the Serbian camps. The ‘The president of MSF points out the ambiguity of survivors tell of mass executions and abuse suffered by humanitarian action in Bosnia and denounces the civilian populations throughout this period. Serbian crime against humanity,’ Agence France Presse, 8 December 1992 (in French).

“Humanitarian action is the contemporary form of the Munich ‘Ethnic cleansing in the Kozarac region’ Investiga- spirit”, said Dr Rony Brauman, president of Médecins Sans tion based on information from 60 Bosnian ex- Frontières (MSF) and one of the leading architects of chari- detainees and their families now in France (Saint table action on Tuesday, at the same time denouncing what Etienne), MSF France report, 7 December 1992 he sees as a crime against humanity committed by the Serbs (in English). in Bosnia. The MSF president, who has condemned the “ambiguity” of Extract: humanitarian action in the former Yugoslavia, was presenting Ethnic Cleansing In Bosnia: Serbian Leaders guilty of a crime a report from his organisation at a press conference in Paris, against humanity which aimed to show that the “barbaric acts committed by This report, compiled by Médecins Sans Frontières from inter- the Serbs in Bosnia represented not only mass violations of views with Bosnian ex-detainees from Serbian internment human rights or war crimes, but a crime against humanity.” camps who are now in France, reveals that the violence com- “We are reaching out to people whose fate has already been mitted by Bosnian Serbs does not amount to a long series of sealed. Our actions are taking place against the backdrop of human rights violations or war crimes but rather to a crime a process of annihilation of a group of human beings,” added against humanity. A crime against humanity is defined by Brauman, describing the impotence and limitations of assassination, extermination, slavery, deportation and any humanitarian action while condemning “the cowardice of other inhuman act committed against a civilian population. Europe” and its “monstrous abandonment”. This investigation not only completes and confirms the over- The MSF report is the result of an investigation carried out by 60 whelming evidence collected by Amnesty International, the three of its doctors, including one psychiatrist, with 60 there released. tified; and allthe campsmust beclosedand the peopleheld camps thatare either inaccessible orhavenot yetbeeniden- European countries; the ICRC must beabletoaccessallthe who have been or can be released need to be given asylum in sory incomparisonwiththe horror of the challenge”. Prisoners must beimplemented asaminimum, “even ifthey are deri- done toputanend toit,” MSF points outthatthree measures lenge tothe human conscience and thateverything must be Believing that“thisprocess of ethnic cleansing isareal chal- populations”. tion, and other inhumane actscommittedagainst civilian trials, namely “murder, extermination, enslavement, deporta - of acrime against humanity established atthe Nuremberg For MSF, thissuccession of horrors falls under the definition in cattlewagons of women, children and elderly people. criminate massacres inthe detention camps, and deportations population, torture, rapes, summary executions and indis detention in inhumane conditions for other sections of the ures (teachers, lawyersand political leaders), deportation and include stories of systematic assassinations of key localfig short film,are damning for the Serbian authorities, and Their accounts, some of which were shown tothe press ina quered bythe Serbs. Kozarac region tothe north-west of Sarajevo, which wascon- cleansing thattookplacefrom 24May to1Octoberinthe Etienne, who witnessed atfirsthand the process of ethnic former Bosnian prisoners now being givenshelter inSaint- and devoidof content. then thewholenotionof humanitarianismbecomescorrupted makes sense. But if Europe’s response is humanitarian action, crime againsthumanityoccursinEurope, humanitarianaction raped for whattheywere. We supportedtheideathatwhena there werepeoplewhohadbeenattacked, deported,killedand that crimes against humanity had been committed, i.e. that cleansing, againsttheideaitself.Sowedenouncedfact being againstethniccleansingbuttheconceptof ethnic and it’s essentialnottogettiedupinit.Itisamatterof are onthesideof purityorimpurity. It’s aridiculousproblem, cleansing asafact. Andatthat point,youneedtodecideif inverted commas;ifnot,youendorsetheexistence of ethnic purity. Whenyousay‘ethniccleansing’needtoputin it wassomethingreal,asiftheresuchathingethnic made of thereport,whichreferredtoethniccleansingasthough complex philosophicalproblem.Itwasoneof thecriticismsI using theexpression withoutinvertedcommas. Itwasarather tal strategicproject.Theonlyproblem with ethniccleansingwas about it:theSerbsthemselveswereclaimingitasafundamen- ing was a given. There was nothing more we needed to know tuted acrimeagainsthumanity.To anextent, theethnic cleans- entirely notonethniccleansingbutdescribingwhatconsti- Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982-1994, MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, the reportFrançoisehadheadedup,whichfocused The twoof usheldapressconferencefor thereleaseof interviewed in 2000and 2015(inFrench). - - to avoid losingtimeduringnegotiationsover safeareas. MSF Holland,calledinsteadfor alarge-scale intervention who neededit.JacquesdeMilliano,Director-general of the displacedpersons, aidcouldnotbeprovided tothose without a militaryintervention creating safe areas for paper notedthat,according tomostof theorganisations, for contributions for the displaced persons of Bosnia. The organisations, including MSF, were launching an appeal Dutch newspaper, Trouw The daythereport was published(8December),the on armed protection of safehavens wouldtake toolong. the placeswhere itisneeded. He feelsfurther negotiations tion tobethe onlyeffectivemeans of ensuring aid reaches Director J.de Milliano believes large-scale military interven- By contrast, MSF favours far-reaching armed operations. ment isinevitable. are no longer effectiveand thatuseof the militaryinstru- churches haveestablished, “withregret,” thatother means Oecumenische Hulp(‘Inter-Faith Aid Foundation’) said that support asteptoofar. Aspokesperson for Stichting Some organisations already consider the current cryfor armed explains. effective with the approval of the local authorities,” Cense out-of-control battlegroups intheir region. Aid canbecome Local leaders need tocontain orregain control of the many “Otherwise itwillnot really help aid workers much atall. the warring parties concerned. makes sense, provided agreements are made inadvance with tion of safeneutral zones innorthern and central Bosnia workers take the same line asthe RedCross: militaryprotec- of force thatcouldbenefit the aid effort, however. Most aid The participating organisations do not allagree on the degree Vluchteling and Terres des Hommes. […] in Nood, Stichting Oecumenische Hulp, Unicef, Stichting Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Memisa, Mensen placed persons in Bosnia is being set up by the Netherlands The national appealinaid of the estimated 800,000dis- yesterday. […] Bosnia-Herzegovina. Thiswasthe key message of their appeal to usemilitaryforce tocreate safehavens for refugees in the affectedareas ifthe international community isprepared Aid workers will only be able to provide much-needed aid in ther militaryintervention informer Yugoslavia. […] Somalia, Dutchaid organisations haveagaincalled for fur- On the eveof their national appealfor Yugoslavia and Extract: 1992 (inDutch). need it,’ Trouw necessary otherwise aid willnot reach those who ‘Aid organisations: Intervention in Bosnia is (The Netherlands), 8December , announcedthatDutchaid

61 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

“Winter is fast approaching and would be here and gone given refuge in France, Médecins Sans Frontières has decided again by the time any agreement is reached. We’d be here to launch a public awareness campaign about the crime again in six months’ time.” MSF believes ‘holding a knife to against humanity currently being committed in Bosnia. the throats of Serbians’ to be the only way of getting aid to The campaign consists of a series of seven TV and radio ads the Muslim population of Bosnia. and a print ad, featuring the stories of former prisoners held in the concentration camps with a single message: “Today, in The MSF position does not indicate a major difference of Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Serbs are committing a crime opinion within the club of aid organisations, Cense hastens against humanity. Now, we won’t be able to say that we didn’t to explain. “Médecins Sans Frontières simply doesn’t have the know.” long experience as the Red Cross in settling such long-term We are confident that you understand the urgency and impor- problems.” tance of this campaign and are therefore asking you to broadcast the ads on your radio network. Thank you in advance for your valued cooperation. Yours faithfully, Michel Fiszbin Following the press conference, MSF France launched a Director of Communications campaign to raise awareness among the French public. Video clips telling the stories of the former prisoners were produced, accompanied by a message describing what had happened to them as a crime against humanity. Unfortunately, they were shown just after the Christmas Forum: the humanitarian mandate and accusatory and New Year festivities and not often enough to leave accounts Contact no.9 (MSF Belgium internal a lasting impression. newsletter) April 1993 (in French).

Above all, they were shown at the same time as Médecins Extract: du Monde France launched a campaign comparing the This text is taken from the minutes of 8 February 1993, to Serbian leader Milosevic to Hitler. which some French colleagues (from MSF France) were invited in order to take part in a discussion on the question of first- The perception of both campaigns got confused, and MSF’s hand accounts, looking at the case of the recent events in relationships in the field with the Serbian authorities Yugoslavia, whose historical context is explained in the same deteriorated. V4 V5 V6 text. What do you think? Rony Brauman, President of MSF France, shares his views on Within the MSF movement, the French section was criti- accusatory accounts following the campaign that denounced cised for the stance it had taken, particularly for the lack ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia. of communication beforehand with the other sections The aim of the meeting was to give MSF France the opportu- concerned. Some even commented that the French section nity to explain the process it had gone through in preparing was less worried about endangering the teams in the field the report. because it had no operations in the former Yugoslavia. Rony began by emphasising that MSF France’s position in Similarly, there were questions about the ease of carrying relation to other sections always had to be interpreted out the investigations in France rather than where it had through the specific lens of French politics, through Kouchner actually happened. and through their “outburst”. In Rony’s opinion, there were three kinds of accounts: More generally, questions were raised about whether it 1/ Accounts used for raising awareness on a purely humani- was legitimate for MSF to gather this kind of evidence, as tarian basis, as in Somalia. an area of activity that belonged more naturally to human 2/ Detailed accounts of certain more complex problems, such rights organisations. as the position of UN peacekeepers in Somalia. This type of work generally did not cause any problems for the teams. MSF France argued that publishing the report was part of 3/ Accusatory accounts, as in the former Yugoslavia or Sudan. operational activity, based in France, concerning the These denounced the crimes against humanity committed by former Yugoslavia. certain parties. By definition, a first-hand account is one- sided. It comes about through choice, reflecting an analysis of the gravity of the situation. This is the case in the former Yugoslavia Letter sent to French television channels by the First, Rony commented that the campaign was not a call for Communications Director of MSF France, 31 De- military intervention. cember 1992 (in French). V7 Secondly, it was important to put accounts of this kind into context: Dear Sir or Madam, There had been numerous articles in October denouncing the Following the publication of a report outlining the investiga- humanitarian alibi in the former Yugoslavia. Slightly later, 62 tion carried out with former Bosnian prisoners who have been the ICRC had published its statements on the refugees from would therefore beusefultoestablishsome clearrules. that there wasariskof thiskind of situation recurring and it It wasdifficultto go backwards. Everyone agreed, however, could do? media-focused? Weren’t wereaching the limitsof whatwe kind of interview inFrance thaninBosnia? Wasn’t itabittoo it easier for peopletoexpress themselves and carryoutthis country, wecouldhavegathered the same accounts? Wasn’t Didn’t we think that if Serbian refugees had come to our to go infuture, weneeded toequipourselvesappropriately. But wasthatreally ourmandate? Ifitwaswhere wewanted gathering people’s stories and in human rights campaigns. It seemed thatMSF wasbecoming increasingly involvedin cation between sections and onthe relevance of such actions. relation togathering the accounts, onthe lackof communi- on why action had beentaken unilaterally, onMSF’s role in from board members and the public. These focused primarily The long discussion that followed was guided by questions not operationally involvedinthe former Yugoslavia. refugees coming toFrance and the fact thatMSF France was The report alsoneeded tobeseeninthe French context of well. ment. It wasnot until January thatthey learned allwasnot from other sections, they believed they hadgeneral agree- And yetitdid. Since MSF France hadnot seenany red flags create amedia storm. sent into Somalia, soatno point hadthey believed itwould presentation of the report coincided withthe Marines being But ithadbeenimportant to actquickly. Furthermore, the derstanding betweensections atthatpoint... in Brusselsand Amsterdam; perhapsthere hadbeenamisun- gramme in the form of areport. It had presented the report MSF France hadtherefore launched apublic information pro- fused withwarcrimes). time todenounce crimes against humanity (not tobecon- the point where MSF could not keep them a secret. It was ment. The accounts thatcame outof itwere staggering, to was sent into talk tothem and carry outawelfare assess When the firstcontingent of refugees arrived, a medical team asylum. Banja Luka tolaunch acampaign tosupportthe right to The campaign had relativelylittleimpacton MSF, notonly were, wealways gotapositiveresponse. to callhimandseeifyou’retelling thetruth”. Andbecausewe used tosay, “OK,mycousinworks atthathospital,I’m going supplies”. Itwentdownverywell.Theguys atthecheckpoints could say, “Guys, we’re not heretospy, we’rejustdistributing photocopies of receiptsof distributiontohospitals andthey people drivingcarsintoBosniaandevenSerbiacouldpresent we doisdistributesupplies.” Ievenarrangedthingssothat ourselves, wesaid,“We’re MSF, notMÉDECINSDUMONDE. What to dealwiththatfor afewmonths. Every timeweintroduced point of view, MDMandMSFwereonethesame. Sowehad Milosevic withHitler. TheSerbsweren’tatallhappy.Fromtheir because itcoincidedwiththeMDMcampaigncomparing principle. Butitcreatedsomeunbelievableheadaches, I didn’thaveanythingagainstitasastatement of - channels. ads wereonlybroadcastonceortwiceononetwoFrench because itwaseclipsedbytheMDMonebutalso and measurehowserioustheyare. arrival of aconvoyfor threedays. You havetoweighthingsup it wasn’tgoingtogooff! Similarlyifitmeantholdingupthe ing powderedmilkfor afewhours, thatwasn’tallserious: but “not happy” in what way? If it meant delaying a lorry carry- of theirteams. TheSerbsweren’tgoingtobehappy.Obviously, The Belgians, who were in Belgrade, were afraid for the security country. outside it.” So that gives us permission to speak in that we can carry out campaigns about a country even if we’re about that.Andwesaidtoourselves, “At theendof theday, actually realhumanitarianaction.Therewasn’tmuchargument psychological support, the information about their rights... reception process, thedebrief,medicalscreening, a ‘human rights’ story but an account of a real operation: the refugees toldus.” Andthen,weclaimedthefact thatitwasn’t didn’t make thisup.Thisisserious:it’s basedonwhatthe about themandannoyus.” Ourresponsetothemwas, “We French havecomeupwithanotherthingtogetpeople talking I wasobviously questioned aboutthis. Ididn’t wanttomake a from Milosevicto Hitler.’ cleansing is the antechamber to genocide, so it’s only a step political mobilisation,whichwas basedonathemeof ’ethnic ethnic cleansingandareally significant level of socialand And inFrance, atthe time, there were committees against anti-totalitarianism. the same. We stillhadacommonfoundation of akindof ‘bistro’ ing each other. The underlying politics or political ideology were same wayasMDM’s. We wereallcaughtupinaprocessof outdo - couldn’t denythatthepathMSFhadopenedupledexactly the campaign soundedratherlike acalltoorder. Becauseyoureally had tuberculosis. In short, this whole counter-propaganda was apparentlyleavingacamp.Infact hewasn’tstarving, ing MilosevicandHitler, withthephotoof astarvingmanwho had created and condensed into a kind of caricature by compar want to cross. So we were caught in a contradiction that MDM Milosevic withHitlerwasasymbolic threshold that MSFdidn’t your mentalframeworkovernight.Butfromthattocomparing 1990s, therewasnolongeracoldwar, butyoudon’tjustchange invested somuchof myselfinthroughoutthe1980s. Inthe October 1991-August 1993,Interviewed in2000,2015, tions. TheBelgiansweresaying,“Thereyougo,the We hadsomefairly hard-hittingdiscussionsandnegotia- clear way, alignedwiththeanti-totalitarianideasIhad All of this, toanextent throughinertiabutalsoinavery Dr Eric Dachy, MSF general coordinator inBelgrad, Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF legaladvisor, interviewed in2015(inFrench). (in French) -

63 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

bad blow to MDM, but rather keep my distance from them. It ‘The UN decides to create an international criminal was enough to say, “No, that’s not what we do, we wouldn’t tribunal to judge those responsible for war crimes have put up posters of Hitler in Paris.” in the former Yugoslavia - Security Council Resolu- tion 808,’ Le Monde (France) 24 February 1993 Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982 - 1994, (in French). MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). Extract: The Security Council, “Recalling paragraph 10 of its resolution 764 (1992) of 13 July 1992, in which it reaffirmed that all parties are bound to comply with the obligations under Meanwhile, MSF Belgium continued to communicate about international humanitarian law and in particular the Geneva its assistance programmes for refugees and displaced Conventions of 12 August 1949, and that persons who commit persons, funded by the European Community. or order the commission of grave breaches of the Conventions are individually responsible in respect of such breaches, Recalling also its resolution 771 (1992) of 13 August 1992, in which, inter alia, it demanded that all parties and others ‘Important actions by MSF,’ Le Soir/BELGA (Bel- concerned in the former Yugoslavia, and all military forces in gium) 15 January 1993 (in French). Bosnia and Herzegovina, immediately cease and desist from all breaches of international humanitarian law, Recalling fur- Médecins Sans Frontières has embarked on its largest pro- ther its resolution 780 (1992) of 6 October 1992, in which it gramme of logistical and medical assistance since the exodus requested the Secretary-General to establish, as a matter of of the Iraqi Kurds in 1991 to support refugees from the former urgency, an impartial Commission of Experts to examine and Yugoslavia, organising a series of operations costing a total analyse the information submitted pursuant to resolutions of 346 million Belgian francs [8.6 million euros]. 771 (1992) and 780 (1992), together with such further infor- The main focus of the operation is getting emergency aid to mation as the Commission of Experts may obtain, with a view displaced persons and refugees from Bosnia. The cost of 5.9 to providing the Secretary-General with its conclusions on million ecus [idem in euros] is being funded by the European the evidence of grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions Community. and other violations of international humanitarian law com- MSF plans to supply Bosnian towns that have been besieged mitted in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, Expressing (Tuzla, Srebrenica and Gorazde) with medicines and other once again its grave alarm at continuing reports of wide- basic necessities as soon as the security conditions allow. spread violations of international humanitarian law occurring Funding for the operation has been provided by Sweden, to within the territory of the former Yugoslavia, including the amount of approximately 17.5 million Belgian francs reports of mass killings and the continuance of the practice [421 420 euros]. of ethnic cleansing, Over 1,000 tonnes of goods (food, blankets, sleeping bags, “Determining that this situation constitutes a threat to inter- hygiene products and medical equipment) have already been national peace and security, sent to Bosnia by lorry or boat, via Split and Metkovic (in “1. Decides that an international tribunal shall be established Croatia) and Belgrade. Several dozen more lorries are set to for the prosecution of persons responsible for serious viola- head off in the coming weeks. tions of international humanitarian law committed in the ter- MSF will build a camp of prefabricated houses for refugees ritory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991. “ fleeing from conflict zones, at the request of the UN High “2. Requests the Secretary-General to submit for consider- Commissioner for Refugees. The camp in Livno (in south- ation by the Council at the earliest possible date, and if pos- western Bosnia) will be able to house 2,500 people. The sible no later than 60 days after the adoption of the present European Community will fund the entire cost of building 125 resolution, a report on all aspects of this matter, including houses, providing 1.6 million ecus (around 64 million Belgian specific proposals and where appropriate options for the francs). effective and expeditious implementation of the decision.” In addition, the humanitarian organisation will soon be launching an operation in Kosovo (costing 32 million Belgian francs [793 000 euros]) with the aim of reorganising official and alternative health systems to make hospitals accessible to people of Albanian extraction (90%) by establishing a permanent base with five members.

On 22 February 1993, the United Nations Security Council created the International Tribunal responsible for investigating war crimes and crimes against human- 64 ity committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia. 5. Radovan Karadzic is a doctor and psychiatrist. MSF International -http://speakingout.msf.org/eng/srebrenica MSF Speaking OutCaseStudies “MSF and Srebrenica 1993-2003”byLaurence Binet- 4. Foramore detailed study onMSF Speaking OutaboutSrebrenica, pleaseread Srebrenica, althoughitwas onlyabletostayafew hours. of medicinesandmedicalequipmentintothe enclave of a teamfrom MSFBelgiumwas finallyabletobringaconvoy sporadically. On7December, following alongnegotiation, regularly triedtoprovide helpwhich,however, onlyarrived ened astheblockade was strengthened. TheMSFteam carried outby theBosnianSerbshadtaken refuge, wors- Bosnia, where the Muslim victims of ethnic cleansing The precarious livingconditionsinthetowns ineastern I said,“Listen,guys, we’vegotauthorisationfromKaradzic.” relaxed. ButtheyrefusedtoletMSFin: “No, nohumanitarians”. because theyareallSlavs. Allatonce, theatmospherewasquite agreed. TheSerbswerecompletelycoolwiththeUkrainians Ukrainian blue helmets said, “Can we come inwith you?” I search itandthenletthrough.”Iwentthere, andthe hours inadvanceandthenwe’llbringtheconvoyin,youcan isn’t possible. Ifyousayyes, wecangiveyouthenames48 complete listof equipmenttwoweeks inadvance. Isaid,“It the vehicles’numberplates, thenamesof thevolunteers, the “It’s difficult”,buthesaid“yes”. Butthemilitary, theywanted I pileditonandhewashappy.Heagreedtoseemesaid lutely confidentthatyouareaware of yourpeople’s distress.” addressed to“MrPresident”. Isaid,“As adoctor5, Iamabso- had decidedtostopreadinglettersfromthemsincetheyweren’t which madehimveryhappy, sincetheUNcouldn’tdoit and he the BosnianSerbs],addressinghimas“DearMrPresident”, to tryitourway”. IwrotetoRadovanKaradzic [theleaderof the UNcouldn’tgetin,no-onecouldin.SoIsaid,“We need has tobenegotiatedwellinadvance. TheICRCcouldn’tgetin, over apieceof paper. Gettingaconvoythroughbitattime bringing medicines and medical equipment. for the firsttime, for afewhours, on7December1992, tion. The teamfrom Belgrade and Jean-Pierre Luxen entered A firstconvoy reached Srebrenica afterseven months of isola- Extract: wasn’t amatterof turningupintheJeepandhanding The citywasundersiege. Itwasanactivefrontline. It ENTERING THEENCLAVE French). Belgium internal newsletter) June 1993 (in ‘MSF action inSrebrenica’ Contactno. 20(MSF SREBRENICA: 4 Srebrenica. MSFinformed themedia. Zenica, but was unabletosendsuppliesintoTuzla and to supply essential equipment to displaced people in tions intheregion. For itspart,MSFBelgiummanaged relief aidintoBosnia-Herzegovina, suspendedallopera- for Refugees, admittingitsineffectiveness ingetting From 18 to 21February 1993, the UNHigh Commissioner and starving. city wasundersiege, thecrowdpanickingandpeopledirty jeep fullof surgicalequipment.That’s whenwediscoveredthe to death before he would let them in. But we went in with a more, dearcolleague!”Ontheotherhand,hepesteredUN pleasanter inothercircumstances.” And I said, “I couldn’tagree pleasure toseeyou,eventhoughitwouldundoubtedlybe his littlethree-minutespeech,“Dearcolleague, it’s alwaysa said, regally, “Of course you can come in, no problem.” He did In the end,Karadzic camein a helicopter. He recognised me and take such adecision.’’ and Ideeply regret thattheir management hasforced me to efforts havebecome the laughingstock of political leaders, interests,” Ogataannounced, adding, “Ourhumanitarian the parties were confusing humanitarian aid and political “While wewere focusing allourefforts onhelping victims, tained atareduced levelwhere activityisstillpossible. […] Sarajevo; and UNHCRoperations inBosnian regions main- ants; the suspension of humanitarian convoysand airliftsto a minimal presence inthisbesieged townof 380,000inhabit- the withdrawal of the majority of itspersonnel, maintaining trol; the suspension of allUNHCRoperations inSarajevo and immediate suspension of allaid inregions under Serbian consent by the UNHCR and blocked in Eastern Bosnia, and the 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: October 1991-August 1993,Interviewed in2000,2015, Dr Eric Dachy, MSF general coordinator inBelgrad, Monde (France), 19February 1993(inFrench). Made bythe High Commissioner for Refugees,‘ Le ‘International Aid Suspended inBosnia. Decision (in French)

65 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

‘Médecins Sans Frontières Continues its Distribu- accompanied by MSF-B teams, have finally received authori- tion Programmes in Bosnia,’ Press Release, MSF sation to move into the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica and the Belgium, 19 February 1993 (in French). town of Konjevic Polje in northeast Bosnia. An MSF team has been present in Srebrenica since 13:00 GMT to administer Médecins Sans Frontières will continue to distribute emer- first aid to the besieged inhabitants and the town’s refugee gency aid in Bosnia from its logistical bases in the former population. At the Serb checkpoints, the team was allowed to Yugoslavia. In doing so, MSF is ignoring the call, declared on bring in most of the medical equipment and drugs intended Wednesday by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, to for the relief operation. Indeed, at midday today, two MSF-B stop all humanitarianoperations in Bosnia. Although not [volunteers] reached the town of Konjevic Polje, where they deliberately distancing itself from the best intentions of the attempted to set up an aid operation. UNHCR’s announcement, which was made in recognition of the total disregard for human rights by the various parties to the conflict, Médecins Sans Frontières believes that mass efforts to aid the Bosnian civilian population are more neces- ‘The First Humanitarian Aid for the Srebrenica sary than ever. Above all, it is the inhabitants of the sealed- Enclave,’ Le Soir (Belgium), 12 March 1993 (in off towns in northern and central Bosnia that are suffering French). from the blockade forced upon them by Serbian, Croatian, and Muslim forces. The towns of Tuzla and Srebrenica in par- Extract: ticular, have been deprived of regular supplies of food, basic Yesterday, a team from Médecins Sans Frontières was suc- drugs, and fuel for the past several months. For the last fort- cessful in entering the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica, but had night, MSF’s Belgian section has managed to supply 400 to abandon most of the drugs and medical equipment they tonnes of essential items (food, blankets, etc.) to warehouses were transporting at Serb checkpoints, according to a press in Zenica (Central Bosnia). From Zenica the supplies are dis- release issued by the organisation in Brussels. tributed among Bosnian refugees and the displaced. Even The MSF team’s arrival gives some hope that a UN convoy today, an 80,000- tonne convoy carrying emergency relief traveling to this same enclave could cross Serb lines. This will reach the population of Tuzla, a Bosnian town surrounded would make it the first one to make it there since 10 December, by Serbian forces. although the besieged town did receive supplies from American airdrops. The convoy transporting 80 tonnes of relief left Belgrade in the morning and crossed the border in the afternoon. It was General Morillon himself, commander of UNPROFOR in Bosnia, In late February 1993, while the Bosnian-Serbian forces who obtained authorisation from the Serb authorities for two were launching an attack, an exploratory team from MSF light convoys to pass through, the first led by himself to the Belgium made another attempt to obtain authorisa- Muslim enclave of Srebrenica, and the second destined to tion from Serbian authorities in Bosnia-Herzegovina to evacuate injured people from the neighbouring besieged enter Srebrenica. On several occasions, it was blocked enclave of Konjevic Polje. by Bosnian- Serbian forces, which confiscated its medical supplies.

General Morillon, commander of the United Nations We were under full attack from Serb and pro-Serbian Protection Forces (UNPROFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina, forces in the region. We had tried to get back into tasked with protecting the UNHCR’s humanitarian aid Srebrenica for 10 days or so. We were blockaded in a small town, convoys, travelled to the enclave at the head of a convoy on the other side of the bridges that stretch over the Drina that was also blocked by Bosnian-Serbian forces on several [river]. Every morning, we went to try and negotiate with the occasions. Serbs and see how we could get in, among other things. And, then Morillon arrived and said, ‘Okay, I’m going to get into After a dozen days of negotiations and waiting, the MSF Srebrenica whatever it takes.’ team finally decided to join the UNPROFOR convoy. On 11 We were in a hotel and the atmosphere was pretty unusual. March, it was authorised by Bosnian-Serbian forces to Every evening the European observers, UN forces, UNHCR person- enter Srebrenica. MSF Belgium announced the news in a nel, and humanitarian agencies would come for dinner and press release. there were Serb soldiers, too. All these people were mixing in our hotel. So every evening we’d try to make friends with them and to negotiate our entry into Srebrenica the next day. At the end of 10 days or so, we were allowed in, taking consider- ‘Former Yugoslavia – Convoys Finally Make it able risks. In fact, the Serbs sent us down tiny snowy mountain Through,’ Press Release, MSF Belgium, 11 March tracks, claiming that the bridges over the normal road were 1993 (in French). mined. We ended up arriving in no man’s land between the pro- Serbian forces and the Bosnian forces at around five in the According to the most recent information collected on the evening. It was already really dark. In the convoy, there was a 66 ground, relief convoys sent by the UNHCR and the UNPROFOR, small tank transporting Morillon, an MSF car, a UNHCR car, a car quite unforgettable. night, wemetsomeBosniansupporters. Thewholejourneywas ing for us. Theyletusgetonboard.Then,inthe middle of the with Morillon’s tank,whichhadcalmlycarriedonwithoutwait- covered inKevlar sheets. We carriedonbyfoot and caughtup scratch on them, because it wastheonlyUNPROFOR truck a find meinbitsandpieces!TheBelgiansoldiersdidn’thave came backwiththeemergencykit,thinkinghewasgoingto Eric Dachy, who was in the vehicle that had already gone past, the anti-tankmine! disappeared. Thewheelclosesttothefootboard hadrolledover mine, and the footboard I had been standing on had completely jump off. Ten metresfurther, thetruckexploded onananti-tank heavy becauseIwaswearingmybulletproof vest.So,Ihadto jumped ontothefootboard astheypassed.However, Iwastoo They drovewithoutstoppingsotheydidn’tgetstuckandI the MSF car on foot and was overtaken by the Belgian truck. Several vehiclesgotstuckinthesnow. Ihadtogetoutandpush carrying sugaranddrugs. satellite equipment,andaBelgiantruckfromtheUNPROFOR carrying soldiersfromtheUN,which included Americanswith small fireslike thatallthroughthe night,andthousands burning Coke [Coca Cola]boxes onstreetcorners. Therewere wheelbarrows. It was dreadfullycoldandfor fueltheywere people shouting,crying.Thewounded werebeingcarriedin to get out of their houses to save themselves. You could hear their pyjamas, in jumpers, some barefoot. They only had time night, fleeingbombing of neighbouringvillages. Theycamein Bosnian-Serbian forces floodedintothehospital. Many of thepeopleinjured duringthebombingsby 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 friends. ourselves. Itplayedoutwellandwewereproudof 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 Dr Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982-1994, MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, tially comprised women and children who arrived in the tially comprisedwomenandchildrenwhoarrivedinthe I’ll alwayshavehorriblememoriesof thattown.Itessen- in withMorillon’s convoy.Then,whenthegeneral left, We thought it was great when Georges Dallemagne got Operations, Interviewed inJuly2000(inFrench.) Dr Georges Dallemagne, MSF BelgiumDirector of interviewed in2000and 2015(inFrench). the deployment of observers from theUN. the establishmentof relief corridors toSrebrenica, and end of the Serboffensive, theapplication of ceasefires, them: ‘‘Don’tworry. I’llstaywithyou.’’ Hedemandedthe balcony of thepostoffice building, theGeneral addressed General Morillon andhisteam.On13March, from the violence. Clingingtothesamehope, they alsostopped ence would act as a potential guarantee against further the MSFteamleave theenclave. They felt thattheirpres- On 12March, theinhabitants of Srebrenica refused tolet what weweregoingtofind. atory mission and we didn’t know what was going to happen or more. We might have saved one or two people. It was an explor- to operate, treat,givetransfusions(usingourownblood),and them with. Eric and I are doctors, not surgeons, but we still tried died fromlackof treatment,becausetherewasnothingtotreat day, hewasincapableof ‘seeingthewar.’ Mostof thosepeople see these children bathed in their own blood. At the end of the speech, andthenturnedaway.Hewasincapableof goingto remember thatMorilloncametothehospital,gavealittle Morillon, sayingtohim,“come andsee thewar.” I’llalways girls withbroken legsonthefloor, moaning,andIwenttofind members werecompletely overwhelmed. There were twolittle absolute nightmarewithpeoplebleedingeverywhere. Thestaff The situationwaslike somethingoutof Dante’s Inferno;an thousands of peoplecrowdedthetown.We wenttothehospital. save them. anguish of the population and inorder tosavethem, ortryto decided tostayhere inSrebrenica inorder tocalmthe in Srebrenica, I deliberately came here and I have now Fully conscious thatamajor tragedy wasabouttotake place own hands. want tolisten.They haddecided totake justice into their ceased and peace has been established. But they did not for allwarcrimes should bedispensed once the fighting has Kamenica.have tried I tomake themunderstand thatjustice had become outraged atthe discoveryof the mass graves at because they needed to capture territory, but because they offensive ineasternBosnia Herzegovina; not somuch Last weekitbecame clearthe Serbswere not stopping their there for symbolic reasons toreduce their danger. […] place where the population wasmost at risk.Iplacedmyself decided tobasemyself inSarajevo becausethatwasthe appointed Commander of Bosnia-Herzegovina Command I General Morillon speaking from Srebrenica. “When Iwas Extract: Operations, Interviewed inJuly2000(inFrench.) (in English). Srebrenica,’ ‘Text of U.N.General’s SpeechFrom Besieged Dr Georges Dallemagne, MSF BelgiumDirector of Reuters (UK)Sarajevo, 13March 1993 V8

67 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

I demand, first, an immediate halt to the Serb offensive as via Belgrade, Dr Georges Dallemagne, Director of Operations was promised me in Pale. Two, the immediate and complete at Médecins Sans Frontières Belgium, remains in shock at the implementation of all ceasefires agreed. Three, the imme- harsh realities. And his testimonial is edifying: the town that diate and permanent deployment of the necessary U.N. mili- a mixed UN and MSF delegation entered last Friday is half tary observers. Four, the opening of a road corridor from destroyed and deliberately starved. In the convoy, in addi- Srebrenica to Bratunac, to Konjevic Polje to Zvornik. tion to the vehicle of the UNPROFOR Commander in Bosnia, UNPROFOR engineers will repair the small bridge blown up General Philippe Morillon, who is still there, is a car from the between Srebrenica and Bratunac. Five, the opening of an air High Commissioner of Refugees, a truck full of medical equip- corridor to Srebrenica to evacuate the hundreds of seriously ment and a light-armoured vehicle. injured. Six, the immediate release of the convoys, this time There are still some 30,000 people there, of which half are for Srebrenica, which is at present stuck in Zvornik. To the refugees from Konjevic Polje. Many of them hadn’t eaten for population in Srebrenica, I say: (a long pause and then the five or six days; others are eating berries or acorns picked off same voice in faltering Serbo-Croat, which translated says) the ground. Many are homeless, so they are forced to stay don’t be afraid, I will stay with you. outside in the glacial wind. Children die from the cold like this every night, but the influx of the desperate and displaced shows no sign of slowing down: more and more arrive each day, through the neighbouring mountains, after walking We said to the Serbs that we were coming back the next for seven or eight hours in the snow. They don’t have any- day, but then when we wanted to leave the next day, the thing but the clothes on their backs. […] people told us, “No, you’re staying with us.” As doctors, we were With a maximum capacity of 96 beds, the hospital has taken moving quite easily around the enclave; we were warmly in 150 injured, three-quarters of whom are men, and 80% of welcomed, and people were sharing what little they had to eat all injuries are from bombings – predominately pieces of with us. The soldiers who’d accompanied us stayed with them. shrapnel. And this doesn’t include the victims crammed They were very scared of being taken hostage. At around two or together in neighbouring homes. three in the morning, Morillon woke us up and told us, “I’m The five doctors working there are exhausted and out of sup- leaving. My camp leader will take care of the rest of the opera- plies and equipment. Operations are performed in torchlight, tion.” He hung about in the enclave the whole night and then, sterilisations without electricity. The hospitals I’ve visited in when he clearly wasn’t able to get out, he came back. The next Africa are often in better shape. In this context of precarious day, when he woke up around midday after his attempt to survival, the American airdrops are, of course, an inadequate abscond, he’d changed his mind and his strategy, announcing, stopgap [measure]: contrary to what was said at the start, “I’ll stay in Srebrenica, set up my headquarters and protect this the drops are now extremely precise. The parcels land two or enclave.”’ It was at that moment that official UN protection three kilometres maximum from the town, but only the stur- was established, and thus this immense responsibility from the diest from among the populace can manage to fetch them international community as regards the future and destiny of [...] There are riots; people fighting each other for a ration. the enclave. We all stayed another day to help in the hospital, [...] and then we left. In any case, we weren’t the right people. They Heading off with all the authorisations required to force their needed a surgical team with supplies, a large MSF team to get way through the various roadblocks, the expedition that Dr the hospital back in order. Dallemagne was accompanying also had to deal with additional difficulties: multiple thorough checks by Serb soldiers; Dr Georges Dallemagne, MSF Belgium Director of a bridge in tatters over the main road; being forced to take Operations, Interviewed in July 2000 (in French). narrow, icy mountain roads; and the subdued welcome from the Muslim population. [...] As we attempted to depart, they prevented us from leaving, in dread of being killed the moment our backs were turned. There was one moment of high tension and, if truth be told, The MSF exploratory team left Srebrenica on 14 March. On we were held against our will. Yet, General Morillon turned their return to Brussels, they spoke to the media about things around: he made a speech, raised the UN flag, and the desperate situation in the enclave and the challenge promised to stay there until all of the injured, and not just posed by General Morillon’s strategy. A press conference the women and children - since men aged 16 to 60 were con- was held on 16 March. sidered potential war criminals by the Serbs - could be evacuated. [...] The people were comforted, and we ourselves were able to go without any trouble the following day. Hats off to General Morillon: he accomplished the only humanly possible ‘A Terrifying Testimonial on the Bosnian Ordeal,’ action. Edouard Van Velthem, Le Soir (Belgium), 16 March Today, the emergency issue for MSF’s “frontline brigade’ 1993 (in French). involves getting a surgical team in place in Srebrenica with all the necessary equipment. […] However, authorisations are Extract: being delayed, promises are being broken and the situation is His voice is low, tired. Back from a four-day trip to the at a standstill. […] A fragile hope for the injured and refugees 68 besieged enclave of Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia Herzegovina, in Srebrenica appeared yesterday evening with the Serb and immediately tored inPale, the Bosnian Serbstronghold. weeks. The green light thatwereceived from Belgrade switched intolerable isthatthe localmilitaryleaders misledusfor agreed torespect the temporary ceasefire. However, whatis authorised the passage of the UNrelief convoyonTuesday, and Halilevic, yielding to the entreaties of Philippe Morillon, Bosnian Chiefs of Staff,General Mladic and Commander limits andtheharmfulconsequences. Brauman, was oneof thefew topubliclypointoutits eral Morillon’s action.ThePresident of MSFFrance, Rony The mediaandwestern public opinion commendedGen- front linesatthatmoment;for howlong,Ihavenoidea. stopped theoffensive thatwasunderwayandstabilisedthe in Srebrenicatopublicattention-andmaybetemporarily 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 The mother inthe snow withher baby, wouldn’tshe have flotsam, the terrorism inAlgeria, Rocard’s most recent gaffe? him? Wouldn’t he have been buried beneath the daily media every evening, wouldn’t wealready haveforgotten about the brutalforce of evidence. Ifwedidn’t hear General Morillon die thatit’sobscene,’ Kouchner replied tohim,with,for him, the face of the humanitarian spectacle. “It’s when children Brauman, withMrCavada, showed honourable reluctance in maybe. The President of Médecins Sans Frontières, Rony Srebrenica: Willit get through or not? Answer, tomorrow, ment? Included isthe soapopera of the convoydestined for the sublime tothe tragic, into vague, indifferent entertain- poked hisnose into the millthattransforms everything, from radio setthatconnects himtothe rest of the world?Thathe us inthisalmost permanent link-up,atthe end of thisham Bernard Kouchner. Should we be sorrythatthe general iswith mud, and death, the general doled outa few kind words to said Kouchner, admiringly. Inreturn, surrounded bysnow, Refugees inthe former Yugoslavia.” “We’re ready tojoinyou,’’ Correspondent for the United Nations High Commissioner for I’ll passyouovertoBernard Kouchner, and alsoMrMendiluce, century.’ Cavada [Jean Marie, journalist]: “Hold on, general, We found the general atthe beginning of the ‘march of the Extract: conference thathadahugeimpact,becauseveryfew When wegotbacktoBrussels, weorganisedapress Operations, Interviewed inJuly2000(inFrench). 1993, (inFrench). Photos,’ ‘Delayed Dr Georges Dallemagne, MSF BelgiumDirector of Le Monde(France), 19March going to bring down a French general. Our Belgian and Dutch he was;wasn’t riskinganything,sincethe Serbsweren’t Dallemagne andtheotherswere tentimesmoreinflatedthan 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, becauseIhavenostandingtodoso. elegantly. Ididn’twanttodo it inan‘IprotestandIhavea misplaced. SoIwrotethisletter, whichhepublished,quite Schneidermann’s enthusiasmabouthimwascompletely on Morillon.Me, IthoughtthatMorillonwasadoerand in arow: that’salottoaskfor! through the streets of a French town? Two days of attention been chasedoff byanother mother, asailor’swife, marching sterilised humanitarian action makes usinsidiously inhuman. Bosnia and inSomalia isthatmechanised, mediatised, and with regard tothe growth of the humanitarian spectacle in but measly scraps under the burning sun? What I dread deeply to whom wecanthrow, without any qualms, afewlife-saving even when they are dying of hunger, Somalis are not animals larly, inMogadishu? When are wegoing toremember that, carnage tookplacewhen the allied troops landed, and simi- act. When are we going to notice that, once again most of the cent death of achild’does not warrant any other indecent spectacle comes from this, and my conviction thatthe ‘inde- are wipedaway. My reluctance inthe face of the humanitarian of bravura, provided itisshown onTV, ourpitifulresignations and the cowardice of ourbehaviour. Yet, withasingle gesture is, afterallthe job–tocover-upthe incessant powerlessness We exhibit the undeniable physical courage of asoldier –that fury for being unable tointervene inSpain. Force. Daladier never hid hisshame overMunich, orBlumhis Force should berechristened Ethnic Cleaning Observation words once carried meaning, the United Nations Protection everyone and serving asanaccessiblerepresentative. While convoy through, withadesire for peacerecognised by criminals inthisregion, he iscredited here for letting arelief As for ‘Doctor[Radovan] Karadzic,’ one of the most visiblewar the detention camps. thing to eat from the communal graves to the far interior of their enemies giveus the green light, to bring them some- gall to claim to resist while we know better. We are ready, if with more fire. Inshort, he isthe type of personwho has the to arouse anger amongst the Serbsbyfighting artilleryfire Sarajevo, Iheard himgiving the Bosnian army asternrebuke shown great understanding for the attackers. During atripto to those trying todefend themselves, and yet he hasalways has never gone outof hiswaytocondemn the violence done General Morillon, in charge of a so-called protection force, Extract: Le Monde ‘media’ columninLe It was a response to Daniel Schneidermann who in his Le Monde(France), 3April1993(inFrench). ‘A General onthe Balcony,’ Rony Brauman, , launched into a diatribe , launchedintoadiatribe

69 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

colleagues found it quite funny that I was digging into Morillon. ondary school back at home,’’ the refugees are piled in, He wasn’t held in great esteem. I was the only one to say it, 80-100 per classroom, in catastrophic health conditions. but there weren’t any reactions. One of the most tragic images that the doctor can’t forget is a baby with its stomach torn open by a shell; it died in the Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982 - 1994, arms of one of the Canadian ‘‘blue berets.’ The infant was MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, injured on Wednesday 24 March at the time when the blue interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). berets were carrying out an evacuation of inhabitants by helicopter, an operation that had to be cancelled since the Serbs were targeting the landing strip. MSF, which over the next few days is sending out a new surgeon, an anaesthetist, and a logistician, intends to continue On 20 March, a surgeon from MSF Belgium entered Sre- its activities in Srebrenica, even if those in charge of organ- brenica. A week later, an anaesthetist, a doctor, and a ising the relief mission are under no illusions. The UN health logistician joined him. On 24 March, an UNPRO- observers that have been moved into the enclave have, in FOR mission to evacuate the wounded was interrupted fact, admitted in front of Dr Pontus that, ‘‘with the support of by bombing from Bosnian-Serbian forces. The team was the regular army units (Yugoslav) deployed on the Bosnian working with a terrorised population in utter destitution, side, the Serbs can cross the line whenever they want.”’ While despite the arrival of two convoys of supplies on 28 and the situation has just deteriorated, “we’re worried that the 30 March, which in turn, evacuated over 5,000 women MSF and UNPROFOR teams will be kept as safeguards by the and children. The MSF surgeon, who stayed 10 days in Muslims,”’ stresses the doctor, concluding that, “the relief the bombarded enclave, gave his first-hand account in workers are very uneasy because if the women and children the French daily Le Monde. are evacuated, only the men remain, and then we won’t be able to do anything more to save the town.’’

’Bosnia-Herzegovina: Testimonial on the Ordeal of the Inhabitants of Srebrenica from a Member When we got back to Belgrade, I said “We push, we carry of Médecins Sans Frontières.’ Le Monde (France) on”. It took Morillon and our team’s incredible energy to 1 April 1993 (in French). get back into Srebrenica again. I caught up with Morillon on a road and I had to cut in front of him to get him to stop. I spoke Extract: to him as if he were General de Gaulle! “General Morillon, excuse Thierry Pontus is in shock. He’s looking for the right words. me, I was with you down there. I have a surgeon and a logistics He’s having trouble expressing what he’s just lived through. expert here. That counts down there, as you know, they need A member of MSF (Doctors Without Borders), the Belgian sur- them.” “Ah yes, I recognise you”. “You need to take them with geon, who made it back to Belgrade on Tuesday 30 March, is you”. “OK, they can get in the back and let’s hope the Serbs...” the first foreign doctor to have spent 10 days in the Muslim And the team got through. It was hanging by a thread. Anything enclave of Srebrenica. He did his best during these days to could happen at any time and there was no shortage of medical bring aid to the people of this town in Western Bosnia, which work to do. We had to prioritise. has been cut off from the world for 11 months of war. Thierry Pontus entered Srebrenica in General Philippe Dr Eric Dachy, MSF general coordinator in Belgrad, Morillon’s jeep, without his two assistants, an anaesthetist October 1991 - August 1993, Interviewed in 2000, 2015, and a nurse, who were denied safe passage by the Serb (in French) besiegers. He was forced to confront a true humanitarian crisis alone. At the hospital in Srebrenica, where he spent the majority of his stay, five general practitioners, without any surgical experience, had battled day and night for months to save the injured and sick, whom they operated on by torch- On 6 April, the UN’s High Commissioner for Refugees light in an operating theatre that “doesn’t deserve the name.’’ announced they wanted to evacuate 10-15,000 civilians While Dr Pontus took it upon himself to teach them the rudi- from Srebrenica. Many observers perceived this move as a ments of surgery when he arrived, “even for amputations, risk that could encourage the ethnic cleansing practised when they’d already performed almost 400,” by the Serbian forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Meanwhile, the United States was threatening to remove the embargo […] on arms deliveries to Muslim Bosnians. He explains that the most serious problem was infection due to the lack of sterilisation equipment and washing facilities, since Srebrenica’s water is not safe. The town, which had a population of 9,000 before the war, has seen an influx of tens of thousands of refugees [displaced] from neighbouring Muslim pockets that have fallen 70 into Serb hands. In Srebrenica’s school, “as big as a sec- 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 does havethe duty tosaveasmany human livesaspossible. and for allnot toobstruct the Serbadvance. Inthiscase, it had givenupdefending Srebrenica, asifithaddecided once the UN’sslate. The organisation isacting, inthiscase, asifit tices, thisevacuation is one further actof failure toputon were right, ifthe UNhasnot engaged incondemnable prac - imagine the fate of Srebrenica. And evenifJohn McMillan will take itscourse. Giventhe imbalance of power, it’seasyto the international community does not want toget involved, assimilated into the fighting forces. And the war, inwhich males of anage tobeararms thatwilltherefore bequickly evacuated, the only ones remaining in the town will be fit the injured, the sick, women, children, and the elderly –are quered. However, once those who are clearlynot fighters – breach, asortof “anomaly,’ inthe territories they havecon- reducing [the population of] thisenclave, which represents a Belgrade and itslocal allies still havethe firm intention of ‘‘blue berets’’ toSrebrenica. It is, infact, one further sign that Serbs have, until now, opposed the sending in of additional original population. For it’s certainly not by chance that the platter tothe Serbian forces whileclearing anew region of its most, basic and risks offering a further victory on a silver opposition toapractice that,inthe name of humanism isat green light for thismass evacuation. Many Muslims remain in 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 inethnic cleansing. Yet each John McMillan, strongly denied thatthe UN’sspecialised Indeed, anHR[Human Rights] representative inSarajevo, Extract: Only one representative from the UN High Commissioner for the necessary resources tomeet the needs of the population. tional organisations ispresently insufficient, and they lack lation of Srebrenica. The number of personnel from interna - international presence in an effort to bring relief to the popu Médecins Sans Frontières haslaunched anappealtoreinforce 7 April1993(inFrench). Evacuated. RescueorPurge?’ LeMonde(France), Muslim Enclave of Srebrenica WillBePartially ‘Besieged bythe SerbsinWestern Bosnia, the Press Release,MSF, 7April1993(inFrench). of International Presence inBesieged Srebrenica,’ ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Requests Reinforcement - desperate situation. volunteers spoke tothemediaaboutpopulation’s forces toholdontotheenclave, were evacuated. TheMSF were seriouslyinjured incombatagainstBosnian-Serbian to allow any refugees toleave untiltheirsoldiers, who was leavingempty. TheBosnianMuslimauthoritiesrefused the teamleftenclave withanUNHCRconvoy, which On 15April,duetointensifiedbombardments, some of the MSFteam. hospital andwere treated by localstaff,supportedby fied. Some100seriouslyinjured peoplearrived atthe On 12April,bombardments over Srebrenica intensi- emergency interventions inSrebrenica. assembling additional medical teams todeal withany new regardless of the circumstances. Médecins Sans Frontières is 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- fall. Evenifevacuation missions are moving forward, 30,000 suasive effectand prevent wide-scale abuseifthe towndoes teams are reinforced. Thisgreater presence might haveadis- collapse. Wholly effective action is only possible if the relief are present inthe besieged enclave, which isonthe point of the UNPROFORand twomembers of Médecins Sans Frontières Refugees, five United Nations observers, seven members of in Tuzla, and from there the MSF doctors traveled toBelgrade. truck with the five doctors. They arrived on Thursday evening helicopter. Onlyfive elderly peoplewere allowedto mounta while 500seriously wounded were unable tobeevacuated by the localauthorities refusing toallowany refugees todepart, Serbian forces topass. The convoy leftemptyhanded, with which fivetrucks were givenpermission bythe Bosnian United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),of leagues tookadvantage of the [outbound] convoyfrom the A specialist indrinking water, he decided tostay. Hiscol- ation is difficult. ‘‘It’s too dangerous,’’ he explains inFrench. anaesthetist, leaveonThursday. Forthe time being, the situ- had histhree medical colleagues, twosurgeons, and one Bosnia, besieged for weeksbyBosnian-Serbian forces. Ullens quality of thislinkwiththe Muslim enclave inWestern of the amateur radio, which endeavours toimprove the sound ning by radio in Tuzla, his voice crackles through the speakers humanitarian organisation’s team.Contacted Thursday eve - soberly. He heads upthe Médecins Sans Frontières Holland The refugees inSrebrenica are terrorised, Hans Ullens explains Extract: gium), 16April1993(inFrench). Terrorised,’ Besieged Town –The Refugees inSrebrenica are ‘Médecins Sans Frontières’ Testimonial onthe Agence France Presse/Le Soir(Bel-

71 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Since Monday’s bombardments, explains Hans Ullens, “we’ve these people are facing. spent most of the time in our building. We can’t go out unless MSF has been present since the start of the conflict. It has we have an armoured vehicle, and even then only for a short witnessed the slow and deliberate progress of the policy of while. Before these bombardments, which the UN reported 57 ethnic cleansing pursued by the Serbs and the atrocities com- deaths and 100 injured, all the refugees were sleeping in the mitted by the streets. Since then, everyone has been trying to find shelter Croats, and played the sadly strategic role of a humanitarian wherever they can, most often in the basements of houses. actor limited to actions that are heroic but also of very lim- The population is terrorised,’ he underscored. […] The bomb- ited impact. ings are less intense than last Monday, but continue. “The We have raised our voices on several occasions to bear wit- Bosnian Serbian forces are some two kilometres from the ness to the horror we have encountered, but also to give it town and, in theory, nothing stands in their way of capturing the legal force of a crime against humanity but, like others, the town,’ adds Ullens, whose voice occasionally trails off on we have not been heard: realpolitik prevails. the radio. On his arrival to Srebrenica three weeks ago, he Today, Médecins Sans Frontières is standing alongside noted the refugees’ deteriorating situation. While the food Srebrenica as it dies. supplied by the UNHCR is just about sufficient, albeit not very Action on the ground needs to continue. varied, stocks are diminishing. Before Monday’s bombard- But it is unimaginable without large-scale action at the ments, there were enough drugs, to the extent that the team European level. Speaking for myself as an individual and for asked on Friday for a stop on sending more. Since then, stocks MSF in light of its moral and ethical obligations, we have a have significantly depleted. responsibility and a duty to try to stop the war by all the means available to us. As citizens, united around the same ideal, everything is prompting us to prevent this conflict from developing in the way it is likely to. First, the irresponsibility of our respective The French and Belgian sections of MSF reflected on mass governments, who appear to have accepted from the outset ways of mobilising public opinion on the situation in that our fellow human beings should simply be sacrificed, Bosnia, so that people would put pressure on political and then the inertia and lack of courage shown by our people, leaders. who allegedly support democratic values and human rights. There are two challenges to tackle: first, stopping the war for the people who are still alive, and then reminding our fellow citizens that the fate of humanity is also, to an extent, in ‘Dramatic situation in central Bosnia – Urgent their hands. appeal for surgeons to join our teams’ Press We hope to be able to bring these two aspects together by conference invitation MSF Belgium, 20 April organising a large-scale demonstration, in which 1993 (in French). MSF would be prepared to invest all its energy. Obviously, this will only be successful and its consequences positive if Based on the account of Dr Georges Dallemagne (Operations enough people come and take part, so the movement will Director for MSF Belgium), who has just returned from Zenica need to use all its powers to mobilise people to attend. and Maglaj in central Bosnia, Médecins Sans Frontières wishes Proposed actions to express its concern on the scale of the humanitarian crisis 1. organise a march for peace in all the capital cities where in Bosnia. we have head offices (Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, A press conference will be organised on Tuesday 20 April at Geneva and Luxembourg). 15:00 at Médecins Sans Frontières’ head office at 24 rue 2. secure the resources to get people out on the streets Deschampheleer, 1080 Brussels. * contact our loyal donors with a personalised letter, make Médecins Sans Frontières is launching an urgent appeal to personalised phone calls, set half the list as the target for surgeons to join its teams already operating in eastern Bosnia attendance (Srebrenica, Tuzla, Zepa and Gorazde) and central Bosnia * messages on radio, television, in the newspapers, etc. (Zenica). 3. a special edition of our public newsletters Here in Brussels we are ready to give it our all... on 8/05/93. We hope to see 200,000 people out on the streets. You may say it’s a dream... we’ll see! Message from the General Director of MSF Belgium to the presidents of other sections of MSF, 20 April 1993 (in French). ‘Operation Bosnia’ Draft MSF France Communica- From the outset, the context in former Yugoslavia has been a tions Department, 6 May 1993 (in French). series of massacres, atrocities, torture and inhumane acts. We are stunned, not only by the physical violence of the crimes Extract: being committed, but by the terrible hatred and hostility MSF is committing a significant level of resource and drop- they express. ping its “reserve”, using its moral authority and operational 72 The last few hours in Srebrenica only confirm the tragedy credibility to publicise the situation in Bosnia to various observers bemade public. People should alsodemand thatthe reports of the EEC’s ment inBosnia, etc. sion from Belgrade inBosnia, supportfor the electedgovern - allied militaryintervention, butablockade, jamming televi- plan for the Bosnians. The political alternative is not simply equivalent) sothatthe politicians canexplain their rescue cial meeting within 15 days at the National Assembly (or We are alsoasking the peoplewemobilise todemand aspe- democracies since the end of the Second World War. All actions must reflect the valuesthathave governed our actions tobetaken. that those who represent you speak out about tangible • How? Bywriting toyourmember of parliament and asking citizen, youneed tohold yourpoliticians toaccount. today need tobeprovided bypolitical bodies. As aEuropean Because the solution(s) tothe human problems we are seeing a sedative thatpeopleview asaremedy. tion operating in the field, we say no. Humanitarian action is - Canitbehumanitarian help? As ahumanitarian organisa- need emergency help. still twomillion Bosnians inanunacceptable situation, who - The atrocities of ethnic cleansing are not yetover; there are 3) What’sthe message? being putonthe politicians. want. Ifthe mobilisation isstrong, wecancount onpressure account for their actions. Thisisthe maximum impactwe public opinion, bygetting the peopletoaskpoliticians to - Mobilise the MSF movement and rely onasnowball effect in extent wewouldlike minimum objectiveifthe operation does not resonate tothe - Inform the public by “revealing” intolerable acts: this is the 2) Whatare the objectives? can stillbedone (seebelow). identified, the impotence of humanitarian action and what based onasimplemessage, outlining the atrocities already be saved;handing out a four-page publication inthe street actions taken and the number of Bosnians who stillneed to press contacts, daily press releases toupdate peopleonthe press conferences announcing the operation and repeated tools tostrengthen the effectof mobilising people, including - uses various high-impact and symbolic communications whom wewillasktosend usaletterfor ourpolitical bodies. suade our regional branches in their area, and our donors, members werely ontorelay the operation locallyand per- - mobilises the whole of the European “MSF movement”: the mobilising peoplearound the idea of urgency. the twomillion Bosnians who need toberescued urgently, - usesthe idea of anhourglass: eachgrain of sand isone of - increases inintensity overaweek(orother period of time) terms, weare thinking more of anoperation that: strikes us as difficult to achieve in both practical and political Leaving aside the idea of a street demonstration, which 1) Whatoperation? European audiences. becoming a“healthbomb.’’ reminded the press that Srebrenica is in the process of visit of aUNdelegationtotheenclave, On25April,MSF Reaping the benefits of media coverage of the flash the demilitarised zonewas enlarged. ment of UNforces intheplaceof soldiers. InSrebrenica, On 8May, aceasefire agreement allowed for thedeploy- under UNPROFORprotection.’ Tuzla, Zepa, Gorazde, andBihac tothelistof “safezones Nations Security Council, added the enclaves of Sarajevo, The sameday, Resolutionn°824,adoptedby theUnited plan. Herzegovina in order to force them to accept the peace an economicembargo againsttheSerbsof Bosnia- On 6May, Yugoslavia (SerbiaandMontenegro) declared against Serbia. On 17April,Resolutionn°820reinforced theembargo as anorganised surrender of theMuslimforces. the operation. For many analysts, thiswas interpreted of UNPROFORforces, mustleave thetown attheendof stipulating thatany paramilitary units, withtheexception between theBosnianSerbandMuslimforces, A ceasefire and demilitarisation agreement was signed immediate increase inUNPROFORforces intheenclave. Srebrenica be treated as a safe area and called for an On 16April1993,UNResolutionn°819 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: (in English). Flown Out,’ Agence France Presse, 25April1993 ‘U.N. Delegation VisitsSrebrenica, 161Wounded demanded that V9

73 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

‘The Security Council Declares Five More Bosnian Belgrade: they had lost a year. In October 1992, the council Towns as Safe Areas,’ Le Monde (France), 8 May declared Bosnia a no-fly zone for the Serb air force, but 1993 (in French). without reprisals. It was violated hundreds of times with impunity until, in March 1993, under pressure from the Extract: Americans, the Council put NATO in charge of ensuring the ban This resolution authorises the reinforcement of the UNPROFOR was respected. This first point of conflict between the in Bosnia by 50 military observers, i.e. five observers in each Americans and Europeans had highlighted another ambiguity safe area. “This presence will be purely symbolic,” explains a regarding the presence of ‘blue berets’ in Bosnia: hostages, diplomat. The goal is in fact to increase the political cost of the designated target of reprisals, obstructed any military air the aggression, the message being that any attacks on pro- intervention. Not wishing to engage in a showdown in former tected areas are tantamount to attacks on the UN. “The Yugoslavia, Europeans and Americans (whatever they say) western members of the council who opposed adopting this each benefited. The “international community” lost all credi- text believe that declaring ‘safe areas’ without really pro- bility over it. While on the subject of resolutions without any tecting the populations living there is ‘quite a cynical repercussions, we might also mention the safe areas intended approach.’” And to cite the example of Srebrenica, declared a to protect Sarajevo and five Muslim enclaves, which never protected area three weeks ago, the town is facing particu- came into being, due to lack of ‘blue beret’ reinforcements, larly huge problems with its water supply. All that remains is and the international court intended to try war criminals who the threat of resolution 824 to take “any additional mea- nobody arrested and with whom the UNPROFOR is continuing sures” in the event that none of the parties comply. to negotiate on the ground. Lastly, the other UN intervention in the former Yugoslavia – the drafting of peace plans – is perplexing to say the least. The Cyrus Vance plan for Croatia, adopted in February 1992 and which 14,000 ‘blue berets’ are supposed to enforce has still not been applied: the Serb On 4 June, Resolution n°836, adopted by the UN Security militia in Krajina are still armed to the teeth and less prepared Council, allowed the UNPROFOR to retaliate in the event than ever to give up their secessionist warfare. In Bosnia, the of aggression against any of the six Muslim enclaves UN first supported a Vance-Owen plan which didn’t have, far declared ‘protected areas’ and the Member states, acting from it, only strengths and which, above all, played a role in nationally or through regional organizations to use air starting the second Bosnian war: the one that pitted Croats power to support UNPROFOR. and Muslims against each other. Then, this was abandoned before it was even rejected by Bosnian Serbs. It now supports an Owen-Stoltenberg plan that, if accepted, will establish the splitting of Bosnia. Bowing to force, the United Nations, ‘The UN Missions in Yugoslavia: Evasions,’ Le Monde breaking one of the fundamental precepts of its charter, will (France), 25 September 1993 (in French). thus accept the disintegration of a state that it had recognised as a member in May 1993. Extract: The UN has become a place where failing political action is a substitute for humanitarian action. The guiding rule of this humanitarian intervention was to operate only when the consent of all the warring parties was obtained. The resolution of On 15 May, in his annual report to the general assembly, the Security Council authorising the use of force to guarantee the president of MSF France spoke of the organisation’s the safe passage of relief to the people went practically malaise in the face of the use of humanitarian aid as unheeded, and time and time again, we have seen soldiers an alibi for political inertia in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He obstructing convoys despite their UN armoured vehicle pro- nevertheless underscored that MSF had fulfilled its role tection. Moreover, this humanitarian action was not politi- in Srebrenica. A debate ensued on the necessity for the cally neutral. The most striking episode in this respect was French section to develop programmes in former Yugosla- Srebrenica, in April 1993, where we saw General Morillon, via. In the press release published following the general commander of the ‘blue berets’ in Bosnia, save the small assembly meeting, MSF France reiterated its concerns Muslim enclave besieged by the Serbs in return for its sur- about the use of humanitarian aid in Bosnia- Herzegovina render and the disarmament of Muslim fighters by the to compensate for political inertia. V10 UNPROFOR forces themselves. The permanent members of the 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 Annual Report from the President of MSF France which were never applied, or applied much later. In May 1992, at the 22nd General Assembly of MSF France, 15 Resolution 757 declared an embargo against Serbia, which May 1993 (in French). everyone knew would be nothing more than a sieve, which it was until April 1993. At this time, the council transformed the Extract: pseudo-embargo into a far more impenetrable blockade, the All through the year, we have dilly dallied regarding our 74 effect of which would be very quickly gauged on the regime in engagement in Bosnia. Such dithering is due both to the 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, effectivepresence of MSF’s Dutchand Belgian who hadspenttimeinthedetentioncampssuffered. to gatheraccountsof theatrocities thedisplacedpeople refugee campatKarlovac inCroatia. Theteamcontinued MSF France alsolaunchedaprogramme intheBosnian in theenclaves of Srebrenica andGorazde. French sections to now jointly manage the programmes In June, anagreement was madebetween theBelgianand sons givenfor the political renunciation inBosnia. General Assembly firmlycondemned the humanitarian rea- is due tothe deteriorating situation onthe 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 onthe relationship between Extract: Srebrenica, where the townwas experiencing considerable for further reflection. […]Inthe enclaves of Gorazde and comprehend the difficulties encountered, and identify areas to observethe actions of the Belgian and Dutchsections, were necessary ornot. Marc Gastelluhence visited the region question of whether interventions in the former Yugoslavia At the lastGeneral Assembly, there were discussions onthe Operations) Former Yugoslavia -Marc Gastellu(DeputyDirector of Extract: 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 1993 (inFrench). Minutes from MSF France’s Board Meeting onJune given asajoint message from allthree sections. ground atrisk,soany public pronouncements should be by any interested section whatsoevercouldputteams onthe sections inthe Gorazde and Srebrenica enclaves. Adisclosure in the fieldshould be restricted togiving supporttothe other that MSF France should not workthisregion. Its intervention dered public.4 All these reasons led Marc Gastellu toconclude danger resulting from the eyewitness accounts being ren- paign.3 Plusthere ishuge operational complexity and real confused withMDM[Médecins DuMonde] and itspostercam- MSF France often hasabadreputation there, and isfrequently Karlovac hashelped toshow how the situation hasevolved. protection adopted byMSF […]The presence of MSF in of bulletproof vestsasan escalation of the usual forms of assess the local position. He also saw the continual wearing vents them, in his opinion, from being able to [objectively] UNPROFOR, their onlycontacts. Thislackof perspectivepre- the teams had in differentiating themselves from the up withthe Belgians. […]Marc Gastellunoted the difficulties recruiting personnel for these missions, MSF France willteam of presence and solidarity. To compensate for the problems in to medical support,these actions are hugely positiveinterms lished and asurgical programme wasdeveloped. Inaddition problems withhygiene, asupplyof drinking waterwasestab- work toprovide medical and psychological support. psychologist, psychiatrist and specialist educator willlead held inthe campsare being housed. Ateammade upof a Croatia, where 2,400Croatian and Bosnian refugees formerly An MSF mission isbeginning inthe camp inKarlovac in 1993. [...] camp inKarlovac. Launching amission, scheduled for 1June - continuing the work done in France in Croatia, in the transit [...] Promoting similarapproaches inneighbouring countries by: (Kozarac, Banja-Luca, Doboj.Kljuc, Zvornik,etc.). […] Bosnia-Herzegovina 1992 and February 1993inallthe “cleansed” areas of understanding of the events thatoccurred betweenMarch refugees (representative sample)mean wenow haveabetter surveys wehavecarried outinFrance withseveral hundred the collectivenarrative. The information gathered during the and then making the link between individual accounts and nature of the atrocities committedinBosnia-Herzegovina, This isaboutcollecting information todetermine the true • • Extract: Gathering first-hand accounts Psychological supportfor victims [...] June 1993(inFrench). ter, alsodistributedto100journalists) no. 61 mission, psychologist Yves Gozlans, MSF France heads of and prospects” by lawyer Pierre Salignon and “Former Bosnian prisoners: mission assessment Messages (MSF France internal newslet-

75 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

“What presence in former Yugoslavia?” Marc- As a result, MSF Holland is operating in Sarajevo, Bihac and Gastellu Etchegorry, Deputy Operations Director, Tuzla. MSF Belgium is working jointly with MSF France in the MSF France, Messages (MSF France internal news- enclave of Srebrenica. This type of action needs to continue letter, also distributed to 100 journalists) no. 62, and be developed further, in parallel with the assistance July-August 1993. being given to Bosnian refugees in Croatia by MSF France. We always need to weigh up the price that has to be paid, and Extract: it is a heavy one in terms of compromise. Insecurity, bullet- So much has been said about the Yugoslav conflict that proof jackets, helmets... – and the importance of our pres- everything is now commonplace and confused; apart from ence. We need to be ready to adapt and to question these the general feeling of horror and cowardice, who knows how operations. to react anymore? But for the moment, at least, our presence in the enclaves Traumatised by the “accident” of Vukovar and split between does reflect what MSF really does. its operational role and gathering accounts, MSF France has struggled in this conflict and not found a clear or unanimous position. The differences between sections have not made the task any easier. And there is no shortage of questions At this time, there was a lot of criticism about the about gathering people’s accounts or what to do next. Belgian intervention in Serbia, since MSF was bringing What actions can be taken without endorsing Serbian ethnic in medicines although Serbia was one of the largest exporters cleansing and without endangering the teams working in the of medicines in the world. MSF was taking part in a European field? How can we be effective, and effective in programme that was clearly political in nature, but we went what way, we might ask ourselves? How can we do what MSF along with it without asking ourselves too many questions. The really does and in the European era, what does “doing what Belgians were clearly keen for us to go, no doubt due to the MSF really does” actually mean? question of resources, but also to give us a piece of the action. And what about gathering accounts? Will it endanger the They opened the door for us. In Serbia, we didn’t have much to teams working in the field? What is the real point of it? do, I knew it. In Croatia, there would have been things to do Everything has already been said, or almost? Everyone knows but it wasn’t where a humanitarian positioning had reason to that humanitarian action will not save the Bosnians. It is be. In Bosnia, the Dutch had the ground covered and there was clear that the international community is willing, with a cruel no point duplicating their efforts. My conclusion was therefore degree of cowardice, to abandon its fundamental principles that the position we needed was in the enclaves, i.e. Srebrenica, and sacrifice an entire population to the hope of an uncertain Gorazde, and Zepa. Everyone agreed on this. It was typically peace that will calm good western consciences. Although our the kind of place we should have been in, because it was a situ- words may not appear to carry much weight in these circum- ation where we finally had the chance to do what we knew how stances, the ability to bear witness in relation to our actions to do: medical activities and witnessing. is still a concern. The questions must not make us forget the nature of our work Dr. Marc Gastellu-Etchegorry, MSF France Deputy and responsibilities: providing humanitarian assistance to Director of Operations, 1992-1997, Interviewed in 2015 people in precarious situations. (in French) The Serbs’ ethnic cleansing has made violence omnipresent, obliging even the most moderate people to claim a nationality that previously represented little more than a sense of tradition. Some months after the publication of the prisoners’ The great carving up of Bosnia is coming to an end. Serbs and accounts at the end of 1992, I said we should go and Croats have divided the territory between them, promising see what was happening in Karlovac. There were people going the (majority) Muslim population a few crumbs. for the first time and saying there was nothing we could do The enclaves (Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zepa, Srebrenica, Gorazde, there. And then, after the AGM in June 1993, Rony said to me, Bihac) are under siege by Serbian forces. These regions and “If you want to go, then go.” So I spent some time in Karlovac cities are effectively prisons, subjected to indiscriminate in Croatia in a refugee camp with some former prisoners, on a shellfire and the madness of the snipers, cities that they are kind of front line that was going to see more action at certain trying to destroy through a campaign of continual fear and times. We were at a stage of getting to grips with the context the lack of water and supplies. again. That’s how the French section works. Even though things The health situation varies, depending on the degree of vio- were happening and the Belgians and Dutch were in position, lence and the extent to which they are accessible. Yet all there was still what Rony had said, namely that we weren’t these places are suffering from the same isolation and aban- going to hand out blankets to be used as shrouds. But we were donment. Most of the time, medical needs can be met by gradually going to get involved at an operational level again, Yugoslavian doctors but they often lack equipment. MSF in a joint Belgian and French operation. We were going to help Belgium and MSF Holland are trying to supply the enclaves them work in the enclaves in eastern Bosnia from an HR point with medicines and basic equipment. Their actions, which are of view. governed by the medical context and level of insecurity, are None of this was done in an exactly linear fashion, but in small allowing MSF to reach the civilian populations who are vic- areas. Gradually we would go into an area and then take control. 76 tims of the fighting. We were willing to be a key player, even if it meant tension with other organisations. access to the enclaves, sometimes in conjunction with MSF publiclydenouncedthesituationandasked for more deteriorated for thepeopleinthem. dom process becauseof thesiegeandlivingconditions enclaves intheregion, sendinginsupplieswas aran- by the Belgian and French sections. As with the other gramme intheenclave of Gorazde. Itwas managedjointly In mid-July1993,MSFfinallymanagedtoopenapro- they gotfromtherealityof beinginthefield. our partandthepeopleongroundgainedlegitimacy Brussels. But they left usplenty of room. And then we played b) Fuelshortages UNHCR warehouse waslooted. lack of food prompted two riots in the last two weeks and the target itselfonlyrepresented athird of the population. The target for June reached the Tuzla region, even though the In spiteof sustained efforts byUNHCR,just60%of the food a) Foodshortages of the war. The effects are asfollows: The fundamental problem isthe difficulty of accessbecause 2. Problem becoming desperate. and militarymanoeuvres. The situation inTuzla israpidly humanitarian agencies isseriously threatened bypolitical central Bosnia isblocked and the workof international ance will not survive. Allcommercial traffic travelling through Security Council, however, itisclearthatthisisland of toler- peace. Without immediate action bythe United Nations where peopleof allethnic origins continue to livetogether in numerous conflicts, the region is the last place in Bosnia The Bosnian region of Tuzla isunder siege. Although there are 1. Background SECURITY COUNCILTO ENDTHEBLOCKADEINTUZLA. JOINT INTERNATIONAL APPEALTO THEUNITEDNATIONS Relief. SwedeAid/Sida (Sweden), Solidarité (France), SwissDisaster OXFAM (Great Britain),ScottishEuropean Aid (Great Britain), (USA), Médecins Sans Frontières, Norwegian Refugee Council, International (France), International RescueCommittee International, Komitee CapAramur (Germany), Handicap Architectes et Ingénieurs du Monde (France), CARE The agencies thatsigned the appealwere asfollows: Extract: France, incharge of programmes inthe former Yugoslavia, Pierre Salignon, DeputyProgramme Manager, MSF Press release,MSF, 28July1993(inFrench). Nations toputanend tothe blockade inTuzla’ ‘Twelve humanitarian agencies ask the United 1992-1996, Interviewed in2015(inFrench). courageous political decisions. Implementing an action of this kind will need urgent and of tolerance iswellworththe efforts of the United Nations. to the outside world. Helping aregion thatservesasamodel The blockade must end and the Tuzla region must haveaccess efforts. only be resolved by the most determined humanitarian working inTuzla thatahuman catastrophe of thiskind can It iscleartoallthe professional humanitarian organisations increasing humanitarian needs. c) Make the necessary funds availabletoUNHCRmeet the open Tuzla airport. isations toact.One possibilityinthisrespect wouldbeto would include freedom for international humanitarian organ- which declare that Tuzla should be treated as a safe area. This resolutions 824and 836, b) As aminimum, implement United Nations SecurityCouncil this demand bycreating a“blueroute”-type secure road. region hasfree accesstothe outside worldand torespond to a) Force the warring parties toguarantee thatthe Tuzla to take the necessary measures to: Security Council We are therefore issuing ajoint appeal tothe United Nations opened uptothe outside world, itcouldbeself-sufficient. the same time, weare convinced thatifthe Tuzla region were problems thatare beyond ourcapacitytodeal withthem. At As professional humanitarian organisations, weare facing 3. Measures needed lack of building materials and fuel. resolve these problems are being seriously hindered bythe for the 220,000displacedpersons inthe region. Efforts to There isamassive need for temporary and permanent housing d) Shelters emergency surgery. medical centre hasbeenforced tostopeverything except bringing these items inwaslootedcentral Bosnia. The including gauzeand antibiotics. One of the final convoys The health systemiscruellylacking inbasic equipment, c) Medical care thus increasing future needs for food aid. The shortage of diesel isalsoaffecting wheat production, epidemics. water, thisindustrial citywillundoubtedly face awaveof function. The watersupplydepends onelectricity. Without very strong likelihood thatthe entire powergrid willceaseto an adequate quantity of diesel reaches Tuzla soon,there isa The lackof diesel hascausedaserious energy crisis. Unless clear thatthe implementation of so-called “safeareas” based teams, which are working throughout the country. It makes it in Bosnia. MSF refers toreports from itsemergency response expresses itsgrave concern aboutthe humanitarian situation the committeemembers. Inthisletter, the aid organisation parliamentary committees, MSF istoday sending aletterto In light of the debate aboutBosnia tomorrow involving three Dutch). Press releasefrom MSF Holland, 28July1993(in

77 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

on UN resolutions as so far come to nothing. Against this MSF is pursuing a balanced program based on needs. We are background, MSF explains the consequences of the siege of distributing basic drugs and surgical materials to the Serbian the town of Tuzla in eastern Bosnia. The town is suffering hospitals in Eastern Bosnia, and we are conducting explor- alarming shortages of medicines, food and fuel. There are not atory missions in Trnovo, Sokolac, and Petrovac as the Pale enough shelters for the approximately 200,000 refugees. authorities have requested. However, we do not envision a Unless free passage for humanitarian aid improves quickly, large shelter program in the Serb areas. As the single imple- the situation will be the same as in Sarajevo, Srebrenica and menting partner of UNHCR that is active in the enclaves, I Gorazde. urgently request your support in our negotiations in Pale. […] Because promises of shelters were expressed, because MSF believes that in this situation, humanitarian assistance convoys are not bringing an adequate food ration to the refu- is rapidly transformed into a kind of palliative care. gees, because children did not receive shoes or clothes in “UNPROFOR’s role is limited to the part of spectator (...). sufficient quantity before the winter, because new shipments With these false promises, the international community is of medical supplies have yet not arrived, the Srebrenica pop- abandoning the people of Bosnia to their fate”. MSF is asking ulation is doubtful the international aid community will fulfill the committee to start a debate on protecting both humani- their mandate. Security of our representatives, MSF as well as tarian convoys and people in “safe areas” and seeking a com- UNHCR and ICRC, may be threatened, if progress is not made mitment from the European Community. It also emphasises soon. the necessity of ongoing financial support for humanitarian aid in Bosnia.

MSF, along with 11 other organisations operating in Tuzla, is ‘ Report on the Deteriorating Situation of the writing to the United Nations Security Council today to secure Population of Srebrenica,’ Hans Ullens, MSF Field free passage for humanitarian aid to the “safe area” as a Coordinator in Srebrenica to MSF Paris, 16 Sep- matter of urgency. tember 1993 (in English).

Extract: 5. Conclusion. The population of Srebrenica is completely isolated from the outside world and is forced into self-suffi- In the Bosnian enclaves, the MSF team focused on water ciency. However it is impossible to provide the structure for supply and sanitation, and on rehabilitating buildings in self-sufficiency in the short-term and even in the long-term preparation for winter. However, the Bosnian Serb forces as long as the Bosnian Serbs are ruling the area. There are no maintaining the siege, only allowed inadequate amounts local resources and there is no energy source, there are no of aid through, and only erratically. The long waits for UN institutions, and there are no people and material to start up Sanctions Committee approval exacerbated the situation. these institutions: e.g. the hospital, the first institution The team wondered about the reality of the protection which was organised, (before it was only a dispensary) is supposedly ensured by the peacekeepers’ presence. completely depending on drugs and high qualified medical staff from Médecins Sans Frontières. There are no local people to replace the surgeon, the anaesthetist, and the stomatolo- gist. None of them are able or has the power to get drugs from ‘Blockade of MSF Programmes in the Enclaves,’ outside into the area. The hospital is only one example of the Letter from MSF General Coordinator in the former numerous social, and legal institutions, which need to be Yugoslavia to the UNHCR Special Envoy, 6 Sep- created. They all face the same problems. There are no quali- tember 1993 (in English). fied persons available to run these institutions and they will not come from Sarajevo or Tuzla. The idea of a self-sufficient Extract: enclave surrounded by a hostile population is a complete illu- The tension and anxiety of the population are growing. Their sion. The UN declared Srebrenica as a safe haven but in fact survival is entirely dependent on the timely arrival of interna- sold it to the Bosnian Serbs who are turning it slowly into a tional aid. This aid is dependent on the good will of the legal extermination camp. They are deciding on [which] Serbian authorities in Pale, and the Sanctions Committee in materials to come in so they are the managers of all relief New York. After two weeks of negotiations with the Pale programmes. The UN and the humanitarian organisations authorities, MSF is facing a complete refusal to bring any only function as a cheap labour force for them. They run a material other than medical supplies into the enclaves. farm of 45,000 people with a Serbian manager who is only Because of this continuing series of delays and refusals from interested in getting rid of his animals. […] When UNPROFOR the Pale authorities, the MSF program in Srebrenica, as well arrived in March, people thought it was the end of the night- as in Gorazde, is blocked. The necessary materials for the first mare and there was a general optimism. This optimism turns phase of our rehabilitation project for 2,000 refugees in into bitterness now. Everybody realises that the tragedy is Srebrenica have been purchased and are currently stored in not far off. The only solution is an immediate corridor for Belgrade. The Pale authorities (MOH as well as the Commission material to Srebrenica controlled by UN without any control Board for Humanitarian Aid) request an equivalent MSF pro- or interference from the Bosnian Serb authorities in Pale and 78 gram on the Serbian side, in the so-called “Serbian enclaves.” a massive aid programme. […] The nightmare from early this witness the latter. we prefer the retreat of allprotection and assistance thanto misery. Ifthe free passage of relief material isnot possible, of mortar shells isfinally more humane thantodie of coldand mented bythe UNand the humanitarian organisations. To die orchestrated by the Bosnian Serbs but completely imple year iscoming back with one little difference: it is still go. Theywerelike bulldogs holdingontoapieceof meat.You guys weredetermined, thatthey’ddoanything, they’dneverlet there.’ Itwasaconstantshowdown.We hadthesense thatthose ‘there’s nothingIcandoaboutit,don’tcontrolthesnipers up the checkpoint,theywouldfire atus. Thecaptainwouldsay, would negotiate apass. Thenthenext day, whenwe’dgetto back, inanycase!’Thenhewould add,‘theMuslimsstink!’We anyway? Whatgooddoesitdo?We’re goingtoget thisplace or threedays. Hewouldsaytous, ‘what areyoudoinghere, to thecaptainatentrance to theenclave abouteverytwo ate constantly with the Bosnian Serb military. I would go talk At thatpoint,wetookwhatevercouldget!We hadtonegoti- could onlygetabsurdlysmallquantitiesviaofficial channels. the fact thatofficially theyprovidedonlynon-medicalaid. We giving us. The ICRC also managed to get us some drugsdespite living onleftovers, onwhattheCanadianpeacekeepers were of drugsinMarch1994,justamonthbefore Ileft.We were out. Ineightmonths, wemanagedtobringinonlyoneorder drugs in1993,and wesurvivedonthat. Thenthesupplyran […] […] HCR, havetowaitupthree weeksfor equipment orders. green light toimportdrugs, butevenfor UNagencies like the an NGO, which sometimes hastowaittwomonths for the Sanctions Committee’sinertia and nitpicking. Not just for us, hand, everything hasbeenbrought toahaltbythe UN authorities onaccesstothe besieged regions. Onthe other improved since lastWednesday’s discussion withthe Pale situation atthe infamous Serbian checkpoints seems tohave hamper the activities of the humanitarian organisations. The especially the bureaucracy of the Sanctions Committee all the Muslim population for their owncommunity, and the authorities, which demand the equivalent of eachconvoyto negotiations, the conditions imposed by the Serbian military besieged enclaves. […]The slowness and complexity of the 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-calledUNsafeareas are practically unpro- Extract: no oneelse. We managed to bring in a large supply of MSF wastheonlysourceof careinSrebrenica,therewas Le Soir(Belgium)25September1993(inFrench). ‘MSF calls for help for Bosnia,’ Edouard van Elthem, - their jaws. could hurtthem,doanythingtobutthey’dneveropen authorities runningtheenclave didnotcontrol. to any humanitarian activity that the Bosnian Muslim complained toUNHCRabouttheobstaclesbeingcreated In December1993,theMSFcoordinator inSrebrenica met 80%of thetown’s waterneeds. than nothing and they restored it. It was a lot of work, butit others found the old plant. They told themselves it was better plant hadbeendestroyed.HansUllens, RenéCaraviellheand political manipulation of any of ouractions. a non-political organisation and therefore cannot accept any provides assistance toallpeopleindistress. However, weare sans Frontières isahumanitarian relief organisation, which its real objectivesare of secondary importance toit.Médecins more the subjectof aninternal political powerstruggleand impression that the humanitarian aid is becoming more and information campaign from the local authorities. We havethe humanitarian organisations is the victim of a continuous dis- person involvedinthese distributions organised bythe lot of things went wrong intheir owndistributions, every exclusively distributedbypeoplethey appoint. Although a They want allrelief material thatarrivesinSrebrenica tobe want to force them always topassthrough their channels. tarian organisations are recruiting their ownpersonnel. They trol. The local authorities do not seem to accept that humani- of all relief activity, which is not completely under their con- cooperation has been exchanged for acontinuous sabotage humanitarian organisations was more orlessgood. Now, this Before, the cooperation betweenthe localauthorities and Extract: October 1991-August 1993,Interviewed in2000,2015, Coordinator inSrebrenica, October1993-April1994 Srebrenica, whichwas just mad! The water treatment There was alsoa whole battle over reinstalling water in Dr Eric Dachy, MSF general coordinator inBelgrad, English). sentative inBelgrade,’ 17December1993(in tières Coordinator inSrebrenica toUNHCRRepre - ‘Message from Hans Ullens, Médecins Sans Fron- Graziella Godain, MSF France/Belgium Field (in French) interviewed in2000 (in French)

79 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

The enclave phenomenon crystallised the danger to the The Canadian peacekeepers were making an enormous population held hostage not just by the Serbs, but also effort. They were taking care of the population. The by its own extremists, the Bosniak militias. They symbolised a Canadian doctor was doing mobile consultations with us on the certain unacceptable resistance to the Serbs. There were radicals weekends in the clinics scattered around the town. Via their on both sides. There weren’t only nice Bosniaks inside. I spent base, Visoko, they were getting drug supplies in and then giving eight months around them, and they weren’t joking. They were us donations because we couldn’t get anything in. A lot of organising commando operations. They would all shoot things came through the Canadians; they were a huge help to morphine before heading up to the mountains in the middle of us. There was a renewed feeling of security in March 1994, the night to kill Serbs. You really had to be a bit high to do that. because the Dutch arrived with many more resources than the You could call it self-defence, but only to a point. The Serbs took Canadians. They moved the peacekeepers’ base into the advantage of that to say, ‘you said it was a demilitarised zone, Podgorica factory. There weren’t a lot more of them, but they and they’re shooting at us.’ And they used that as an excuse to retooled everything. It was impressive. By way of medical equip- fire on civilians. It automatically entitled them to that type of ment, the Canadians had only one tiny, very sparsely equipped reprisal. I talked about it with the Bosniak commander. I told room. The Dutch came with an ultrasound unit and cutting edge him, ‘every time you have one of those operations, the next day equipment. They set up two operating rooms, while the there’s shooting from all sides and a child gets shot.’ Canadians had none. We got the impression that there was a determination to reinforce, to provide resources, and to stay for Graziella Godain, MSF France/Belgium Field a while. Coordinator in Srebrenica, October 1993 - April 1994 (in French) interviewed in 2000 Graziella Godain, MSF France/Belgium Field Coordinator in Srebrenica, October 1993 - April 1994 (in French) interviewed in 2000

In late 1993, under pressure from the Serbs, UNPROFOR temporarily decided not to deploy the Dutch contingent (Dutchbat) scheduled to replace the Canadian battalion Opinions within MSF varied as to what position to take in the Srebrenica and Zepa enclaves. The handover did regarding the haggling by the Bosnian Serb authorities, not happen until March 1994. The Dutch peacekeepers which demanded that the organisation provide the same set up their base at Potocari near the Podgorica factory level of aid in Serbian parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina in within the enclave, but outside the town of Srebrenica. exchange for letting MSF teams and equipment into The means they were deploying there suggested to the the enclaves. In the field, the teams were helping the MSF team that security was getting beefed up. most vulnerable populations of Serbia and Serbian held Bosnia-Herzegovina. The MSF teams sometimes relayed outlandish, unacceptable demands from the authorities, for example, expatriate surgeons should work by them- ‘UNPROFOR Decides not to Deploy Blue Helmets selves in several of the region’s hospitals. in Two Muslim Enclaves,’ Le Monde (France), 25 December 1993 (in French).

Extract: Minutes from the 12 January 1994 MSF France Under pressure from Serbian forces in Bosnia, UNPROFOR has Board of Directors Meeting, (in French). temporarily decided not to protect the Muslim-populated ‘safe areas’ of Zepa and Srebrenica, in the eastern part of the Extract: country. The mission was to have fallen to the Dutch Air 2) Yugoslavia - Pierre Salignon summarises MSF-France activi- Mobile Brigade, whose commander confirmed in a radio inter- ties in the former Yugoslavia. MSF continues to work with view on Wednesday, 22 December that its departure had been ex-prisoners in Croatia and in refugee camps in Macedonia. A postponed indefinitely. The decision came down from joint programme is being conducted in Belgrade under UNPROFOR headquarters, following the recent refusal by the Belgian coordination in Gorazde, Srebrenica, and Zepa Serbian military to allow a reconnaissance patrol brigade into enclaves, and priority is given to the ‘enclave’ mission, where the two protection areas. The 1,100 Dutch soldiers who were the work is necessary but faces multiple obstacles. These supposed to be deployed there starting 18 January belong to include the lack of goodwill of the Serbian militias and Pale a combat unit that was to have been heavily equipped, and authorities, the difficulty getting access to the victims, and whose involvement would have displeased Ratko Mladic, the confiscation of material. MSF should distance itself from Commander-in-Chief of the Bosnian Serb army. Though Dutch the UN to get access to the enclaves. Rony Brauman raises Foreign Minister Pieter Kooijmans considered it “unaccept- the problem of political orientation and finding a balance. able” that the Serbs dictate the placement of UN forces, the Considering the size of the budgets and what we have to pay Defence Secretary had already announced that the Dutch to get where we’re needed and that the teams have to deal detachment would be given a new assignment, most likely with security problems, people are getting tired in a difficult 80 protecting humanitarian transports in central Bosnia. context. Without MSF, the Srebrenica hospital couldn’t func- running for ayear. gramme, onto which MSF grafted itself,and which hadbeen devise coordination schemes withthe Brussels/Belgrade pro- MSF France got involvedinYugoslavia verylateand hadto budgetary surge, given asKarim pointed out,the fact that resents areal danger. We are alsokeeping acloseeyeonthe Bosnia (an evaluation is in progress), knowing that that rep- would have to provide humanitarian assistance in Serbian MSF teams. MSF’s presence isessential inGorazde, aswell.We tion. Rehabilitation and sanitation are alsodone mainly by greatest possibleextent. rately aspossible, adapting itsoperational constraints tothe Hence, MSF isalways obligated toassessthe needs asaccu- criterion for distributing aid is the urgency of the needs. ours to assure the international community that the only due tothe militaryblockade of those areas. 3/MSF endeav- and civilauthorities concerned toprovide for those needs, number of operations eachday; -The inability of the health lack of any localsurgical capacity, despite the need for alarge teams in these sites is based on two specific factors: - The dance withhumanitarian law. The decision todeploy surgical to have the right to enter and leave the enclaves, in accor tocol). Hence, MSF has also offered its impartiality, in order the other (Articles 7,9,10,11,14and 18of thatsame pro- implemented via animpartial humanitarian organisation, on national authorities, onone hand, and whatcanonlybe distinguishes between whatmust beundertaken by the Yugoslavia. 2/Inrelief activities, humanitarian lawalways tribution of aid tocivilian populations throughout the former antee as an impartial humanitarian organisation for the dis- Protocol II of the Geneva Conventions). MSF gives its guar tiality of humanitarian organisations (Article 18of Additional movement for humanitarian relief inconflicts tothe impar- note the following: 1/Humanitarian lawties freedom of focused onsupply. Regarding your question to me, please policy since the start of the conflict has been primarily ical personnel (nationals) in the former Yugoslavia, MSF’s sufficient numbers of verycompetent doctors and other med- MSF toensure the safetyof individuals. As there are already each individual knows hismission [role] verywell.It enables deploys teams. Thismakes the action more effective, and tries inconflict opposes individuals 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: Yugoslavia, 15January 1994(inFrench). Advisor tothe MSF Coordination Team inthe former Letter’ from Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF Legal - - hospital inSrebrenica would not function. Forapopulation grammes is therefore essential. Without MSF, for example, the Gorazde and Srebrenica. Continuing the assistance pro- MSF isthe onlyinternational medical organisation present in ious securityand living conditions. Somehow, the programme iscontinuing, despite the precar- Without MSF, the hospital inSrebrenica wouldnot function. UNPROFOR protection for several months. MSF hasbeengoing in and outof the enclave without chute drops. Unlike inGorazde, is becoming increasingly dependent on United Nations para - a fewUNHCRconvoysare still getting through. That citytoo taking. The situation is not very different in Srebrenica, but presence inGorazde isessential and the risksare worth of aninitiative of thiskind for the teams are real butMSF’s access and supplying medicines tothe enclave. The dangers trying todemarcate itselfand make itsownarrangements for longer provide protection or guarantee safe passage, MSF is Since the United Nations (UNHCRand UNPROFOR)canno least, are met. responsible for the parachute drops so that urgent needs, at and medical equipment tothe United Nations authorities MSF hasevengot tothe point of sending listsof medicines be met inDecember1993. a third of requirements (flour, medicines, etc.) were ableto of the parachute drops organised by the United Nations: just The humanitarian situation continues todeteriorate inspite complicate accesstothe area significantly infuture. bardments and fighting onthe front line are regular and could issue for the Serbian and Muslim forces. The Serbian bom- been stationed for several months – and remains astrategic rised –unlike Srebrenica, where aUNPROFORcontingent has status asa“safearea”, the enclave hasnever beendemilita- The problem is particularly acute in Gorazde. In spite of its under siege are the firstvictims of these blockades. it completely impossible to get the aid through. Civilians to enter the enclaves, all the traps on the road hinder or make And, when aconvoydoes finally get approval from the Serbs cancel its convoys because it does not have authorisation. Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) is often forced to which refuses to work without the support of the United The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Civilians are the firstvictims of aid blockades. mood of the Serbian authorities. authorisations are long, complicated and dependent onthe itarian organisations are obliged tocomplysecure access months. The administrative procedures with which all human been working inSrebrenica and Gorazde for almost ten the enclaves ineasternBosnia, Médecins Sans Frontières has As the onlyinternational medical organisation operating in the Serbianauthorities... Gorazde andSrebrenicaaremoredependentonthegoodwillof Enclaves: Extract: Every day, theprogrammesinbesiegedtownsof French). distributed to100journalists) February 1994(in sages no. 67(MSF France internal newsletter, also deputy programme managers atMSF France, Mes- ‘Humanitarian action insuspense’, Pierre Salignon, -

81 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

that feels it has, in many respects, been abandoned by the It was obvious that the Serbs were deriving some politi- international community, there is also a psychological dimen- cal benefit from our presence in Srebrenica. There was sion to our presence. Finally, MSF has launched programmes some disagreement about the situation analysis with MSF to supply medicines to hospitals in Serbian Bosnia and Belgium, who thought they should buy their presence in Yugoslavia – Serbia and Montenegro. Srebrenica, in a sense, with distributions to the Serbs. We [MSF The main aim of our activities on the Serbian side, which were France], on the other hand, felt that our presence in Srebrenica decided after actual needs had been assessed and identified, suited the Serbs because there was a deal that wasn’t exactly was to soften the Serbian authorities’ policy towards use and clear with the Bosniaks, and concern about their public image. gain easier access to the enclaves. That’s why UNPROFOR was there, as well as UNHCR and ICRC, Humanitarian action in former Yugoslavia is clearly an issue for but it was more matter of form, since they only visited once a the various warring parties. This is why MSF’s programmes, par- week, whereas we had a substantial and ongoing presence. That ticularly those begun in Serbian Bosnia, need to be reassessed formality was not immaterial; it was important to everyone, and regularly and constant thought needs to be given to the asso- had political significance. In the spring of 1994, I went with an ciation’s political positioning, as implied by its activities. MSF Belgium delegation to negotiate continuous access to the It would be dangerous to accept MSF becoming a service pro- enclaves in exchange for the distribution of hygiene and clean- vider, ready for anything and at any price. ing products in Serb villages. The problem was that some of the Yet the fact remains that the announced – and expected – Serb villages were Serbianised Bosniak villages. We arrived in resumption of fighting between Serbs and Muslims risks Pale, where – since it was a ski resort – the Republika Srpska making any humanitarian action completely impossible. To government had taken up residence in a hotel. Instead of being be continued... taken to an office, we were taken to the hotel dining room, where we were surprised to find twenty or so people sitting around a big square table and Republika Srpska TV cameras. We realised that it was all a propaganda set-up, but it wasn’t a big All we knew was that in order to get medicines into the deal. Seated on my left was Mrs Karadzic, who introduced enclaves we had to do a distribution in Republika Srpska. herself to me as ‘Madame Karadzic, Freudian psychoanalyst.’ But there are ways, and then there are ways. There was an That was the little cherry on top that I still get a kick out of in-depth discussion on the project, which everyone considered today! The discussion began before dinner, with some clear and a pretext project. When I got there, I said, ‘we shouldn’t do an slightly heavy, but very diplomatic, allusions to ‘people who alibi project. I’m going to conduct a visit.’ Sometimes we do took positions hostile to Serbian rights.’ None of us reacted. projects simply because it is very important that we be there Everyone played his or her cards fairly discreetly, fairly elegantly. with the population. But that wasn’t the case there. After a year Next came the information about the plan to exterminate of doing the project, we found shampoo bottles and packages Bosnian Serb children, the UN-organised genocide. We had never of compresses with MSF labels in the shops in Serbian hospitals. heard of it! Several people – well-trained public health doctors I was shocked. In the Republika Srpska hospitals, near the from the Ministry, including the former head of the epidemiol- border, the Serbs wouldn’t let us treat civilians because it was ogy department at the Yugoslav Ministry of Health and the head a military zone. Those hospitals, for military only, were very well of the surgery department, sounding not very convinced – stocked, not just by MSF, but also by other organisations, repeated the crazy accusation that the measles vaccinations funded by the European Union. And, it seemed unforgivable to sent by UNICEF were poisoned. So they were basically being me that MSF didn’t decide to stop sooner, knowing that the invited to inject their children with lethal doses. As a precau- Ministry of Defence had enough money to supply those hospi- tion, they had one of the samples tested for verification at an tals. Then we did evaluations in the small health care facilities English laboratory, which gave the thing some credibility. They that no one had ever taken the time to visit. It was as clear as couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw the result saying that day that those facilities had been completely overlooked the vial contained poison, and had it checked in Germany. At because the people that used them, the elderly and women, the time, the Serbs considered Germany Satan’s helper, their were absolutely not the authorities’ priority. So we repro- enemy’s ally, along with the Vatican and Al-Azhar University. grammed the project to target those health care facilities. Our The Germano- Christian-Islamic plot – that was their big story! impact was nothing special, but we were able to go see what In Germany, they received sad confirmation that the poisoning was happening in the villages far from the front line. The consul- was real, and halted the vaccination campaign at the last tations enabled us to see that the treatment of the civilian minute; otherwise, the 300,000 children they were about to population, especially the old people and the patients in the immunise would have been assassinated. Because it was mental health care facilities, was truly shameful. Life was directed against children, it had jeopardised the future of the extremely difficult for the people living in Republika Srpska, Bosnian Serbs, and hence was genocide. In any case it was part though the situation wasn’t as serious as it was in the enclaves. of a global conspiracy to get rid of the Serbian people, and so Information was being manipulated, and the soldiers were given perfectly consistent with the rest. It was fairly disconcerting. priority. It was important to MSF to know all that, even if it There was also a disconnect between the enormity of the accu- wasn’t so much from a witness account perspective. sation and their apparent calm, the slightly mechanical aspect of what they were saying. When your children are threatened in Dr Graciela Diap, MSF Belgium/France Medical that way, wouldn’t you normally tend to dramatise things a bit, Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, October 1993 - April be a bit more emotional with your words? I told them we had 82 1995, Interviewed in 2000, (in French). been unaware of the whole story, but that it was good they told not toolate. seeking asolution to the conflicts in former Yugoslavia. It is which the idea of the European Union itselfisbased, in order to restore the principles of pluralism and tolerance on our political leaders to finally accept their responsibilities in zens inaEurope thatisstill developing, butaboveall,callon We want tocontribute tothe pressing discussions among citi- being distortedfor political ends. fact that the veryfoundations of humanitarian action are tragedy faced bypeopleinformer Yugoslavia, butalsothe ness and anger, not onlyatthe inexorable worsening of the In doing this, ourassociations wishtoexpress their bitter- United Nations. received the attached card, ashavethe main leaders of the Member States, inbothparliament and government, has Every political leader and decision-maker in Europe and its 12 sending New Year cards. tional, public, joint initiative tocoincide withthe period of the countries of former Yugoslavia havedecided onanexcep- The main French humanitarian organisations working daily in violence inBosnia. the Grand’ PlaceinBrussels, tosignalitsoutrage over the and CausesCommunestoholdapublicdemonstration on On 12February, MSFBelgiumjoinedforces withAmnesty of thefait accompli”. that they were “determinednottoacceptthestrategy European members of parliament a greetings card, hoping OHI, MDMandPSFtosendmembers of theFrench and In Early1994,MSFFrance hasjoinedforces withAICF, moment of victimkitsch! analyze, thestory ended there. It remains, however, a great of needstheygaveus. Sinceweneverreceivedthesamplesto accusations of genocide. Therewerealmostnodrugsonthelist lutely nothingtodowiththewar, populationdisplacement,or sanitary napkins. Itwasahouseholdshopping list, having abso- the genocidetotheirorderfor toiletpaper, cottonwool,and everyone, andalmostimmediatelythesubjectchangedfrom sible and sound the alarm. That seemed to completely satisfy and wewouldconductacampaignagainstthepeoplerespon- had to dowasgiveusthevialssothatwecouldanalyzethem, at their disposal, provided the information was verified. All they stop there. Iassured themthatallMSFmeanswouldbeplaced us aboutitbecausesuchanimportantmattercouldnotjust Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982-1994, MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, Frontières, 6January 1994(inFrench). Médecins Sans Frontières and Pharmaciens sans Faim, Handicap International, Médecins du Monde, Press releasefrom Action Internationale contre la interviewed in2000and 2015(inFrench). European citizenfinds unacceptable. ical willtofinally bring anend toasituation thatevery strategy of the fait accompli.And thatyouwillfind the polit- We wishyouthe determination tostand firmagainst the and religious lines. citizens acquiescing inplans todivide peoplealong ethnic contribute tothe suppression of conscience, toEuropean on rejecting it.Humanitarian organisations do not want to utopia condemned byhistory;modern-day Europe wasbuilt primary prerequisite for lasting peace. Ethnic cleansing isa failed to preserve the one essential element: tolerance, the tarian” todiplomatic and now cultural corridors, Europe has taged. Butwithbitterness and anger. Becausefrom “humani- continue ourworkalongside those who are most disadvan- new yearbegins, wewanted tostatepublicly thatwewill This aid isessential butstill,unfortunately, derisory. As the tarian aid, largely funded by Europe and the United Nations. Europe. Ourorganisations are helping to distribute humani - to expect more lucidityand determination from ademocratic of those times, these men and women are once more entitled sombre times, not solong ago inEuropean history. Inmemory tries of former Yugoslavia. The waythey lookevokes more the four million refugees and displacedpersons inthe coun- “A new yearof warisbeginning for the peopleof Bosnia and no substitutefor politics, becausethedoctors onthefrontin Because for MédecinsSansFrontières. humanitarian actionis Why arewemakingthiscommitment? concern. of our lack of respect, our lack of interest and our lack of 68 peoplewhodiedinthemarketplace shallbe the lastvictims to sayissimple:today, we aremakingacommitment that the selves, for wecontrolourown indifference. Andwhatwe have have beensofar. Thisdeterminationdependsonlyonour- must bemoreresolutethantheUnitedNationsresolutions willingness of citizenswhoare awareof thefact thattodaywe both determinationandwillingness. Thedeterminationand victims, of course, butalsohopingthatourpresenceexpresses Brussels inordertorememberandshowourrespectfor the Sarajevo. Today, wearegatheringintheGrand’Place and shatteredseveraldozenothersinamarketplace in “ below: The fulltext read outbyCausesCommunes on12February is would leadtoalasting peace[...]. Yugoslavia and citizens’ resolve tohelp find solutions that mination and willingness: arejection of the warinformer Grand’ PlaceinBrussels. Their presence signified both deter- Frontières and the ASSEZCommitteeinagathering onthe Causes Communes, Amnesty International, Médecins Sans On Saturday 12February, several thousand peoplejoined Last Saturday, at12:32precisely, ashelldestroyed68 lives

V11 no. 66,January 1994(inFrench). newsletter, alsodistributedto100journalists) Bsi Appeal’ ‘Bosnia 27, March 1994(inFlemish). Contact (MSF Belgiuminternal newsletter) no. Messages (MSF France internal

83 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Bosnia are themselves sick of seeing people with severe injuries the victims though let us hope it remains as empty as and others who are close to death dying on their operating possible. tables; We invite you to come and light a candle at it. We have at least Because for Amnesty International, such scorn for people’s two reasons for doing so: memory and hope. rights, recorded daily and rigorously documented, will continue We, as associations that are concerned about people, believe as long as there is no end to the gunfire; and we, Causes that it is one of those acts that is more of a duty. And it is that Communes, as an association that promotes solidarity between duty we thank you for sharing with us.” municipalities and between citizens, we are telling you that we are truly afraid that this war was born not of citizenship but of subjection and servitude. We are making this commitment together. It’s a first. It is not often that we overcome the bar- riers between organisations. We have been joined by and wel- On 12 January 1994, NATO recalled its determination to come other organisations as well, such as the student launch air strikes in order to prevent parts of Bosnia that committee “Assez” which has backed our rally. were being threatened by the Serbs from being caught That’s who we are. in a stranglehold. Now, how can we make this commitment? What are we going to do to ensure that our resources match our At MSF’s international council, the sections agreed not to determination? accept the use of force to protect humanitarian convoys. First, by repeating a few simple things: our rejection of ethnic cleansing, nationalism and intolerance. And also by saying that for us, there can be no Europe without Sarajevo. We must say it once more: Sarajevo is Europe, i.e. that melting pot of “NATO renews its threat of air strikes in Bosnia’ cultures and the place in which we cultivate and nurture values Le Monde (France), 12 January 1995 (in French). such as human rights, the demand for democracy or the creation of solidarity as a social practice. Extract: What is going to change from this Saturday is that we are now On Tuesday 11 January, NATO confirmed its determination committed to maintaining the pressure on our political “under the authority of the United Nations Security Council” representatives. to launch “air strikes to prevent the strangulation of Sarajevo, In a crisis situation such as the one we are currently experi- the safe areas and other threatened areas in Bosnia- encing, indecision and hesitation are our worst enemies. Herzegovina”. In the final communiqué published following a We have been saying it for two years. two-day summit, NATO urged “the UNPROFOR authorities to Today, decisions appear to have been taken. We are therefore draw up urgently plans to ensure that the blocked rotation of telling our political representatives that they can rely on our the UNPROFOR contingent in Srebrenica can take place and to determination to actually secure peace. A kind of peace, in examine how the airport at Tuzla can be opened for humani- which human rights humanitarian rights and democratic rights tarian relief purposes”. are truly meaningful. In their declaration, the 16 member states reaffirmed that At a time when ways of resolving the situation are beginning to “the conflict in Bosnia must be settled at the negotiating emerge, we must also say that we do not have any ready-made table and not on the battlefield. Only the parties can bring solutions to offer. peace to the former Yugoslavia. Only they can agree to lay We have not said – and we are not saying – that we will auto- down their arms and end the violence which for these many matically agree with the solutions we are being offered and will months has only served to demonstrate that no side can pre- be offered. vail in its pursuit of military victory.” We need to remember, here and now, that Sarajevo is not all of Bosnia and that a possible ceasefire does not sound the death knell of a war. And that once the weapons have fallen silent – as we assume – there is still a need to agree on a political Minutes of the International Council meeting, 13 solution. It isn’t over. The war isn’t over. And if the war were and 14 January 1994 (in French). coming to an end, are we sure we know how to begin the peace? Whether or not a Extract: ceasefire comes in the next few days, must we not now all sup- Following the recent threats to use force to secure safe pas- port the voices that continue to plead for tolerance, diversity sage for humanitarian convoys, MSF’s basic message is as and ethics in Bosnia and elsewhere? That is our role as follows: citizens. MSF is opposed to the use of military force to achieve human- Today, on this Grand’ Place, leading figures, moral authorities itarian objectives. Selective use of force in specific places and ordinary citizens are holding placards bearing the names (Srebrenica, Tuzla, the corridor to Mostar or Sarajevo, etc.) of the innocent victims of the war in Sarajevo this week. risks further complicating or entirely endangering the pro- There are 80 placards. This Grand’ Place will be where we gramme of humanitarian action throughout Bosnia. However, remember those who have died. If necessary, we will come back MSF is neutral on the use of armed forces to achieve political every Saturday, passing the baton between associations, com- or military objectives. 84 mittees and citizens. A memorial plaque will list the names of team, but invain. claiming accesstotheenclave for anew expatriate surgical tions thatmadetheenclave asafearea. Anditisalso for civilianspromised intheUNSecurity Councilresolu- the bombardments tostop. Itisaskingfor theprotection It reports thenumberof deadandwounded andcallsfor The organisation issuesapress release almostevery day. media information onthe situation. blocked there andisrapidly becomingthemainsource of siege. Ateamof two MSFexpatriate volunteers isstill offensive by theSerbianforces andfound itselfunder At theendof March 1994,theenclave suffered aviolent several weeks following thebombardments. In January1994,theMSFteamwithdrew from Gorazde for 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 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 waslimitedto3,500troops, 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: 1994 (inFrench). tional BlueHelmets,’ LeMonde(France), 2April ‘United Nations Authorises Sending 3,500Addi- GORAZDE UNDERFIRE strengthened. lines were draconian and radio communications contact return inmid-February withequipment, the security guide were clearguarantees of support.Although MSF managed to shocked and decided onlytoreturn tothe enclave ifthere Gorazde wasbombedinJanuary... the teamemerged quite enclaves such asGorazde. allow ustoforget the permanent threat thatstillhangs over The apparent calmaround the cityof Sarajevo should not June 1993. attack wascomparable towhatthe townwitnessed inMay/ Moreover, according tolocalresidents, the violence of the Médecins Sans Frontières team. gency room inthe hospital isoverwhelmed, according tothe the townwere killed(one childand one adult). The emer- Yesterday, sixchildren were injured and today, twopeoplein bombardments. of aviolent offensive and subjectedtointense For the lasttwodays, the townof Gorazde hasbeenthe scene As the situation deteriorates, Médecins Sans Frontières isvery in the enclave bysending inanew surgical team. Médecins Sans Frontières has decided to strengthen its staff to work, in difficult conditions, toprovide care for the injured. complete lack of transport. The medical teams are continuing get tothe hospital becauseof the fighting orthe almost other peoplewho hadbeen injured, however, were unable to injured people, one of whom died, asemergency cases. Many where the Médecins Sans Frontières isworking admitted 19 injured inthe lastweek.OnMonday 4April,the hospital There are thought to have been 49 civilians killed and 220 lation isfleeing tofind refuge inGorazde. villages onthe leftbankof the Drina are onfire and the popu- According toinformation gathered there byourteam,the 3.5 kilometres from the townof Gorazde. enclave and asof yesterday, Monday 4April,they were just broken through the front line tothe north and eastof the are currently present in the enclave. Serbian troops have safe area. Justfour United Nations MilitaryObservers(UNMO) Nations SecurityCouncil resolutions making the enclave a been subjectedtoa violent offensive, in breach of the United people have been besieged for the last year and ahalf, has For the lastweek,the enclave of Gorazde, where 60,000 30 March 1994. ‘Gorazde: civilian victims’ 31, January 1995(inFrench and English). Contact (MSF Belgiuminternal newsletter) no. English and Dutch). Médecins Sans Frontières, 5April1994(inFrench, people living inthe enclave’ Pressreleasefrom Frontières asksfor real protection for the 60,000 ‘Dramatic situation inGorazde: Médecins Sans Press release from MSF, -

85 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

concerned for the future of the 60,000 people living in the Minutes of the MSF Belgium board meeting, 6 enclave, including 30,000 in the town. April 1994 (in French). MSF is asking the United Nations to ensure the enclave is protected as provided for in the Security Council resolutions. Extract: It is also asking that the right of access to victims be Although the situation in Gorazde is worrying, it seems that respected and reminding them that the security and neu- there is a determination by the trality of hospitals and humanitarian medical teams are guar- UN not to focus on the enclave and not to communicate any anteed under international conventions. Seven expatriate information. members of international humanitarian organisations (ICRC, Our MSF press releases have been lost in the mass of informa- UNHCR and MSF) are present in Gorazde. tion sent to the media. Médecins Sans Frontières has been working in former It is important, however, to note the presence of Olivier van Yugoslavia for the last two years in accordance with the prin- Bunnen, an administrator in Gorazde, in numerous media; the ciples of neutrality and impartiality that guide its actions, media are expecting us to provide direct, real and emotional and will continue to support all victims of the war, regardless accounts as well as fresh factual information (such as the of whether they are in Serbia, Croatia or Bosnia. results of nutritional surveys) and not just institutional messages. It is important for us to be able to combine different messages, but also to make concrete proposals. ‘64 dead and 301 injured in Gorazde since the start of the latest Serbian offensive’ Agence France Presse, 6 April 1994 (in French). “Médecins Sans Frontières criticises the lack of Extract: protection for civilians living in the Gorazde 64 people have been killed and 301 injured in the Muslim enclave” Press release from Médecins Sans Fron- enclave of Gorazde, in eastern Bosnia, since the start of the tières, 7 April 1994 (in French). latest Serbian offensive, according to a press release issued by Médecins Sans Frontières in Paris on Friday. Extract: In the town of Gorazde itself, where an MSF anaesthetist and Médecins Sans Frontières is concerned about the developing logistics expert are currently working, seven more injured situation in the enclave of Gorazde in eastern Bosnia. people arrived at the hospital on Wednesday, bringing to 197 After 11 days of violent combat, civilians are the main victims the number wounded since the start of the offensive, ten of the current offensive by Serbian forces: 403 have been days ago, against the Muslim enclave, which is home to wounded and 92 have died to date. The emergency teams in around 60,000 people. “ Many other people who had been the hospital in Gorazde are overwhelmed and the lack of med- injured were unable to get to the hospital because of the icines and medical equipment is becoming alarming. fighting or the almost complete lack of transport” according The violence of the fighting has forced several thousand to the humanitarian organisation. inhabitants of the enclave to flee their burning villages. General Michael Rose, commander-in-chief of the Blue The new advance of attackers on Mount Gradina has prompted Helmets in Bosnia-Herzegovina, was unable to enter the fears that the population of the town (some 30,000 people) enclave on Wednesday as he had planned, for “security rea- will become a direct target for the Serbian forces. sons” cited by the Bosnian Serbs. Médecins Sans Frontières is again asking for guaranteed pro- Eight UNPROFOR liaison officers and military observers who tection for the 65,000 people living in the enclave, which has were accompanying him were, however, able to continue. been declared a “safe area” by the United Nations Security The problem of the enclave was discussed in Pale, the fiefdom Council. of the self-proclaimed Bosnian Serb Republic, between its Médecins Sans Frontières is also asking that the right of leader Radovan Karadzic, the UN’s special representative in access to civilian victims be respected. A surgical team is former Yugoslavia, Yasushi Akashi, and the French general waiting for the necessary authorisations to travel to the Bertrand de Lapresle, commander of the Blue Helmets in besieged enclave with medicines and medical equipment. former Yugoslavia. Under the current circumstances, its presence in the hospital According to General Rose, the three men “seriously” exam- is vital to strengthen the emergency teams already in place. ined the possibility of bringing peace to Gorazde based on the model used in Sarajevo, namely withdrawing heavy artillery to 20 km and monitoring of the front lines by the Blue Helmets. “Médecins Sans Frontières has decided to strength- In the spring of 1993, the enclave of Gorazde was declared a en its medical team in Croatia” Press release “safe area” by the UN Security Council, which has decided, in from Médecins Sans Frontières, 7 April 1994 (in principle, to deploy around 800 UN peacekeepers from French). Ukraine in the next 15 days. MSF is making plans to strengthen its medical team in Croatia to provide assistance to the Muslim and Croatian victims of 86 the ethnic cleansing operation in western Bosnia. As soon as authorisation toentertheenclave. The replacement medicalteamhadstillnotbeengiven made by theUN,there was areal riskof Gorazde falling. grade, toldthepress that contrary tothestatements On 9April,EricStobbaerts, MSF’s coordinator inBel- are inCroatia, Bosnia orSerbia. port allcivilian victims of the war, regardless of whether they impartiality thatguide itsactions, and willcontinue tosup- years inaccordance withthe principles of neutrality and MSF has been working informer Yugoslavia for the lasttwo until they canberesettled abroad. problems. They have beenplacedunder UNHCR protection subjected toorare suffering from significant psychiatric lies. Some bearthe traces of the atrocities they havebeen the summary execution of one or more members of their fami- terrible atrocities (shooting, rape, etc.) orhavewitnessed majority of whom havebeendirect victims of violence and They are mainly women, children and elderly people, the in the camp each week, expelled from Banja-Luka or Prijedor. January 1994,the MSF teamhasseen60or80peoplearrive Zagreb) and laterinthe refugee campinGasinzci.Since in Croatia, firstinthe transit campin Karlovac (50kmfrom our teams wasproviding assistance tothese peopleonarrival population inthe region. From March 1993onwards, one of rible atrocities perpetrated against the Muslim and Croatian in Bosnia-Herzegovina, MSF drew attention toaseries of ter- with 300former prisoners released from the detention camps In December 1992, following a survey carried out in France have continued since the startof the warinformer Yugoslavia. Muslim and Croatian civilian populations inwesternBosnia to remind peoplethatthe atrocities perpetrated against This new episode inthe policy of ethnic cleansing hasledMSF total). number of refugees already being housed there (280,000 in evacuated totransit centres inCroatia and willswellthe given authorisation, 6,000 to 9,000 non-Serbians will be the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been destruction of villages hasledtoa new extremely vulnerable some verybasic medical items such aspainkillers. The the verybasic medical resources available. There is alackof that are arriving everyday, placing atremendous burden on working around the clockisoverflowedwiththe wounded fighting. Gorazde’s hospital, where 2 MSF aid workers are 403 wounded and 92dead civilians since the start of the months. The number of casualties isincreasing by the day: where 60,000peoplehavebeenunder siege for the past18 tarian situation inthe mostly Muslim enclave of Gorazde MSF isextremely concerned aboutthe deteriorating humani- (in English). Médecins Sans Frontières Belgrade, 9April1994 ing humanitarian situation inGorazde.’ Statement ‘MSF isextremely concerned about the deteriorat- V12 strict sense of the term: you take the bombs lying down and you office. Thetwomembers of the ICRCappliedpolicyin the members alloverformer Yugoslavia. from the lasttwoyears. There are currently expatiate staff pocket. MSF hasbeen working in Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia medical supplies are alsowaiting tobeallowedenter the Their supporttothe hospital isof vitalimportance. Urgent go and reinforce the MSF teamworking presently inGorazde. full accesstothe victims. Abackupsurgical teamisready to and anactual solution for ending the fighting. MSF requests tion of Gorazde and toclosethe gapbetweenitsdeclarations UN to ensure an effective protection of the civilian popula the UN inaction after 11 days of heavy fighting. MSF urges the assessment of the situation. MSF is extremely concerned by real danger of the city being overrun, in contrary to the UN group of displacedpeoplewithinthe enclave. There isavery between Vitkovic and Djindici. have taken control of partof the right bankof the Drina agency of the Republic of the Bosnian Serbs], Serbian forces According toSRNA[Novinska Agencija Republika Spske, Press south of Gorazde, inthe Oglecevoregion. tured Mount Uhotic, one of the lastMuslim bastions tothe stated thatduring the morning, the Serbian forces hadcap- villages of Zupcici and Dlindici, to the southof the enclave, The Bosnian Serbagency thathadannounced the fall of the of amajor bridge linking the twobanksof the Drina. of the city had arrived in the night, following the destruction Some 1,500peoplefleeing the Serbian advance tothe south widespread among the peoplethere. Refugees were flooding into the towncentre, withpanic refuge inthe hospital. the International RedCross (ICRC) shelter, wastrying totake explaining thatthe MSF team,which spent the morning in “At the moment, it’strulyhorrific,” said MrStobbaerts, “safe area”. against the Muslim enclave, which hasbeendeclared aUN bombings” since 29March, the startof the Serbian offensive around 14:00, according to MSF. These were “the most violent 09:00, hadfirst decreased and then increased inintensity, at The bombings, which startedagainonSunday morning at cerned for the safetyof ourexpatriate staff,”he added. “We are taking thisthreat veryseriously and weare con- could fall inafewhours,” MrStobbaertstoldAFP. “Our teamonthe ground hasthe impression thatthe town (MSF), Eric Stobbaerts, inBelgrade. centre, according toaspokesman for Médecins Sans Frontières next few hours” as bombings have intensified in the city The town of Gorazde (in eastern Bosnia) could “fall in the itself cornered. They had to hide in the basement of their The UNHCRteamwasonasupervision visitandfound 10 April1994(inFrench). cording toMSF’ Agence France Presse, Belgrade, ‘Gorazde could“fall inthe next fewhours”, ac- -

87 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

don’t speak. We, however, opted for a very different strategy. On 11 April, while the enclave was almost in the hands We tried hard to get media coverage of what was happening in of the bosnian-serb forces, NATO launched air strikes Gorazde. Because at the time, the media weren’t particularly on Gorazde. interested in the fighting in Yugoslavia as long as there weren’t too many dead or injured. We and the head offices therefore MSF volunteers in the enclave told of the NATO air strikes adopted a strategy of open communication, from the head and ongoing bombardments by the Bosnian-Serb forces. offices and from Belgrade. We communicated night and day. In V13 the end, it did alert all of the international press. There was extraordinary coverage of what was happening, and real outrage. It put a huge amount of pressure on the United Nations and their mandate, because people were recording the number ‘Serbian bombardments of Gorazde continued after of dead and injured, the civilian sites that had been affected, the NATO raid, according to MSF’ Agence France the hospital in particular and all the problems there were in Presse, Belgrade, 11 April 1994 (in French). terms of medicines and equipment, which were obviously being exhausted at top speed, the team being cornered and the lack Extract: of access. Serbian bombardments of the Muslim enclave of Gorazde (eastern Bosnia) have continued following the latest raid by Eric Stobbaerts, MSF Belgium-France General NATO aircraft against Serbian positions, AFP has been told by Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, December 1993 - a spokesperson for the humanitarian organisation Médecins April 1995 (in French) interviewed in 2000 Sans Frontières (MSF) in Belgrade, referring to a radio conversation with MSF personnel in Gorazde. “The bombing started at 14:00; it was very, very loud and lasted half an hour. You could hear it clearly from the town. The bombing of Gorazde carried on at the same time,” On 10 April, Rony Brauman, the President of MSF France, according to Eric Stobbaerts. declared that “real carnage was on the way” and accused “The planes have left now but the bombing of Gorazde is UNPROFOR of “implementing a policy of systematic continuing, slightly less intensely than yesterday,” he added. disinformation.” An initial raid had taken place on Sunday afternoon, involving two US NATO F-16s against Bosnian Serb positions in Gorazde.

‘Fighting has broken out in the town of Gorazde, according to the president of MSF-France’ Agence ‘Bitterness Tinged with Satisfaction in Sarajevo France Presse, Paris, 10 April 1994 (in French). after NATO Air Raid on Serbian Forces Surrounding Gorazde,’ Le Monde (France), 12 April 1984 (in Fighting between Serbian and Bosnian forces has broken out French). in the town of Gorazde (eastern Bosnia), causing panic to spread through the population, stated the president of Extract: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF-France), Rony Brauman, late During a mid-afternoon radio link on Sunday, Olivier van Bull, on Sunday afternoon. a Belgian doctor with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), con- “All the information tallies,” explained Mr Brauman, sug- firmed the alarming information from Bosniak authorities. By gesting that “catastrophe could strike at any moment”. his account, the right bank of the Drina – where the hospital “Thousands of people are trying to flee” the Serbian advance, is located – could come under Serbian control “within the according to the head of MSF. Some 30,000 people have next few hours.” “The population is in state of panic; thou- taken refuge in the town. sands are fleeing to the western bank. The situation is crit- The hospital in Gorazde is “subject to intense shelling,” ical, and we have no way to evacuate the hospital, which added Rony Brauman. An MSF anaesthetist and logistics shelters 250 wounded,” he said, adding that since morning, expert are working at the hospital round the clock, but “they the town had been under “constant bombardment.” […] At are completely overwhelmed,” he added. 16:30 hours on Sunday, General Rose was informed of the “There is real carnage on the way,” stated Rony Brauman, worsening situation by his observers on the ground and pointing out that “dozens of villages (around Gorazde) have finally asked his Commander - in- Chief, General Lapresle, for been destroyed, burned and looted.” “close air support” as “civilians, UN military observers, and The MSF President accused the United Nations Protection humanitarian personnel are in danger.” General Lapresle Force (UNPROFOR) of “implementing a policy of systematic referred the matter to Japanese diplomat Yasushi Akashi, the disinformation” on the situation in Gorazde. “It’s essential to Secretary-General’s Representative, who decided to request remind UNPROFOR of its mission (to provide protection); oth- NATO action. erwise, it should leave.”

88 repeat itselfonaregular basis thereafter with the Bosnian Serb forces pressuring UNPROFOR, would forces tooksomeUNpeacekeepers hostage. Thatdynamic, To dissuadeNATO from strikingitagain, theBosnianSerb a toolinresponsetoverypressingthreat. This wasanexample of resistancebythemedia,usingthemas prevent theSerbsfrommountingfinalassault. that aslongMSFvolunteerswerespeakingout,theywould enclave tokeep thepressureonSerbattackers. We gambled whom died asaresult of their injuries,” he added. wounded were brought into the hospital inGorazde, four of “During the night from Monday to Tuesday, another 34 morning. tion with itsteamonthe ground at03:30onTuesday Frontières (MSF) inBelgrade, referring toaradio conversa- person for the humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans heard inthe townitself,” statedEric Stobbaerts, spokes- “The situation thismorning wascalm,butwithisolatedfire at 08:00. tion thathadtaken placewithUNHCRpersonnel inGorazde for Refugees (UNHCR)inBelgrade, reporting onaconversa- Lyndall Sachs, spokesperson for the UNHigh Commissioner low-intensity fire from light weapons on a regular basis,” said shells fellonthe townearlythismorning and weare hearing “The situation thismorning isrelatively calm.Butseven on the ground there. Bosnia, according tohumanitarian organisations withteams Serbian positions besieging the Muslim enclave ineastern morning, the day afterthe second NATO airraid against the Intermittent fire wasrecorded inGorazde onTuesday gical teams through towork inthe hospital inGorazde. Gorazde and getting humanitarian convoysand medical/sur- on other enclaves, protection of the civilian population in lack of UNaction inGorazde and itspossibleconsequences - MSF communications during the weekend focused on the Gorazde […] Extract: Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982-1994, we urgedthemtoupdatethepressregularlyfrom We hada radioconnectionwiththeGorazdeteamand MSF France Foundation Resarch Director from 1994, 1994 (inFrench). UNHCR’ ‘Intermittent fire inGorazde according to MSF and 12 April1994(inFrench). Minutes of the MSF France operations meeting, interviewed in2000and 2015(inFrench). Agence France Presse, Belgrade, 12April “critical.” not resume within ten days, the situation would become that if the shipment of supplies to populations in need did pended due to the closure of Serbian checkpoints. He added Luka, Tuzla, Gorazde, Zepa, and Srebrenica hadbeensus- who explained thatshipments of humanitarian aid toBanja- day, bythe UNHCRspokesman inSarajevo, ChrisJanowski, tory without authorisation. Thatwasconfirmed, during the their part,were barred onTuesday from leaving Serbian terri- them bytheir “captors.” […]Humanitarian personnel, for lorries and surviveonnothing but the bottledwaterbrought mines the Swedishpeacekeepers were forced tosleepintheir checkpoints, between Kiseljak and Sarajevo. Blocked by their convoysince Sunday afternoon atthe Serbs’Kobiljaca the Scandinavian UNPROFORbattalion havebeenheld with in recent days bymounting tensions. Similarly, elements from respected since being signed inFebruary, butwasweakened with monitoring the ceasefire, which was for the most part, on the hillsoverlooking Sarajevo. Those men were charged mines toblockseveral companies of BlueHelmets deployed in front of the buildings’ entrances. Serbian forces alsoused leaving, the Serbian militiamen hadplacedstrings of mines around the Bosnian capitalinFebruary. To deter them from Sarajevo since a20-kilometer exclusion zone wascreated Serbian heavy weapons removed from the hillsaround trapped onTuesday inthe hangars being usedtostore since. […]Elsewhere, anumber of BlueHelmets remained under surveillance bySerbian soldiers and police patrols ever ened witharrest ifthey lefttheir homes, which hadbeen military observersconfined since Monday hadbeenthreat- efforts tolocatethe Dutchobserverwere futile. The forty Serbian forces hadbroken off relations withUNPROFOR, northwest of Gorazde) whileentering Serbian territory. As after leaving the Muslim enclave of Zepa (in eastern Bosnia, another one hadsimplydisappeared, with his interpreter, house arrest inSerbian-controlled areas of Bosnia, and Observers (UNMOs), forty observershadbeenplacedunder According to Major Roy Thomas, Head of the UN Military post and inmost cases, denied freedom of movement. […] trapped in hostile territory, separated from their command deployed inSerbian-held territory:they became hostages, However, amore serious situation faced the peacekeepers which snipers quickly trained their sights onTuesday. back door route leading to the capital’sairport,aroute upon where the onlywayout that did not cross Serbian lines wasa found themselves practically confined tothe besieged city, several thousand UN peacekeepers deployed inSarajevo no UNpersonnel beallowed past Serbian checkpoints. Result: breaking off allrelations withUNPROFOR,and ordered that and Monday, Bosnian Serbforces announced thatthey were After airstrikes against their positions inGorazde onSunday Extract: Le Monde(France), 14April1994(inFrench). Serbs Use Intimidation Against UNPeacekeepers.’ ‘In Response tothe NATO AirStrikes, Bosnian

89 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

On 16 April, the hospital in Gorazde on the south bank special representative in former Yugoslavia, Yasushi Akashi. of the Drina, was bombed twice. The local anaesthetist “The UN’s blue helmets allowed Gorazde to fall by secretly was injured. The MSF team was forced to evacuate and leaving the town by helicopter during the night from Sunday move, along with the ICRC and UNHCR teams, to a rural to Monday,” said George Dallemagne. MSF is “demanding an health centre on the north bank of the Drina River. immediate ceasefire to evacuate people with serious injuries,” he added. “Perhaps it is too late for Gorazde, but there The hospital was bombed again on 18 and 19 April and MSF are still other unprotected enclaves in central Bosnia that are reported that part of it was destroyed. The organisation under threat,” explained Mr Dallemagne. “We need to alert demanded an immediate ceasefire so that the wounded people to what is currently going on in the town,” he added. could be evacuated to the health centre. The enclave of Gorazde is one of the six safe areas placed under United Nations protection since May 1993. It is home The President of MSF France demanded the resignation of to 65,000 people, almost half of whom, are mostly Muslim the UN’s representative in the former Yugoslavia, Yashusi refugees. Akashi, accusing him of lying and capitulation. MSF also condemned the departure of the UN’s military representatives including British SAS [Special Air Service] officers tasked with guiding NATO strikes on the ground. Finally, ‘Gorazde Hospital Partly Destroyed by Bombard- the MSF President demanded that 200 wounded from the ments,’ Press release from Médecins Sans Fron- hospital in Gorazde be evacuated to Sarajevo. V14 V15 tières France, 19 April 1994 (in French). V16 Intense bombing of the town of Gorazde continues. The hospital was hit several times this morning and the roof was destroyed. Fortunately, the patients had been moved to the Press Release from Médecins Sans Frontières, 16 building’s basement yesterday evening. The violence of the April 1994 (in French). fighting means it is currently impossible to evacuate them to the new makeshift health centre set up by Médecins Sans The bombing of the town of Gorazde continued unabated this Frontières and the ICRC on the left bank of the Drina. afternoon. The hospital was hit twice and the Bosnian anaes- Médecins Sans Frontières’ anaesthetist, assisted by a Bosnian thetist, who was in the hospital’s courtyard, was wounded doctor and nurse, are caring for numerous injured people at along with another man and a woman. The only anaesthetist the centre. The lack of personnel and surgical equipment, left in town is the one from Médecins Sans Frontières. He however, means necessary complex surgeries are impossible. continues to operate with the local surgical team.

‘Urgent - Médecins Sans Frontières Gorazde Press ‘Shelling of the Hospital in Gorazde, which is now Conference,’ Invitation and press pack, 18 April a Bunker,’ according to MSF Belgium, Agence 1994 (in French). France Presse, Brussels, 18 April 1994 (in French). Extract: Extract: As the town of Gorazde is on the brink of falling into the The hospital in Gorazde was hit by shells several times on hands of Serbian forces, the latest news this morning from Monday and has been turned into a bunker, with doctors and our team in the enclave, reports a tragic and desperate situ- other personnel taking up arms to defend it, announced the ation [...]. Director of the humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Belgium, George Dallemagne. “Five shells Médecins Sans Frontières: The Last Helping Hand in Gorazde fell in the hospital courtyard on Monday and another hit the As Gorazde slowly dies under Serbian artillery fire, the team roof,” according to two members of the MSF team in Gorazde from Médecins Sans Frontières is working alongside surgeons in a conversation by radio-telephone with Brussels. The situ- in the hospital as they take turns operating. Médecins Sans ation in the hospital, on the south bank of the Drina, is Frontières is the only international medical organisation still “dramatic” according to MSF. Almost 1,000 injured people working in this Muslim enclave in eastern Bosnia, the target have been taken to hospital, most of them in the last three of the Serbian offensive. MSF’s presence is essential and must days, said MSF. The hospital has also recorded 300 deaths be maintained, come what may. Bosnian surgeons in the hos- since the start of the Serbian offensive. “There is one Bosnian pital in Gorazde, assisted by the team from Médecins Sans surgeon and there are injured people everywhere,” explained Frontières, are carrying out up to 40 operations a day. Since the MSF team, which has been forced to leave the hospital the start of the offensive in late March, they have already and set up a health centre on the north bank. cared for over 700 injured people, including 80 children and 164 women and elderly people. Once again, innocent civil- On Monday, MSF accused UN leaders of being guilty of “disin- ians are the victims of the ethnic cleansing taking place in formation” regarding the situation in the enclave of Gorazde eastern Bosnia. After two years of resistance, Gorazde is 90 (in eastern Bosnia) and demanded the resignation of the UN’s again being bombed. Yet on 6 May 1993, this strategic abandoned. people of Gorazde, who feel they have been completely Gorazde, assoonpossible. Thisisthe final hope for the Frontières iswaiting inSarajevo, ready totake upitspostin forcements. A‘fresh’ surgical teamfrom Médecins Sans are operating day and night are overwhelmed and need rein- matum onSarajevo are almost exhausted. The doctors who during the fewweeksof truce thatfollowed the UN’sulti- medicines thatMédecins Sans Frontières wasabletobuildup its number of bedsfrom 80to250.The stocksof food and people arriving inthe lasttendays and hashadtoincrease hospital hasbeenoverwhelmed bythe number of injured bullets, since the building isveryclosetothe front line. The pital, they havetododge bothartilleryfire and the snipers’ the mercy of the snipers. Forthe injured toget tothe hos- lages, whose survivorsare roaming the streets of Gorazde at bombed. The Serbshavealready destroyed around 30vil- shelter inthe enclave, and now find themselves trapped and cleansing operations taking place in the region to seek reception centres for refugees. These peoplefledthe ethnic In addition toMSF’s work inthe hospital, they helped setup supplies are coming from United Nations parachute drops. six months tosupportthisbesieged population, whose only Médecins Sans Frontières hasbeenoperating inthe townfor by United Nations forces, butnever disarmed. Ateamfrom enclave closetothe Serbian border, wasdeclared asafearea the end of the afternoon,” he said. three people, including twocivilians, havealready come inby geted bysniperslying-in-wait when they go tothe hospital; centre where the ICRC office is, toavoid peoplebeing tar- health centre on the leftbankof the Drina, i.e. inthe town Refugees (UNHCR).“Ourteam hasalsomanaged to open the of the RedCross (ICRC) and the UNHigh Commissioner for centre withrepresentatives from the International Committee Gorazde inextremely difficultconditions. They setupa health is located. Two MSF doctors are working inthe hospital in particularly onthe right bankof the Drina where the hospital who reported intense bombardments and isolatedgunfire, standing,” AFPwas toldbyMSF spokesperson Pierre Salignon, People are taking refuge in the buildings that are still “Fear and terror reign inthe town.The streets are empty. on the ground at18:00(Paris time). (MSF), which wasablemake contact withitsrepresentatives by the humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières bombardments, according toastatement onMonday evening a safearea bythe UN,becauseof the ongoing Bosnian Serb Fear reigns in Gorazde, a town in Bosnia-Herzegovina declared Brussels, 18April1994(inFrench). Continue, According toMSF’ Agence France Presse, ‘Fear Reigns in Gorazde, where the Bombings fashion,” declared MrBrauman. to the peoplethatwewouldnever leaveinsuch acowardly close air support operations. “We have made a commitment responsible for guiding NATO aircraft from the ground for military representatives, including sevenliaison officers demned the “evacuation onthe sly”from Gorazde of the UN’s cared for inthe hospital inGorazde. MrBrauman alsocon- Sarajevo of some 200injured people,” which couldnot be The MSF President also demanded, “the evacuation to is atstake. Why not Tuzla, Srebrenica, etc.?” he added. stated Mr Brauman. “The fate of the other so-called safe areas that everything wasfine. Thiswas revisionism in real time,” progress wasbeing made towards apeacefulsettlement and ceasefire agreement was being reached on the ground, that Gorazde wascoming under heavy fire, we were toldthat a the Serbian offensive onthe enclave of Gorazde. “Evenas of “systematic lying” and “shameful capitulation” faced with leaders, including Mr. Akashi, as“deceitful,” accusing them conference inParis onMonday. MrBrauman described UN Akashi, said MSF France President Rony Brauman atapress Special Representative informer Yugoslavia, M.Yasushi (MSF) isdemanding the “immediate resignation” of the UN’s The humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières women and elderly people. Earlyyesterday, General Rose wounded. The overall dead include 41children and 105 terday wasnot clear, but37were killedonSunday and 73 been captured, many of them torched. The casualty tollyes- the end of last month. More than30outlying villages have and 1,075wounded inthe Serbian onslaught thatstartedat MSF and the hospital staffsay302peoplehavebeenkilled Extract: local hospital, providing care asthe bombsfell. stand of apeace activist thinking of his companions in the the truth of the situation in Gorazde. It was the last-ditch “revisionism inreal time” for having, inhisview, concealed and a“liar”, demanding thathe resign, and accusing himof Secretary General inBosnia, describing himas“deceitful” the enigmatic Mr Akashi, the Japanese Emissary of the UN the award for second most hypocritical international role to President Rony Brauman, who tookituponhimself togive Then there wasthe epic furyof Médecins Sans Frontières Extract: (in French and English). Akashi,’ ‘MSF Demands the “Immediate Resignation” of Mr Guardian (UK),19April1994(inEnglish). Vienna and ChrisStephen inSarajevo. The ‘Terror and Mayhem inGorazde,’ IanTraynor in (France), 20April1994(inFrench). ‘“Anger” Images, Television Section,’ Agence France Presse, Paris, 18April1994 Le Monde

91 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

ordered the evacuation of eight SAS men, sent in 10 days ago in protest against the situation, which left them powerless to pinpoint targets for NATO air strikes. According to Kris to help the victims. Janowski, a UNHCR spokesman, the SAS team beat a stealthy retreat, leaving their UNHCR colleagues without saying a word. They then hiked into the mountains where a UN helicopter took them to Sarajevo. ‘Gorazde Hospital no longer Functioning - Medical Staff Injured or Shell-shocked, 37 Die in Hospital Locals reacted angrily to the SAS disappearance, with some in 24 hours,’ MSF International Press Release, 20 reports yesterday saying that international relief workers were April 1994 (in English). now being held hostage to prevent their departure. Mr Kessler said the UNHCR workers were not being held hostage, but were Médecins sans Frontières’ two-person team in Gorazde filed being “watched more carefully” by locals who were “surprised” the most horrific reports of the offensive today, after two at the SAS evacuation. In addition to the death, maiming, and major rockets attacks against civilian targets killed at least terror inflicted by the shelling, relief officials are warning of an fourteen people this afternoon. A first rocket hit the main imminent food, medical and sanitary emergency. […] ward of the hospital at 13:45 (local time), leaving four members of staff severely injured. Another seven civilians were The water plant has been hit and is no longer operating. Until also wounded. Sterilisation equipment was entirely destroyed a few days ago, locals fetched water from the Drina, but this by anther shell. “This is the end of surgery in Gorazde,” the is now impossible because of Serbian sniping. The food situ- MSF anaesthetist said. ation is also critical. […] Gorazde is at the mercy of the Serbs, but it is unlikely they will seize the north bank imme- Ten civilians were reported killed in a separate attack in an diately while 60,000 people are trapped there. On past form, apartment block nearby in mid-afternoon. Later, another they are more likely to let the humanitarian emergency shell landed on a nearby building, which serves as a make- simmer to boiling point and then allow an international evac- shift hospital, killing four patients and injuring one. The hos- uation of civilians that willy-nilly aids and abets the Serbian pital basement, where most patients were transferred ethnic cleansing aim. […] yesterday to escape the shelling is now overflowing with the wounded. Over the past 24 hours, 107 patients were admitted to hospital, 38 of who later died. MSF is extremely concerned for the safety of its own personnel, as they report that indis- There was Olivier the administrator and Pablo, a brilliant criminate shelling could hit their makeshift dispensary north but completely mad Argentinean paediatrician and of the river at any time. The risk is greater now that the base- anaesthetist who broke all the safety rules, to my complete ment is full of wounded and the MSF staff has to treat people despair. But I couldn’t help admiring him, because he had on the ground floor. decided to remain in the hospital even though it was being bombed. After the crisis, they showed us the films they had Note to editors: Earlier this week, Médecins sans Frontières made. You can see Pablo intubating patients in the basement called for the resignation of Mr. Yasushi Akashi, following the in the midst of an emergency. He worked like a madman. On United Nations’ failure to protect the safe area of Gorazde. one side of the Drina, the river that divides Gorazde in two, there was the hospital and on the other, Olivier and the team from the ICRC in the little makeshift health centre, which became a morgue in the end. They gathered up the dead, who were accu- ‘ICRC and MSF Representatives in Gorazde Protest mulating on the ground floor. They did some crazy things. Right by their Silence,’ Agence France Presse, Geneva, in the midst of the bombing, they tried to cross the bridge to 20 April 1994 (in French). go and get equipment to try to offer at least a minimum level of care, because the civilians who were on the right bank didn’t Extract: dare cross the bridge to get to the hospital. The ICRC’s two Swiss delegates and the two MSF doctors who are with the local staff, issued a joint press release sent to Eric Stobbaerts, MSF Belgium/France General Sarajevo announcing “their intention to remain silent for 24 Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, December 1993 - hours to protest the tragic events and their inability to pro- April 1995 (in French) interviewed in 2000 vide aide,” said Paul-Henri Morard, ICRC’s spokesperson in Geneva. The ICRC noted that it “understood the initiative” taken by its delegates, who are “sickened by their inability to bring in the wounded and assist the victims from all the parties.” ICRC representatives rarely take such an initiative. The organisation, which maintains neutrality, is based in On 20 April, MSF informed the media that the hospital Switzerland and aids victims of war, regardless of their camp. had been struck again and was no longer functioning. With the four representatives of the UN High Commissioner Four health care workers were wounded. for Refugees (UNHCR), the ICRC and MSF representatives in the Muslim enclave they are the outside world’s only source 92 The MSF and ICRC teams in Gorazde chose to remain silent of information on the Bosnian Serb offensive. port. President François Mitterrand toaskhimactinsup- humanitarian truce. AnMSFdelegationvisitedFrench On 21April,MSFandtheUNHCRissuedacallfor a Gorazde. approved and supportedMSF’s callfor ahumanitarian truce in The President’s spokesperson noted thatMr. Mitterrand fully that kind of pace.” tionally and physically. No one can hold onfor verylong at fying panic allaround them. They are exhausted, bothemo- state of completeconfusion and there isafeeling of terri- a hailof shells, bulletsand violence. They are working ina lenges thatthe medical teams are facing. “There’s justarain, more medicine,” Brauman explained, emphasizing the chal- nothing left to give. There is no more water, no more food, no pletely exhausted and unable toworkbecausethey have wounded and the humanitarian aid teams. They are com- save lives;those who are stillalive, evacuate the political difficulties, and any subsequent negotiations isto What isabsolutelycritical today, beyond the ceasefire, the ical teams currently onsite.” […] their teams toenter and bring outthe wounded and the med- even acease-fire, and wouldsimply allowaid convoyswith truce. Thiswouldinvolveatemporary haltinfighting, not him toencourage himtoforward ourcallfor ahumanitarian die. […]Iwanted to make this tragedy and carnage real to are wounded, hospitals are bombedagain,wounded people next day proves thatwrong –more peopledie, more people the President’s office. “Every day seems like the worstbutthe the situation inGorazde,” [Rony Brauman] said onleaving “Above all,Iwanted to conveythe exceptional seriousness of Extract: “the situation hasworsened tragically inthe townof Gorazde In apress release, the humanitarian organisation noted that the President approved and supportedthe initiative. truce inGorazde. Mitterrand’s spokesperson indicated that François Mitterrand to intervene on behalf of a humanitarian Thursday, MSF President Rony Brauman asked French President evacuate the wounded, MSF announced onFriday. On Gorazde inorder todeliver aid and humanitarian teams and (MSF) launched an“urgent call”for a“humanitarian truce” in medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Extract: V17 France Presse, Paris, 21April1994(inFrench). Behalf of aHumanitarian Truce inGorazde,’ Agence ‘MSF asksPresident Mitterrand toIntervene on 22 April1994(inFrench and English). Truce” inGorazde,’ Agence France Presse, Paris, ‘Joint callbyUNHCRand MSF for a“Humanitarian provided figures onthenumber of deadand wounded. gency room hadbeenstruck.Thetwo organisations dwindling. TheUNHCRannouncedthatthehospital’s emer- the clinic’s suppliesof drugsandmedicalmaterielwere MSF also announced that bombing had resumed and that ing intheenclave tocontinuespeakout. programme managers encouraged thevolunteers remain- concerns, asauthorizedby theGeneva Conventions. The situation inGorazde strictly addressed humanitarian MSF responded withaletter stating their reports on the reports withapoliticalundertone. betraying theirhumanitarian missionby issuingsituation stated publiclythatMSFrepresentatives inGorazde were proclaimed Serb Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina That sameday, theMinistryof Healthof theself- elderly,” MSF reported. UNHCR since 29June are civilians; women, children and the bombed. The majority of the 1,324wounded registered bythe electricity havebeencutand food supplies havebeen lack of care, the hospital ispartially destroyed, waterand in recent days” and that“most of the wounded are dying for actions against the Serbs. [...] that safearea, even though itwasbeing usedfor military keep pointing outintheir reports thatSerbsare attacking territories. Nevertheless, the MSF representatives inGorazde representatives - started attacking the neighbouring Serb lated atthe end of March afterMuslims -asconfirmed byUN tives now inthe Gorazde enclave, where the fighting esca- anti-Serb stances, particularly those made byitsrepresenta- ments bythe MSF members havefor some time beenrifewith past, the Bosnian Serbnews agency SRNAreports. The state- appreciated the cooperation withthisorganisation inthe mandate, recalling thatthe Serbauthorities hadhighly MSF the Serbstateinthatformer Yugoslav republic. Kalinic asked tained negative political connotations for the leadership of Herzegovina and by its central office in Paris, which con in Gorazde, the Muslim enclave insoutheastern Bosnia- ished atthe statements bythe organisation’s representatives MSF’s mission chief inBelgrade, Kalinic said he wasaston- to their reports. Inaletteraddressed toEric Stobbaerts, their humanitarian mission bygiving political connotations Médecins Sans Frontières [MSF] organisation were misusing Wednesday [20thApril]warned thatrepresentatives of the Health Ministerof the Bosnian SerbstateDragan Kalinic on to keep to the activities within the framework of its English). Central Europe &Balkans, 22April1994(in porting from Gorazde,’ BBCMonitoring Service : ‘Health MinisterAccuses Charityof Political Re- -

93 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Summary Update, Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, Our communication MSF Legal Advisor, 20 April 1994 (in French). We agreed on a message the first day and since then we’ve simply tried to make the information powerful, without a spe- We must respond to three questions simultaneously: Security, cific goal. It’s certainly a way to get people talking about communications, operations. Goradze and protect our team. But, we have to be more strategic in taking the initiative about communication in terms of Our security protecting the team. We have to define our message by making sure that it serves security and operations front and centre. We must respond to Kalinic’s letter 1. We must be clear. They – the Serbs – are the ones who are Our operations attacking and bombing hospitals and humanitarian aid Today we need to evacuate the team on the ground. The issue facilities today (ICRC and UNHCR buildings). They are also of their replacement is secondary. In any event, the team is the ones responsible for the physical security of our expatri- ready, so […] even if we could get into Goradze, we shouldn’t ates tomorrow. We must claim protection under humani- go, given the current situation. The urgency is to evacuate. tarian law for the humanitarian teams and point out to them Evacuation is possible from an operational standpoint only if that at this time, they are failing to respect the humani- the wounded are evacuated, too. This could be a test for tarian immunity of the buildings (ICRC and UNHCR hospitals defining a coherent policy. Evacuation of the civilian popula- and buildings). Their current actions are creating the tion is, of course, urgent, but it is an overly ambitious posi- greatest threat we could possibly face. We must give them tion and not connected closely enough to our operations to official notification of our team’s presence (direct MSF/ focus on it at our level. We’d be wasting our time, without Karadzic relationship, possibly the location) and tell them taking away any valid lessons about our lack of manoeuvre. It that they are responsible for our security. depends more on the ICRC and UNHCR approaches. 2. We must refute the charge that our press release addresses any issues that do not relate strictly to humanitarian concerns (number of dead and wounded civilians, level of civilian supplies, situation of the refugees arriving in the Message from MSF Belgium and MSF France town and other humanitarian needs that are not being Program Managers to two MSF Volunteers in met). I can provide the legal references to the Geneva the Gorazde Enclave, 21 April 1994 (in French). Conventions that authorize us to speak in this way. The letter should come from Rony, addressed to Kalinic, with a Dear Olivier and Pablo, copy to Karadzic and Mladic. Before I go further, I want to say that you are always in our thoughts and that our concerns continue to grow. It’s easy to Watch out for the Vukovar syndrome (repetition) say, but please be very careful. We believe that we have to 1. Current rumour has it that Mladic is “out of control;” that is, keep the pressure on, via the media, in terms of what is hap- that he no longer answers to Karadzic. It’s not naïveté, this pening if the future of the people who can still be saved in is an easy and hackneyed formula in Yugo[slavia] to protect Gorazde is to be even slightly less dire. Nothing good ever politicians from the weight of certain military actions that happens in a void. MSF is now the only reliable source of are difficult to bear. The YPA commander in Vukovar was information in Gorazde. To put it plainly, you are the only link later sanctioned by Belgrade. between your hell and the outside world. 2. In Vukovar, propaganda and cross-propaganda accused the Croats of not wanting to allow the wounded to be evacuated We would like to continue to provide factual information as you and using them as human shields to protect the town. In send it to us, being extremely careful, of course, about the dif- Gorazde, humanitarian workers are the ones at risk of being ferences, considered to be political, that may exist in the var- portrayed by Serb propaganda as the Bosnians’ human ious statements. Beyond the more diplomatic initiatives that shields (in the final phase), as part of a collective suicide. we are pursuing in Europe, the US and Belgrade, we can stir up Our staff would thus truly be hostages (with the Serbs stating public opinion a bit more here by organizing a dialogue between that they have no responsibility for our security and our you and several journalists we can rely on. They are very familiar evacuation). Nothing would prevent [them] from portraying with the issues and very professional, which means that they our team as a victim of the Bosnians’ suicidal madness if are quite sensitive to the risks. The content would, of course, things turned out badly for them. We have to anticipate the be limited to medical- and humanitarian-related information arguments to the extent possible and prepare for them. […] (number of clinic admissions, hospital situation, lack of water, 3. In Vukovar, there were to be no witnesses and there were deaths, wounded, lack of electricity, etc.). If they ask other none. […] That’s the real danger for us today if we do not kinds of questions, please remember – as you always have – obtain a response about the future of the civilian popula- that MSF is a medical humanitarian organisation. Information tion and the wounded. In fact, there is no plan at this point coming directly from Gorazde can make the tragedy there feel for what will happen to this population. Evacuation seems unbearable, even from far, far away. unlikely or improbable, contrary to what is being said about the population of Srebrenica. So I’m looking back at the We look forward to your thoughts on this proposal. Of course lessons from the Vukovar experience in thinking about we will understand if you refuse. You’re the ones living in that 94 security. hell. With much love – hoping that it warms your heart a bit. team iftheywould agreetospeakfromtheenclave. We warned wounded tobeevacuated. both medical relief toenter Gorazde and the seriously its callfor animmediate humanitarian truce, inorder toallow to look for medicine. In the light of thistragedy, MSF renews to send neighbourhood children from house to house in order however, are running solowthatthe Bosnian doctor ishaving the ICRC are working. Medical reserves inthe dispensary are, dispensary onthe leftbankof the RiverDrina, where MSF and Dozens of wounded peopleare being treated everyday ata which 79are children and 175women and elderly people. children and 87women and elderly people. 436havedied, of began, 1,467 people have been wounded, of which 31 are ward for twenty patients and visitors. Since the offensive rockets hit the hospital annex, which serves as a makeshift offensive had already resumed. At 14:30 today, two more Gorazde are rapidly deteriorating. At 06:00thismorning, the Médecins Sans Frontières reports thatthe conditions inside Extract: wounded, four seriously. people and wounding at least 12. Eleven doctors were also room of the hospital onthe right bankof the Drina, killing 14 had used rockets. One of the projectiles struck the emergency 26 children. UNHCRrepresentatives noted thatthe attackers deaths, including 15children, and 137 wounded, including bombings of the Muslim enclave of Gorazde stoodat44 (UNHCR), asof 16:00,the provisional tollfrom Wednesday’s According tothe UNHigh Commissioner for Refugees A total of 16 operations were performed at the clinic. seven women and fivechildren. Four of them died,” he said. injuries from the bombing were treated atthe clinic, including “On Tuesday and Wednesday, 24peoplewithbulletwounds or were adequate totreat approximately 50wounded persons. an MSF spokesperson toldthe AFP, noting thatthose supplies the ICRC, hasonlytwodays’ of medical supplies available,” Drina River(citycentre), which operates incooperation with anaesthesiologist, ourclinic, locatedonthe leftbankof the tact with its representatives on the ground. “According to our morning around 06:00(Paris time) inGorazde, based oncon- reported thatviolent bombing and fighting resumed Thursday The humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières Extract: and thecapital were nolongeradequate. We asked the We realized that the communications from headquarters 21 April1994(inEnglish). Beginning of the Offensive,’ MSF PressRelease, Twenty –1,467Wounded and 436DeadSince the ‘Two More Rockets HitGorazde Hospital Killing Presse, Paris, 21April1994(in French). Gorazde onThursday Morning,’ Agence France ‘MSF ReportsViolent Bombing and Fighting in crisis tothepublic’s attention. professional. It really helped to turnupthe heat andbring the an hour. TheBBCjournalistsbehavedimpeccablyandwerevery more information from us.” They withdrew the interview after and said, “As longasI am the coordinator, CNN won’t getany threatened tosue. Ialsocalled their correspondent in Sarajevo and spoke tothemediaatlength. they returned toParis, thetwo heldapress conference unable toleave sincethestartof theoffensive. When and take over from thetwo volunteers whohadbeen surgical expatriate teammanagedtoentertheenclave On 25April,whenthebombingfinallystopped,anew are advancing.”IwassooutragedthatcalledAtlanta but hewassowornoutthatattheend,said,“Yes, theSerbs although wehadasked them notto.We briefedOlivierabit, immediately asked questions about the military situation, media players-CNNandtheBBC.behavedverybadly.They we tookinhavingtheteamspeakout,approachedmajor the lackof actionbecameevenmoreshameful.Giventherisk the internationalcommunitywasincreasing,too.Eachtime, the meantime, theSerbswereadvancing,butpressureon sible to return via Belgrade.” have to evacuate you by helicopter to Sarajevo. It will be impos create problems for your security and ability to leave later. We’ll them: “Thiscouldputthehospitalatriskof bombingandcould 6. CNNHeadquarters are locatedinAtlanta (USA) operating tablesand canworkonthree wounded patients We’ve hadtoincrease our clinic’s capacity. We now havethree tionally onalittlegirl?[…] because he can’tsee them. Buthow cansomeone fire inten- understand how a soldier can kill children in a bombing nine year-oldgirlinthe head, killing her. It is“easier” to snipers are also relentless. This morning, abullet struck a intensity. At 11:45, a shell fellnear the ICRC delegation. The been increasing since dawn. It has now reached yesterday’s morning. Bombing continues despite the ultimatum and has worked verylatesodid not get backtoworkuntil 09:00this Shooting continued lastnight wellpastmidnight. They had Gorazde, Saturday, 23April,noon. messages from the besieged city. tinued over the weekend. Libération Gorazde yesterday. Despitethe ultimatum, shooting con- A new Médecins Sans Frontières teamreached the hospital in Extract: Coordinator inthe former Yugoslavia, December1993- Libération (France), 25April1994(inFrench). ‘Voices from Gorazde, Under the Last Bombs,’ Eric Stobbaerts, MSF Belgium/France General April 1995(inFrench) interviewed in2000 They agreed and went all out. In They agreed and went all out. In is publishing the latest 6 and and -

95 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

simultaneously. 15 beds (all occupied), plus patients seated and let Olivier and Pablo get some rest. We’ll be in touch on chairs. Logistics are becoming increasingly difficult - food soon. for everyone, bathroom plumbing, toilets […] But we are managing […]

Gorazde, Saturday, 23 April, 13:30 ‘ Invitation to MSF France Press Conference,’ MSF I just received this information from the hospital. The Team Returned from Gorazde, 26 April 1994 (in director reported two shells fired on the hospital today. Toll: French). 3 patients killed. A midwife seriously wounded. After three months working in the enclave of Gorazde, Olivier Gorazde, Saturday, 23 April, 17:00. Van Bunnen (logistician) and Pablo Nuozzi (doctor/anaesthe- Shooting began today around 09:00, with snipers using anti- siologist) will speak about the suffering of the residents of aircraft weapons (AAW) and small-calibre automatic rifles. this Muslim enclave. Bombing took over a little later (10:00) and increased in intensity until about an hour ago. There were two incidents this morning: an AAW bullet entered a room on the first floor, occupied by one of MSF’s translators. No one was struck. A We had to evacuate Olivier and Pablo by helicopter shell fell near the delegation at 11:45. Also this morning, because they had spoken out. The Bosnians cheered two shells struck the hospital. Two people were killed and a them in Sarajevo. They were the heroes of Gorazde, the only midwife was seriously wounded. international voices who spoke from Gorazde. I think that MSF helped to protect people there by sounding the alarm within the This afternoon, we could still hear sporadic firing coming international community and urging it to assume its responsi- from town. The sound of explosions decreased at the end of bilities. It took three weeks but we were able to do it because the day. It took five hours for things to calm down. Today we were right there with the people. was much calmer, but you can hardly call it a ceasefire. The population’s morale is improved today and everyone hopes Eric Stobbaerts, MSF Belgium/France General that peace will come tomorrow […] Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, December 1993 - April 1995 (in French) interviewed in 2000 Gorazde, Saturday, 24 April, 11:00 Today is very calm, compared to those preceding. However, sniper fire continued this morning in town. At the clinic on the left bank of the Drina, we treated a patient wounded by a sniper. We were told about a second wounded person, but In late April, a controversy arose regarding the statis- he has not yet arrived at the clinic. We can still hear bombing, tics of the dead and wounded issued by the UNHCR and but it is much further away. It must be coming from outside distributed by groups including MSF and the ICRC. As it the city. A Norwegian medical group is preparing the medical turned out, the figures provided by the Bosnian armed evacuation by helicopter of 150 wounded patients this after- forces were overestimated. The humanitarian teams were noon. We would like to transfer all the patients from our hiding in basements and unable to travel freely, so they clinic to the hospital but we have to wait until the medical relied on those figures because they could not provide evacuation frees up the space we need. Impossible to obtain more precise ones. an armoured vehicle to go anywhere (hospital, stadium where the Norwegians are, etc). All the UN men are very busy. We’ll have to be patient until the pressure eases. ‘Controversial Count of Gorazde’s Victims,’ Marc Saturday, 23 April MSF/ICRC hospital: 14 wounded, including Semo, Libération (France), 27 April 1994 (in 7 children and 4 women and elderly people. Two of them French). died, including one child. Extract: Sunday, 24 April 11:00, New team in Gorazde (General Humanitarian aid organisations believe that the figures pro- Practitioner and Anaesthesiologist): vided by the High Commissioner for Refugees – 715 deaths One wounded. Provisional toll: 94 wounded, including 17 and 1,970 wounded – are greatly in excess of the actual num- children and 31 women and elderly people. The death toll bers. The number of victims of the Serb bombings of the stands at 12, including 4 children and 2 women and elderly Gorazde enclave is believed to be an overestimate, particu- people. We reached Gorazde safe and sound, with all these larly the figures from the last days of the offensive mounted wonderful people. Little by little, we are finding what we against the besieged town. The High Commissioner for need. We will organize the distribution of supplies and provi- Refugees put the number over the last three weeks at 715 sions (a truck from Sarajevo came with us). We will be able dead and approximately 1,970 wounded (including 600 seri- to perform anaesthesia at the hospital. We haven’t seen the ously wounded). UNHCR spokesperson Peter Kessler con- hospital yet but will head over there this afternoon. Everyone firmed that toll, which was published in Libération. But many 96 did incredible work. We will go see what they need from us of the humanitarian organisations’ staff members have were expecting more seriously-wounded patients with more 30 of them, 20 of whom arrivedSunday, bore new wounds. “We months and, evenmore thanayear, ago. Onlyapproximately uated and whose scarsindicated wounds suffered several number of slightly injured and disabledpeoplewho were evac In recent days, UNHCRdoctors were surprisedbythe high edged UNHCRSpokesperson Peter Kessler. ation of warand, inwar, allcampsusepropaganda,” acknowl- the international community tointervene. “We are inasitu- dramatise the situation tothe extent possibletoencourage treated cautiously as the Bosnian authorities were trying to edge them assuch. Bydefinition, such figures should be injuries reported bylocalauthorities, butdid not acknowl- observers apparently acceptedthe daily figures of deaths and In the lastweekof the siege, UNHCRrepresentatives and UN sources were Bosnians. been reported tothem.” In other words, the NGOs’main irritation. “For the rest, I’m afraid they reported what had tive of ahumanitarian organisation, who did not hide his were correct butapparently partial,” confirmed a representa- their shooting. “Statements onthe situation atthe hospital right bank of the Drina, where the Serbs concentrated most of sentative Olivier Van Bullen.The facility islocatedonthe to provide a radio update at the hospital, as did MSF repre- tarian aid workers inGorazde barely lefttheir shelters except The bombing wassoviolent thatduring recent days, humani- around 200or300dead and 1,000wounded. pital, butthe figures should probably be “cut inhalf,”stillat fury of the Serbartillery’sshelling of the townand itshos- openly expressed doubts. No one challenges the breadth and ago.” the onlypeopleleftare amputeeswho hadsurgery sixmonths resentatives reported. “We scoured the town(Gorazde) but patients. “We are not finding wounded people,” UNHCR rep- hospitals, decided tohaltthe medical evacuation for lackof UNHCR, which managed torepatriate 299peopletoSarajevo initially reported. Indeed, after three days’ of work shifts, the requiring urgent evacuation waslessthanhalfof the 600 Sarajevo, afterlearning thatthe number of wounded patients be revised downward,” the UNHCRstatedonTuesday in Médecins Sans Frontières, hadaccepted. “These figures must humanitarian agency and NGOsonthe ground, including figures (715 dead and nearly 2,000 wounded) that the UN Refugees (UNHCR)onTuesday questioned the accuracy of the and officials representing the UNHigh Commissioner for Without minimizing the horror of the Serbbombings, doctors Extract: Le Monde(France) 28April1994(inFrench). Officials Saythe Reported Toll isExaggerated,’ Minimizing the Extent of the Bombing, UNHCR tion the Actual Number of Wounded, Without from Gorazde, Humanitarian Organizations Ques- ‘The War in Bosnia-Herzegovina: Serbs Withdraw -

serious,” orwhether, onthe contrary, “there never were any.” whether “the badly-wounded are alldead, which wouldbe two days.” Seeking anexplanation, Dr. Begkoyian wondered only some 20the first day and afewother casesoverthe next recent injuries,” said DrGeneviève Begkoyian. “There were gerating such tollswas often “the Bosnians’ onlyweapon.” cluded. At UNPROFOR,officers noted on Tuesday that exag- and conduct anaccurate count of the dead,” Kessler con- mate? “We willneed time todetermine whatreally happened Was the UNHCR manipulated? Were the figures an overesti until Tuesday to beevacuated. days of fighting and in urgent need of treatment, had to wait women, all seriously wounded by shelling during the recent to aWestern doctor onthe ground, anelderly man, and two Monday, 25April,complaining of chronic sinusitis. According the besieged town.One obtained medical evacuation on This “favouritism” alsoallowed several localleaders toleave treated. hoping thatthey would return tothe front afterbeing the Gorazde authorities gavepriority toevacuating men, age. Humanitarian aid workers are not dupes. They know that were men, clearlyfighters, most between20and 30 years of said UNHCR staff. Ninety percent of the people evacuated ings. “We should haveseenmany more women and children,” number of women and children wounded during the bomb- But many mysteries surround Gorazde. One involves the with the arrivalof the wounded from Gorazde. survival,” confirmed anUNPROFOR doctor who came to help injury tothe skull,abdomen orthorax hadany chance of wounded had died of their injuries. “No one who suffered an of treatment,” he added, specifying thatnearly 40%of the “We must remember that many wounded peopledied for lack UNHCR spokesperson inSarajevo, acknowledged asmuch. authorities, butcouldnot verifythem. Peter Kessler, the information and acceptedthe figures provided bylocal ings inGorazde. As of thatpoint, they no longer had“direct” sive and they hadtoremain inthe basements of their build- carrying outtheir workoverthe lastweekof the Serboffen- itarian aid workers and UNobservers onthe ground from Intensified bombing in the downtown area prevented human- information.” evacuation process “based clearly on erroneous sary steps.” The UNHCRnow acknowledges thatitcreated an us thatthere were 1,200 wounded and sowetookthe neces- the wounded from Gorazde. The Ministryof Health hadalerted added, “We emptied the hospital and prepared 500 beds for director of the Kosovo hospital, who was also surprised, should bemore wounded people. Idon’t understand.” The acknowledged, “Ifthe citywasbombedfor 20days, there to Sarajevo’s hospitals shared her reaction. One of them Her Bosnian colleagues responsible for assigning the patients -

97 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Several months later, I was invited, as MSF France’s delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross, former President, to a meeting organized by the French the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN military Secretary-General for National Defence. Participants included observers, the two were the only foreign witnesses to the journalists and soldiers who were there to discuss how the tragedy of Gorazde. They transmitted reports daily on the Gorazde situation had been handled. As it turned out, the changing situation to MSF headquarters by radio or ‘capsat’ figures that we had all quoted, UNHCR, AFP, Reuters, MSF, were (telex over satellite system) throughout the Serb offensive. complete propaganda. The Bosnian soldiers in Gorazde had René Backmann has selected excerpts from their statements, significantly inflated the toll of dead and injured in the bombing which helped to break the silence on this massacre that took of the enclave from the Serb positions in order to bring on air place behind closed doors and thwart those who sought to strikes. It was ‘good war’ propaganda. But our volunteers, like minimize the horror. We publish them here. the ICRC’s, were underground, sheltered, but completely blind. They didn’t treat many wounded people, but the thinking was that the area was being pounded so hard that people just could not go outside and seek treatment. We let ourselves be brain- ‘ Annual Report May 1993-April 1994,’ of the MSF washed by the Bosnian propaganda – to the point of meeting France President to the MSF France General As- with Mitterrand to ask him to call for a humanitarian truce. sembly, May 1994 (in French).

Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982 - 1994, Extract: MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, Each time, we were able to hold press conferences inside the interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). Palace of Nations, the UN building in New York, and we got good coverage from the UN-accredited press and the English- language press in general. The last of these press conferences was Friday, a week ago, when we sounded the alarm on the You can’t protect yourself against that. We’ll always be situation in Gorazde. Yes, Gorazde, where we are watching a a target for propaganda in wars. If we had it to do over live demonstration of what the UN considers to be a safe again, I think we ought to [do the same]. It’s a flaw that you area. The presence of humanitarian teams was, obviously, develop quickly, estimating the number of people who are dead critical. And not just for the work they performed, even if it or wounded, cross-checking the information two or three times was particularly intense during the first 15-20 days of the and then establishing a figure that is given out. But we’ll never siege. The Bosnian medical-surgical team handled a huge count the dead one by one in the midst of bombing and when workload and we were there to back them up. But this back there are threats. It’s up to us to be smart and alert enough to up was important for two reasons: first, it helped to ease make sure that the information we disseminate is as close as slightly, though certainly not eliminate, the sense of total possible to the reality we imagine. Yes, of course, the Bosnians abandonment that the population of Gorazde rightly felt. manipulated us sometimes, but that manipulation bothered me Second, by being there we were able to relay a significant much less than what Pale put out. amount of information and, thus, to create awareness and mobilize people. Dr Renaud Tockert, MSF Belgium Programme Manager for the former Yugoslavia, 1993-1995, Interviewed in There, alongside the UNHCR, MSF, which played an extremely 2000 and 2015 (in French). important role in transmitting information, even if the number of wounded and of victims was overestimated, created awareness, provided a continuous flow of information, and was decisive in terms of the international reaction to Gorazde. That reaction was slow in coming and you know In the end, MSF concluded that its public statements what it involved. The Gorazde pocket, where some living generated a response from the international community, space remained, became a tiny area measuring 3 km x 3 km, which made it possible to prevent the fall of Gorazde. with 60,000 inhabitants. And now our “friend,” Mr. Akashi, However, the enclave, where living space continued to the UN Special Representative, says, yet again, that the shrink, remained besieged. V18 catastrophe could have been prevented, that this was all a success. This “success” suggests what will become of the enclaves referred to – in an extraordinary irony – as safe areas. ‘I am Writing to You from the Depths of Hell […].’ Médecins Sans Frontières Speaks Out on Gorazde’s Suffering,’ Le Nouvel Observateur (France), 28 April - 4 May 1994 (in French). On 1 March 1994, the Bosnian Muslim and Croatian Extract: authorities decided to create a Bosniak-Croat Federation, Their names are Pablo and Olivier. Pablo is an anaesthesiolo- which would be put in place in the coming months. On gist and Olivier is a logistician/coordinator. They were the 26 April 1994, the Contact Group on Bosnia-Herzegovina, 98 Médecins Sans Frontières team in Gorazde. Together with the including the United States, Russia, Germany, France, and like “again inaweek”or“withabsurd conditions”). in the same stylebutwithnew information added (something place but littleor no satisfactory content, send apress release concrete bynoon, send the press release. Ifthe meeting takes to get their assessment of the situation. Then: Ifnothing toward a meeting during the day; contact the ICRC and UNHCR morning, waittoseewhether there isany movement inPale these populations left to their own devices. [...] c) In the needed toprepare for winter, jeopardising the survivalof well asdeliveries of food, hygiene products and supplies lines the lackof essential medicines inthese places[…],as precarious situation for these civilian populations. MSF under blockade, which is worsening what isalready an extremely more thantwoyears. MSF isconcerned aboutthisnew and Srebrenica. These populations havebeenimprisoned for situation remains urgent inthe Muslim enclaves of Gorazde Conventions. […]b)Inthe field, the sanitaryand medical for the civilian populations of Bosnia, asdefined inthe Geneva of accessand free movement for these humanitarian convoys convoy). MSF isasking the competent authorities for the right Muslim enclaves for more thantwoweeks(date of the last condemns the lackof accesstoSerbian-held Bosnia and the Prepare a text in Brussels with the following content: 1) MSF Council andprepared astatementfor thepress. winter. MSF expressed its concerns to the UN Security fact thatthesewere vitaltopreparing theenclaves for tion materialsonthelistof embargoed goods, despitethe complicated the situation by keeping logistical and sanita ter of thehumanitarianconvoys. UNResolutionn°943 ened the siege of Srebrenica, letting through only a quar- In mid-September1994,theBosnianSerbforces tight- Serbs, whorejected it. Bosniak-Croatian Federation and49%totheBosnian of Bosnia-Herzegovina, giving51%of theterritoryto On 5July1994,theContactGroup proposed anew division and revive diplomatic efforts toward sustainable peace. the UnitedKingdom,was created toobtainaceasefire 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: Extract: October 1993(inFrench). Deputy Programme Manager atMSF France, 8 in the former Yugoslavia, toPierre Salignon, Message from Eric Stobbaerts, MSF Coordinator team, 29September1994(inFrench). in the former Yugoslavia tothe MSF Belgrade Message from Eric Stobbaerts, MSF Coordinator - - the authoritiesthatwewerethere. regular basis, sometimes just from Belgrade, simply toremind take apositioninthepress. We put outpressreleasesona Secretary-General of the United Nations, and then wewould the UNpeacekeepers, thentothegovernment, Belgrade, orfromBrussels, orParis. Firstwewouldappealto public statements. We did that several times, either from defended accesstotheenclavesinseveralsteps, endingwith two or three months, and then it would escalate again. We Security Council toget the resolution revised. draft sent a week ago. Also, at the same time, go to the media response (press conference) along the lines of the refused orimpossiblepromised inafewdays, then anMSF the Serbian Republic toget authorisation for ourconvoys. If strategy for thisweek:Audience withthe vice-president of entered, butnone from MSF. […]My suggested action 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[…] tical materials are getting into these pockets. There are stillfamilies without shelter since no more logis- here early. It snowed thisweekend inGorazde and Srebrenica. running out. No more oxygen inSrebrenica. […]Winter is still haveno authorisation for the medicines, which are now October 10,1994,and the beginning of next week.Butwe last fewdays. Permission wasgiventotravel thisweekend of past twoweeks, though thatseems tohaveimproved inthe prepare for winter. No movement of ourvolunteers for the for the former Yugoslavia, 1993-1995,interviewed in Dr. Renaud Tockert, MSF Belgium Programme Manager would graduallybegintoharden.Itcouldtake oneor Once wemanagedtogetalorryorteamin,theposition 2000 and 2015(inFrench). -

99 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

There were public statements, especially from Belgrade, the contents of the humanitarian convoys. But that’s not all. but no press releases. It was more a response to journal- Last month, after international sanctions against the author- ists’ questions. We were extremely cautious. We were really ities in Pale were strengthened and an “economic and polit- doing everything in little steps: getting access, negotiating to ical” embargo was established by their “brothers” in Serbia to get a foothold from the Belgrade side. And then we were getting force them to accept the Contact Group’s new proposed peace to Srebrenica via Belgrade and the border at the edge of plan, Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic decided to imple- Macedonia and the Serbian area, and so everything had to be ment a strategy to strangle the enclaves. “They will receive negotiated. We had to be in the enclaves, so we were trying to no aid whatsoever until the Serbs can use their natural trans- stay there. We were backed into a corner, but we weren’t giving portation and communications routes.” up. We tried to be creative, to get medicines through, to maintain ties with the ICRC and the UNHCR. But we were very frus- To complicate matters further, UN Resolution No. 943, trated, very worried, by the deteriorating situation. And then adopted on 22 September 1994 by the Security Council, there were bombings, wounded – in a word, life in a captive limits aid to the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina territory. (and, thus, to Srebrenica, Gorazde and Zepa) to the delivery of “food, clothing, and medicine.” This prohibits all the Pierre Salignon, MSF France Deputy Programme humanitarian organisations present (MSF, ICRC and UNHCR) Manager, in Charge of Programmes in the former from transporting the “logistics and sanitation equipment Yugoslavia 1992-1996, Interviewed in 2015 (in French). and material” that is critical to prepare for winter in the besieged enclaves. The warring parties’ ceasefire violations increase daily.

The people who live there want only one thing: “To leave this hell at any price.” WORKING LIKE PRISON DOCTORS The future of the 100,000 prisoners of Gorazde, Srebrenica and Zepa is subject today, more than ever, to the “international community’s commitment to their survival.” The international humanitarian agencies still working in the enclaves are totally powerless in the face of the tragedy occurring in In the months that followed, MSF continued to criticize front of them. Aiding the victims is subject increasingly to the lack of access to the enclaves and the continued policy political-diplomatic haggling that is beyond them. They are of ethnic cleansing. It questioned the role of “social thus reduced to serving as the occupying forces’ social service service agency of the occupying forces,” which the human- agency – unless circumstances force them to leave. itarian organisations were at risk of playing.

‘Ethnic Cleansing’ Pierre Salignon, MSF France ‘Bosnian Winter,’ Pierre Salignon, MSF France Head of Mission for the former Yugoslavia, Mes- Programme Manager, Libération (France), 20 sages No. 73 (MSF France internal publication) October 1994 (in French). October 1994 (in French).

Extract: Extract: The noose tightens a bit more every day around Gorazde, Since mid-July 1994, the ethnic cleansing operations carried Srebrenica and Zepa, the three Muslim enclaves in eastern out by Radovan Karadzic’s Serb militias are now expanding in Bosnia under siege for more than two years by Bosnian Serb towns “where, however, the Serbian authorities seemed pre- forces. For the third consecutive year, 100,000 residents, pared to accept Muslims and Croats who remained,” according most of them women, children and the elderly, are preparing to the UNHCR. This is the case in the Bijeljina region, where for another winter of siege under inhuman conditions. In more than 7,000 civilians had to flee within a few weeks and these “open-air prisons” - otherwise known as “safe areas” by cross the front line to take refuge in territory held by the the United Nations - the law of the aggressor always triumphs Sarajevo government. Of 80,000 non-Serbs in 1991, the and UN forces, unfortunately, ensure compliance with it. UNHCR reports that only a few hundred remain. Initially, of course, the UN Blue Helmets’ deployment did help to freeze the situation militarily and prevent massacres. But it also played into the Serbs’ hands by reducing the Bosnians to victims living under a suspended sentence, receiving infu- sions of external aid. In December 1994, the situation continued to deteriorate in Srebrenica, where the MSF team was kept at Their survival thus depends exclusively on the goodwill of the a virtual standstill for over two months, without any Serb militias, which, at best, prohibit or impose conditions supplies. On 12 December, MSF’s general coordinator in 100 on the delivery of international aid and, at worst, confiscate the former Yugoslavia who had expressed his concerns four months, untilMarch 1995. any convoys carryingmedicinesentertheenclaves for Tuzla. In retaliation, Bosnian Serb forces refused to let of Muslims, victimsof ethniccleansing,hadarrived in Belgrade on16December, hereported thatanotherwave a press release senttothewestern correspondents, in headquarters to consider acommunication campaign. In to the Agence France Presse a few weeks earlier, asked the enclave when the situation became really desperate. Stobbaerts said Serbforces onlyletthe odd supplylorryinto allowed onlyaminimum of supplies toget through. food handouts and MSF medical aid. But the Serbs have Serbs, he said. Inthe towns, the peopledepend entirely on cent of them refugees from other villages taken overbythe now 23,000 people trying to survive in the enclave, 80 per Before the war, Srebrenica housed 6,000 people. There were itants hadbecome critical. of winter, Stobbaertssaid the situation of the enclave inhab- 2,000 German marks tothe Serbian army.” Withthe approach What ismore, toleavethe region everyone hastopayabout give up and go despite having a right to live in this region. region,” Stobbaertssaid adding: “there isarisk people will “If the enclaves were opened, the people would leave the people from leaving the Bosnian enclaves,” Stobbaertssaid. Serbian army onthe outside and from the inside todiscourage called “prisons opentothe sky. The pressure comes from the under enormous psychological pressure to stay put in what he that inaddition toeconomic hardship, the population was Stobbaerts, who isthe MSF coordinator inex-Yugoslavia, said world for three years.” Speaking to journalists Thursday, living inthe enclaves “havebeencutoff from the outside Gorazde and Srebrenica, said the estimated 100,000people Eric Stobbaerts, who worked for ayearinthe enclaves of Extract: We are stilltrying toget it back.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: (in English). tors,’ ‘Moslem Enclaves are “Prisons,” SayCharityDoc- (in French). Belgium Operations Director, 12December1994 dinator in the former Yugoslavia, to the MSF Message from Eric Stobbaerts, MSF General Coor- Agence France Presse, 24November 1994, - them, they are apathetic, inshock. They need comfort. Terrified by their new lot and the unknown fate that awaits friends who take them in under very meagre conditions. await them and givethem shelter. Many find relatives or take uptotwelvehours. There, the international agencies and dropped, itisalong walktothe first Muslim village; itcan of their possessions. From the front line, where they are taken is organised and methodical; they payand then are stripped their ownpeople, they were finally forced toleave. The system 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, survivors from an unexpected shipwreck in other peoplewho havearrivedsince the beginning of the exact: 39 women, 40 men, and 17 children, added to the 17 Once again, on Friday 16 December, a hundred people (to be 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 whatlevel?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 fire are getting worseeach day, and confiscations. […] add the general insecurity; the sporadic shelling and sniper shelter for the winter? Sothe pressure isenormous. Ishould 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- Extract: person perday inSrebrenica and 875kg/cal inGorazde (reg- enter the enclaves wasequivalent to905kg/calories per ln the month of November, the amount of food allowed to in Belgrade, 16December1994(inFrench). Reuters, BBC former Yugoslavia sent toAgence France Presse, Press Releasefrom the MSF Coordinator inthe ‘16 December1994:Ethnic Cleansing Continues,’ cember 1994(inEnglish). Advances,’ which isGradually Deteriorating asthe Winter tarian Situation inthe Enclaves of EasternBosnia, ‘MSF isExtremely Preoccupied Aboutthe Humani- Press Release,MSF Belgrade, 19De- and Le Figaro correspondents

101 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

ular amount of calories necessary for a person every day declaration, the plan of distribution for the middle of March should be roughly 2,500 Kg/cal per person per day). The very is just a trick to gain time; the only tool that the civilian few fertile fields are now totally sterile, especially in this authorities can officially use. This issue is military. The real season. There is no other input from the outside world. This threat of a BiH [Bosnia and Herzegovina] offensive before the situation may turn dramatic very soon. MSF is extremely wor- end of the ceasefire is the reason. Militarily speaking, you ried and requests access for the humanitarian convoys in better cut the supply of medical items rather than food to order to reach an acceptable standard of life for the enclave weaken an army. Medicines will therefore be refused for all population of Eastern Bosnia. MSF also requests access for agencies. This is why for example, UNHCR refused unlabelled the winter and rehabilitation materials for the enclaves as a MSF medicines, and why the Dutchbat convoy with PSF/ few hundred families are still with no proper shelter and are MSF-H from Tuzla was refused, and ICRC clearance refused. therefore risking sickness and possible death by cold. […] So let’s stop being paranoid and let’s prepare for an emergency. We discussed the need for airdrops, maybe (because BSA [Bosnian Serb Army] hates airdrops) just as a tool to force some convoys in. It is the only solution left. I Bijeljina was a Serbian stronghold in Republika Srpska. will be in contact with Karen to forward necessary informa- They forced Bosnian Muslims still living in the area to tion. Movements of expatriate staff will be a tough part too take in displaced Bosnian Serbs. The Serbs literally took control (because it is medical staff) but should be solved. I have put of the house, preventing the Muslims from burning the furniture all efforts to get this matter solved for tomorrow. Let’s see for heat or picking vegetables from the garden. Living together the results. was so difficult that eventually the Muslims would want to leave. At that point, they were told, ‘if you want to leave, you have to pay.’ I think at the time it was 200 Deutsche Marks. They were told, ‘there is a charter that will facilitate your trans- We brought the list of medicines we wanted to distribute port to the border.’ On the other side of the border was Tuzla. to the Bosnian Serb leaders, and they told us, ‘OK, we’re Once they had paid they were told, “you can’t take all your going to do it 70/30 – 70% for the Serbs and 30% for the belongings with you, but you can take your valuables and cross Bosniaks.’ We replied that we didn’t talk about percentages but the border.’ As they crossed, not the border, but the front line, about needs. We told them what situation we found in Republika there was a checkpoint where all their property was taken from Srpska and what supplies we planned on providing. Then we them. Some people even arrived without shoes. Eric Stobbaerts, told them what the situation was on the other side, and gave the General Coordinator, happened to be in Tuzla. He saw the them the list of medicines we felt we needed to deliver. Then wave of deportees arrive, and we put out a press release, not began the ‘clearance’ procedure – total bureaucracy! We needed realising what the consequences would be. For the next four a ‘clearance’ for the lorry, and one for the driver, and one for months, we couldn’t get a single authorisation to get medicines the person accompanying the delivery, one for the medicines into the enclaves. we were transporting and one for the date. Most of the time, we would have everything ready and the ‘clearances’ would be Dr Graciela Diap, MSF Belgium/France Medical denied. Once, the person in charge was in the process of signing Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, October 1993 - April the infamous ‘clearance’ when I saw a mushroom cloud erupt, 1995, Interviewed in 2000, (in French). through the window behind him. It was the first NATO air strike. 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 some- In January and February 1995, the Bosnian Serb authori- times there were anti-tank mines along the way, and the soldiers ties further increased their demands in terms of what would taunt us saying, ‘we can’t move them, but you’re welcome MSF had to provide in Bosnian Serb territory in exchange to get out and remove them yourselves.’ The situation in the for being allowed to get relief supplies into the enclaves. enclaves was so critical that when we came alone, we would just MSF continued to refuse to dispense aid without assess- leave the drugs from our own emergency kits. ing the needs beforehand. Every international leader, who might possibly put pressure on the Bosnian Serb Dr Graciela Diap, MSF Belgium/France Medical authorities, was informed of these difficulties. Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, October 1993 - April 1995, Interviewed in 2000, (in French).

Message from MSF General Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia to MSF Brussels & Paris, 24 February 1995 (in English). While fighting broke out pretty much everywhere in Bosnia-Herzegovina, questions were again being raised Extract: at MSF about the organisation’s role in the enclaves. To summarize - Now it is clear for me: this issue is not MSF. For months, MSF’s general coordinator in the former 102 All the negotiation about a document, political aspect of our Yugoslavia observed that most of the foreign military who wanted toleave. enclaves, andshouldn’tspeakoutonbehalfof those dered whether MSF wasn’t acting as doctor-jailer in the of were obstaclestothepeaceprocess. IntheAprilissue slavia resigned themselves totheideathatenclaves leaders, diplomats, andjournalistsintheformer Yugo- military, issue. We haveno good solution for now. everywhere. The enclaves are now astrategic, rather than We are very isolated, because there’s haggling going on it from the UNHCRand the ICRC (and from NGOsingeneral). areas. We pulledoutof thatsystemand tookalotof grief for exchange for prisoners orconvoysgoing tothe Serbian-held gramme for the wounded thathasnever functioned, except in goes tothe Serbs. There issupposedlyanevacuation pro- an example, weestimate that30%of whatthe UNWHO sends enclaves. Other humanitarian actorsare lessdemanding. As Serbs compensation inexchange for whatgoes into the and wehavebeenverytoughininsisting onnot paying the better. Generally speaking, the situation isgetting worse, found enough to do medical work, and the morale is a bit selves illprepared for the situation. They havenevertheless, painful possibility. The new teams arrived, and found them- left, itwillbecome extremely dangerous for them. Thatis a have to pull the teams out, because once they have nothing supplies in,and are thinking thatifwedon’t succeed, wemay We’ve steppedupeverypossibletypeof pressure for getting (for twomonths) and logistical supplies (for five months). cult. The teams have beenrunning outof medical supplies The situation in the enclaves is becoming increasingly diffi Extract: medicines toenter. Inconclusion, weabsolutely must start allowed arotation inteams and afewtons of provisions and first convoymade itinto Srebrenica and Gorazde, which report, month bymonth, the materials tobebrought in. A transporting aid tothe enclaves; itrequires the NGOsto ating withthe authorities. They reached anagreement for Pale (Bosnian Serb HQ),eight MSFers spent five days negoti- lives of these confined, desperate peoplesome meaning. In tion. MSF should change itsstrategy, and do more togivethe supplies dribble inslowly, the bettertoparalyze the popula- (but limited)food and medicine, the Serbian strategy istolet they are condemned todeath. Though there isstillenough dying means nothing to them anymore. They themselves say The peoplereally are imprisoned, and havelost allhope; Bosnian Muslims. In the enclaves, the situation is desperate. The war context is felt everywhere; the US has rearmed the Extract: Contact, MSFBelgium’s in-housenewsletter, hewon- ing, 24February 1995(inFrench). Minutes from MSF-France Board of Directors Meet - Update, 22March 1995(inFrench). Infomatin, MSF Belgium’s in-house Morning - very soon). very soon). our public statements (a meeting on Bosnia will bescheduled talking about the enclaves again, and be more aggressive in we thinkthatthe fate of 100,000refugees onpeaceful,uni- and bygrasping the suffering of these populations? Shouldn’t tively, bygoing backtothe principles thatbrought us here, Isn’t ittime tostartthinking differently, thinking objec- shape and sizeof downtown Sarajevo, and insuch astate?!! ethnic cleansing onbothsides –anideal now reduced to the 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 wespeakouton behalf Should MSF playthe role of jailer/prisondoctor, inthe service freedom. neglecting the essential: aboveall,thispopulation wants its designs, bycomplying withtheir expeditious methods and hand, weare apartof Sarajevo’s (yetunclear) political scandal thatwouldattract toomuch attention. Onthe other gaining chips, thus sparing the torturer a humanitarian improving) the health statusof the populations- cum-bar- serving Pale’s interests byensuring the stabilityof (not Sarajevo. Whatpartare weplaying? Onone hand, weare these enclaves represent are obvious both for Pale and Serbian frontline? The political and diplomatic stakes that grandmother and granddaughter asthey tried tocross the summer, for example, the Gorazde enclave authorities killeda Should we continue to remain silent about the fact thatthis enclaves. Soitisadouble-siege. Army, they are now alsounder siege bythe authorities inthe that whilethese populations are under siege bythe Serbian believe initeither. Roughly70%wanted toleave. The fact is very meticulous fashions. The besieged population does not the conflict. Now itisthe one proposing the division, and in strongly opposedtodividing the communities atthe startof hypocrite, the international community, which wasso enclaves haveno future. Everyone hassurrendered, eventhat the future hold? Ultimately, aseveryone knows, these play inourintervention ineasternBosnia? […]Whatdoes to me from somewhere deep inside: What role are we led to myself, body and soul, an unexpected thought suddenly came that grabbed me and tore my insides out,into which Ithrew Having come tothe end of amore thanfifteen-month mission surrender; afterall,ourpaper’smotto is‘A lutacontinua!’ Bosnia at a more sustained pace. It is certainly not a cry of endless negotiations to resume our activities in eastern result of enormous frustration whileawaiting the outcome of The tone and the author may surprise some of you. It is the Newsletter, April1995(inFrench). published in former Yugoslavia, Sarajevo, Pale, February 1995, Eric Stobbaerts, MSF General Coordinator inthe ‘On MSF’s Roleinthe EasternBosnian Enclaves,’ Contact, MSF Belgium’s in-house 103 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

fied soil is more beneficial (in human terms) – soil where they you MSF for everything you are doing, but what we really want can enjoy their freedom and their right to be human? What is is to leave, we want to go back to our people.’ In the meantime, the fate of 100,000 people doomed to live in a half-human, a state was created in Bosnia-Herzegovina, based on an agree- half-animal state, drained of their substance, that is, their ment between the Croats and the Muslims. There was a kind of wholeness? Shouldn’t we be appalled at the comment from a stabilisation in central Bosnia, and the people of Srebrenica 19-year-old woman, a refugee [displaced] in Srebrenica who were talking differently. I made a kind of empirical synthesis said, “having to wait another one year or ten years, what between what the diplomats were saying and what the people does it matter?” Maybe it’s premature to go deeper into that of Srebrenica were saying, and I told myself that ultimately, at thought or make it our own, but on the eve of the new offen- MSF, we were becoming doctors for Serbian prisons. I don’t think sive everyone is ‘expecting’ this spring, it is justified. What is we realised that in time. the price for defending an ideal? Will history thank us for it? To me, MSF’s job was to be attuned the population, and in the We owe it to ourselves to think about that, at any rate, if only case of Srebrenica we were not attuned enough. During my to reaffirm the basis of our involvement in these end-of-mil- debriefing at headquarters, I suggested that we recommend lennium ghettos. moving the population and that we ask that the people of Srebrenica be allowed to rejoin their people, since that’s what they were asking for. I was met with a chorus of disapproval. I was told, “That is not MSF’s mandate, and it would be playing Since 1994, the people have understood that given its into the Serbs’ hands.” I’m angry at myself for having left at encirclement, its geographic location, too close to and that moment. The person who was supposed to replace me too anchored in the Republika Srpska, and close to the Yugoslav wasn’t available, so they split my position in two. They tempo- border, Srebrenica was going to be an issue, a bargaining chip, rarily put one coordinator in Belgrade and another in Split, and and would fall into Serbian hands in a political deal for a peace beefed up their job description. So Srebrenica was being coor- agreement. The people understood that if they could not stay, dinated from Belgrade. Yet, a lot of the contacts for Srebrenica that they would leave. When I left the enclave [in April 1994], were in Sarajevo and Zagreb, not Belgrade. Aside from the I was convinced that it wouldn’t hold, that they wouldn’t keep managers at headquarters, no one had a good overall view of Srebrenica and the region for themselves. However, like the the situation anymore. They didn’t travel to the field every week people themselves, we were naïve enough to think that they to gather information. That reorganisation lost us would ensure the population’s safety and protection. information.

Graziella Godain, MSF France/Belgium Field Eric Stobbaerts, MSF Belgium/France General Coordinator in Srebrenica, October 1993 - April 1994 Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, December 1993 - (in French) interviewed in 2000 April 1995 (in French) interviewed in 2000

I was in regular contact with the United Nations, journal- It’s a good thing that MSF went to the enclave with ists, UNPROFOR leaders, diplomats, etc. To all those Morillon, stayed there, developed all these medical people, as the months went by (and it became very clear in the activities, fought to bring in doctors and live there, close to the winter of ’94 and early ’95), Srebrenica and the other enclaves people. I really think the most important factor was our pres- had become an obstacle to the peace process. Obviously they ence there. But I think our presence may also have had a nega- never said it in writing or at an official meeting, but everyone tive effect by giving the impression that everything was going had given up on the possibility of a multi-ethnic Bosnia. In that well. The people of Srebrenica didn’t want to stay; they wanted sense, the Serbs had won. In January 1995, no convoys were to go to Tuzla. MSF was aware of this but didn’t share the getting in. We reached the point of thinking that there would information. Why not? Because we felt it was important for the have to be airdrops. MSF had always criticised that, but we were population to be respected and maybe also because of MSF’s in such a predicament – we didn’t even have any aspirin in the arrogance, i.e. it was pleased with itself for being in the enclave, pharmacy – we decided to ask the United Nations to parachute ‘the place where it should be,’ without really analysing the medicines into Srebrenica. I went to see General Smith, the people’s suffering. And it’s important to acknowledge that. Head of UNPROFOR, who basically told me that the international community wasn’t ready to risk a third world war to get aspirin Dr Graciela Diap, MSF Belgium/France Medical into Srebrenica. Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, October 1993 - April In 1993, the population in Srebrenica was made up of rural IDPs 1995, Interviewed in 2000, (in French). [internally displaced people]. They had the strength, the will to be there. Beyond suffering the inhumane situation they were in, they understood the reason for the enclave’s existence, and that being there was a way to fight for recognition of a multi- The enclave issue came up many times during meetings ethnic Bosnia. However, as month after terrible month of dread- of the MSF board of directors, of which I was a member. ful life went by, the situation changed. During my last visit to The vice president at the time raised the question, ‘Isn’t MSF Srebrenica before I left (in April 1995), things were a bit more like the condemned person’s last meal?’ That’s exactly how he 104 formal because I was leaving, people were saying to me, ‘thank put it. We talked about requesting the evacuation of the popula- result inalossof contact. prevent usfromenteringtheenclavesinshorttermand agreement on the matter and discussing it publicly would completely unrealistic and impractical. There was no political tion, butweruledoutthatideabecauserealiseditwas spotlight over theselectionof localstaffemployed by civil authority thatgoverned thecity, was put underthe Srebrenica’s team and Opstina, the Bosnian Muslim At thesametime, therelationship between the MSF deadly senseof order. been killedifchaosanddisorderhadchosenoverthat say that only 50%, not 90%, of Hungarian Jews would have able tosaveyourfamilies.’ That’s whatledHannahArendtto people whoaccusedhimsaid,‘Yes, butyouknew, andyouwere said, ‘Flee – butwhere? There wasnowhere to go.’ And the people toflee. ThemanfromtheJewishCouncilattrial send everyonetoAuschwitz, awarningthatwouldhaveled Jewish Council for failing to warn that Eichmann intended to Budapest in1944.At Eichmann’s trial,peoplecriticizedthe I considercondemnable, it’s thesameproblemthatoccurredin favor order overchaos. Withoutmakingthekindof analogythat the questions, ‘Encouragethemtoleave-butgowhere?’does there toencouragepeopleleave. Thereasoningthatleadsto Not being there didn’t make any sense, but we needed to be was arealdisgraceandsolutionhadtobefound. talked about thepoliticaldealeventhougheveryoneknewit and troopdeploymentsthatfrozecertainpositions. Andnoone was evolvingalongwithmilitaryoperations, suchasairstrikes was blocked bythepoliticaldeal andbalanceof power, which and wondering what was going to happen next. But everyone in asortof littleWarsaw Ghettoreminiscentof theworstperiod in theseenclaves. Theywerecompletelydependentandliving representative. We discussedthesituationof thepeoplestuck issue wereevenwillingtoconsider. Ioften sawthe[UN]HCR France, incharge of programmes inthe former Yugoslavia, for the former Yugoslavia, 1993-1995,interviewed in Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982-1994, Dr. Renaud Tockert, MSF BelgiumProgramme Manager MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, something the national political leaders involved in this something thenationalpoliticalleadersinvolvedinthis ‘I don’trememberdiscussingevacuations. Itwasn’t is always20/20,IthinkMSFhadtobeinSrebrenica. Knowing the end of the story and with hindsight, which Pierre Salignon, DeputyProgramme Manager, MSF 1992-1996, Interviewed in2015(inFrench). interviewed in2000and 2015(inFrench). 2000 and 2015(inFrench). in theenclave, whichwas againunderbombardment. information tothe press on thedeteriorating situation MSF refused. InBelgrade, inearlyJune, MSFreleased tion puttingthemintouchwithFrench politicalleaders. tried tomake staffrotation contingent ontheorganisa- enclaves of Gorazde and Srebrenica. The Pale authorities reject any rotation of MSF expatriate teams working inthe From 15April, theBosnian Serb authorities again began to extended toothermembers of theMSFstaff. under threat of imprisonment. This dispute had gradually corruption. Hewas summonedtojointheBosnianarmy essential for organising operations andwhohadresisted the resignation of thelogistician,anemployee whowas MSF. TheBosnianmunicipalauthoritieswere demanding ing andtherewereonlyfour tosixexpatriates. Providing medicalcarefor 45,000peoplewasahugeundertak- pate intheseoperationsandwealsoneededthemfor ourwork. raids onSerbianpositions. Mostof themdidn’twanttopartici - wanted toenlistouremployeescarryouttheircommando trouble keeping ourmalestaff.We hadtoresistwhenthey Opstina startedtoforcibly conscriptmenandwebegantohave lation was depressed while Bosnian soldiers were on edge. The everything; Ask [for] some taxes onthe salaries. the key positions of the organisations, and socontrolling want toshow their power;they want tohavetheir persons in local staffof allorganisations. WHY?(Ourconclusion) They changed. 3/itisnot anattackagainst MSF butitiscc[’dto] them. Deadline: in2to3days; in15days allstaffwillbe tions of the staffweneed inthe future hastobegiven MSF staff; alist of our staff with the quantity and qualifica most responsibilities inthe MSF mission. 2/rotation of all 08:00 atthe school otherwise prison;He isthe one withthe received alettersaying thathe hastobepresent on[9/3at CC MEETINGThey want: 1/[to]remove ourlogistician; he Extract: Coordinator inSrebrenica, October1993-April1994 ity, whichwasveryvindictive. Themajority of thepopu- We hadserious problems with the Opstina, ormunicipal Yugoslavia, 9March 1995(inEnglish). to the MSF General Coordinator inthe former Message from the MSF Coordinator inSrebrenica Graziella Godain, MSF France/Belgium Field (in French) interviewed in2000 - - 105 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

‘The Humanitarian Situation is Worsening in the posal, then we might have to take other measures, which we Enclaves,’ Agence Fance Presse, Belgrade, 5 June will not discuss here and now, but which we are already pre- 1995 (in French). paring. We want to defend the second proposal tomorrow and keep you updated on any new development, which follows Extract: during the day. This implies that we would also ask you to Bosnian Serb intransigence coupled with increased fighting play this business though, as we are doing here, and that in eastern Bosnia-Herzegovina have led to a sharp deteriora- there is no [deviation from] the official message. We know tion in the humanitarian situation of Bosnian Muslim safe this is quite a hard bottom line for you all, we know that you havens there, an aid official said here Monday. The last food are tired, fed up […], but can you still hold on for a week or convoy to reach the Srebrenica enclave did so six weeks ago, more? We will do everything that lies in our power to back and stocks are running out also in Gorazde, Stephane Oberreit you up as much as possible. the chief aid coordinator in Belgrade for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors without Borders) said. Oberreit said fighting in eastern Bosnia was playing havoc with MSF’s programme, while the Bosnian Serbs were making it increasingly difficult for MSF to coordinate an effective staff rotation “When MSF entered the enclaves in 1993, there must plan. The Bosnian Serb authorities “are not delivering the have been five staff members in Srebrenica and three in necessary authorisations to enable the planned personnel Gorazde. In May 1995, we were only allowed three staff posi- replacements,” Oberreit said adding that this was making it tions in Srebrenica and two in Gorazde. And we had to wait for “impossible at the moment to rotate (MSF) teams.” volunteers to receive authorisation to enter so that the others could leave. After a while, those in the enclave under bombardment 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 make them laugh… I spent three weeks trying to receive the Message from MSF Pale to MSF Srebrenica, 20 authorisations necessary for rotating personnel and bringing in June 1995 (in English). supplies. These negotiations were a bit surreal. We met Serbs living in chalets surrounded by huge bodyguards. Our contact Extract: person was Nikola Kolievic, Vice President of Republika Srbska Their proposition was that MSF B/F asks the French govern- and a professor of English literature. He asked us to put him in ment to contact […] Pale to [exert] pressure […] to have the contact with French President Jacques Chirac and give him his rotation. This contact will give him the opportunity to have phone number. I refused, explaining that MSF was a non-govern- contact with the representatives of French diplomats. They mental organisation. After a while, I realised that I had to give hope that it will open new channels of negotiation and con- something up so I told him that we couldn’t go below two tacts. Imagine our surprise to hear this speech even if we volunteers in Srebrenica. He answered “Very good, that’s an understand that there is a crisis between civilian and military argument that will help me.” Once the rotation took place, I authorities in RS [Republika Srpska]. To be clear, they are called him to let him know and thank him and he told me he trying to involve us in political matter[s] out[side] of our was very happy and was coming to celebrate with us! He came [jurisdiction]. The whole thing is touchy as you can imagine. carrying bottles of alcohol even though he was already We must have new meetings with them tomorrow. After dis- completely drunk. I asked his armed bodyguard to stay outside. cussions with HQs, we are thinking that this blackmail is So we spent the evening with Kolievic, who sang French songs hardly acceptable. […] There are two ways of solving this. to us and told us his life story. It was completely surreal.” First, the unacceptable one, which is to put our teams in the enclaves, that’s you, as a kind of merchandise between Serbs Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General negotiators and French “occidental” diplomatic intervention Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, May - November over which we have no control at all, knowing that the Serbs 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000 - 2006, will play this game very professionally as they did with the Interviewed in 2015 (in French). blue helmets, and even more, putting an additional con- straint on all future activities in the enclaves, as they can use this manipulation every time they want… for any event they want. Second, a difficult one, which is to refuse this burglar type of bargain and say that we stick to our position: ask for When Stephan and I were in Pale in June 1995, we saw access, a normal team rotation and continuation of all a great number of things. We saw UN cars and we heard humanitarian activities knowing that… this could very that a certain UN official had visited the White House, the small quickly have a boomerang effect on different levels: in and chalet that housed the Bosnian Serb parliament. We had no out clearance for enclave and Pale teams, not probable but idea what they discussed because we weren’t there. But Kolievic possible security constraints, maybe [staff would be] taken told us that ‘they were negotiating. The war is almost over and as temporary hostages, maybe even expulsion from the we’re going to get practically everything we want… Yes, there’s enclaves and Serb Republic, you just name it. a deal on Srebrenica.’ He didn’t tell us, ‘we signed this in exchange for that’ but he did give us phone and fax numbers 106 If there followed an unacceptable Serb reaction to this pro- while saying, ‘here, give this to Mr Chirac.’ It was completely willing to go. willing togo. muddled andverymanipulative–justtoseehowfar wewere made upof 15observers from different countries, including soldiers arrived earlyyesterday evening inSerbia. The group, hostage byBosnian Serbsisnow over. A final group of 26 The caseinvolving the UNpeacekeepers and observerstaken Extract: air strikes. the BosnianSerbsthatNATO would notcarryoutfurther in return for four of theirprisoners andfor assurances to western officials, France secretly negotiated their release edition, nian Serbforces were freed on18June. Inits23June The lastgroup of peacekeepers heldhostageby theBos- “unknowndestination.” 12 different sitesaround Sarajevo, butsome were taken toan tages. They were held atweapons collection points locatedat Bosnian Serbmilitias onSaturday morning, totaling 167hos- and 22UNmilitaryobservers, were stillheld captiveby to the UN, 145 peacekeepers, including 103French 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: shields todiscourage furtherstrikes. UN peacekeepers hostage, whom they used as human Srebrenica, Gorazde andBihacby takinghundreds of Serb forces responded by bombingthesafeareas of Tuzla, On 25May, NATO finallyconductedairstrikes. Bosnian UNPROFOR feared for theirsoldiers’ lives. air operations. The Member Stateswithcontingents in which didnothave troops ontheground, pushedfor whether toretaliate withairstrikes. TheUnitedStates agreement andindecisionheldsway attheUNabout On 24May, BosnianSerbsbombedSarajevo again.Dis- Yugoslavia, 1992-1996,Interviewed in2015(inFrench). The New York Times reported that, according to 19 June 1995(in French). ‘Pale ReleasesUNTroops’ Agence France Presse, (France), 28May 1995(inFrench). ‘Where and Who are the Hostages?’ LeMonde Manager, inCharge of Programmes inthe former Pierre Salignon, MSF France DeputyProgramme trolled areas hadleftthese positions. since 25May inseveral positions locatedinSerbian con- that most of the peacekeepers that had been surrounded 111 others five days later. InSarajevo, UNPROFORannounced first group of 120prisoners hadbeen released on2June and Stanisic, Serbian President Milosevic’s special envoy. […]The Canadian peacekeepers, were handed over in Pale to Jovica one from Belgium(Commander GuySchandeler), and 11 antee was underscored this week when President Boris N. The officials said the French role in negotiating this guar Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, the leader of the Bosnian Serbs. air strikes wouldoccur. Thiswasthe first demand of General by peacekeeping principles –afirmsignal that no more NATO the United Nations abruptlydeclared itwould strictly abide were seized, wasfollowed byastatement onJune 9inwhich Zvornik, which took place just over a week after the hostages French generals are now clear. The meeting onJune 4in Zagreb, Croatia. The terms of the deal hammered outbythe headquarters inSarajevo and those of General Janvier in to go. Tensions have been growing between General Smith’s was invited to the meeting on June 4 inZvornik but refused Nations forces inBosnia. The officials said the British officer by Lieut. Gen. RupertSmith,the Britishcommander of United holding secret talks with the Bosnian Serbs was firmly resisted with General Janvier and General de Lapresle.” The idea of cial said. “The deal that freed them wasdone inthe meetings the leading role in securing the hostages’ release,” one offi- private deals wouldbemade withthe Serbs. “The French took France was among the governments publicly insisting that no on aSerbian ammunition depot. Throughout thisperiod, The Bosnian Serbshadseizedthe troops afterNATO airraids Bosnian Serbleaders aboutthe release of the hostages. sent from Paris toBosnia, where he held ameeting with Lapresle, the former commander of United Nations forces, was near Sarajevo. Inaddition, the officials said, Gen.Bertrand de and onJune 17inthe Bosnian Serbs’headquarters atPale, place onJune 4inZvornik,onBosnia’s border withSerbia, Bosnian Serbs, during the hostage crisis. The meetings took secretly with Gen. Ratko Mladic, the commander of the United Nations forces inthe former Yugoslavia, twice met cials said General Bernard Janvier, the French commander of food tobesieged Muslim enclaves, the officials said. The offi- seems tohaveopened the wayfor long-stalled deliveries of ther air strikes on Serb positions. Another part of the deal received assurances thatNATO warplanes would not 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: English). The New York Times(USA) 23June 1995(in ‘France Held Secret Talks withSerbs’Roger Cohen, - 107 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Yeltsin of Russia said, he had been assured by President Meeting on Saturday 3 June in Paris at France’s initiative, Jacques Chirac of France that air strikes in Bosnia were over. defence ministers of the countries participating in UNPROFOR chose an intermediate solution. They set up a respectable The officials said the meeting on June 17 in Pale between force of several thousand troops that they called a ‘Rapid General Janvier and General Mladic established the final Reaction Force” (RRF). Its objectives are to defend the UN details. It allowed the last hostages to be released the next peacekeepers, prevent them from being humiliated or taken day in exchange for four Serbs captured by French soldiers hostage again, and allow them to carry out their mission. during a battle for a United Nations position in Sarajevo on These troops will not operate under the banner of the United May 27. Two French soldiers were killed in that battle. The Nations but will be wearing the uniforms of their own coun- officials said that in exchange for his flexible attitude, try’s armed forces. The RRF will continue to work with the UN, General Janvier received a promise from General Mladic that however. Technically, the RRF is at the disposal of French he would allow United Nations food convoys to travel into General Bernard Janvier, Head of UN Peacekeepers in the Muslim enclaves. 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). ABANDONMENT Extract: 7 France said today that it had met with all warring sides in AND FALL OF SREBRENICA Bosnia to press for the release of United Nations peacekeepers held hostage by Serbs but that it had not negotiated or bargained for their freedom. The comments were made in response to an article on Friday in The New York Times that said French officials had negotiated with Bosnian Serbs to free more than 320 peacekeepers seized in May. […] Yves On 24 June, a two-person medical team comprised of a Doutriaux, a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman, said today nurse and field manager Christina Schmitz and doctor in Paris that Gen. Bernard Janvier, the United Nations com- Daniel O’Brien was finally authorised to enter Srebrenica mander for the former Yugoslavia, and Gen. Bertrand de to replace the previous team, who left the enclave. Another Lapresle, his predecessor, “transmitted by various means team entered Gorazde on 2 July. France’s message of firmness: the immediate and uncondi- tional liberation of all the hostages. There were neither negotiations, nor bargaining,” Mr. Doutriaux added. The team was stopped at each roadblock. I spotted Kolievic at an [UN]HCR meeting and called him each time there was a roadblock; he said he would take care of it. One of the last times I called him, he told me he was going to In early June, at France’s initiative, a 1,000-troop Rapid come and bring his own M16 to shoot the soldiers who were Reaction Force independent of UNPROFOR was created. blocking our way! I told him it was probably not necessary to Its mission was to defend UN peacekeepers. go that far, that he just had to tell them to let the team pass.

Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, May - November ‘West Takes Action in Bosnia’ Le Monde (France), 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000 - 2006, 6 June 1995 (in French). Interviewed in 2015 (in French)

Extract: In view of UNPROFOR’s paralysis, the West, mainly the European countries, had little choice. Either they accepted We were worried. Karadzic had stated that ‘in any case, the defeatism of UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the Muslims are attacking us; they’re burning the villages who was willing to appease the Serbs by limiting UNPROFOR around the enclave.’ So, all the elements were in place for the to a miniscule humanitarian role while ignoring its mission to Serbs to attack. But we told ourselves that UNPROFOR was there protect the Bosnian civilian population, or they would work to protect them. We were dependent on people’s ability to enter outside the UN framework to create an independent armed and leave. We had come to the point of sending four out while force, similar to the United States’ effort in Haiti, to make the Serbs see reason, without being bound by the cumbersome 7. For a more detailed study on MSF Speaking Out about Srebrenica, please read UN system. MSF Speaking Out Case Studies “MSF and Srebrenica 1993-2003” by Laurence Binet- 108 MSF International - http://speakingout.msf.org/eng/srebrenica ber itnow. dare.’ Didwereallyputitlike that?That’s atleasthowIremem- ence will limit the effects of the violence, because they wouldn’t that’s goingtohappen.We wanttobeinsidebecauseourpres- responsibility for thisdecision. We toldourselves, ‘weknow only bringingintwo.We didn’tevenhaveasurgeon.ButItake the inhabitants fled. lective centre (Containers) halfwayto Potocari got shelled - much higher since they don’t arriveatthe hospital. One col- although the number of dead people will be most probably town. […] Final toll of the day is 13 wounded and 4 killed, mortar bombs. Between08:30 and 09:00AM10shells fall in 12th. […]UNMO counted 150tankbombs, artilleryand are ondark orange/red alertand itdoesn’t change until the frequency] radio and move to the shelter. From today on we Slapovici. We wake upfrom the noise, dismantle the HF[high Between 04:30and- 07:00heavy shelling inand around 00:30 6rockets fall inthe UNcompound, of which 2explode. Extract: at thehospital. MSF teamtookshelter. Thirteenwounded patientsarrived The enclave was under constant bombardment and the army positionstothesoutheastandnorthof Srebrenica. On 6 July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces attacked Bosnian Quebec (northeast). been observed. On the 2nd one woman got killed at OP enclave, and movements of tanksand heavy artilleryhave BSA [Bosnian SerbArmy] deployed soldiers allaround the [Bosnia-Herzegovina army] wasoccupying alltheir posts, warring sides were preparing for the present scenario. BiH During the firsthalf of the week,itbecame obvious thatboth Extract: that fighting was aboutto resume. around theenclave gave theMSFteamimpression In earlyJuly, movements by thearmedforces inand Yugoslavia, 1992-1996,Interviewed in2015(inFrench). English). MSF Srebrenica teamlogbook,24July1995(in Sitrep 9 July1995(inEnglish). Sitrep Manager, inCharge of Programmes inthe former Pierre Salignon, MSF France DeputyProgramme Srebrenica 1 to 7 July 1995, MSF Srebrenica, Srebrenica-Potocari, 6to22July1995The Commander requested airsupportfrom NATO. The mediaannouncedthatGeneral Janvier, theUNPROFOR team. the UNPROFORbaseinPotocari withoutinforming theMSF Bosnian army. Thosebasedinthecitycentre withdrew to posts were trapped between BosnianSerbforces andthe On 9July1995,peacekeepers basedatUNobservation entered thecityof Srebrenica. to bombtheenclave. Duringthenightof 8July, they keeper andtaking20others prisoner. They alsocontinued seize UNPROFORobservation posts, killingaUNpeace- On 8July1995,theBosnianSerbforces continuedto and are stating thatthey are happywithMSF inSrebrenica. authorities have given interviews for Radio Tuzla and Sarajevo […] atYellow Bridge and hadfinally to return. […]Local line. We hear planes flying -NATO? ICRC hasbeenwaiting road. 2Bihwithminor wounds come walking from the front - Personal Carriers] are moving hectically upand down the Dutch bluehelmet […]got killed. […]APCs[Armoured post] Foxtrot (near the former OPEcho) and blewitup.One than one shell perminute). BSA hastaken OP[Observation quiet; heavy shelling againsince lunchtime (sometimes more urgently need ournew [expat] surgeon. The morning was geon [wetrained] isonthe edge of abreakdown sowe Saturday 8July:Fewshells during the night. […],the sur- Extract: areas designated by the United Nations, with the same status the offensive against thisregion, which isone of the six safe operational, itwouldhaveintervened inSrebrenica tostop ment sources, ifthe Rapid Reaction Force (RRF)hadbeen perimeter of the safearea. […]According toFrench govern- were taken prisoner whilemanning observation postsonthe town of Bratunac, locatednear the border withSerbia. They Serbs; some of the hostages were taken tothe neighbouring taken hostage inthe enclave Saturday and Sunday byBosnian the release of some 30DutchUNpeacekeepers thatwere Monday morning. Inaddition, UNPROFORishoping togain 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 9 July in General Janvier, Commander of UNforces inthe former Extract: (in English). The MSF Srebrenica teamlogbook,24July1995 Sitrep 11 July1995(inFrench). Offensive in eastern Bosnia,’ ‘UNPROFOR RequestsAirSupportAfterSerbian Srebrenica-Potocari, 6to22July1995, Le Monde (France), 109 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

as Sarajevo, Zepa, Gorazde, Tuzla and Bihac. But the RRF within 48 hours and abandon their weapons. […] During a cannot yet be used due to delays in bringing in its equip- trip to Athens on Monday [10 July], UN Secretary-General ment. The unit should be partially operational by mid-July Boutros Boutros-Ghali said “the United Nations will, if neces- and fully operational a month later. sary, call in NATO air strikes to protect the Muslim enclaves if the Serbs attack.” […] Yesterday evening, Dutch Defence Minister Joris Voorhoeve said that NATO raids were “inevitable” after the Serbian attack against the Dutch peacekeepers and that a NATO operation was “under discussion.” On 10 July, Bosnian Serb forces delivered an ultimatum to the peacekeepers, ordering them to start evacuating the population from the enclave the following morning. The United Nations and Dutch officials threatened ’Srebrenica Hospital Overwhelmed with Casualties’ them with a NATO air strike. Several shells fell near the MSF B/F/H/UK Press release, 10 July 1995 (in hospital, which had been receiving an influx of injured English). patients. The surgeons were overwhelmed. MSF issued a press release calling for medical facilities and personnel Extract: to be spared during the fighting. Médecins Sans Frontières calls for respect of vulnerable civilian and medical installations The heavy shelling which began last Thursday resumed this morning, once again targeting the town centre of Srebrenica. In the local hospital, ‘Voorhoeve: “NATO Air Support in Bosnia is Inevi- 50 wounded have been checked in over the past few days, 10 table’ NRC Handelsblad (The Netherlands) The of who have since died of their wounds. “The hospital is par- Hague, 11 July 1995 (in Dutch). ticularly vulnerable to shelling because it was never given the protection to resist an attack of this kind; after all, Srebrenica Extract: is a safe area.” Dr Stefan Oberreit, MSF’s Belgrade-based NATO air support for the Dutch military in Srebrenica is inevi- Coordinator. The MSF team (one doctor and one nurse) went table, according to the Minister of Defence Voorhoeve. to the hospital early this morning where they are working Yesterday evening he called the deployment of NATO war- with the local medical team (two doctors, a surgeon and a planes “risky for the Dutch troops and the 30 hostages,” but gynaecologist). he is of the opinion that with the use of aerial attacks, the advancing Bosnian Serb tanks can be stopped. Also Bosnian In one hour, from 2.30 - 3.30 pm (BST) today, seven further Serb artillery positions could be target of attacks by NATO wounded patients were brought into the hospital, five of warplanes. “The attack on Monday evening gives reason for which were seriously wounded – three needed urgent ampu- concern as to what the Bosnian Serbs are up to in the coming tations. Said Dr Oberreit: ‘The local staff is working cease- days,” said Voorhoeve. Colonel Dedden of the Ministry of lessly and efficiently with the patients, most of whom have Defence’s crisis committee in The Hague yesterday declared shrapnel wounds, and are coping tremendously well in this that the situation in Srebrenica had returned to “within con- difficult situation.’ The 100-bed hospital is completely full, trol.” The Bosnian Serbs had achieved their objective to gain while the shelling gets nearer. Already, several windows of control over a strategic road towards two mines. In the event the hospital have been hit. Despite its status as a ‘safe zone’, of the Bosnian Serbs attempting to capture the enclave, NATO the Srebrenica enclave, which has a population of 40,000, is air support would be called in, and in any case the Bosnian once again the target of a deadly offensive. The shelling is government troops would not allow such an attempt (by the indiscriminate, and civilian as well as military installations, Serbs) according to Dedden. There has been contact between are being hit. After three years of war, the long-suffering the commander of the Dutch troops in Srebrenica and the 30 inhabitants of Srebrenica find themselves under attack once hostages on Monday, and under the circumstances, they are again. Médecins Sans Frontières today called for all civilian OK, declared Dedden. and medical installations to be spared.

‘Bosnian Serbs Demand Withdrawal of Peacekeep- ers from Srebrenica’ Le Monde (France), 12 July For security and operational reasons, the MSF Srebrenica 1995 (in French). team was not in direct contact with the press. Instead, it debriefed the Belgrade team, which was handling Extract: relations with journalists. It was agreed that the French The local Serbian commander delivered an ultimatum to the daily newspaper Libération would publish extracts of commander of 450 Dutch peacekeepers deployed in radio messages sent by the team to the coordination Srebrenica, strongly urging him to begin evacuating the staff in Belgrade. enclave at dawn on Tuesday [11 July]. The Serbian forces not only demand that the 44,000 residents leave but that the 110 peacekeepers do so as well. They want them to evacuate camp around the baseunderextremely precarious hygiene tory inPotocari. Some 20,000peoplesetupamakeshift UNPROFOR baselocatedinthe abandonedPodgorica fac - The patientswere transferred toafieldhospitalonthe MSF teamdecidedtofollow andevacuate thepatients. population fledtowards thenorth of theenclave, andthe tanks. Authorisation was requested for athird strike. The conducted two airoperations thatstruckBosnianSerb In the early afternoon of 11 July 1995, NATO warplanes decided we hadn’t.” decided wehadn’t.” impact. Ikept wonderingifwehadmadeamistake. Butwe It wouldcertainlyhavebeenmoreeffectiveandhadof an situation fromtheinside, wouldthathavechangedanything?’ asking myself,‘Ifshehadbeenabletodirectlydescribethe put heringreaterdangerandtaken uphertime. ButIkept to interviewher. Butthatwasn’tagoodideabecauseitwould’ve option would’vebeentobringthereportersintoourradioroom one whodealtwiththemfromtheBelgradeoffice. Theother she hadtodointerviewsaswell.ShedebriefedmesoIwasthe working. She already had a full plate, so she’d never manage if with reporters. She had to be protected and needed to continue 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 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: of itspopulation. of the situation inacitythatthe Serbshadalmost emptied Srebrenica toitsBelgrade central office, providing anaccount Here are extracts of radio messages sent bythe 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 tion (France), 11July1995(inFrench). fensive Continues inSrebrenica Enclave.’ Libéra- ‘Bosnia: UNThreatens SerbswithAirStrikes. Of- Libération (France), 14July1995(inFrench). Frontières StaffBearWitness from Srebrenica,’ ‘The World Here Has Collapsed.’ Médecins Sans Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General Interviewed in2015(inFrench). staff andsupplies. or request accesstotheenclave by additionalmedical of ahumanitariancorridorinorder toevacuate patients team considered two options:callfor theestablishment Dutch peacekeepers. InBelgrade, theMSFcoordination better conditions. TheMSFteamworked well withthe 5,000 displacedpersons insidethebase, whichenjoyed and securityconditions. UNPROFOR agreed toshelter already set up a makeshift hospital in a dark corridor. Fifty- arrive in the UNPROFOR compound. The blue helmets have other in order to get a lift for the 4 km ahead. Finally we behind the truck and witness how the peoplealmost killeach truck stopsand peopleare allowedtoclimbonit.We are just us isstuck inthe mud; blue helmets move itmanually. Then a hot, the road veryovercrowded and dusty. Atruck infront of population, shelling continues from the mountains, itisvery dren and their small bags, bluehelmets walk withthe fleeing mess and chaos! People run in panic, carrying screaming chil- personnel carrier] has already passed the hospital. Whata to leavesixoldpeoplebehind since the UN APC[armoured pick-up. Inthe meantime more patients show upand Ihave Bravo Company, dropping the patients, and I go back with a two cars. There are about20[patients] left.We drive down to the luggage, whilewetrytofitthe patients inthe [other] leaves for Bravo Company withone car, the localstaff,and Belgrade] wedecide tofollow the population. […]Daniel After aquick discussion withthe capital[the MSF teamin long stream of peoplefleeing towards the north (Potocari). strikes. Shortly afterweruntothe hospital […].We seea Around 15:00,wehear planes and seethem performing air ther away),butthen ashell falls inthiscompound. […] Company (the Dutchbatcompound approximately 500m fur- are informed thatthe patients haveleftto[go to] Bravo and canonly guessaboutthe bombsfalling briefly after. We casualties sowecanstayinthe shelter. We hear planes flying […] Then the shelling inthe centre startsagain.There are no doesn’t haveany impact.Until noon, itisrelatively quiet. neutral bynot allowing uniforms and arms onthe compound pital compound. Ourconstant appealtokeep the hospital busy and tense, high presence of armed soldiers inthe hos- tors. They willorganise itwithtwotrucks. The townisvery neutrality, butweacceptthe determination of the localdoc - body. We prefer tokeep the patients inthe hospital due toits fear the same, BSA entering the hospital and killing every- trucks. They mention […][whathappened in]Vukovar and evacuating [the 80 patients] to Potocari this morning in to run,fearing airstrikes. […]The localdoctors insist on coming outof the PTT [Post Office]building and peoplestart three Britishsoldiers who are directing the airstrikes are numbers toPotocari. The UNPROFORliaison teamand the Tuesday 11July:We againexperience peoplefleeing insmall Extract: (in English, edited). The MSF Srebrenica teamlogbook,24July1995 Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari, 6to22July1995, 111 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

five patients have arrived here, mostly war wounded. We have the violation of the safe area by Bosnian Serb troops. no medical supplies with us. Daniel makes a list for Dutchbat MSF Holland’s relief operations were based in Tuzla and of the most needed drugs. In the meantime we request med- Zenica, towns close to Srebrenica that were likely to ical supplies from Belgrade, knowing that they will not arrive. be the destination for the 15,000 people who fled the After having had contact with Belgrade on the car radio, I enclave on foot through the forest and mountains. visit the camp outside with [local staff]. Approx. 20,000 people are seeking shelter around some destroyed buildings, trying to escape from the continuing shelling, [they are] shivering from the noise. ‘Médecins sans Frontières Calls for Immediate DCO Franken [Deputy Commander of Dutchbat] is trying to Cease-Fire to Protect Srebrenica Population’ Press arrange a trip into town with BSA in order to pick up medical release, MSF Belgium/France, 11 July 1995 (in supplies from our stock however [General Ratko] Mladic tells French). us that everything is empty. Mladic requests UN buses for the evacuation of the displaced, and offers food and medicine. Extract: UNPROFOR accepts more than 5,000 women and children As the Serb forces enter the city of Srebrenica, all personnel inside the compound in the factory. There, the water and food and huge numbers of civilians and hospital patients are situation is a bit better - UNPROFOR can provide 7,000 litres taking refuge in the vicinity of UNPROFOR camps in the of water per day and can offer a daily food ration. Also the northern part of the enclave. Tens of thousands of people are shelter makes a difference; they are inside, protected from demanding to leave the enclave out of fear of being massa- the sun and the shells and they are out of the view of BSA. We cred. Gripped with panic, small groups of people are also are distributing towels, blankets, soap, and buckets from our heading toward the outskirts of the city and the surrounding store in Potocari to the patients, and plastic sheeting for the woods. The city centre has been emptied of its population. At DP [displaced population] inside. UNPROFOR is trying to 13:00, lorries left the hospital with 65 patients accompanied declare Potocari as a safe haven again. MSF Belgrade gets by medical staff, heading toward the northern section of the ready for two scenarios: a humanitarian corridor into central enclave. The evacuation of the hospital continued in the Bosnia-Herzegovina, which we follow, or request […] clear- afternoon with the transfer of the last 10 patients. The MSF ance for expatriates to come and assist with medical and team had to make several return trips to continue evacuating logistical material. Shelling continues until approximately patients to UNPROFOR camps. As of today, the Srebrenica safe 22:00 pm. area no longer exists and some 40,000 people are trapped. Médecins Sans Frontières condemns the Bosnian Serb troops’ non-compliance with the safe area as well as the United Nations’ inability to protect the civilian population. MSF calls ‘Peacekeepers Withdraw, Thousands of Civilians for an immediate cease-fire and guaranteed protection for Flee North. Besieged Enclave of Srebrenica Falls the Srebrenica population. to Serbian Troops,’ Hélène Despic-Popovic, Libéra- tion (France), 12 July 1995 (in French).

Extract: “A mass departure of the population had already begun During the evening of 11 July, a third air strike was during the air strikes,” reports Stephan Oberreit, a Belgrade- cancelled at the request of the Dutch defence minister based official of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Speaking by to protect the lives of the peacekeepers being held hos- telephone, Oberreit relayed information he received from an tage. In the Netherlands, public opinion was concerned MSF doctor and nurse working in Srebrenica. “At 15:30, the for the soldiers’ safety. time of our last radio contact, the team had just evacuated the hospital with the last 15 patients. The others had left earlier with local doctors. The staff had to make several trips because they only have two cars. When telling us they had ‘Netherlands Opposes a Third NATO Air Strike’ just made their last trip, they said the Serbs had just entered Le Monde (France), 13 July 1995 (in French). the city. The city is in a state of panic and has been emptying out since early morning. A crowd of frightened and exhausted Extract: people started walking to Potocari, which has a UN base, in The Netherlands supplies 2,400 troops to UN forces in the search of safety.” former Yugoslavia. About 30 of them are being held hostage by the Serbs while 410 others tried Wednesday to negotiate their release as well as the evacuation of thousands of civilians from the Srebrenica enclave. The Hague, with the support of France in particular, called for an emergency meeting A new press release issued by MSF Belgium/France of the UN Security Council. On Tuesday evening [11 July], described the situation in the enclave, condemned the Defence Minister Joris Voorhoeve called the violation of the UN’s inability to protect the civilians of Srebrenica and safe haven a “large-scale disaster” while his colleague, 112 called for a cease-fire. The organisation also denounced Foreign Affairs Minister Hans Van Mierlo, said that the UN observed insimilarsituations.” fear arecurrence of the typesof events wehavepreviously Forty thousand Muslims are vulnerable toethnic cleansing. I Muslims and added anote of concern aboutSrebrenica, “ acts of violence recently committedagainst the Bosnian ence inBosnia. OnTuesday evening, Voorhoeve recalled the tion is increasingly questioning the need for a Dutch pres troops onthe ground. According torecent polls, the popula- calls from Dutch citizens worried about the safety of the Bosnian side. The army’s CrisisCentre isbeing inundated with peacekeeping mission despite all its sympathy for the However, public opinion couldeventually turnagainst the fies their mission.” saved livesand willcontinue todo soand thatinitselfjusti- their advisers. “Despiteeverything, the peacekeepers have which isnot onthe cards for the time being, according to rejected calling for a complete withdrawal of UN forces, Serbs against their hostages. The twoministers, however, third airstrike “following terrorist threats” made byBosnian Voorhoeve alsosaid thathe hadasked NATO tosuspend its turning point” with significant political consequences. peacekeepers inthe former Yugoslavia were reaching a “major turn inalltheirweapons. further air strikes, and demanded that Bosnian forces to bomb civilians fleeing the enclave if NATO conducted On the morning of 12 July, Bosnian Serb forces threatened and making that statement. and makingthatstatement. tion. Istillrememberhimstandingthere, obviouslysuffering, in the“ourguysdidwell”camp.Hisfocus wasonthepopula- “something gruesomehappenedtoday.”Soatleasthewasnot ence directlyonthedayafterfall andhesaidliterally do anything.Irememberhimcomingupfor thepressconfer- of water, food, and medical supplies. The Srebrenica hospital “taking seriously.” Humanitarian organisations report a lack raids, a threat that UN peacekeeping officials say they are columns of fleeing refugees ifNATO conducted further air The Serbsthreatened onWednesday morning tobombthe Extract: Sarajevo, Bosnia, December1991-September1992,then various positions inMSF Holland Bosnia desk, September But he was also impotent in the sense that he couldn’t But hewasalsoimpotentinthesensethatcouldn’t Voorhoeve, the Minister of Defence, is a very decent man. 1995 (inFrench). brenica “SafeArea,”’ LeMonde(France), 13July ‘Serbs Threaten toBombRefugees Fleeing Sre- Wouter Kok, MSF Holland medical coordinator in 1992-1996, Interviewed in2015,(inEnglish). - V20 the patientstoBratunac, aneighbouringvillage. The MSFteamopposed,invain, theevacuation of someof would notbere-established. while politicalleaderRadovan Karadzic saidthesafearea Serb television thatcivilianswere beingwell treated, General Mladic, theBosnianSerbCommander, toldBosnian guarded by soldiers anddogs. Tuzla. Mostof themenwere heldseparately inabuilding reach thevillageof Kladanj.Others were transported to where they were forced towalk nearlyeightkilometres to loaded into buses and dropped off near the front line, Thousands of women, children, andelderlypeoplewere without any resistance from theUNPROFORcontingent. During thedayof 12July, thePotocari basewas captured the French- German summitinStrasbourg. act onitsown,explained the French president whileattending Security Council tofulfillits responsibilities. France cannot Tuesday evening thathe wasready tointervene and urged the operation, withthe exception of Jacques Chirac, who said on Western leaders, however, had little to say about a military to “restore the statusof the safehaven”of Srebrenica. General Boutros Boutros-Ghali touse“every means available” Security Council adopted aresolution calling for Secretary- has beenevacuated. OnWednesday 12JulyinNew York, the Bratunac Football station, followed bythe civilians. Itryto BSA/Mladic willstartthe evacuation of the wounded to their families are stilloutside. […]Then weare informed that The medical localstaffisverydifficultto motivate because moment weno longer lackany necessary drugs. offer allmedical facilities and drugs they have. From that Dutchbat decides toswitchthe non-combat situation and material are scarce. It isnot until laterinthe morning that essary medicines; fluids, antibiotics, analgesics, and dressing Situation inDaniel’s hospital remains fragile interms of nec- Yellow Bridge. UNPROFORtries tosetupahuman blockade. next 15minutes. BSA tries toenter the enclave withtanksat tance becauseat09:45shelling startsagain.3-4fall inthe their night outside. However, Iamnot abletooffer assis - dration tent. The displacedare very weak and apathetic after for either asmall clinic, performing triage oraskind of rehy - lull toasksome bluehelmets tosetupourthree tents outside the displacedpeople. UNhasno contact withBiH.We usethe They demand allBiHweapons inexchange for the securityof Wednesday 12July:BSA announces aceasefire until 10:00. Extract:

V21 (in English, edited). The MSF Srebrenica Team Logbook,24July1995 Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari, 6to22July1995, V19

113 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

talk to Mladic and to protest against the planned evacuation, footage showed no scenes of panic, but many of the refugees but he just tells me to do my job and walks away. The MSF looked tired, dazed, and frightened. Gen. Ratko Mladic, the convoy of 30 tonnes of medical and logistical material and Bosnian Serb commander, was there, surrounded by body- Barbara, Guy, and Eric is on its way from Belgrade in order to guards, to supervise the herding of the refugees onto buses join us in this crisis. […] The headquarters has spoken to and trucks. “You don’t have to be afraid of anything,” he told Boutros-Boutros Ghali’s deputy, who said that the UN wants the refugees in the brief broadcast. “Slowly, please let the the assurance that the whole population, including the men, women and children in front of you.” The general said, “In will be taken to Tuzla. This is easy to say since no figures exist this first round we will evacuate women, children and elderly that would let us monitor it. At approximately 15:00 BSA and all those who want to leave this combat area, without starts to evacuate the displaced people by buses and trucks forcing them.” He told the television, “Srebrenica is free with incredible speed. Most of the men are being separated now,” but added, “There are still small groups trying to put up and taken to a house being guarded by many BSA with German resistance.” The Bosnian Serb leader, Radovan Karadzic, was dogs. Around this house we hear a lot of small arms fire. A few even more confident. Although he promised that the cap- hours later, at 18:00 the UN starts up its first medical convoy. tured civilians and peacekeepers were “completely safe and It is very chaotic; everybody wants to take a chance. People secure,” he said there was no chance that the safe area would just jump on the trucks. Relatives have to leave their family be reconstituted, something the Security Council demanded members. After that I am able to return to the camp outside. today. “Srebrenica is our country,” he said from Pale, the Mladic accepts that I want to pick up wounded and sick Bosnian Serb headquarters near Sarajevo. people. There are two water trucks offering drinking water for the displaced population, who are forced to spend their second night outside. We immediately suspected they were going to attack military-age men. The first alert came from Christina, who wondered if executions were taking place around Potocari. ‘Serbs Start Moving Muslims Out Of Captured Ter- And then Potocari emptied very quickly, with the Serbs deport- ritory,’ Chris Hedges, The New York Times (USA) ing people. The central Bosnian teams started seeing buses 13 July 1995 (in English). arrive. I asked them if there were men on the buses and they said there were. But there weren’t very many because they had Extract: been killed in Potocari or had fled through the fields. This The air was filled with anguished cries as the Bosnian Serbs [system] didn’t work very well. In retrospect, I think we could’ve loaded the first 3,000 women, children and elderly refugees sounded the alert more widely. onto buses at Potocari, the United Nations base overrun today outside Srebrenica, which was captured on Tuesday. Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General The refugees were dropped off outside Kladanj, about 25 Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, May - November miles away, where they were forced to walk the last six miles 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000 - 2006, across the front lines to the Government-held town and aid. Interviewed in 2015 (in French). “It was quite a horrifying scene,” said Stephan Oberreit of Doctors Without Borders, who spoke by radio from Belgrade with colleagues in Srebrenica. “There was screaming and crying and panic. They didn’t know where they were being taken to.” The Associated Press reported that the first 1,500 The commander of the Dutch peacekeeping contingent refugees arrived in Bosnian Government buses late tonight at negotiated a cease-fire with General Mladic, Commander a United Nations base outside Tuzla, where they were of the Bosnian Serb forces. expected to end their journey. One refugee said she had seen the Bosnian Serbs kill a woman and child, but there was no independent confirmation of her account. ‘Bosnia: UN in a State of Shock After Fall of Sre- Today, 1,500 Bosnian Serb troops backed by tanks advanced brenica,’ Le Soir (Belgium), 12 July 1995 (in at midday into Potocari. They overran the United Nations French). base with no resistance after they threatened to shell the refugees and kill some Dutch peacekeepers they are holding Extract: hostage if NATO warplanes intervened. The Dutch peace- The several hundred Dutch peacekeepers, outnumbered 20 to keepers had allowed dozens of wounded people into their 1 according to UNPROFOR officers in Sarajevo, could not hold compound at Potocari on Tuesday night, but most of the out very long and had to retreat to their headquarters at 40,000 refugees “spent the night with nothing, on the field Potocari, with thousands of terrified refugees following in surrounding the camp,” said Ron Redmond, a spokesman for their wake. The contingent’s commander, Lieutenant-Colonel the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Tom Karremans, negotiated a temporary cease-fire this Geneva. […] Bosnian Serb television today showed tens of morning [12 July] with the Bosnian Serbs, whose political thousands of refugees milling around the camp and women leader, Radovan Karadzic, has already ruled out withdrawing 114 and children being escorted onto buses. The television from the enclave. Lacking any means of defence, Srebrenica prevailing there. by theBosnianSerbforces andthedramatic situation provided afirst-hand account of thecapture of Potocari During apress conference inBrussels, MSFBelgium organisation. Belgrade representative for the Médecins Sans Frontières road fleeing the Serbian advance, said Stephan Oberreit, No one remains in the city; the entire population is on the mass displacement with tragic humanitarian consequences. quickly emptied of its40,000residents, signaling yetanother ICRC, isabsolutely necessary toprotect the population. presence of international agencies, such as [UN]HCR and assistance to tens of thousands of displaced persons. The during the day regarding the delivery of emergency material for the required authorisations. A decision must be taken respond withallthe supplies necessary. They are onlywaiting sans Frontières teams in Belgrade are standing ready to beginning tohaveshortages of essential medicines. Médecins medical care. Stocksof drugs are extremely limitedand weare been treated, butweneed toidentify those who stillneed vulnerable population. Some of the wounded have already the heat and toprevent dehydration problems among this camp to shelter women and children, to protect them from distributed blankets and containers. Tents were setupinthe Frontières teamsetupshelters for the displaced persons and urgent needs are for food and water. The Médecins Sans less than one litre [of water] per day per person. The most 7,000 people, mainly women and children, haveaccessto along the side of the road. Withinthe campitself,more than shelter inpartially destroyed buildings orforming groups Part of the population remained outside the camp,finding Extract: describe the situation asitnow stands. those we can help. During the press conference, MSF will Srebrenica and iscurrently trying toprotect and care for women and children. MSF isdeeply shocked by the fall of evacuate the population through Bratunac, beginning with Srebrenica thathadtaken refuge there. The Serbsplanto peacekeeping compound and captured the population of Muslim enclave of Srebrenica. They infiltrated the UNPROFOR Bosnian Serbforces havejusttaken completecontrol of the Extract: Belgium, 12July1995(inFrench). Aid toSrebrenica Population,’ Pressrelease,MSF ‘MSF Callsfor Immediate Access of Humanitarian Press conference’,12July1995(inFrench). in Hands of Bosnian SerbForces –MSF Belgium ‘Potocari Enclave Collapses–Srebrenica Population were even talkingaboutwithdrawing UNPROFORtroops. of theenclave was nolongerunderconsideration. Some various Statesinvolved, however, suggestedthatthefate Comments by UNobservers andpoliticalleaders of the resources for re-establishing theSrebrenica safehaven. It also urged the Secretary-General to use all available ties togive aidorganisations free accesstothesafearea. Bosnian Serbforces toendtheiroffensive andfor allpar- In Resolution1004,theUNSecurityCouncilcalledfor the munity does not respond, we have to ask what UNPROFOR is incapable of fulfilling itsmission. “Ifthe international com- again said thatUNPROFORshould leaveBosnia ifitproved In the Senate onWednesday, French President Jacques Chirac enclave’s security. asking whom, insuch ascenario, would guarantee the Srebrenica. “We havetostoptalking nonsense,” said Sacirbey, to seek a Serb withdrawal in exchange for demilitarising Muhamed Sacirbey rejected the proposal made bythe British enclaves aswell.OnWednesday, Bosnian Foreign Minister of a “safe area” for Srebrenica and possibly for the other acknowledge it,the United Nations hasabandoned the idea Who’s going tofight it?”Eventhough no officials willopenly alternative wouldbyawarbetweenthe UNand the Serbs. be the long-term solution for stabilityinthe country. The the eastern enclaves near Serbia tothe 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. as they consider usefuland feasible.” authorities, tomake ourforces availablefor such operations pared, ifdeemed possiblebythe UNcivilian and military another”. “We are simplysaying,” he said, “thatweare pre- imposing any obligation to use one particular means over enclaves,” nevertheless added that Paris “is not, of course, “accept any challenge whatsoevertothe statusof the Jean-Bernard Mérimée, whilestating thatFrance cannot correspondent, Afsané Bassir Pour. French UN Ambassador made any reference tothe use of force, reports our New York the SecurityCouncil meeting, no country other thanFrance intention of applying. […]Intheir formal statements during 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 aresolution calling for the Secretary-General to use On Wednesday 12July, the United Nations SecurityCouncil Extract: July 1995(inFrench). Intention of Using Force,’ LeMonde(France), 14 ‘UN “Demands” Serb Withdrawal Without Any 115 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

doing in Bosnia and draw the necessary conclusions,” he said. being held and a rumour went around that there were dead “If the enclaves are violated and the Srebrenica safe area is bodies nearby. A man gave his child to the MSF coordinator not re-established, the entire UNPROFOR mission is in ques- before being taken away by the soldiers. V22 tion.” The statement released Wednesday by the French prime minister’s office following a small ministerial meeting on the The MSF team learned that certain patients from the 12 Bosnia issue makes no mention, however, of a troop with- July convoy to Bratunac were separated when Bosnian Serb drawal. UK Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind said he believes soldiers noticed they were not wounded. For the next it will take ‘several days’’ before determining whether the evacuation convoy, they planned to keep the male medical Srebrenica events will have “serious repercussions for the staff with them. UN’s presence in Bosnia.” […] In Washington, a White House spokesperson reiterated that Bill Clinton considers it “desir- UN officials condemned what they called “odious acts” able and important” for the UN to remain in Bosnia. and “ethnic cleansing.”

Capsat message from MSF Srebrenica to MSF In the Netherlands, Jacques de Milliano, General Direc- Belgrade, 13 July 1995,11:41 UTC Time (in English, tor of MSF Holland, had been trying in vain to convince edited). members of parliament, obsessed with the fate of the Dutch contingent, to take an interest in the protection Extract: of Srebrenica’s civilian population. I am just copying the info of UNMO […] The UN medical convoy with our patients is moving now to Tuzla with a special escort of BSA personnel with personal instructions from Mladic for security […] I had one horrible experience, one On Wednesday 12 July, I received a phone call from BSA came with a man and his baby. The man had nobody to Bernard Pécoul and Eric Goemaere [General Directors of take care of the baby. So I had to separate the baby from the MSF France and MSF Belgium], who told me that MSF volunteers crying father while the BSA took the father with him. There on site had seen people being put in buses and that they a bad are rumours that at the back of the camp there are dead feeling about it. I wondered what we could do. It was 10:00 bodies. BSA [is ok if I] […] go with UNMO, but they don’t and I knew that a small parliamentary meeting on the fall of want to give [me] any guarantee of security. Anyway I don’t Srebrenica was scheduled for noon in The Hague. I called The think I should go, [it’s] too risky, not confirmed, not clear Hague to speak to members of parliament and asked them to where the dead bodies are. What is your opinion? put the protection of civilians on their agenda. It was 11:00 and the legislators had already gone to the chamber. I took a taxi and reached The Hague 45 minutes later. When I arrived, the minister had already finished his briefing. It hadn’t even Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari, 6 to 22 July 1995, lasted half an hour. I asked the MP’s what they had talked about The MSF Srebrenica Team Logbook, 24 July 1995 and they said, ‘We talked about the situation of the Dutch (in English, edited). troops.’ I then asked, ‘Did you discuss the protection of the civilian population?’ They told me, ‘we didn’t want to mention Extract: that problem because there were family members of soldiers in Thursday 13 July: […] At 07:00 the evacuation of the dis- the room. That may have given the impression that we didn’t placed people is continuing from the camp outside. Blue hel- care about the Dutch soldiers over there.’ At that time in the mets are controlling the desperate crowd. Everybody who Netherlands, it was impossible to talk about it. It was a total could have stopped this mass exodus should be forced to feel blackout, complete paralysis.” the panic and desperation of the people, leaving even their belongings behind [that] they managed to bring to Potocari. Dr Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director, Everybody should see the violence on the faces of BSA, 1985-1996, interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). directing the people like animals to the buses. Children are screaming in the arms of their mothers, everybody runs for his/her life into an uncertain future. BSA refuses [to allow] our convoy in because they argue that BiH is still in the area and might shoot at the convoy […]. On 13 and 14 July, UNPROFOR’s camp and base were gradually being emptied of most of the refugees, who In the morning I mainly move between the makeshift camp were violently loaded into buses by Bosnian Serb soldiers. outside and the UN compound, transporting sick, old and The patients who could walk and the nursing staff were hysterical people to our hospital, where Daniel takes them, also being evacuated. together with the local nurses in charge. In the afternoon the number of patients gets too much and the UN assists with a The men continued to be held separately. The MSF team truck for transport. UN doctors are doing a kind of triage in 116 heard gunshots coming from the building where they were the camp outside. A sun shelter with our plastic sheeting is ical, justintime for allthe peoplewho haveleft. the evening inBratunac and isallowedtocome in.How cyn- starting. […] The UNHCR convoy with food, etc. arrives in started tolove, now empty. Many BSA present, looting is What astrange feeling, going backinto atown,which Ihad Joseph and Ihavetocarrythe patients alone tothe pick-up. of the hospital orsocial centre. Sowehurry up,butof course inhabitants. BSA isquitenervous, expecting BiHinthe rooms so westopthere aswelland discoverthree more elderly Passing byoursocial centre Iseeone personsitting outside where I left them two days ago. They are in good condition. where wefind 3elderly patients sitting atthe same place an UNMO and the escort we drive quickly to the hospital, BSA escortinorder togo backinto Srebrenica. Together with again. […]Itake [advantage of] the occasion and request a lator some questions, received alistof the patients and left tions and the smell, asked the patients and ourfemale trans- 10 minutes inthe camp,being disgustedby the living condi- beings, BSA wanted toinspect the UNcompound. They spent were separated. Having emptied bothplacesfrom human left withthisconvoy. Rumours saythat some of the males nursing staffand most patients who were abletowalkalso gate and there they are putonthe waiting buses/trucks. All compound until 19:00.The bluehelmets assistthem tothe utes BSA startstoevacuate the displacedpeoplefrom the UN At approximately 16:00the campisemptyand after30min- sewage of the existing toiletsisoverflowing. […] deteriorate in terms of sanitation - not enough latrines, the the conditions for the displacedinside the UNcompound ridor. Allinall,22new patients got admitted today. Today hygiene onadirtystretcher, inadark, muddy and wetcor- tions, without any privacy, everybody watching, without the last24hours, most of them inthese incredible condi- during the evening; 7deliveries (one stillbirth)happened in their milkproduction due tothe stress. One oldman dies situation […]Breastfeeding mothers develop problems with is asked ifwewouldgo there, butwerefuse due tothe touchy many peopleare seeking shelter) there are dead bodies. MSF looted byBSA. Rumours arisethatbehind the factory (where being setup.The UNisbringing awatertruck, which islater they hadtowalk across alone for several kilometres without expelled from the citywere driven to the front lines, which keepers, the 14,000women, children and elderly people buses and lorries without any supervision bythe peace- detained bythe Serbsasof Friday morning. […]Loaded on Potocari. Moreover, 55 Dutch soldiers were still being were pressured bySerbian forces toleavetheir baseat rating sources, Dutch peacekeepers still present inthe area said the Netherlands’ Defence Minister. According tocorrobo- refugee leaves, thus acting like the captain of asinking ship,” operating in the ‘safe area,’ “decided to remain until the last Colonel Karremans, Commander of the Dutchpeacekeepers Extract: Le Monde(France), 13July1995(inFrench). ‘Serbs Continue Ethnic Cleansing of Enclave,’

to monitorthetransfer of refugees. signs of abuse” and called for authorisation for the ICRC It mentionedthatsomeof thewomen beared “visible its teamswere doingeverything possibletoprovide relief. for the20,000refugees whohadarrived inTuzla, where The organisation alsoissuedanappealfor food andwater cal supplies. its pleatobeallowed tobringinadditionalstaffand medi- With itsconvoy stillblocked attheborder, MSFrenewed fate of 700of themlocked upinastadiumBratunac. media about the fate of the enclave’s men,particularly the 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 Serb leader, threatened soldiers inSrebrenica because they “refused to lay down their Serbian forces continued onThursday to ‘neutralise’ Bosnian According toastatement released bythe Pale authorities, called a“striking example of ethnic cleansing.” […] Refugees, condemned “inthe most vigorous terms” whatshe former Yugoslavia. Sadaka Ogata,UNHigh Commissioner for safe area,” said Yasushi Akashi, UN Special Envoy to the odious attackand ethnic cleansing committedagainst aUN “The international community isjustifiablydisgustedbythe fields. Srebrenica, where they are apparently herded onto football were taken toBratunac, aSerb-controlled townnorth of were released, onThursday, bySerbian militias. The others Ivanko. Their fate isunknown. Onlyafewmen of fighting age 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 Dr O’Brien said that many wounded remained inside the O’Brien described the situation asdeteriorating bythe hour.” stocks are running out.From Srebrenica, MSF’s DrDaniel According tothe MSF teaminPotocari, food and medical to allow access to the 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 PressRelease,13July1995 brenica Refugees, MSF Repeatsit’sPleafor Access ‘Conditions Deteriorating bythe Hour for Sre- 117 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

enclave in urgent need of assistance. It will take several days ‘MSF: Women Refugees in Potocari Bear “Visible for all the refugees to be moved out of Srebrenica. The MSF Signs of Abuse”’ Agence France Presse (France), medical convoy, with two doctors and two logisticians on 14 July 1995 (in French). board, needs to be allowed in, to care for the thousands of refugees remaining. However, the convoy remains at the Extract: border post of Zvrnik, a few kilometres from Srebrenica. Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) has “grave concerns” about About 4,000 refugees have already been taken by bus to the fate of displaced persons in Bosnia. “Muslim women have Kladanj, to the west of the enclave, 2,500 of these have been arriving in Potocari with visible signs of abuse,” reports already crossed into Tuzla. The MSF team of five in Tuzla the humanitarian organisation, which was interviewed by which set up a makeshift refugee camp for the refugees AFP on Friday. Three hundred refugees, 650 of whom have throughout the night, described the conditions there as injuries, are still in Potocari, 2 km north of Srebrenica, with alarming. The refugees are gathered on a stretch of road near two members of an MSF team; they came from the former UN the airport, with no access to sanitary facilities. MSF is con- safe area in Srebrenica, which the Bosnian Serb army now cerned about the absence of international monitoring of the controls. On Thursday, an MSF nurse and a UN observer were current forced population movements. The agency renewed able to go to the Srebrenica hospital, where they found three its call for the International Committee of the Red Cross to be elderly patients; they managed to bring them back to allowed to monitor the transfer of refugees. Potocari, which serves as the base for the UNPROFOR Dutch battalion. According to MSF, 700 refugees, mostly men, and just a few women are in Bratunac, a Serb-controlled town east of Srebrenica. Their fate is unknown. As a result, MSF has ‘Srebrenica Becomes Latest Victim of Ethnic not received any news regarding an initial convoy of 33 Cleansing,’ Le Monde (France), 14 July 1995 (in wounded that was supposed to leave the Bratunac stadium. French). Bosnian Serb soldiers are not allowing entry to the site by either MSF or six observers from the UN High Commission for Extract: Refugees (UNHCR), who are responsible for supervising aid A number of witnesses report that the Serbs subjected the distribution in the field. MSF and UNHCR officials have been population to a “selection process” before expelling them. negotiating since Thursday evening for authorisation to enter Médecins Sans Frontières, for example, explains that the men the stadium. The humanitarian organisation stresses that were taken separately to offices, where they had to identify most of the refugee population in Potocari comes from south themselves. Some of them have already been transported by of the Srebrenica enclaves. Nothing is known about the popu- truck to unknown destinations. “The scenes of them being lations from the neighbouring villages, who fled to unknown loaded on the buses were terrifying. People were screaming destinations, says MSF. and panicking,” reported the on-site MSF representatives. The UN says that General Mladic ordered a “selection” of all men over the age of 16, who were then assembled in the football stadium in the small town of Bratunac along the ‘20,000 Refugees from Srebrenica in Makeshift border with Serbia. […] According to Alexander Ivanko, a Shelters at Tuzla Airport,’ MSF Press Release, 13 United Nations spokesman, the Serbs were apparently plan- July 1995 ( in English). ning to interrogate the men to determine whether these civilians were guilty of “war crimes.” In the minds of Serbs, who Extract: view all Muslims as “terrorists,” anyone who had carried a 20,000 newly arrived refugees from the Srebrenica enclave weapon is considered a “war criminal.” Zena Hasanovic, a are grouped together on an airstrip at Tuzla airport. The UN, young resident of Srebrenica expelled Wednesday and sent to MSF, and other organisations are taking care of medical Tuzla, says she saw Serbian soldiers kill a woman and 10-year- needs, shelter, food, and water. An MSF cargo flight with 12 old boy. […] The mass exodus of refugees continued on tons of relief goods including tents, blankets and plastic Wednesday. More than 1,500 people arrived in Tuzla in the sheeting is being flown into Tuzla and Kladanj, via Split, with evening, where they were taken under the wing of United two extra staff members on board. MSF presently has five Nations staff. […] The United Nations High Commissioner for volunteers in Kladanj and three in Tuzla. Refugees (UNHCR) believes that “nearly the entire population of Srebrenica [which had a population of 44,000 before the offensive] has probably fled the city.” […] According to Médecins sans Frontières, which has a team on site, the most Message from MSF Belgium/France Project urgent needs are food and water. “It’s an extremely vulner- Managers to the MSF Team in Srebrenica, 13 July able population; many people have had practically nothing to 1995 (in English, edited). eat for weeks and have been living in deplorable hygienic conditions,” says an MSF representative. The humanitarian Extract: organisation and UNHCR were trying on Wednesday, to obtain We just want to say that we are proud of you both. We are approval from the Serbian authorities to bring supplies and thinking of you all the time and each word you write stays in medicine into the enclave. Two convoys were blocked by our minds for a long time. As you asked us to, we are telling 118 General Mladic’s forces. the tragedy to the ‘outside world.’ It’s our way to be with you kisses Pierre, Pierre Pascal, and allyourfan club. do know thatyouwillbesoonwithus. Take care. Lotsof cally. Thanksfor allthat youare abletodo. We loveyouand to] send youanew MSF team and atleastsupportyouphysi- tional aid isurgently requested inPotocari, is[…][inorder you. Allthe pressure wehaveapplied, saying thatinterna- Christina and Daniel inthe place. We really want to be with fantastic. Sometimes it’sdifficulttobelieve thatthere’s only and the population. Whatyouare doing inSrebrenica isreally for Bosnianfighters amongthepatients. players andtheBosnianSerbs’insistenceonchecking complicated duetotheinvolvement of awiderange of its own departure from theenclave. Theoperation was evacuation of thelast remaining patients as well as The MSFteaminPotocari was busy organising aproper both incentral Bosnia and inSrebrenica itself. release laterstressing the fact thatthere are needs tobemet find a more organised system. There will certainly be a press Barbara will still do the interviews. It is just that we need to MSF France to organise interviews for you.Stephanand either Anouk orMichel atMSF Belgium and Anne Guibertat journalists. We would suggest that from now on you allow is unable tocopewiththe present interest from yournational lnterviews and briefings from Belgrade. OurteaminBelgrade Extract: past. Ofcourse, BSA couldjustremove them, butsince the Bratunac a fewBiHsoldiers witha“good” record from their likely due tothe fact thatthere are among the patients in […] We thinkalong the same lines asFranken, thatitismost the day: Why isthe evacuation of the patients being blocked? of diesel (BSA confiscatesthe 30,000L!).[…]Question of arrives inthe evening withnew drugs, food, and 35,000litres patients byconvoytoTuzla. […]Aconvoyof UNPROFOR Tuzla alsoplaysthe game and isplanning toevacuate the evacuate allthe patients byhelicopter toSarajevo. UNHCR local staffwouldbeaseparate issue. UNHCRistrying to have the clearance. Ourownevacuation and [thatof] the they plantoevacuate the patients toKladanj, butdon’t yet hygienic conditions. […] ICRC informs us in the evening that bunker of Dutchbat, which offers more light and spaceand Friday 14: […] The patients are being moved into the medical Extract: 12:00 (inEnglish). national to MSF Press Departments, 13 July 1995, Update on Bosnia-Herzegovina, from MSF Inter- (in English, edited). The MSF Srebrenica Team Logbook,24July1995 Sitrep Srebrenica-Potocari, 6to22July1995, Tuzla. expressed this concerntotheDutchminister visiting to withdraw quickly. TheMSF Hollandteamopenly the safetyof localpersonnel, iftheDutchcontingenthas safety of MSF staff in the Srebrenica enclave, particularly MSF programme managers expressed concern about the with therefugees. dead arrived inTuzla where anMSFteam was working brenica on foot through the woods and had been reported On 16July, several thousandpeoplewhohadfledSre- with the refugees. dead, arrived in Tuzla where an MSF Holland team was working Srebrenica onfoot through the woodsand hadbeenreported tomorrow. On 16July, several thousand people who had fled our clearances in order tobeableleavewiththe convoy 7,000, butwecannot confirmit. MSF Belgrade isasking for the POW’s [prisoners of war]. According to Franken there are Today they were withasmall delegation inBratunac tocheck the evacuation and willaskonlyfor the clearance for patients. looting Srebrenica. […]ICRC isalsotrying againtoorganise to discussculture and artwhileoutside astream of Serbsis cerning the evacuation of the patients. Very cynical tohave in Tuzla). […] Another meeting takes place with BSA con surroundings of Zvornikand hadtoreturn (Info from the UN authorities in Bratunac) The convoy has been shot at in the has passedZvornikand isonitswaytoBratunac. (Info from tion and youcanguesswhich one wasright: the [MSF] convoy leaves [Tuzla] at13:30.Then twodifferent [setsof] informa- takes responsibility for the evacuation of the patients and Norwegian battalion], who seems to specialise in medevacs, Sunday 16:NORMED, the medical department of NORBATT [UN will distributeittoUN,BSA etc. making alistof alllocalstaffand of their family members and we are preparing alistof allpatients withdiagnosis. We are Tuzla. […]Thisis the day of lists[…]Together withUNHCR stadium of Bratunac [having been]captured ontheir wayto Rumour of today isthat a group of men (700-1000)are inthe Kladanj, butof coursenobody canfollow upany figures. (BiH?) […]According toFranken some men do arrivein without patients since apparently they were allyoung men ambulance withaBSA escortand aUNnurse, butthey return in the mortality rate. […] Finally Franken organises a UN require urgent surgery otherwise they willhavetobeincluded get the information thatfour of the patients inBratunac of the UN, assistance is being offered to the patients. […] We well under control. Together withthe nurses and paramedics organise the evacuation (who isn’t?).Medical situation is Minister for Humanitarian business, isinTuzla, trying to team (20)isabletoleavethe enclave...[…] MrPronk, Dutch Saturday 15:Earlyinthe morning the [whole] UNmedical avoid negative press statements. Difficultto believe though... whole world is informed about the figures, they might like to - 119 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

In Potocari, the last patients for whom MSF and the Dutch about what’s going to happen because nobody can predict the battalion were responsible were finally evacuated by the future. Is there anything we can do from Paris, Brussels, and ICRC during the evening of 17 July. MSF announced the Amsterdam? We reiterated our concerns about the populations evacuation in a press release. Reporters tried to reach the of Potocari and Bratunac. In our message, do we have to spe- MSF team directly on the UNPROFOR battalion’s phone cifically mention the presence of local staff and request immu- line. nity for them? We’re not sure that journalists will cover this issue. And could it also make them a little too visible? […]

The Dutch government is insisting on a rapid withdrawal of Message by MSF Belgrade to MSF Belgium and Dutchbat. Major pressure from the Dutch population. The fear France Programme Managers, 16 July 1995 (in is that it [the Dutch government] will accept an evacuation French). with minimal guarantees of protection on condition that it is quickly carried out. Second fear: will they [the Dutchbat] Extract: remain after the wounded leave and the ICRC pulls out? The Breaking news: a large influx (said to be around 4,000) of Dutch team in Tuzla made contact with their minister, who is refugees (quite a few with light injuries) is en route via visiting the area. They expressed strong concerns about the Kalesia. Apparently BiH opened a corridor allowing some of fate of the refugees remaining in Potocari and Bratunac and the ‘disappeared’ to enter the Tuzla area. We will confirm stressed that their protection relies on Dutchbat’s presence. tomorrow morning. For the time being, we have no access to The minister said he completely understood their concerns this region; the local medical team is providing care and but questioned whether he would have much influence in transport. view of other national and international political factors.

‘Médecins Sans Frontières Conducts Relief Opera- Message from Pierre-Pascal Vandini, MSF France tion’ MSF Belgium Press release, 15 July 1995 programme manager, to the MSF coordination (in French). team in Belgrade, 16 July 1995 (in French).

Extract: Extract: A Médecins Sans Frontières team made up of 13 expatriates is 1) MSF staff in Srebrenica. We cannot do any more than we currently at work in the displaced persons camps in and have already done to protect the MSF personnel in Srebrenica. around Tuzla airport to provide aid to 20,000 refugees from If the wounded are evacuated and the Serbian army refuses to Srebrenica. All efforts are focused on supplying food and allow some or all of the Bosnian MSF staff to accompany drinking water as well as setting up several clinics. MSF also them, Daniel and Christina will still have to leave. Remaining opened a reception centre for refugees still arriving in would only delay their departure without providing any more Kladanj. MSF has already sent 24 tonnes of relief supplies to likelihood of success. The ICRC, rather than MSF, would be the camps, mainly consisting of tents, blankets, water con- responsible for protecting all male prisoners remaining in tainers, and powdered milk. Potocari and Bratunac. If Daniel and Christina wish to remain after the wounded leave, the capital or head offices could reject this proposal. 2) Communications - We must ask Christina for her opinion when we give the press information Message from Pierre-Pascal Vandini, MSF France about her personal reactions. We made a mistake regarding Programme Manager, to the MSF Coordination the Libération 8 article. - The information provided to the Team in Belgrade, 16 July 1995 (in French). press by Paris is screened on the basis of potential risks for the field team. - I don’t think that communications about Extract: Srebrenica currently have any impact whatsoever on the Our entire staff (six men and one female translator) is theo- Gorazde team’s safety or influence our requests to the Pale retically protected by conventions safeguarding relief per- authorities. The Serbs are determined to do as they wish. - sonnel in conflict situations. For identification purposes, they Communications after the departure of Christina and Daniel: must wear either the MSF emblem or the good old Red Cross. Christina and Daniel should not be expected to participate in We must keep in mind that both drivers and logisticians play any communications efforts in Paris unless they wish to do so a role in monitoring and caring for patients. They carry of their own volition. stretchers, drive ambulances, and serve as hospital workers and nursing aids – you name it. For that reason, we suggest that they accompany the wounded and families (the staff’s children and wives, in particular). While we cannot negotiate MSF press release, 17 July 1995 (in French). the actual evacuation conditions, we can convey our position regarding their role in accompanying patients and families […]. I believe that our fears have been passed on to Franken, Extract: 120 which is essential. It’s not good for morale to keep ruminating The medical evacuation of 59 wounded and patients from evacuated quickly and under proper securityconditions. ask thatallnecessary steps betaken toallowthem tobe obtain allthe authorisations required for their evacuation. We Bosnian staffmembers. However, MSF hasnot beenableto ians, including three children, twoelderly people, and MSF’s isation’s doctor and nurse, the group alsoincludes 15civil team isstillunable toleavePotocari. According tothe organ 8 days after the fall of Srebrenica, the Médecins Sans Frontières of UNBlueHelmets. finally evacuated from theenclave withthelastconvoy members, their families, and two elderly people were team, composedof two expatriates andeightlocalstaff in aneffort tobreak thedeadlock.OnJuly21,MSF evacuated Bosnian Muslims. MSF issued a press release security obstacles, particularlyinvolving thefate of the days becauseof multipleadministrative, political,and 15 peopleitwas responsible for, tookfour additional Organising the evacuation of the MSF team, and the treatment complies withthe Geneva Conventions. prisoners remaining inPotocari and Bratunac toensure their accompany the wounded. MSF is calling for ICRC access to families. MSFpersonnel stillpresent inPotocari are likely to wounded and patients aswelllocalrelief staffand their morning. MSF insists thatthe evacuation must include all is now underway. The ICRC arrived in Potocari late in the Bratunac and 43 from Potocari, requested since last Thursday, Kladanj and are ready to treat other refugees from Srebrenica. of 80and aman of 81.Two MSF staffmembers remain in staff members and the lasttwowounded patients, awoman able toevacuate thisafternoon, taking withthem 13 local The Médecins Sans Frontières teaminPotocari hopes tobe Extract: are hesitating, mostly due tothe fact thatsecuritycannot be Tuesday 18July:Although having the clearance for Tuzla, we Extract: Extract: July 1995(inFrench). (in English, edited). The MSF Srebrenica Team Logbook,24July1995 Sitrep ‘A Fourth Plane for Tuzla,’ MSF France Pressrelease,19July1995(inFrench). and 15Civilians from Potocari,’ MSF Belgium/ the Authorisations for the Evacuation of its Team ‘MSF Asks Pale and Belgrade Authorities toIssue Srebrenica-Potocari, 6to22July1995, Press release, 19 - - protected the civilians. dares to shout at me and blames UNPROFOR for not having that happened inSrebrenica including militaryinformation, immigration officer interviews our local staff about events and halfhours spent atthis border are veryunpleasant; the to negotiate anUNCROmilitarypolice escort.[…]The two on ourownwithaCroatian police escort;however wemanage are not able to continue withUNPROFOR,butwehavetogo convoy goes verysmoothly until the Croatian border. […] we to […]jointhe convoyuntil the Croatian border. The 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 to 163 vehicles. three carstogether withUNMO and UNHCRare withinthe first minutes pasttwelvethe convoystartstoleavePotocari. Our cars, the radios are on stand-by and the tanks are full. Two 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 eleveno’clockweare getting ready to more. without them thinking that we are not mentally well any stop the requests for our independent clearance in Pale, very easy – how to get the message to Belgrade, that they can convoy. Alltelephones havebeenremoved already. Thisisnot inform Belgrade orothers inorder not toendanger the 12:00. However until tomorrow night weare not allowedto be abletoleavewiththe DutchconvoyonFriday 21Julyat Smith and Mladic, everybody living inthe UNcompound will are informed that,asresult of the meeting betweenRupert […] Inameeting at22:00withUNHCRand DCOFranken we Wednesday 19July and the localstaffof UNHCR isoutof order [unable tohelp]. UNPROFOR isnot abletotake them under their responsibility us. […]We willhavetotake them [under our]…charge since two oldpeopleinthe southof Srebrenica and brings them to today and there isstillthe lastsurpriseof the day: BSA finds back to BiH territory. However we don’t achieve anything responsibility tomove the 13Muslim civilians from Serbia MSF Project Manager] stating that UNPROFOR will take UNPROFOR inSarajevo […]issuesalettertoRenaud [Tokert, arrested inSerbia and/or Croatia ifthey trytoenter. Finally receives the information thatallourlocalpassengers willbe local male staff.[…]Then during the morning Franken Lubovija and thatwefeargetting into trouble [over]our cannot haveaUNescort,oranescortfrom BSA further than guaranteed, thatwedon’t know the road atall,thatwe Bosnian employees, three children, and two elderly people. this morning along with 15 civilians, including the group’s The Médecins Sans Frontières doctor and nurse left Potocari Extract: 21 July1995(inFrench). ‘MSF Team Evacuates Potocari,’ MSF Pressrelease , 121 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

After transiting through the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, ical care to the 200,000 refugees in the region, who have they arrived in Zagreb, Croatia. MSF was the only humani- taken refuge in the camp at Tuzla airport and at various com- tarian organisation to maintain a foreign presence in the munity centres and schools in the area. The latter facilities enclave from April 1993, providing medical, surgical, and are located in the towns of Zivinice, Srebrenik, Banovici, logistical assistance to nearly 40,000 people. Throughout the Gracanica, and Lukavac. […] offensive, the doctor and nurse, along with the Bosnian staff, treated several dozen people who were wounded during the bombing and aided the civilians who took refuge in Potocari. An MSF team (a nurse and an anesthetist) is still working in Gorazde. Some 20 volunteers are treating the displaced per- On 18 July 1995, Jacques de Milliano, Executive Direc- sons from Srebrenica in Tuzla, Zenica, and Kladanj. tor of MSF Holland, who had returned from Tuzla, gave a press conference in The Hague, at which he criticised the lack of protection for Srebrenica’s population. His comments were not well received by the public, which The Serbians told us that our team could leave, but the strongly supported the Dutch contingent, as did most of group around them also includes 17 other people – staff MSF’s donors. Only Jan Pronk, the Minister for Develop- members with their families and acquaintances. I explained to ment Cooperation, shared MSF’s view. Christina that she and Daniel could leave. She said that she wanted to leave with all the others. So we resumed the hellish negotiations until the Serbians agreed. Seventeen people crammed into three MSF vehicles as part of the evacuation of the ‘Dutch Support was Too Limited,’ NRC Handelsblad Dutch battalion. It was an epic undertaking. When they arrived (The Netherlands), 19 July 1996 (in Dutch). in Croatia, the MSF Holland team had a hard time convincing the Croatians to let them enter. Then they took the highway to Zagreb. Extract: I went to see the UNHCR guy in Zagreb right away to tell him that The question of whether or not the Dutch blue helmets did I would have work for him when they arrived. They were supposed everything within their capacity to protect the 25,000 refu- to get to the hotel around midnight. Those three vehicles were gees is obviously a difficult one to answer for J. De Milliano. like something out of The Raft of the Medusa, the painting of Having just returned from a visit to Tuzla and the surrounding desperate survivors clinging to a barely seaworthy structure. One areas in Eastern Bosnia, he chooses his words very carefully. man who was evacuated told me that he was requesting refugee “After all that I have seen and heard over there, I see no status. So I called the [UN]HCR guy again to tell him that he reason for an investigation into the attitude of the Dutch needed to come to a meeting the next morning. Cars came to pick blue helmets. But in terms of countering the rumours that up the people who were ready to return to central Bosnia. Others they haven’t done enough, it would be good if the govern- asked for protection and some obtained it. ment would come up with a very coherent narrative about what exactly did happen regarding relations between Serbs, Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General refugees and the Dutch blue helmets.” An ‘investigation’ is Coordinator in the former Yugoslavia, May - November not the right word according to de Milliano. “That has nega- 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000 - 2006, tive connotations, as if someone is accused of something.” In Interviewed in 2015 (in French). consultation with his staff, he would label it as a “reconstruction of facts.” The “facts,” de Milliano refers to are the multiple testimonials from refugees about rapes of women and executions of Muslim men by Bosnian Serbs in the immediate vicinity of Dutch military staff in the Muslim-enclave of The MSF teams increased their assistance to the thousands Srebrenica. Or, as de Milliano put it earlier during a short of displaced persons from Srebrenica who had settled at press conference at the airport: “horrendous cruel acts have and around the Tuzla airport. been committed: children have been taken away from their mothers, women were raped, and young men were shot in front of their mothers.”

‘A Fourth Plane for Tuzla,’ MSF press release, 19 These are authentic accounts, too precise and detailed to be July 1995 (in French). just stories. It was not a mass psychosis. There are enough victims who are able to tell their stories with a convincing Extract: level of detail.” These cruelties would, according multiple At 06:00 this morning, a fourth cargo plane chartered by sources, have taken place “within eye-sight of the Dutch blue Médecins Sans Frontières took off from Amsterdam heading helmets. Yes, but what does that mean? That the blue helmets to Split. It was loaded with 11 tons of supplies (medical kits, saw these things with their own eyes? That they were present sanitation supplies, and water). […] The MSF teams in the in the area? Or perhaps something else. The margins of inter- Tuzla region, composed of 22 expatriates and local staff pretation of these types of observations and declarations members, distributed food and water. In coordination with should be investigated before a judgment about the behaviour 122 local authorities and other NGOs, MSF is also providing med- of the blue helmets can be made. The fact is that the refugees Extract: Dutch presence hadbeenverylimited. transported. DeMilliano, however, saysthathe heard this would travel along withthe busesinwhich the Muslims were Karremans and the Bosnian Serbs agreed that Dutchbat staff impression thatthisrobustness wasonlywords, not deeds. “This wasstatedinarobust and solid manner. Iamunder the into safety during the transport toTuzla” statedde Milliano. the impression thathistroops would accompany the civilians brought into safety. “Dutchbat Commander Karremans gave moment thatallwounded and refugees of Srebrenica hadbeen of Defence claimed thatthe Dutchwouldonlydepart atthe trated bythe events. Afterthe fall of the enclave, the Ministry false sense of protection.” De Milliano says that he is frus doubt the good intentions, butthey did givethe refugees a you have to be open about this,” he said yesterday. “I do not for this. “Ifyoucannot fulfillyourpromise of protection, then Director Jacques de Milliano blames the Dutchbat leadership promise toaccompany the Muslims from the enclave. MSF The DutchUNstaffinSrebrenica insufficiently fulfilled their human rights, beitinRwanda orinBosnia.” of militaryprotection against systemic and brutalviolations of that humanitarian assistance fails completely inthe absence pening atthismoment inBosnia. We usethese words toshow is the destruction of apeople, and that isexactly what is hap that remain in the area. Why do you do that? For me, genocide avoid such terminology inorder not toendanger the soldiers elties bythe Serbs, whilethe returning militaryisinstructed to freely use, like MinisterPronk, the words of genocide and cru Srebrenica? These typesof questions need answering. You to allowtwoairstrikes byNATO tobecarried outover tricky situation. Who decided atsuch alate–toostage the UNthathaveledtothe Dutchmilitaryending upinsuch need tobeinvestigated, butalsothe decisions taken within tion hasfailed. Not onlythe cruelties committedbythe Serbs mostly thatthe UNasaninstrument for humanitarian protec ciently. Which of those two perspectives is yours? Mine is of the refugees, [who say] the Dutch protected us insuffi were infullcontrol, the UNstaffwaspowerless[versus] that (Dutch) Ministerof Defence Voorhoeve who claims, “The Serbs same situation from twodifferent perspectives:thatof the taken bythe Serbs, was extremely limited. You canlookatthe from the area, butfrom which many peoplewere subsequently by the blue helmets of the busesthattransported the Muslims by the Dutch blue helmets. It is also a fact that the protection Potocari, where they (the refugees) expected tobeprotected who arriveinTuzla saythatmany of the cruelties happened in I woke upinthe middleof thenightandmade aplanereserva- with mywifeand childrenandIsaidtomyself, it’s notpossible. tion started on Friday. I was supposed to go to the south tion started on Friday. I was supposed to go to the south There was nothing in the media onThursday. My vaca Trouw “Dutchbat did not FulfillitsPromise Sufficiently,’ (The Netherlands) 21July1995(inDutch). ------we have to medically and non-medically assist them. we havetomedicallyandnon-medicallyassistthem. danger andonecannotdisregardtheirbeliefs, theirbackground: a morehumanitarianpointof view. Thesepeopleareinreal but itdidn’t help that they did not look at the population from not of course thereason everything went wrong inSrebrenica, an urbanpopulationandtheyreallylooked downonthem.That’s as underdevelopedpeople, towomenwith scarvesetc. Itwasnot That wasshocking.TheDutchwerenotusedtowhattheyconsider certain moments were fed up with the war, fed up with Muslims. disrespect thenation.ButinSrebrenica,Dutchsoldiersat more. Itwasdifficultbecausebythinkingthat,youseemto was notpreparedtoconsiderthatDutchbatcouldhavedone felt thatourboysweregoingtheretotake care. TheDutchsociety ‘our boys’weredoingagoodjob, theyhadgoodintentions. They counter voiceandeverybody fell overonMSF. TheDutch felt that donors supported the Dutchbat. donors supportedtheDutchbat. the desks –butotherswerereallyanxiousbecause90%of the everyone else. SomepeopleatMSFunderstood–particularly lost it.Itwasadifficultweek for mebecauseIheld fast against person in Hollandwhoheldthoseviews. EveryonethoughtI had set off abombinsideMSFandwiththedonors. Iwastheonly about myviewsonwhatwasgoingthere. ItwasasifIhad that conversationwiththeotherreporters.” Ispoke atlength “Let’s talkaboutTuzla nowbecauseitwasimpossibleto have gave alonginterviewonanothertopicandIsaidtothereporter, me tosaythatIwasagainstDutchbat,butwasn’ttrue. I thing isOK,butthereaseriousproblem.”People triedtoget should havehad.TheMinisterof Defenceissayingthatevery- “No, it’s thatthepeopledid not receivetheprotectionthey Dutch soldiers, you’resayingthatthey’recowards.” AndIsaid, was acatastropheand the responsewas, “You are accusing the Holland andheldapressconference, sayingthatthesituation Their storiescompletelyconfirmedeachother. Iwentbackto When Igotthere, Ispoke withthewomenwhowerearriving. Split, whereIgotonaUNhelicopterheadingfromSplittoTuzla. tion. OnSaturdaymorning,Ileftfor Brusselstotake aplaneto ‘there is no reason to celebrate; people are being massacred as ‘there isnoreason tocelebrate;peoplearebeing massacredas Jan Pronk,the Minister of Developmentand Cooperationsaid celebrating atthesametimea population wasmassacred.Only They hadasortof a partywithbeerandtheywerecheering, Zagreb andthecrownprince thePrimeMinisterwentover. the population.Oncetheywere allowedout,theyarrivedin lives difficult.’ Thestory wasabouttheDutchsoldiersandnot former Yugoslavia 1991-1993then Emergency Desk,then Director of Operations, Interviewed in2015(in English) 1985-1996, interviewed in2000and 2015(inFrench). Dr Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director, boys were there, and those bad Serbs are making their For theDutchpopulationissuewasthat‘ourpoor papers whichweredefendingthemwouldsay.We gavea We hadapressreleaseonour‘Dutchboys’,asthenews Wilna vanAartzen,MSF Holland Coordinator inthe - 123 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

we speak, we don’t know where the male population is, and we The same day, Dutch Minister of Defence, Joris Voorho- have to assume that terrible things are happening.’ Jacques de eve said that he “feared that serious war crimes were Milliano went to Tuzla, and also tried to advocate on, ‘We have committed when Srebrenica was taken.” On 23 July, he to go there, we have to send international representation to reported that the Dutch Blue Helmets saw Bosnian Serbs escort them to safety.’ It was Pronk and de Milliano, a sort of shooting a dozen men. Some of the UN peacekeepers tandem, who was trying to reverse the public opinion. This reported scenes of extreme violence. In Tuzla, a survivor public opinion was still saying: ‘Oh it is beautiful, our heroes told two reporters how he had escaped a massacre. are now safe’ and nobody was talking about the population of the enclave.

Wouter Kok, MSF Holland Medical Coordinator in ‘Serious War Crimes in Srebrenica?’ Le Monde Sarajevo, Bosnia, from December 1991 to September (France), 23 July 1995 (in French). 1992, then various positions in MSF-Holland Bosnia desk from September 1992 to 1996, Interviewed in 2015 Extract: (in English). On Friday, July 21, Dutch Minister of Defense, Joris Voorhoeve said that he feared that “serious war crimes were committed” when the Serbians took the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica on July 11 and that “hundreds, if not thousands, of people were killed.” “An investigation must be launched on behalf of the On 21 July, in London, the ministers of foreign affairs international tribunal responsible for trying those respon- and defence and defence chiefs from the 16 countries sible for crimes in the former Yugoslavia,” he said, quoted by involved in peacekeeping in Bosnia (including the US Agence France Presse. The minister’s statements corroborate and Russia), together with representatives of the UN, those of the refugees, who have said that they saw many NATO, and the European Union, issued a warning to the bodies after the Serbians captured thousands of men in Bosnian Serb leaders, threatening a “substantial and Srebrenica. decisive” response to any attack on the besieged enclave of Gorazde. However, observers raised questions regarding how these threats would be carried out. ‘A Sea of Bodies in Srebrenica,’ Le Monde (France), 25 July 1995 (in French).

‘Conference on Bosnia Issues the Serbians a Lim- Extract: ited Warning,’ Patrice de Beer, Le Monde (France), Ten days after the fall of Srebrenica on July 11, the statement London, 23 July 1995 (in French). of a Bosnian survivor from the Muslim enclave substantiated the theory that the Serbians carried out massacres when this Extract: enclave in eastern Bosnia fell. Still suffering from shock, The French wanted to send troops into the field, the British M.O., aged 24, who escaped from Srebrenica with two other dithered, and the White House, anxious to avoid losses and Bosnians, told two French reporters from AFP and Libération facing a threat by Congress to lift the embargo on supplying how he survived the massacre. “I owe my life to my cousin,” weapons to the Bosnians, offered only aerial bombing as an he said. “I was holding his hand and when he was hit by the alternative. After a day of heated discussions at Lancaster first round of gunfire, I fell along with him before a single House, on an equally hot day, the participants reached a com- bullet hit me.” As the slaughter continued, he remained on promise that, although it seems to have offended only the the ground without moving, lying in the victims’ blood. When Russians, who oppose any ‘escalation,’ has already led to he got up around midnight, he began to scream when he saw various interpretations. […] Based on the documents, the “a sea of bodies.” Before leaving, M.O. saw a pit near the West’s warning to Radovan Karadzic, leader of the Serbian execution site. [...] In Zagreb on Sunday, July 23, Dutch militias, appears to be no stronger than the one issued on Defence Minister Joris Voorhoeve also said that Dutch Blue February 28, 1992, during a prior conference that was also Helmets saw Bosnian Serbs beating a dozen men in the held in London. And it is not nearly as forceful as the French Muslim enclave of Srebrenica. “But what they saw does not wanted. The British text is written in general terms that address the disappearance of thousands of people,” the require, at the very least, some critical explanation. However, Minister said. General Hans Couzy, Commander-in-Chief of the the group says that it will be delivered, in the firmest of Dutch Army, reported summary executions in Srebrenica, terms, to the men in Pale, the Bosnian Serb stronghold. […] while other Dutch soldiers said they saw beatings and Who will decide whether to launch air strikes? NATO, at the mutilations. request of the local UNPROFOR commander? Or will the decision still fall to the creaky UN machine (the ‘double key’), headed up by its representative, Asushi Akashi of Japan, who tends to keep the brakes on? And where will the strikes take place? On 24 July, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Special Rapporteur of 124 the UN Commission on Human Rights announced that he acts of barbarismhadbeencommittedinSrebrenica. had noinformation concerning7,000people, andthat the Dutchcontingent. director, expecting himtolaytheblameatdoorof The reporters thenturnedtoMSFHolland’s executive “doing everything possibletoprotect thepopulation.” efforts of theDutchcontingent,congratulating themon The DutchPrimeMinisterandCrown Princecelebrated the General Mladic, Commanderof theBosnianSerbforces. 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 told usthathe sawaSerbian militiaman barity’ here. The witnesses we spoke to were clearly believ Speaking unequivocally, he said, “We canapplythe word ‘bar- Committee of the Red Cross. The tragedy is clearly not over. conduct aninvestigation. Neither wasthe International is thatourdelegation wasnot authorised togo onsiteto executed some. We fearthe worstfor the others. The problem dents of the enclave. We are sure thatthe Serbians summarily do not have any information about the status of 7,000 resi- violence. According tothe former Polish prime minister, “We front lines. Ispecificallytalked topeoplewho were victims of through the forest, under horrible conditions, crossing the them betweensixand 12days toreach Tuzla, bybusor during atelephone callonMonday night, July24.“It took ‘safe area’ fell. “Imet with several dozen people,” he said He went toTuzla, where 29,000refugees arrivedafterthe Extract: 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 guys nor Lieutenant Colonel Karremans declared, despite the informa- During apress conference inZagreb, alsoonJuly23, Extract: July 1995(inFrench). “Barbarity” toSrebrenica’ LeMonde(France), 26 ‘Tadeusz Mazowiecki: We CanApplythe Word (France), 2September1995(inFrench). with the Serbians in Srebrenica…’ ‘When the Dutch‘BlueHelmets’ Clinked Glasses Le Monde - Serb leaders Radovan Karadzic andRatko Mladic. former Yugoslavia issued indictments against the Bosnian On 25July, theInternationalCriminalTribunal for the tion –andnowtheyhadallbeenslaughtered! point wasnottobefor oragainst.Itwastoprotect thepopula- disgusted. SuddenlytheywereallagainstKarremans. Butmy “It’s toolate, Idon’thaveanythingtosayanymore.” Iwas sudden, wavesof reporterscametotalkme. Isaidtothem, to beunmasked, hedidn’tunderstandanything.’ Andallof a properly,” andsoon.At that pointIsaidtomyself,‘heisgoing saying outrageousthings, like “TheSerbiansdideverything Dutchbat. IsawitliveonTV. IwatchedKarremans, whostarted Bosnian Muslims.” whose behalfwewere there, any longer –the enclave’s anti-Muslim sentiment. “No one could stand the people on to Lieutenant Colonel Evarts, the battalion wasdriven by enclave thathadbeenleveledbyBosnian Muslims. According Serbian propaganda, of 192Serbian villages around the de laMonnaie. forces. A symbolic refugee campwas erected at thePlace Gorazde, the last enclave under attack by Bosnian Serb Belgian organisations. They issuedanappealto save together with Amnesty International and two other On 26July, MSF heldapress conference inBrussels, wrote. in the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” the prosecutor committed genocide through their actions and failures toact “Since April 1992,Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic have Sarajevo), hostage taking, and the useof human shields. organisation of asnipercampaign tokillcivilians (in war crimes, serious violations of the Geneva Convention, Karadzic and Mladic: genocide and crimes against humanity, The Tribunal’s 18-page document sets out the charges against Extract: Dr Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director from 1984 to1997,interviewed in2000(inFrench). Minister had come, with the Prince, to celebrate On Saturday, IwentbacktoZagreb, wherethePrime (in French). for Genocide,’ LeMonde(France), 27July1995 ‘Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic Prosecuted 125 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

‘Remember Srebrenica – Save Gorazde and Sarajevo Reaction Force (RRF) artillery from the start, continued their – Indignation is No Longer Enough,’ Press release raids on Serb positions throughout the day. Willy Claes, issued by Amnesty International, MSF, Causes Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance, acknowledged that Communes, and Balkaneactie, 20 July 1995 (in the shelling constituted “more than a counter-attack” to the French). V23 Bosnian Serb carnage in Sarajevo, which left 37 people dead and 87 wounded. “If the Bosnian Serbs do not show that they Extract: are ready to comply with the rules of the game this time and, Yesterday Srebrenica, today Zepa, tomorrow Gorazde. thus, accept the decisions of the UN Security Council, we are Indignation is no longer enough. It has become an admission ready to continue and even strengthen military action,” he of our helplessness. That is why our organisations strongly threatened. Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic called for urge that all necessary steps be taken to save Gorazde, the the bombing to “stop immediately,” otherwise the “escala- next challenge, and Sarajevo. To lose Gorazde would mean tion of the war will be inevitable and the bombs will destroy losing Europe. In remembrance of the thousands of refugees the peace process.” Previously, he had said, “We are prepared from Srebrenica, we will erect a symbolic refugee camp at the to do whatever is necessary to defend ourselves,” but also, Place de la Monnaie in Brussels from Wednesday, 26 July to “to participate in the [peace] negotiations.” Despite the Sunday, 30 July. We wish that it will become a gathering Western operation, US negotiator Richard Holbrooke also place for everyone who believes that we must save Gorazde. went to Belgrade to pursue his peace mission. As he was Witness accounts, conferences, discussions, and other con- meeting with Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic, the crete actions will be organised over the five days. A press Yugoslav government condemned the operations against the conference will be held on Wednesday, 26 July at 11:00, Place Bosnian Serbs. Bosnian president Alija Izetbegovic stated de la Monnaie, 1000 Brussels. that “the situation has fundamentally changed” and that “the road to peace is open,” thanks to the bombing. The NATO and RRF cooperation was a first and made use of the complementary relationship of aircraft and artillery. V24 ‘Four Days’ of Solidarity in the Centre of Brussels,’ V25 Le Soir (Belgium), Agnès Gorissen and Jean Wout- ers, 27 July 1995 (in French).

Extract: A refugee camp stands in the Place de la Monnaie, at the very centre of Brussels. Five tents will remain there for four days, FINAL TERRITORIAL until Saturday. The public may visit to share stories and concerns and reject Europe’s shameful failure to respond to the REORGANISATION BEFORE conflict in Bosnia, as Dr. Dallemagne, from Médecins Sans Frontières of Belgium, stated. Under the banner, “Remember A STATUS QUO IS ESTABLISHED Srebrenica, Save Gorazde and Sarajevo,” MSF, Amnesty International, Causes Communes, and Balkanactie der BY THE PEACE AGREEMENTS Gemeenten have launched this solidarity and organising action. [...] The situation became particularly real to the audience when Christina Schmitz, an MSF nurse who has returned from Srebrenica, described, choking back tears, the civilians’ suffering when the city fell, including little girls being raped, babies snatched from their mothers, and deaths In April 1994, the USA, Great Britain, Germany, and France from bombing. directed the Contact Group to develop a peace plan for Bosnia-Herzegovina. Those talks had been underway for several months. The parties to the conflict intensified their efforts to win territory so that they would be in the strongest possible position when the peace accords froze the On 28 August, 1995, the Bosnian Serb forces’ bombing territorial arrangements. of Sarajevo led to the first large-scale artillery and air- bourne offensive by NATO and the Rapid Reaction Force. In August, the Croatian Army managed to ‘reconquer’ the Krajina region. In September, the Croatian and Bosnian armies launched an offensive in central and eastern Bosnia. ‘Overwhelming Western Response to the Carnage in Sarajevo,’ Agence France Presse, 30 August Although the sudden demonstration of NATO force slowed 1995 (in French). the Serb forces, the Serbs accelerated their ethnic cleansing in eastern Bosnia and continued the siege of Gorazde. Extract: 126 NATO fighter planes, which had coordinated with the Rapid obtained additional emergency supplies. flows, the Médecins Sans Frontières teaminZagreb has Bosnian rebels ledbyFikret Abdic. To prepare for new refugee must take the onlypossibleaccessroute, currently held by have limitedsupplies. Future humanitarian aid deliveries meet basic needs. Other humanitarian aid organisations also uted its emergency supplies already on the ground in order to need food, water, and sanitation facilities. MSF has distrib- In Bihac, the refugees, who are estimated to number 10,000, sharply hampered efforts tosupplybasic needs. voys are continually blocked atthe checkpoints, which has supplies and install sanitation facilities. Humanitarian con working withthe ICRC, will distributemedicine and medical already assessed the needs in many reception centres and sometimes including livestock.Médecins Sans Frontières has sessions withthem as possible ontractors and invehicles, refugees are peasants who havebrought asmany of their pos and Grahovo isestimated at13,000-20,000.Most of the Serb of people who fled after Croat forces took the towns of Glarnoc a sportscentre, schools, and other buildings. The totalnumber Today, 4,300 refugees arrived in Banja Luka. They gathered in supplies from travelling by road. authorities of bothpartiestotheconflict to prevent The organisation alsocriticized the blockades set up by enclaves. the populations stillundersiegeintheBihacandGorazde on thesituationandalsomentionedaidprovided to regularly. Oneortwo press releases were publisheddaily MSF soughttoaidthesepopulations, informing themedia the Croatian offensive. 150,000–200,000 Serbsledby theBosnianSerbarmy fled by theBosnian-Serbarmy, particularlyBanjaLuka, Seeking refuge in areas of Bosnia-Herzegovina controlled locations. Bihac, Sarajevo, Zenica, Tuzla, Mostar, and Split,among other in Krajina. At thistime, MSF teams are working inBanjaLuka, offensive. Amobile teamwillleaveZagreb toassessthe needs of the region’s 200,000 residents are fleeing the Croatian refugees from Krajina. The organisation anticipates thathalf Médecins Sans Frontières is prepared to receive the flow of Press release,4August 1995(inFrench). the Flowof Refugees from Krajina,’ MSF Belgium ‘Médecins Sans Frontières isPrepared toReceive counter-offensive Croatian-Bosnian - - plies, blankets, 10 tonnes of high-protein biscuits and tents). of materiel (medical kits, emergency bags, sanitation sup- will leavefrom BrusselsonWednesday byair, with25tonnes morning tosupplyourteams inBanjaLuka. A second convoy sanitation supplies and medicine left Belgrade earlythis Wednesday. Two trucks carrying 30tonnes of medical and heading east.Amobile teamwillalsoleavefrom Brussels on teams are currently en route to follow the populations who are exhausted after their gruelling journey. Two other the townsince Friday toprovide basic care tothe refugees, Luka. AMédecins Sans Frontières teams hasbeenworking in Approximately 40,000refugees from Krajina are now inBanja Banja Luka Extract: Tuzla, and Split. teams are working inBanjaLuka, Bihac, Sarajevo, Zenica, head there aswell,soonthe negotiations conclude. MSF Banja Luka tomorrow. A cargo plane inHolland isready to MSF willtrytosend convoysfrom Belgrade and Zagreb to Bosnia, isstriking. organisations are helping refugees from enclaves ineastern situation in Banja Luka and that in Tuzla, where more than 30 to prevent ahumanitarian disaster. The contrast betweenthe port toBanjaLuka willbesuccessful. Thisairbridge iscritical tions betweenthe UNand the warring parties overairtrans- and Belgrade. Médecins Sans Frontières hopes thatnegotia - been difficulttofind fieldpersonnel and aidinboth Zagreb authorize aid convoystoBanjaLuka. Inrecent weeks, ithas Until now, the warring parties havebeenvery hesitant to medicine. lead toshortages of food, drinking water, shelter, and those refugees who have already arrived. A new inflow will authorities and organisations are prepared to care only for According toMSF’s four-person teaminBanjaLuka, local the UNHCRare alsoworking inthisarea. days. Inaddition toMédecins Sans Frontières, the ICRC and 150,000 refugees will arrive in Banja Luka in the coming The UN’s refugee agency, the UNHCR, anticipates that voys totravel toBanjaLuka. calls onthe warring parties toallowhumanitarian aid con- fleeing and have received littleaid. Médecins Sans Frontières At thismoment, 80,000Serb-led refugees from Krajina are French). MSF BelgiumPressrelease,7August 1995(in Speeds 55 Tonnes of Emergency Aid to Banja Luka,’ ‘Humanitarian Tragedy afterKrajina isTaken –MSF 1995 (inDutch). Making,’ MSF Holland Pressrelease,6August Banja Luka –aHumanitarian Catastrophe inthe ‘Inadequate Care for 80,000Refugees Heading to 127 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Knin aged to reach the enclave this week, where the situation A team from the MSF logistics base in Split is currently en facing the civilian population remains tragic. Aid activities route to Knin to assess the population’s situation there. continue in Sarajevo and central Bosnia (Tuzla, Kladanj and Zenica). More than 40 MSF volunteers are working in the Bosnian-Serbian border former Yugoslavia. Since yesterday, 600-1,000 refugees from Krajina have crossed the Bosnian-Serbian border every hour after transiting via Banja Luka, creating large population concentra- tions at the border stations. The MSF teams are monitoring ‘The Exodus Swells,’ Médecins Sans Frontières Press the populations heading for the border and are ready to step release, 8 August 1995 (in French). in. The exodus of refugees from Krajina is swelling, creating an enormous population movement heading towards Serbia. The roads are jammed from Banja Luka to Bijeljina. Two trucks ‘600-1000 Serbs Crossing the Border Every Hour left Belgrade for Banja Luka yesterday, carrying an MSF team - MSF Dispatches 55 tonnes of Emergency Supplies composed of a medical coordinator, logistician, and nurse. to Banja Luka, MSF International Press release, The MSF team spotted some 10 towns where health posts 7 August 1995 (in English). have been set up. A second team left from Belgrade with a truck carrying five tons of medical and hygiene supplies for In Banja Luka, approximately 40,000 refugees have arrived those posts. Teams are stationed along the Serbian-Bosnia from the Krajina. A team from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) border at the refugees’ crossing points at Raca and Zvornik to has been providing assistance to the refugees since Friday. provide them with basic supplies. Two additional MSF teams are headed east to join the fleeing refugees. Two trucks loaded with 30 tonnes of medical sup- In Banja Luka itself, 60,000 refugees are currently assembled plies, sanitation equipment, and medicines left Belgrade at different collective centres supplied by the MSF team. MSF early this morning to supply the teams in Banja Luka. Since is also trying to obtain the necessary authorizations from the yesterday, 600-1000 Serbian refugees per hour have been Serbian Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina to go to Banja Luka crossing the border between Bosnia and Serbia. Most of the and Krajina and assess the situation. One charter will leave refugees are passing through the transit centres at Banja on Thursday, carrying 25 tonnes of sanitation material, shel- Luka. MSF is behind the refugees and stands ready to inter- ters, and an additional three-person MSF team. vene. On Wednesday, an additional mobile team will be sent out from Brussels with a 25 tonnes shipment of medical kits, emergency kits, sanitary equipment, blankets, tents, and 10 tonnes of high-energy biscuits. For Knin, an MSF exploratory ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Supplies Reach Banja team has been dispatched from our logistical base in Split to Luka - Future Humanitarian Supplies Uncertain, evaluate the situation. MSF International Press Release, 9 August 1995 (in English & French).

A Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) convoy carrying 30 tonnes ‘Former Yugoslavia,’ MSF France Press release, 7 of medical and sanitary supplies and additional medical August 1995 (in French). workers has made it to Banja Luka from Belgrade. Despite the arrival of fresh supplies, transportation of future supplies Tens of thousands of people are fleeing Krajina, heading for remains a critical problem. MSF is extremely concerned about Banja Luka in the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. the rapid depletion of stocks for the approximately 150,000 Some of them then continue on to Serbia via the Brcko cor- Serbian refugees. The road from Belgrade to Banja Luka is the ridor. Our teams saw thousands of civilians fleeing along the only access route for humanitarian convoys. The problem is last kilometres before reaching the Serbian border. that the route is long, unsafe, and crowded with fleeing refugees. Officials have refused to give permission to use the road Médecins Sans Frontières volunteers already working in Banja from Zagreb to Banja Luka or the Banja Luka Airport. Luka are helping to treat the refugees. A new team providing additional support (doctor, nurse, and logistician) is travel- Humanitarian organisations in Banja Luka (MSF, ICRC, ling with a convoy carrying 30 tonnes of medical and logis- UNHCR) are calling for free passage for humanitarian con- tical materiel that left Belgrade this morning to provide voys. Cargo flights loaded with emergency relief supplies are assistance to the displaced persons. Another team will go to sitting in Brussels and Amsterdam waiting for official clear- Knin tomorrow to assess medical needs. A second team is ance. MSF teams report that the refugees are tense and con- leaving from Zagreb, headed to northern Krajina to assess the fused - they want only one thing, to be safe. Most refugees extent of the population movements and set up an aid system. are only stopping briefly in Banja Luka before moving east towards Serbia. MSF teams estimate 500-7,000 refugees are Other MSF workers are continuing their activities in Bihac and crossing into Serbia every hour. In Banja Luka, there are 128 Gorazde. The MSF coordinator for the former Yugoslavia man- 30,000-40,000 refugees. MSF has a team of 15 supplying col- Krajina, justafter, andthehouseswerestillburning,onabeau Knin, thecapitalof Krajinawaspartlyburnt.Imadeatripto For thefirsttimeinwar, theyhadthechancetodo same. took revenge for everything bad that had happened by the Serbs. and becausetheSerbswereweakened theycoulddoit.They Croatians hadbeenlookingfor anopportunitytograbitanyway Krajina. Ithinktherewere250,000peoplelivingthere, the brought to the negotiation table and they could not defend burnt ordestroyed.Itwasveryapocalyptic. TheSerbswere tiful Sundaymorningandallthesedepressingvillageswerehalf since the displacement of civilians from Srebrenica and Zepa. Zenica, Tuzla, and Maglaj), MSF teams havebeenreinforced tinues to provide medical support.Incentral Bosnia (Mostar, lation isstillunder siege bySerbian forces. AnMSF teamcon in Velika Kladusa and northern Krajina. InGorazde, the popu An MSF exploratory teamhasgone intoassessthe situation Serbs havebeendetained bythe Croatian army. Petrinja, Glina, and Topusko where 30,000-50,000 Krajina baby food. Today, the teamwasgivenpermission tovisit They are supplied withfirstaid kits, medicine, biscuits, and MSF mobile teamisassessing the needs inthe Krajina region. lection centres and health postsalong the major roads. An living intheregion andof Gorazde’s inhabitants. attention to the fate of the non-Serbian communities in thearea. TheMSFFrance press release againcalled ring partiesandtheUN,whichhadprohibited overflights in BanjaLuka, despitetheobstaclescreated by thewar- with logistics and emergency medical supplies had landed On 11August, MSFannouncedthatacargo planeloaded tions there were dwindling rapidly, creating concern about Banja Luka, even as the supplies of humanitarian organisa - northern Bosnia. Until yesterday, itwas very difficult to reach air bridge tofacilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid in material and athree-person team.MSF hopes toestablishan Amsterdam for BanjaLuka at16:25today with30tonnes of required tosupplyBanjaLuka byair. Acargo plane left Médecins Sans Frontières hasreceived the authorisations Sarajevo, Bosnia, December1991-September1992,then various positions inMSF Holland Bosnia desk, September very desolatemannerandatahugecostof humanlives. Half a million Serbs were chased away by the Croatsin a and English). Zagreb Sans Frontières Supplies BanjaLuka byAir,’ MSF ‘First Humanitarian Flight toBanja Luka – Médecins Wouter Kok, MSF Holland medical coordinator in 1992-1996, Interviewed in2015,(inEnglish). Press release,11August 1995(inFrench V26 - - - Sarajevo, Bihac, Tuzla, Zenica, and others. programs in the former Yugoslav towns of Banja Luka, Médecins Sans Frontières is developing medical assistance They are desperate.” what todo. Butthey allcontinue onassoonthey can. transport. They havelost all their strength and don’t know remain longer inthe collection centres haveno means of go. Allthey want istoget toSerbia for safety. Those who and get their strength back.They don’t know which wayto lection centres. That’senough time to eatand sleepalittle “The refugees stayinBanjaLuka for abouttwodays, incol- are elderly and exhausted.” arrive inBanjaLuka havealready travelled several days. Most health. Butthey havehadverydifficulttimes. Those who Luka, near Petrovac. In general, they seem to be in good lost, especially those who were bombedonthe road toBanja from Belgrade. “The refugees are verytense, frightened, and working for MSF who arrivedonTuesday withanMSF convoy tractors fleeing to Serbia.” Kerstiëns is a Belgian doctor less, snaking line, 220kilometres long, withcars, trucks, and Barbara Kerstiëns, amember of the MSF team.“It’s anend- 2,000 vehicles between Bijeljina and Banja Luka,” said into Serbia. Most passthrough BanjaLuka. “I counted around (Srpska Republic), 45,000havealready crossed the border Of the 150,000refugees travelling across northern Bosnia Serbia border. up amedical centre inBijeljina, the main townonthe Bosnia- of BanjaLuka) and health postsalong the roads. MSF hasset is alsosupplying the collection centres inPrijedor (northwest tion centres inBanjaLuka, which house 50,000refugees. It MSF distributeshygiene supplies and medicines tothe collec- composed of 18 people (10 expatriates and eight local staff). distributed from the posts. The MSF teaminBanjaLuka is health postsalong the road. Jerry cans of waterwillalso be will alsobeabletobuildlatrines inthe collection centres and coming days. Thankstothese additional supplies, the team are sufficient for now, medicines will be delivered in the water pumps, jerrycans, and soap.Although medical supplies supplies, including sanitaryand hygenci materials such as This cargo plane willsupplythe MSF teamwith emergency who havefledtowards the BanjaLuka region. the alarming situation facing the 150,000 Serbs from Krajina Muslim population of Goradze, which hasbeenunder siege by Last, MSF notes thatthe situation remains tragic for the region thatare victims of expulsions and intimidation. […] about the fate of the non-Serbian communities stillinthe The MSF team in BanjaLuka also remains veryconcerned Extract: release, 11August 1995(inFrench). Plane enroute toBanjaLuka,’ MSF France Press ‘Former Yugoslavia: AMédecins Sans Frontières 129 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Serb forces for more than three years. Three MSF volunteers negotiating on the plane. We were in contact with a NATO AWAC, are in the enclave. which was over flying the area and told us that we couldn’t land. We said that if they didn’t let the plane land, we would report that they were blocking humanitarian aid for the Serbians. That was a very sensitive point for them. We needed authorisation ‘Aid Airlift for Serb Refugees Amid New Peace from Belgrade, which told us that we had to land there. We Drive,’ Reuters (UK), 12 August 1995 (in insisted on going to Banja Luka. In the end, we got their green English). light for Banja Luka. The only authorisation we lacked was the Croatians’. Finally, the AWACS commander told our pilot to ‘fly Extract: as high as possible.’ When we landed, the ICRC told us that they “It is a degrading situation and getting worse day by day. Our thought it was their plane arriving! It had been blocked in greatest priority is to bring in food, water, shelter and med- Belgrade for two days. ‘How did you do that?,’ they asked. ical supplies,” MSF director Jacques de Milliano told Reuters by telephone. “We have plans for a small air bridge and we Dr Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director, think in the coming week we will have three or four more 1985-1996, interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). planes landing.” MSF, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other relief organisations decided to try to airlift supplies to Banja Luka because Bosnian roads were jammed with vehicles packed with refugees. MSF’s managers again faced the dilemma of choosing between aiding refugees at the risk of participating in ethnic cleansing or avoiding that risk at the cost of It was a no-fly zone, which was controlled by NATO, from abandoning those populations. a base in Italy. For this plane to land in Banja Luka we needed to have the permission from NATO. So I had a phone call Jacques de Milliano, Director-General of MSF Holland, with the NATO general in charge of all flights. And this conversa- believed that the process was winding down. He supported tion went as follows, ‘Hello General, I am Michiel Hofman from saving those who could still be saved and denouncing the MSF. You might have heard of the emergency crisis in Banja Luka situation in the media. In the end, he convinced the …’ and before I finished my sentence he screamed, ‘yeah! You Bosnian Serb authorities, which sensed the winds of are Doctors Without Borders, I know you guys! You are doing history changing, to shelter a new wave of refugees that great work, it’s fantastic.’ ‘Ok that’s great,’ I said! ‘We have a they were preparing to expel. cargo plane of life-saving medical, water and sanitation, and shelter supplies to help these people, so I need authorisation from you to land in Banja Luka.’ He said, ‘Oh no! If you fly to Banja Luka, I’ll have to shoot you down.’ So, Ok… again, ’we ‘Concerning: minorities Banja Luka,’ Message from are MSF, we are neutral, blabla…’ ‘Yeah, I know all about you Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director guys, you are so great! You have to help out …’ I replied, ‘Ok to Wouter Kok, MSF-Holland Bosnia Desk, 14 this is why I need to discuss with you about a plane that we august 1995 (in English). want to fly, full of supplies to Banja Luka.’ He repeats, ‘Oh you want to fly to Banja Luka? Then I’ll have to shoot you down!’ After talks with ICRC, UNHCR, the bishop of Banja Luka, a talk So I thought let’s be creative, ‘can you provide me an authorisa- of several hours with Koljevic (the vice-president of the tion code to land a plane of relief supplies in Banja Luka?’ He Republika Serbska) and other sources I would like to raise the said, ‘Oh! You want an authorisation code? I can give you an increasingly dramatic situation of the minorities, the change authorization code. If you have an authorization code, I don’t in policy of ICRC and UNHCR, and the need for a clear position have to shoot you down.’ When you talk to a military person, of MSF. you have to be very precise. 1. The minorities in the Serb part of Bosnia-Herzegovina are, since the fall of Western Slavonia and especially after the Michiel Hofman, MSF Holland Coordinator in influx of the Krajina refugees, in a worse position concerning Croatia, August 1995 - July 1996, Interviewed in 2015, safety than before. Hundreds of families have been thrown (in English). out of their houses and are seeking refuge in apartments of relatives. Then those are thrown out of their houses and so on until people found themselves on the streets or hiding in the woods. An unbearable situation. People feel extremely inse- The United Nations declared the Banja Luka airport inac- cure and thank god that ‘they have still their heads on the cessible - a no-fly zone. We knew that if we tried to shoulders’. A few physical atrocities have been reported. A negotiate with the UN, we would never obtain authorization. widespread explosion of violence against the minorities can The ICRC hadn’t gotten it. We didn’t have authorisation from the occur any moment; the human suffering will be enormous. Croatians either. Nonetheless, we left with that plane, which we had to insure ourselves because no insurance company would. Background: since more than 2 years ethnic cleansing 130 We had to cross over Serbia and then take a corridor. We started occurred in this area. 75% of the population has been events. So, we have to save those who still can be saved. And of the area and that it is unrealistic in this stage to reverse opinion is that this is the final stage in the ethnic cleansing tionally partof the ethnic cleansing machine. My personal out of the area to limit further suffering and become uninten ties. Or, they facilitate the transit of the minority population The result willbeaviolent human tragedy with many casual- evacuation of civilians to resist ethnic cleansing on principle. a serious dilemma. Either they refuse toparticipate inthe Conclusion: Humanitarian organisations are confronted with choosing for the option toleave. followers are under the actual circumstances, more and more Banja Luka and he willfight until the end.’ Apparently, his the destructive policy of the devil. ‘He has the right to live in organisations toprotect the minorities here and toresist at the international community, politicians, and humanitarian national community of guiltand cynical impotence. He urges ture of his population toward Croatia. He accuses the inter actual refugee crisis. He does not want toacceptthe depar- which they create anew tragedy under the umbrella of the He accusesthe Serbian authorities here of acynical game in The Bishop of BanjaLuka, under house arrest, isdesperate. full speedand covered upbyanofficial humanitarian sauce. group (seeICRC). The ethnic cleansing machine isrunning at Croatia apparently hasagreed toacceptaCroatian minority tarian organisations tohelp and facilitate the departure. to make listsof those willing toleaveand toaskthe humani- the frontline.’ Yesterday, they said tome thatthey are going weak police force becauseof the general mobilisation towards many uncontrolled armed Krajina soldiers inBanjaLuka. A they are not abletoprotect the minorities, [saying] ‘Too 3. The civilian side of the government hadmade clearthat forced labour). with (male) family members (alotof men are mobilized for conditions: free choice, security guarantees and together SECOND STEP-facilitating transport toCroatia under certain tected (orthatthey need assurance from the authorities) FIRST STEP-setting upcollectivecenters, which canbepro- changing their protection policy by: violent atmosphere of vengeance. So,they are looking into level of protection, giventhe numbers and the tense and expressed thatthey cannot anymore ‘guarantee’ adecent Now they are overloaded with hundreds of new cases and they they were able to deal with protection on individual bases. seeking assistance and protection. Inthe past18months, overloaded withpeoplebeing thrown outof their houses and UNHCR and ICRC are saying thatthey are, since afew days, bridge toCroatia.’ bags and they toldher ‘she should cross byfoot the wooden door and urged here toleave. She hadthe time topackthree office. Yesterday evening aSerbian family knocked at her very moment ablind Croatian woman is seeking help atour Luka town(12,000Croats), iscirculating. Anexample: atthis 25,000 Muslims living inthisarea, of which most inBanja cleansed. At thismoment, a figure of 30,000Croats and - - story, withasadconclusion. we havetoraise ourvoice and express ourindignation. Asad of these minorities and demand their protection. minorities, for twoyears. Today wecallattention tothe fate in the Banja Luka region, including the Croatian and Muslim Médecins Sans Frontières has been assisting the populations Refugees and the International Committeeof the RedCross. these populations; thatis, the UNHigh Commissioner for request of organisations mandated totransfer and protect will provide ourmedical and humanitarian aid onlyatthe ment and transfer of BanjaLuka’s minority populations. We Médecins Sans Frontières willnot participate inthe displace- immediately haltthe human rights violations underway. still victims of violence. MSF callsonlocalauthorities to Banja Luka and surrounding areas inrecent days and many are tected. Hundreds of Croatians and Muslims were expelled from and callsurgently for these minority populations tobepro Sans Frontières reaffirms itsopposition onethnic cleansing from their homes and evacuated toDvor, Croatia. Médecins Some 30,000 Croatians and 20,000 Muslims havebeen driven people haveleft their villages and abandoned their homes field into anunsanitary sea of mud, de Milliano said. “These night inthe open.Arainstorm onTuesday evening turned the could not board busesbythe end of the day had tospend the Luka, the biggest Serb-held towninBosnia. Hundreds who assemble inafieldbeside abarracks tothe north of Banja Milliano said dispossessedCroats were being forced to border withCroatia, putinto rowboats, and sent into exile. leave their homes, beenbusedtothe SavaRiver, Bosnia’s purity the Serbswant. Hundreds havealready beenforced to sions that aid agencies say will finally give the area the ethnic Serbs, mainly Croats, inaprogramme of systematic expul- Bosnian Serbs have begun to round up thousands of non- little dignity.” which we strongly disagree with, at least they do it with a authorities that if they are to indulge in ethnic cleansing, northern townof BanjaLuka. “We urgently appealtothe local is done betterthanthis,” said Milliano bytelephone from the Frontières (Doctors without Borders). “The transport of cattle Milliano, President of the Dutchbranch of Médecins Sans bussed to Croatia were chaotic and worsening said Jacques Conditions for minorities gathering inBanjaLuka tobe Extract: August 1995(inFrench). Banja Luka Region,’ MSF France the Conditions of Non-Serbian Minorities inthe ‘Médecins Sans Frontières isVery Concerned about English). man,’ ‘Aid Agency saysBosnia Ethnic Expulsions Inhu - Reuters (UK),16August 1995(in Press release, 15 - 131 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

and cannot return. The authorities are not doing anything to Pierre Salignon, challenged the UN’s analogy likening provide the essentials to care for them,” he added. the ethnic cleansing carried out by the Serbian and Bosnian-Serb regimes to the Croatians’ effort to ‘recon- De Milliano urged Serb officials to move the collection centre quer’ territory and its impact on civilian populations. He for the mass expulsion, which he estimated would continue for also expressed concern for Gorazde, whose fate seemed two weeks to clear the last of the Croats, to a building where tied to the peace agreements, then being negotiated in aid organisations could care for those leaving. Croats and Dayton, Ohio, under the auspices of the United States. Moslems have suffered beatings, murder and threats from a huge influx of Krajina Serbs seeking homes and revenge for being expelled from their rebel enclave by conquering Croatian forces. Many are desperate to leave. De Milliano said the situa- ‘Croatians and Bosnians Counter-attack,’ Pierre tion for nearly 40,000 Muslims in the region was even worse Salignon, MSF France Deputy Programme Manager, than that of the Croats. The Croatian authorities had cut a deal Messages no. 81 (MSF internal publication, dis- to take in their ethnic kin but no such arrangement yet existed tributed to approximately 100 journalists) Sep- for Muslims, he said. “Apparently there are some buses going tember 1995 (in French). to (Bosnian government-held) central Bosnia with Muslims but it is not yet as organised as with the Croats, he said. The facts of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia have changed in two months. While Croatian and Bosnian forces are retaliating and NATO has finally intervened, ethnic cleansing continued with the fall of Srebrenica and Zepa. When I arrived in Banja Luka, I found a terrified MSF Yasushi Akashi, UN Special Representative for the former team. ‘Be careful what you say … the Serbs…’ Kolievic, Yugoslavia, then denounced “ethnic cleansing” in the Krajina Vice-President of the Republika Srpska, held a meeting and said, region, placing equal blame on all “belligerents” to the con- ‘I’m going to evacuate the Croatians and the Muslims. I am not flict in the former Yugoslavia. According to Akashi, the going to ensure their security any longer.” He was talking about Croatians and Bosnians are guilty today of the same crimes ethnic cleansing but he called it ‘evacuation.’ All the organisa- that the Serbs committed yesterday. tions were there to hear him. And I got mad. I said to him, ‘Mr. Kolievic, what you call assistance, I call ethnic cleansing. That’s International journalists and observers in Croatia emphasize what we call it.’ The room went completely silent. I’d had that the Croatians’ objective is clearly to ensure that the enough of the organisations not reacting. I wrote an MSF posi- Serbian population never returns to the “reconquered” terri- tion paper just in terms of strategy and I sent it to all the tories. However, they note that the methods used to achieve sections, saying, ‘I want to say this and that.’ We reached an that objective are completely different from the operations agreement in a half-hour. Afterwards, I called the BBC in that Radovan Karadzic’s soldiers have conducted since 1991 Belgrade and told them what was happening, that it was ethnic to achieve ethnic cleansing in the territory under their con- cleansing. The next morning, Kolievic was there to see me. We trol. Witnesses reported summary executions of civilians and talked. Things were coming to an end, the Dayton negotiations bombings of columns of refugees during the Croatian offense, were starting, and he was afraid of the tribunal. I had one more but the Serbs themselves organized the residents’ flight (how interview to do and I didn’t let up. I continued my can you agree to return to live with the same people who condemnation. drove you out yesterday?) Most of who fled well in advance of Kolievic came back to see me later at the airport and asked me, the Croatian soldiers’ arrival. Those who could not leave in ‘Are you going to continue talking about this?’ I said, ‘Yes, I’m time managed to take the corridors opened later towards going to continue talking about this in Europe because refugees Bosnia and Serbia, once all the men were disarmed and no were still arriving yesterday, they are in a stadium in the rain…’ mass executions were reported. He said, ‘OK, come with me, we are going to get a shelter set up for them.’ A school was requisitioned and the shelter was set These latest population displacements, this time, of Serbians, up. The lesson from this episode is that when you take a clear thus seem to be the consequence of the war of ethnic position in a situation like that, you create respect for humani- cleansing that began in Croatia in 1991 and then extended tarian aid. I came back to Europe and I told the Kolievic story into Bosnia-Herzegovina. The international community everywhere I went. Two months later, I learned that he had remained passive for too long in the face of that war, committed suicide. He was very frightened. accepting the fait accompli policy. Remember Vukovar, which fell into the Serbs’ hands on 18 November 1991, after a hor- Dr Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director, rific 96-day long siege? ‘The pearl of the Danube,’ razed. While 1985-1996, interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). the world watched, live.

The Croatian residents fled occupied Slavonia and Krajina by the hundreds of thousands (300,000). Ten thousand more died under the bombs of Milosevic’s soldiers. In September, writing in MSF France’s internal publication Next, remember the ethnic cleansing carried out by Radovan (which is also distributed to some 100 journalists), the Karadzic’s militias in Bosnia-Herzegovina, supported by 132 Deputy Programme Manager for the former Yugoslavia, Serbia? That occurred in the summer of 1992, in the Kozarac quoted without having been consulted. quoted without havingbeenconsulted. in a timely fashion. They particularly objected to being and the teams in the field, the information was not shared internal controversy. According to programme managers the fieldin Zagreb anddistributed inMSF’s namecreated The press release drafted by thecommunicationsteamin tional peacekeeping forces. abandonment of anarea supposedlysecured by interna - enclave, expressed its concernspubliclyaboutthisnew was alsoabouttoleave. MSF, whichstillhad a teaminthe Gorazde withdrew from theenclave. TheBritishcontingent in lateAugust, theBlueHelmetcontingentdeployed in be paid onthe road thatleadstopeace.” We haveourdoubts. York. According tothe diplomats, this is“the price thatmust Bosnia-Herzegovina isbeing negotiated inGeneva and New of ‘ethnic purity?’We fearthe worstasthe ‘ethnic division’ of sacrifice Gorazde, asthe United Statesproposes, onthe altar Helmets withdrew at the end of August? Or would it rather to protect the enclave of Goradze, from which allthe Blue open upthe besieged capital.But,willNATO agree, tomorrow, in Sarajevo inreprisal against Serb artillery and managed to dead and 80 wounded), NATO launched a military operation After anew massacre of innocent civilians on28August (37 UN hasallowedcrimes tobecommittedbefore oureyes. others, taken prisoner orkilledsummarily asthey fled. The tute, ahead of their pursuers. We have no news of 8,000 deported and had to flee through the forest, alone and desti- part of Western governments. Atotalof 40,000civilians were happened becauseof alackof resources and real willonthe early July1995,followed several weekslaterbyZepa. This tected’ bythe UNin1993.It wasthe firsttodisappearin Remember Srebrenica, the first Bosnian enclave to be ‘pro- 70 resolutions approved bythe UNSecurityCouncil. peacekeeping and implementing a succession of more than committed before some 40,000UNsoldiers charged with committed in Bosnia-Herzegovina. All these crimes were responsibility inthe face of the magnitude of the atrocities from hisposition, accusing the international community of Serbs intheir territoryisalmost over.” He hassince resigned emphasized, that “the ethnic cleansing carried outbythe Special Rapporteurfor the UNCommission onHuman Rights, In hislastreport published inJuly, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, thousands disappeared. thousands dead, nearly three million displaced or besieged, and Keraterm (47 detention centres were recorded). Tens of cred inconcentration campsinOmarska, Manjaca, Trnopolje, of thousands of civilians were held, mistreated, and massa and villages were systematically burned and destroyed. Tens Bijeljina, Jajce, and Sanski Most. Hundreds of Bosnian towns region, butalsoinFoca,Visegrad, Srebrenica, Zvornik, Do notabandonGorazde - protect theenclave’s population. the MSFFrance press release calledfor guarantees to the withdrawal of the Blue Helmets from Gorazde, while In theend,MSFInternationalpress release condemned Friday atthe Sarajevo press briefing. Thatsame day, in Zagreb BRITBAT wasnot todepart. The news was announced on Several days ago, Britishofficers inSarajevo told me thatthe This departure isextremely precipitous: controversial. air strikes without support from action on the ground is very to intimidate, not amassive attack.Last,the effectiveness of experts inZagreb allagreed thatthiswasanattack intended after apartof the enclave’s territorywastaken, UNPROFOR pened inSrebrenica. Two days afterthe offensive began,and encroach onthe pocket withno problem, asthat’swhathap- and markets withno problem. It alsomeans thatthey can practice, thismeans thatthe Serbscanbombafewschools the enclave. This notion canbeinterpreted any which way. In will usethisstrike onlyinthe event of amassive attackon here. Butinsummary, the UN’sofficial position isthatNATO don’t have the documents from the London conf[erence] the procedure developed on1August 1995.Unfortunately, I strikes are currently under NATO authority and are subjectto and make iteasier for NATO toconduct airstrikes. The air withdrawal of the Blue Helmets will prevent hostage taking Journalists […]havesaid, time and time again,thatthe The airstrikes argument does not hold up: issue withus. have supportfrom MSF-H, which isready tospeakoutonthis huge fraud and a nasty piece of work. And last, we would people to ask questions in the face of what Ibelieve, isa the population, which cannot speak out. This could prompt no journalists in the enclave and we have a responsibility for blow. Iconsider thisprocess tobecritical because:There are people feelabandoned and thatthisdeparture isthe final tion quickly because we are on the ground. I imagine that tion’s feelings, butweshould beabletoobtainthatinforma- I wouldalsolike tolinkthiscommunication tothe popula- that of the UNPROFORtroops. pocket, and reaffirm thatourpresence is not connected to action willprotect the livesof the 60,000peopleliving inthe strong concerns for their security, publicly askwhether this taking apolitical position, MSF couldexpress the residents’ event and speakout. Interms of communication, and without assess. I think it is very important that we acknowledge this because Iamconvinced thatwemust do more thanwaitand update youonthe withdrawal of UNforces from Gorazde At the riskof repeating myself (sorry, Alex), Iwouldlike to Hello managers and coordinators, Extract: 21 August 1995(inFrench). in the former Yugoslavia and Programme Managers, tions Officerin Zagreb, tothe MSF Coordinators Message from Vincent Cassard, MSF Communica-

133 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

we were talking about a few weeks for the BRITBAT since their 4. Practical details and testimony about life in the enclave mandate was to wrap up at the end of September. This morning Timing: (Monday the 21st) we talked about a BRITBAT withdrawal to We have missed the boat twice so far: the UNPROFOR security point in a week. I really think they are - Friday, when the withdrawal was announced, trying to do this quickly and discretely. Won’t this prompt the - Sunday, when the UN announced that the death of three Bosnian Serbs to take the enclave? It’s impossible not to think children in the enclave was the result of an attack against a about this departure in the context of the US peace plan, legitimate military target (press conference 21.08). which calls for exchanging Gorazde for the Serbian part of - React as of the first withdrawal of the British contingent. Sarajevo. Gorazde is a safe area protected by UNPROFOR. The The Ukrainians have been trying to leave for five days but London conference in July strengthened the notion of this UN they are unarmed, so negligible quantity. The departure of protection. Clearly, this departure does not improve protec- the Brit[ish]. Will receive much more coverage from the tion of the zone. The decision thus totally contradicts the Blue inter[national] press, which give us a greater opportunity to Helmets’ mandate and the recent commitment of the ‘interna- deliver the message. tional community’ at the London conference. We’re familiar - As you suggested, the message should be based on experi- with that. The problem is that it risks encouraging the BSA to ence in the field. Consequently, communications should also retake the pocket, which would be the worst possible scenario emanate from the field and not just from the headquarters. for the 70,000 residents of Gorazde. The enclave is solidly - Given the importance of the message, we should organise armed and fighting will be violent (MSF can’t do anything briefings or press conferences wherever the journalists are – about that). Having lost ground on other fronts, the BSA Zagreb, Sarajevo, Bel[grade], and the headquarters. I think could very easily interpret this withdrawal as a sign opening that many journalists would be receptive given the cynicism the way to them. When you know what happened in Srebrenica, of this decision and general approval surrounding it. I look and MSF certainly does, you have to challenge a decision that forward to your proposal. could put these populations in the same situation. There you have it, it’s just a suggestion. As you may have guessed, this story gets my back up a bit. However, I am very gentle with the journalists, just suggesting that they look ‘The Blue Helmets’ Withdrawal has Begun,’ Agence closely at this situation, which worries us a lot. I hope I have France Presse, Sarajevo, 24 August 1995 (in convinced you; I look forward to hearing from you. Vincent French).

Extract: The 72 Ukrainian soldiers left Gorazde, a UN “safe area,” on Message from Vincent Cassard, MSF Communica- Wednesday night, heading to Belgrade. Only two officers tions Officer in Zagreb to MSF Communications remain in the Muslim enclave to resolve administrative prob- Managers, 22 August 1995, 10:08 (in French). lems. The UN justified its withdrawal, asserting that the situation had become “militarily unbearable.” Most of the Hello, communications – Zagreb communications here. Ukrainians’ material and supplies have been stolen and they Content of the message: are no longer receiving supplies regularly.

1. After the London statements, which drew a line in the sand In the coming days, 170 men from the British contingent will at Gorazde, MSF strongly objects to the UN forces’ abandon- also depart, a UN official said. The Bosnian Serbs have autho- ment of the last enclave in eastern Bosnia. This withdrawal rized the first British supply convoys to leave the enclave. flagrantly contradicts the firm promises of protection made Discussions are still underway with the Bosnian government. by the governments that met in London. […] UNPROFOR is expected to complete its withdrawal from 2. MSF, the only hum[anitarian] organization that has main- eastern Bosnia by early September, leaving only some 20 tained an uninterrupted presence since **** 1993, is con- observers in Gorazde. The latter will be formally responsible cerned about the consequences of this precipitous withdrawal to notify the UN in the event of Serb threats or attacks for the population of the besieged enclave. MSF fears that against the enclave. this decision will facilitate a new attack on Gorazde, which would have tragic consequences for the security of the Gorazde’s entire defence now rests on the western countries’ civilian population. threat, made in late July, to Serb forces of massive NATO air 3. The departure of the Blue Helmets effectively terminates strikes in the event of an attack on the enclave. The popula- the principle of the international community’s protection of tion of Gorazde has not believed in this “guarantee” for a 60,000 civilians, who depend entirely on humanitarian aid. long time. “People are very worried and demoralized because This withdrawal also eliminates any opportunity to observe they feel they’ve been abandoned yet again,” said Pierre- and assist in the event of a sudden evacuation of the civilian Pascal Vandini, Programme Manager for the medical humani- population. (insert MSF quote “after having been a direct tarian organisation, Médecins sans Frontières, on Thursday. witness to the violence against the populations during the “The stress has been building for three years,” he said. “They fall of Srebrenica, we are very worried that the same fate think they can die at any moment.” The west’s threats have could befall the people of Gorazde. The promises regarding not stopped the Serbs from harassing the town. “There has 134 Goradze must be kept”). been sniper fire for the last few days,” he said. “Before, there possible negotiations. forces seemintended primarily tofreeze the situation before abandoned the enclave. The threats of airstrikes against Serb Bosnians, itmeans thatthe international community has the BlueHelmets inthe event of airstrikes. Butfor the defend the enclave bylimiting the risksof reprisals against withdrawal from Gorazde will allow UNPROFOR to better […] According tothe United Nations, the BlueHelmets’ still veryserious,” the MSF manager observed. the food situation hasimproved slightly. “It’s better, butit’s recent days. MSF managed tobring inaconvoyof drugs and and children. Access toGorazde hasbeenabiteasier in 20 major surgeries weekly;10-20% of the patients are women was bombing, too.”The MSF teamperforms betweenone and as securitypermits. Yugoslavia and willmaintain itspresence inGorazde aslong works independently from the United Nations in the former 21 major surgical operations, 14involving warwounds. MSF the MSF team(1nurse, 1anaesthetist, 1engineer) reported perate for the peopleof Gorazde. Overthe pastweekalone, activity during the pastfewdays, the situation remains des- forced toflee. Although there hasbeenreduced military people were subjectedtowidespread violence and then nessed the fall of Srebrenica inwhich approximately 40,000 (Srebrenica and Gorazde). In July, MSF’s medical team wit- uninterrupted presence in the enclaves of easternBosnia Since 1993,MSF hasbeenthe onlyaid agency tomaintain an removes allpossibilities of asafeevacuation. ulation. The absence of adeterrent force onthe ground also international protection willbeavailabletothe civilian pop- ever.” Inthe caseof renewed attacksagainst the enclave, no the 60,000peopleof Gorazde willbemore vulnerable than absence of acredible alternative planfor their protection, promises of protection made only a month ago. In the from the so-called safe havencontrasts with the very firm the MSF Coordinator inBelgrade, “the decision towithdraw London Conference inJuly. According toStephanOberreit, ments to protect the enclave, issued by governments at the tant contradiction withthe various international commit- an international peacekeeping presence inGorazde isinbla- besieged enclave ineastern Bosnia. The failure tomaintain effective ground protection for the civilian population inthe Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) condemns the removal of all for Gorazde, the international medical relief organization, As the UN Peacekeeping Forces begin their final withdrawal 24 August 1995(inEnglish). Press releaseMSF International, Zagreb, Brussels tières FearsRenewed Attacks Againts Civilians,’ ‘Gorazde LeftUnprotected -Médecins Sans Fron- residents of Srebrenica and Zepa. despite the international community’s promises. Sodid the the population of Gorazde hasfelt abandoned for months, Frontières volunteers working withthe civilians report that sant attacksfrom Serbforces. The three Médecins Sans the startof the year, the enclave hasbeensubjectto inces- enjoyed asunny afternoon onthe banksof the Drina. Since the hospital. Sevenwere struck during bombing asthey patients. Lastweek,10wounded persons were admitted to teams performed 21operations, including 14on war-wounded 7 yearsdied asthey playedinthe centre of town.The medical ously wounded patients, whilethree children aged 3,5,and department thatMédecins Sans Frontières treated fiveseri- week, which wascalmer thanthose preceding, the emergency The situation inside the enclave of Gorazde isstilltragic. Last meeting inLondon. civilians, whom they committedtoprotect atthe 29July the Contact Group are responsible for the fate of the besieged ment by the international community. The member States of departure of the UNPROFORsoldiers signals anew disengage- Srebrenica and Gorazde since 1993,fearsthatthe precipitous isation tohavemaintained anuninterrupted presence in Médecins Sans Frontières, the onlynon-governmental organ- hand and providing assistance tothe population of Zepa, After witnessing the tragedy of Srebrenica’s residents first- which the UNdeclared a“safearea” in1993. ensure the protection of the 57,000residents of the enclave, forth the guarantees, and follow them upwithaction, to Frontières callsfor the community of Statestoclearlyset final phase of their withdrawal from Gorazde, Médecins Sans As the United Nations’ so-called protection forces begin the in-zaire-and-tanzania/ Binet, MSF International. http://speakingout.msf.org/en/rwandan-refugee-camps- Study, “ Rwandan Refugee Campsin Zaïre and Tanzania 1994-1995,”byLaurence 8. Crisisof the Rwandan refugees inGoma (Zaïre). SeeMSF Speaking OutCase although very sympathetic, still need an opportunity (inter to keep foreign editorsbusy, and the journalists basedhere, wires. The results have not beengreat sofar, asGoma8 seems ball wasalready rolling earlythismorning, atleastonthe interviews for the French media withStephan.Anyway, the sion of the statement for French consumption, and organised Belgrade …),MSF France hasissuedaslightly different ver- with a6amembargo inZagreb, then rejected byStephanin release (the statement wasapproved byHQsand released Dear all, After this morning’s mini-panic over the Gorazde Extract: France Mean for the Future of Gorazde’s Residents?,’ MSF ‘Withdrawal of the BlueHelmets: WhatDoesthis (in English). to allMSF Press Officers, 24 August 1995,17:37 national Communication Advisor, Redistributed Fax-message from Anne-Marie Huby, MSF Inter- Press release, 24 August 1995 (in French). - 135 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

views with UK soldiers for instance) to talk about Gorazde at 3) As the context remains fluid, I propose the following: greater length. Will keep pushing. - In the coming days, the headquarters hold an in-depth discussion on their vision for Gorazde: Purely humanitarian approach or more political positioning. -Any new press release must be addressed in a Headquarters- Message from MSF Gorazde to MSF Belgrade, 25 Field discussion (Paris/BX[Brussels] – Stéphane/Alex). August 1995 (in French). Communications in BX [Brussels] will develop a first draft. It will then be distributed to communications in Paris/Zagreb/ Dear Stephan, Belgrade for a more open discussion on the final form and I know that you had nothing to do with this statement to the wording. press, the abandonment of Gorazde by some, but I would really appreciate it if you would explain just what was said, did the press misunderstand? Were the statements made before consulting you? By whom? In any event, the news Message from Pierre-Pascal Vandini, MSF France came at the right time here … Programme Manager, to Luc Nicolas, MSF Belgium Programme Manager, 25 August 1995 (in French). I am really furious! The Brits asked to meet with us, I may be able to take advantage of it to ask them to clean out the Extract: mines, and give us their drugs and a computer while we’re at 1) OP Paris + OP Brussels meeting next week. The press it. Really, Stephan, I think a mistake was made somewhere release problem will be addressed but this will also be an and I would like to know where to focus my anger. Is it stan- opportunity to provide an update on the B/F Programme dard to issue that kind of news without talking about it with (areas of activities, finances). […] the people in the field? Maybe we don’t have the right to 2) Suspend criticism and recommendations until we have speak out, we just have the right to get hit with bombs and clarification. At the end of the meeting, the communications send reports. Hello, dialogue, and democracy. If that’s the way procedures will be reviewed and additional recommendations we work at MSF, I’m afraid I chose the wrong organisation. I may be drafted and distributed. know that you are not responsible and thanks for starting the 3) Remain mindful when communicating on the situation in discussion yesterday even if it didn’t do any good, apparently. Gorazde. […] I’ll wait to hear from you before I send a capsat to the head- Approach: quarters. Thanks and XOXO (but really only to you), Sofia - Concern about the withdrawal of the Blue Helmets - rapid, precipitous withdrawal - No alternative guarantees for protecting Gorazde; clearly expressed: we are awaiting the position of the UN, the EC, the Message from Luc Nicolas, MSF Belgium Pro- Contact Group countries, the Bosnian and Bosnian Serb gramme Manager, to Anne-Marie Huby, MSF Inter- authorities national Communications Manager and Pierre- - Fears exist because we have seen Srebrenica, because the Pascal Vandini, MSF France Programme Manager, two warring parties will be left face-to-face, because purges 25 August 1995 14:04 (in French). are common policy implemented by the groups in the former Yugoslavia, because Gorazde has been suffering for three Hi Anne-Marie, years. I think clarification is needed after the distribution of the - The risk of violent clashes, +/- total blockade, fall, and end Gorazde press release in Zagreb on Wednesday night. without anyone to witness, massive new violations of human 1) It is entirely unacceptable, regardless of any sense of rights and conventions, ethnic cleansing. ‘vagueness’ that the various participants may have left, that - The population’s situation: Calm over the last few days in this press release was distributed without giving the field a terms of bombings, sniping and mines still a problem. 10-20 chance to respond. We had been very clear on this point. […] major surgeries/week (MSF figures), of which 10-15% women. 2) Without questioning Zagreb’s role as information central Surgery peaks at other times (May). Recent arrival of MSF on this matter, I think it is totally inappropriate for Zagreb to convoys = medicine + logisticians, other=food). Population draft the content of a press release on Gorazde for the fol- exhausted by the siege, initial reactions to Blue Helmets’ lowing reasons: departure = abandoned yet again. They also experienced the - The Gorazde context is extremely sensitive: The team is fall of Srebrenica and still feel that distress. constantly on tenterhooks and each word has singular - Specific problems: access, evacuation of the wounded, man- importance. agement of supplies depend on road demining. - The ideas expressed by people at the headquarters and people in the field sometimes diverge significantly. I insist that communication continues calmly because fears - A press release that is not understood or accepted by the over Gorazde remain and the press is moving slowly: The field is untenable because Stephan will not be able to defend UNMOs may be only four, not 20. So how to clearly identify it to the journalists. the objectives for guiding NATO strikes. The UN continues to - The “Zagreb-BX [Brussels] – Gorazde” link in the Belgrade change its position: Reduction of UNCROs, abandonment of 136 context sends a very bad message […] certain observation stations near Tuzla and Sarajevo. With appropriate. press withfactual content, adding other information as Goradze population and distributearegular lettertothe Let’s continue togather information onthe situation of the Mladic’s challenge, Belgrade’s game. last stand, givenhisproblems withinternational recognition, but whatifthey fight amongst themselves? And, Karadzic’s repositioning and the others: if some win, so much the better, sive withthe Americans atthe forefront, the French are plying and everything couldblowup.The diplomatic offen- resumption of the Croatian offensive the fronts are multi- necessary efforts willbemade. It’s uptous, together. think thatwe are allmore thanaware of thisand thatthe approach todealing withexternal communications. But,I this experience demonstrates, again,the weakness of our one interms of form and other of content. One the one hand, This recent “aaaargh!” experience hadatleasttwobenefits; Why isthissodifficult?!? inevitable and that’swhat’stroubling. media. That’s too bad. But all this carrying on was virtually all this frustration, and in the end, very little impact on the the field. All this time lost, all these telephone units used and quarters and among the ‘professionals,’ weknow betterthan forget my code of ethics and the ethics willfollow,’ athead- have made the comment. Inshort, afine case of ‘youcan without confirming itwiththe personwho wassupposedto further abuseinhaving invented and published aquote random distribution of texts considered unreasonable. And underway and aftercalling for the various texts, vetoedany when the capital,finally informed thatsomething was oped. Further abuseinZagreb’s distributing apress release field and the capitalwhen the press release wasbeing devel- try toreach anagreement onthe content of the message) the having managed tofail toconsult (not tomention failing to ance, grinding of teethand abuse. Abuse, particularly in This failed communications hascausedconsiderable annoy - right? statement condemning the UNPROFOR withdrawal. Great, from the Bosnians and the BRITBAT that MSF had made a fashion. Butwait–there’s more. The Gorazde teamlearned release onthe same topic and, of course, intotallyscattered the amazing feat of issuing three different versions of a press on 25August. Inthe end, MSF willnonetheless havemanaged based inZagreb before thispress release couldbedistributed headquarters and the coordination and press relations team tiations among allthe participants atBrusselsand Paris It tookdays (and exhausting ones at that) of endless nego- The sagaof apress release. Extract: 26 August 1995(inFrench). reit, MSF Coordinator inthe Former Yugoslavia, Yugoslavia, inGeneral,’ Memofrom StephanOber - Future, inParticular, and the War inthe Former ‘On MSF’s Ambiguous Position vis-à-vis Gorazde’s for ahumanitarian association. what do wehave tosayonthisissue?It’s adifficultdilemma shut instead of pretending toplaythe strong man. Butagain, commitments. So?Maybe itshould havekept itsdamn mouth tional community has made grand promises, ithasmade munity does not seemready to face. Yes, but that interna- painful sacrificesin human lifethatthe international com- edge of allthatentails (does thatring abell?), and the then have to call for an armed intervention with full knowl- numbers of the allies’ troops inthis mess. And, MSF would The other solution toopenupthe enclave wouldinvolvelarge What does amedical association havetosayaboutthis? over the embargo onarms shipments. WhatisMSF’s position? achieved bymilitarymeans, which brings ustothe debate between the forces wouldhavetobedifferent ifitwere tobe this issue and will probably remain so. The balance of power under the current negotiations. The Serbsare inflexible on our judicial institutions. Thissolution isnot being considered likely multiple horrors, ignored, and forgotten byhistoryand cleansing, withitshorrific scenes of deportation and its’ that bearsasemblance of normalcy, there wouldbeno ethnic tions. The population wouldfinally beableto resume alife in some way, whether by military means or following negotia- the most likely. The firstisthatGorazde wouldbeopened up will address them quickly, moving from the least realistic to there are three possible outcomes for Gorazde at this point. I Many questions remain aboutGorazde’s future. To simplify, tion of ethnic cleansing? cedence over moral principles, such as our total condemna the conditions in which they are living (surviving) take pre- compared towhat?Forexample, do the populations’ fate and we thinkisdesirable. Butthen wehaveto ask,desirable what wewant tosayaboutthe enclaves and, aboveall,what decide tospeakoutonapolitical level.We alsohavetoknow ical aspects and considerations. Butitisnot enough to But isthatenough? It wouldbedifficultto ignore the polit- of the MSF team. the populations’ suffering and living conditions and the work tarian’ communications, limiting ourselves to talking about […] Well, of course, wecanspeakoutdaily, produce ‘humani- are witnessing and inwhich weplayahumanitarian role? MSF doing and whatwillwedo interms of the situation we could playoutinamore orlessdistant future. So,whatis there are a host of horrifying, at the very least, scenarios that weeks), and morally acceptablesolutions. Onthe other hand, concrete, achievable (particularly with winter arriving insix Too many things thatare unacceptable and adizzying lackof So much injustice, brutality, cowardice, horror, and cynicism! alistic hopes clashwithcoldlyrealistic perceptions. […] son’s experiences and positions collide, and magnificently ide context. Concepts and principles overlap and blur, eachper The causes are multiple and easily understandable, given the oped, consistent position does not seemtobeanew problem. of the ‘enclave’ problem. This inability to take a well-devel our statements. I don’t think that we are clear enough in terms Second, the circumstances revealed certaininconsistencies in - - - - 137 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Message from Anne-Marie Huby, MSF International press release had the benefit of publicly emphasising our Communications Manager, to Pierre-Pascal Van- concerns (in contrast with the emphatically forceful state- dini, MSF Programme Manager, 28 August 1995 ments from the London conference and the lack of security (in French). guarantees for the population). From that perspective, it was effective and none of the journalists seemed to see Hi Pierre-Pascal, any fundamental differences within MSF. It would be par- As agreed, here is a summary of the Gorazde press release ticularly unfortunate if this chaotic episode caused the ‘affair’ from Zagreb. I hope this will be helpful for your members of the team who are leaving the enclave soon to meeting tomorrow. stay silent. And in the meantime, the headquarters are so 1. UNCERTAINTY: with his clarification sent Friday, Luc Nicolas annoyed that it seems we have nothing more to say about objected to my having distributed the press release in Gorazde. Zagreb despite the persistent ‘uncertainty’ about the content. On the contrary, Vincent Cassard and I were certain In conclusion, if you need to shift the responsibility for this that all concerned had had plenty of time to think about blunder onto Zagreb, go ahead but please do it in such a way this much-discussed content, given that our first draft of that the team, and MSF in general, wants to speak out again the message had been sent to everyone on Monday the – and quickly. After all, that’s what’s most important. 21st. When it appeared that Paris and Brussels had differences of opinion (dealing primarily with the notion of ethnic cleaning for Brussels and the request for security guarantees for Paris), we made the necessary changes and In the months that followed, MSF, which kept a team produced a ‘compromise’ version. You approved the English in Gorazde, continued to speak out on the situation in version of the press release twice. When Stephan’s first the enclave. The area’s fate was linked to the territorial objection reached me late at night (AFTER the embargoed exchanges to be negotiated as part of the upcoming press release had been sent) and I called you at home, you peace agreements. V27 weren’t particularly worried. It seemed to be just a question of ‘nuance’ and Stephan could provide more detail during interviews. The content of the message did not seem to be an issue. ‘Sophie Baquet Discusses the Fate of the Last 2. TIMING: The communications departments in both Paris Muslim Enclave in Eastern Bosnia,’ Edouard Van and Zagreb were under pressure to provide a statement – Velthem Le Soir (Belgium), 9 September 1995 (in given the time lost since the withdrawal was announced French). nearly a week earlier. I tried to find another hook (the start of the Brits’ actual withdrawal), which would have allowed Extract: us to wait until the end of the week and, in particular, You were in Goradze for MSF, a UN safe area, from early Stephan’s return to Belgrade so that he could handle the January until the end of last month as a nurse responsible for follow-up to the press release. These suggestions were not coordination in the field. What is the humanitarian situation well received – in short, this required fast action. on the ground today? 3. CONSULTATION WITH THE FIELD: We all knew that Stephan […] The situation has hardly changed in three years. was in Pale, not in Belgrade, when the press release was Sometimes the convoys arrive; sometimes they don’t, because drafted. However, we were all convinced, given the very they require authorization from the Serbs in Pale. As soon as generous timeline that the field had had a chance to speak tensions mount, things are blocked and people must live up about the content. I understand the team’s anger and I practically without food and medicine. We would sometimes am very sorry to have contributed to creating a problem in go for long periods without even an aspirin. And this chaotic the field, but my intention was never to get a jump on re-supply situation makes working conditions even more dif- them. ficult […]. 4. ISSUANCE OF THE PRESS RELEASE IN ZAGREB I faxed the press release to the Zagreb-based press that night with an Do the Serb forces that have laid siege to the town have a embargo until the 24th for ‘logistical’ reasons, many of the visible presence often? journalists head out early in the morning so you have to - The town itself is right on the front line and is thus the ideal send this kind of thing the night before to make sure that target for bombing or sniper fire. The ceasefire was observed, they use it first thing. It was clearly not my intention – overall, from January to the end of April, but June was hell, which was Luc Nicholas’ concern – to issue it only to with 300 or 400 shells every day. The quantity was bad Zagreb or to do anything to ensure that Zagreb would be enough, but the relentless psychological pressure they cre- the first ones to get the press release, which would only ated really wore people out. They shoot blindly, the bombs reduce its impact. It was distributed here with the cer- fall anywhere, any time. And, it’s very difficult for parents to tainty that Belgrade, the headquarters, and all the other keep their children shut up in basements or shelters for days offices of the MSF network would do likewise at the same at a time […] time. 5. SPEAKING OUT ON GORAZDE? Despite the anger in the field How did the population respond to the fall of the neigh- 138 and all their comments on the content, I think that this bouring enclaves of Srebrenica and Zepa? have beensetup aboveground again. rooms thatwere moved underground becauseof the bombings three years’of bombing, fear, and deprivation. The operating (delayed) awakening as the end of their suffering, the end of tion new hope. They see the international community’s NATO strikes onSerbpositions havegiventhe enclave’s popula residents are preparing for afourth winter of warand isolation. a road tothe city, Gorazde’s future isstillinlimbo.The enclave’s While international attention focuses onSarajevo and opening require helping them tofree themselves. and confinement. It’s intolerable. And simple decency would living in prison for three years. They are tired of war, siege, now around Sarajevo. Thousands of peoplethere have been access opened toGorazde, justasthe UNand NATO are doing not asking for anything more. Personally, Iwouldrather see unacceptable. The vastmajority of them want tostayand are that involvesan exchange of territory and populations is can’t forget them justbecause they are all alone. The solution - You can’tforce peopletomove. Thisistheir home. And we – specifically, Gorazde –is not likely tocalmthe fears… And the US peaceplan,which proposes territorial exchanges tragic scenario playoutagain. above all,they dread the prospect of seeing Srebrenica’s land and their houses, not to abandon their property. And They havedecided to defend themselves, to preserve their are armed, prepared, and, aboveall,determined to fight. true thatthe situation isdifferent from Srebrenica. People attacks. Iamahumanitarian aid worker, not asoldier, butit’s - It already hasfor three yearsoverthe courseof successive its own? Do youthinkthatthe Bosnian Army candefend the townon just like their colleaguesinSrebrenica. powerless and wouldhavebeenincapable of doing anything, bitterness. The Britishsoldiers were wellliked butthey were that to happen. It was an additional drop in their ocean of no signs of panic becauseeveryone pretty much expected see them go. As for the departure of the British, there were People didn’t like them much and were somewhat relieved to - There wasno reaction tothe withdrawal of the Ukrainians. matters... And the precipitous departure of the Blue Helmets didn’t help They were allconvinced that the worldhasforgotten them. shifted considerably. The population hadlostallconfidence. change with the NATO raids butwhen I left, the mood had munity hascompletelyabandoned them. Perhaps thatwill Now they are allalone. They feelthatthe international com- they were really devastated bythe information weprovided. up-to-date becausewealsohadateaminSrebrenica and - Very badly. It wasaveryhard blowfor people. We kept them Extract: 1995 (inFrench). Gorazde Sent tothe Media byMSF, 10September ‘Days of War inGorazde,’ Accountof DailyLifein - rebuilding refugee centres. clinics and participating insanitation activities and assistance inthe townhospital, providing consultations in tist, nurse, and logistician) provide surgical and medical permanent basissince 1993.Three volunteers (ananaesthe- Médecins Sans Frontières hasbeenworking inGorazde ona people died (twofrom bombsand one bysniper). mine, three bybombsand three bysniperfire) and three week, sevenwounded patients were treated (one hit by a sniper fire. Aseventh personwaskilledbyasniper. The prior three were struck during bombings, and two were hit by pital’s emergency room. One personwaswounded byamine, 9-15 October, sixwounded patients were treated inthe hos- ceasefire wassigned, the situation isstill fragile. Between While the situation inside the enclave hasimproved since the about. dependent onhumanitarian aid and are not free tomove Serbs havenot loosened the noose. They remain completely their freedom. They are stillliving inastateof siege and the open-air prison,orthatits57,000residents haverecovered mean thatGorazde hasbeenopened up,asitremains an tions seeking accesstothe enclave. However, itdoes not Gorazde thus constitutes progress for humanitarian organisa- The opening of the “BlueRoad”betweenSarajevo and the town,which provide those authorisations onlysparingly. arbitrary approval and good willof the Serbforces besieging from Belgrade, buttheir entry hasalwaysbeensubjecttothe three years, Médecins Sans Frontières hassent many convoys the recently opened Sarajevo-Gorazde road. Overthe last today with30tonnes of medicine and logistics material via A Médecins Sans Frontières convoy willtrytoreach Gorazde that youcanrelay ittothe public, ifyouwish. the enclave of Gorazde. We are sending this statement so that Anderens. No journalists or photographers have had access to The document belowwassent byanaesthesiologist Annick struck during the bombings and four were hitbysniperfire. admitted eight wounded patients inone week.Fourwere hospital where the Médecins Sans Frontières teamworks strikes began.There isno more cooking oil,sugar, orsalt.The medicine have not been able to enter since the NATO air subject tosporadic bombing. Convoyscarrying food and is much calmer thaninprior months, the population isstill However, Gorazde isstillanenclave. Although the situation Yugoslavia, on Tuesday Médecins Sans Frontières launched its Two days afterthe signing of the peaceaccords for the former

(Belgium) 13December1995 (inFrench). ‘MSF Gathers 10,000 Toys for Gorazde,’ release, 2October1995(inFrench). ‘Gorazde, StillHemmed In,’ MSF France Press Le Soir 139 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

“Objective 10,000” operation. The humanitarian organiza- gees. Some UK papers are interested in looking further into tion’s goal is to gather 10,000 toys in Belgium for children in the problem […] The Banja Luka story was a good opportu- the martyred town of Gorazde and provide a concrete response nity to liaise with the local media (or at least the reasonably to the hopes aroused by the Dayton agreements. “The chil- unbiased media in town, almost a contradiction in terms). dren need ways to express their fears through drawing, painting, puzzles and, even, music,” explains Dr. Annick Anderens, an anaesthesiologist who returned from Gorazde after working there for nine months. ‘Muslim Refugees Stranded in Banja Luka, Médecins Sans Frontières Calls on Croatian Authorities to The main toy pick-up will be held on 16 and 17 December, Allow Muslim Refugees into Croatia,’ MSF Holland from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Place de La Monnaie, Brussels. Other Press release, Zagreb, 24 August 1995 (in collection points have been set up. The following contribu- English). tions are welcome: stuffed animals, paper, crayons, waterco- lours, small musical instruments, and sheet music. MSF asks Médecins Sans Frontières urges the Croatian authorities to that the toys operate without batteries or electricity and that ease the restrictions on admitting Muslim refugees from the they be in excellent condition. Banja Luka region. Local authorities at Davor have announced that from today onwards, they would admit only those Muslim refugees who carry the necessary travel documents and have family members waiting for them at the border crossing. The ‘dissident’ Muslim refugees Yesterday, only 140 Muslims were allowed to cross the Sava of Kupljensko River to Davor, along with 494 Croatians. Since the latest launch of evictions of ethnic minorities from the Banja Luka region last week, only 2,000 Muslims have in August, the 5th Corps of the Bosnian Army, benefiting found refuge in Croatia and 350 in central Bosnia. By con- from the Croatian military advance, broke through the trast, an estimated 10,500 of the 30,000 refugees from the encirclement of the Bihac enclave, which was besieged by Banja Luka region have already been transported to Croatia. Serb forces since 1991 and 30,000 partisans of dissident The region’s remaining Muslim community numbers at about Muslim leader Fikret Abdic, allied with the Serbs since 20,000. Many Muslims in the Banja Luka region have been 1993. left homeless, as their houses have been requisitioned to make room for Serbian refugees from the Krajina region. At The latter, established in Velika Kladusa [an enclave within least 800 Muslims, including sick, disabled, and elderly the Bihac enclave] fled and were trapped in the region of people, have gathered in and around a transit centre situated Vojnic, encircled by Croatian-Bosnian forces. in an old concrete schoolyard. Other refugees are staying in a nearby muddy football field. Some have found refuge with They were blocked in a 5-kilometre strip of land along the friends and relatives in the area. MSF and other aid agencies road between Vojnic and Velika Kladusa in the improvised are providing basic relief to the refugees. camp of Kupljensko, where precarious living conditions worsened as winter approached. As the latest campaign of ethnic cleansing shows no sign of abating, the MSF team on the ground fears that the situation MSF’s teams sought to provide aid despite the obstacles of the refugees now trapped in Banja Luka will soon become put by the Croatian authorities and denounced the situa- untenable. According to Michiel Hofman, the MSF representation several times. tive in Zagreb, “This selective closure of the border will make the already appalling living conditions of the Muslim minority even worse. MSF strongly opposes ethnic cleansing. Something must be done to allow those now being driven Fax-message from Anne-Marie Huby, MSF Inter- from their homes to reach a place of safety.” MSF has run an national Communication Advisor, Redistributed emergency aid programme in Banja Luka for more than 2 to all MSF Press Officers, 24 August 1995, 17:37 years. Medical aid has been provided to Muslim and Croatian (in English). victims.

Extract: MSF Zagreb issued a press update on Banja Luka today (which you should have received via Vanessa) on the Croatian ‘The President of MSF Belgium is Shocked by the authorities blocking entry for Banja Luka Muslim refugees. Inhuman Conditions of the 2,500 Vojnic Refugees,’ Soon after the copy was released (and used by AFP, among MSF Belgium Press release, 4 September 1995 others) the Croats allowed about 700 Muslims and Croats (in French). across the river. However, it seems that it is just a temporary respite, and we should continue to draw media attention to Dr Marleen Boelaert, President of Médecins Sans Frontières 140 the Croats’ lack of enthusiasm to grant asylum to Muslim refu- Belgium, has just returned from a visit to Vojnic, Croatia. The quickly turntragic. humanitarian solution isnot identified, their situation could refugees categorically refuse toreturn home,” she says. Ifa area. “Despitetheir precarious humanitarian situation, these autumn, which isaparticularly coldand rainy seasoninthis tion for these refugees must befound immediately, before The others are intents orhuts. DrBoelaertsaysthatasolu- truck and 57 are sleeping on the ground in a ruined house. appropriate facilities, 22of the wounded were placedina least 127wounded patients need intensive care. Lacking sick and wounded who are living indeplorable conditions. At The Médecins Sans Frontières teams are providing care tothe gees the right totake shelter there. swampy and steep and the authorities have denied the refu branches, and boards. The fields bordering the road are moved into abandoned houses orbuilthuts using cornstalks, in carsortrucks becausethere are no shelters. Others have month, without any hope of improvement. Most are sleeping Bihac, Bosnia, have been living along the road for nearly a 22,500 peoplewho fledthe village of Velika Kladusa near crutches. Some wear external fixators, with pins attached mud. Dozens of men limpthrough the area, leaning ontheir spot into avastquagmire, where everyone flounders inthe The lastfewweeks’ incessant rains have transformed this humans and animals. […] cornstalks, covered withplastic tarpsand housing both built of rummaged items, sometimes wovenof branches and set upbetweenthe twopoints: atangle of makeshift shelters both ends of thisstretch. Astrange encampment hasbeen extends for 4.5kilometres. There isaCroatian checkpoint at wagons pulledby their tractors. Thisimprovised camp camping on the shoulder since 4August, intheir carsor the road, with their women and children. They have been Croatian Army. Abdic’s lostfighters thus stopped there, along Bosnian 5th Corps, which was defending Bihac, and the from Velika, they were caught atthe junction betweenthe leave their stronghold inVelika Kladusa. Some 15kilometres The Croats’ lightning offensive forced them to pullbackand enclave for ayear, starving their owncompatriots. As strategic allies of the Serbs, they laid siege tothe Bihac the wrong side, they lost,and today they are paying the price. reputation inCroatia, and by the rest of the world. They chose defeat, bothbytheir leader, who istrying tore-establish his Corps. These Bosnian fighters havebeenabandoned to joint offensive ledbythe Croatian Army and the Bosnian 5th lowers of dissident leader Fikret Abdic, motivated during the percent of the men are of fighting age. They are loyal fol- Vojnic a pit of a placeina muddy valley since 4 August. Sixty Between 25,000and 30,000peoplehavebeenlanguishing in Extract: 37, September1995(inFrench). Contact (MSF BelgiumInternal Newsletter) No. ‘The Forgotten of Vojnic,’ Françoise Wallemacq, - cold snap inthe face of widespread indifference. 25,000 undesirable refugees confront mud, rain, and the first real coordination of international humanitarian aid, Vojnic’s lomats tofinishtheir work.Lefttothemselves, without any American peace plan fails. But winter does not wait for dip- Clinton’s vetoand liftthe Bosnian arms embargo ifthe After thatdate, the US Congress could overturnPresident Bill fateful date of 15Septemberbefore actually intervening. UNHCR hasjustgiventhem refugee status, butawaitsthe displeasure and threatening their programmes inCroatia. The agencies hesitate tohelp them, fearfulof arousing Zagreb’s someone tofind them asafehaven.The large humanitarian they remain inthisprecarious no-man’s land, waiting for as plague-ridden pariahs by Zagreb and traitors by Sarajevo, bit of territoryrecently ‘liberated’ bythe Croatian Army. Seen The other refugees are thus trapped, barely tolerated inthis system. 1,500 people)couldface questioning bythe Bosnian justice According toadiplomat, approximately 400families (around ities thus know who servedinthe army orthe special police. of the dissident leader’s administration. The Sarajevo author- Indeed, when itfled, Abdic’s army abandoned allthe archives In fact, the Vojnic refugees are hostage totheir ownleaders. to believe thatdeath awaitsthem inVelika Kladusa. lieutenants, who manipulated their ownmen, leading them are considered war criminals. They are apparently Abdic’s a tent and the dead are buried on site. The military leaders been borninthe Vojnic camp.The new-borns are delivered in and skin infections. People havealready died and others have bloody diarrhoea havealready appeared, along withscabies where, increasing the riskof epidemic. The firstcasesof to different locations inthe camp.Garbage ispiledevery- blackish stream sothat it ispotable. It is then redistributed The ICRC isresponsible for treating the waterpumpedfrom a along the road. the truck, and the tent health centres that MSF has set up 25,000 refugees. They are divided among the bar-hospital, day, butthere are certainlydoctors and nurses among these sheltered from the rain. Croatian militarydoctors come every a tent and 22others are laid outinatruck like sardines, but of soileddressings. Anadditional 20wounded patients are in Cooking odours blend withthe sickly-sweet, nauseating smell patients lie onthe ground, instifling, crowded conditions. turned aformer barinto ahospital. Fifty-sevenwounded recorded. The RedCross and Médecins Sans Frontières have amputees. Some 100 cases of serious injuries havebeen directly tothe flesh-signs of recent bulletwounds. Many are Since 7 August, approximately 22,000 refugees have been release, 6October1995(inFrench). Assistance and Protection,’ MSF BelgiumPress – MSF CallsonCroatian Authorities toProvide ‘Situation Blocked for Bosnian Refugees inCroatia 141 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

stranded along the road leading to the village of Velika this open letter and the press release that accompanied Kladusa in the enclave of Bihac, in the town of Vojnic, Croatia. it. They also disagreed with the public distribution of their As they wait, hoping to obtain refugee status from the ‘confidential’ internal report on ethnic cleansing and the Croatian government, they have set up encampments along a forced repatriation, in Bosnia, of the last non-Serbian 5-kilometre stretch of road. They include partisans of Muslim ‘ethnic minorities’ by Bosnian-Serb forces and militias. dissident Fikret Abdic, who laid down his weapons on 7 August following a counter-offensive by the Bosnian Army. At This controversy revealed a basic difference in approach that time, entire families left their stronghold in Velika at that time among MSF sections about the timing of the Kladusa in the enclave of Bihac and neighbouring villages to production and distribution of the advocacy reports, seek asylum in Croatia. The Croatian minorities still refuse to particularly those that included statements about violence grant them refugee status, although they are eligible under against the populations. The Belgian and French sections international conventions. In addition, the refugees refuse to favoured quick public condemnation in an effort to speed be repatriated out of fear of reprisals. In late September, action to halt violence. In contrast, the Dutch section barely 600 had returned home voluntarily. preferred a slower approach to confirm information and what it referred to as ‘silent advocacy,’ rather than public With winter approaching, the weakest among them are at dissemination. In the years that followed, this controversy particular risk. Children, the elderly, pregnant, and single arose several times, particularly around the 1996-1997 women and the wounded will be among the first affected by crisis in the Great Lakes of Central Africa.9 the difficult living conditions. The precarious sanitary conditions pose a significant threat of epidemics. There is not enough potable water as the adjacent stream is polluted. The first cases of dysentery have already been noted. Houses and ‘MSF Demands an End to Repatriation of Muslim shelters are crowded. The refugees depend on humanitarian Refugees by Croat Government,’ MSF Press release, organisations for food. 10 November 1995 (in English, French, and Dutch).

Although late September was the deadline to find a solution, In an open letter to the Croatian government, Médecins Sans none has been identified. Médecins Sans Frontières calls on Frontières expressed its very deep concern regarding the plight the Croatian authorities to grant them refugee status. We also of Bosnian refugees in the Kupljensko camp, near the Croatian call on the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, as the coor- village of Vojnic. The situation in the camp had seriously dete- dinating body, to take all necessary steps to ensure that the riorated over the past several weeks. Thirty-two Bosnians had refugees have acceptable conditions for the winter. been arrested on Tuesday, 7 November following a brawl at the camp. The police took them to Vojnic, and then from there sent A seven-person MSF team is working in the Kupljensko camp, them to Velika Kladuša (Bosnia), where they were imprisoned. providing medical care. That expulsion was a complete contravention of the 1951 Geneva Conventions regarding the rights of refugees. That same day, a refugee was shot while cutting wood inside the camp. He was seriously injured, and so MSF referred him They were on the border, basically a no-man’s land where to the Vojnic hospital. The Croatian authorities banned the they were forced to stay, and they were stuck, it was delivery of wood to the camp, along with other materials winter, and it was cold. These people had no status. They needed to prepare for winter. Those incidents, the Croatian couldn’t cross the border but they also couldn’t go back. And government’s refusal to let refugees leave and re-enter the because there was no alternative they settled down on the road. camp at will and the cordoning off of the site by the Croatian We made some statements, we even lobbied at the office of Special Police threatened to exacerbate tensions. Médecins president Tudjman [of Croatia] to get local solutions to improve Sans Frontières feared a clash between the police and the the living conditions. refugees. That is why Médecins Sans Frontières asked the Croatian government to: Wouter Kok, MSF Holland medical coordinator in - immediately cease the forced repatriation of refugees, espe- Sarajevo, Bosnia, December 1991 - September 1992, then cially in the Velika Kladuša region, where their safety was various positions in MSF Holland Bosnia desk, September not assured; 1992-1996, Interviewed in 2015, (in English). - recognise the refugee status of the 25,000 Bosnians from Kupljensko; - allow the refugees to enter and leave the camp at will; - provide protection for the refugees inside and outside the camp; In November 1995, MSF published an open letter calling - facilitate all measures aimed at preparing for winter, like on Croatian authorities to halt the forced repatriation of wood delivery for the refugees. Bosnians from the Kupljensko camp and to grant them asylum. 9. See ‘The Hunting and Killing of the Rwandan Refugees in Zaïre/Congo 1996- 1997’ MSF Speaking Out Case Studies by Laurence Binet. http://www.speakingout. 142 MSF Holland managers highlighted the lack of detail in msf.org aid tothe refugees. which was working in Kupljensko, gave medical and logistical with the Bosnian Serb forces. Médecins Sans Frontières, had become undesirables inBosnia for allying themselves swampy valleyand livedinveryprecarious conditions. They region for Croatia the previous August. They settledina dent Muslim leader Fikret Abdi,hadfledthe Velika Kladuša The 25,000Bosnians inthe Kupljensko camp,loyaltodissi- tion and therefore urges the following: MSF strongly opposesethnic cleansing and forced repatria- and Bosnian authorities tounsafe areas. ation afterhaving beenforcibly repatriated bythe Croatian and Central Bosnia again find themselves inan insecure situ- refugees who thought to have reached a safe haven in Croatia humanitarian law perpetrated with impunity, thousands of gross human rights violations and violations of international ended, their nightmare isfar from over. Afterhaving faced against the minority population inthe BanjaLuka area has Conclusions: Though the latestwaveof ethnic cleansing relief workinthe: North partof Bosnia-Herzegovina. […] population received byMSF staffduring the courseof their is basedonwrittenreports and ontestimonies of the minority against the Croat and Muslim minority population. The report that tookplaceduring the latestwaveof ethnic cleansing sans Frontières (MSF) wants togiveanaccount of the events amount toforced repatriation. Withthisreport, Médecins days before. Evidence indicates that these resettlements miles away from their former homes they had fled several Sometimes, refugees wouldfind themselves intowns only from the joint Bosnian (BiH)and Croatian Army’s offensive. were soonresettled inthe ‘newly liberated areas’ resulting not safe. Several thousands of refugees and displacedpersons Croatia and Central Bosnia soonwarned thatthey were still However, peopleof minority populations who safelyreached disappearance of hundreds of men. violent and resulted in killings, rape, death threats, and the who came tothe BSA’s aid. Thissecond phasewasevenmore resumed with the help of autonomous paramilitary forces sons from the northwest partof Bosnia-Herzegovina, itsoon campaign and the subsequent influx of Serbian displacedper- the cleansing process wasinterrupted by NATO’s bombing population inthe BanjaLuka area worsened daily. Although cleansing on14August 1995,the situation of the minority minorities. Since the startof the latestwaveof ethnic paramilitary militia are ‘sweeping up’ the last of the remaining mare, the Bosnian SerbArmy (BSA) and police assistedby area, which hasbeendescribed byrefugees asaliving night- intimidation against the non-Serb minority population in the to haveentered itslastphase. Afteryearsof violence and Introduction: Ethnic cleansing inthe BanjaLuka area appears Report, November 1995(inEnglish). Bosnia-Herzegovina,’ MSF Holland Confidential ‘Ethnic Cleansing and Forced repatriation in do so. ties, should befree toleavethese areas againifthey wishto Bosnian-Herzegovina by the Bosnian and Croatian authori recently beenforced toreturn to‘the newly liberated areas’ in the already returned Bosnian refugees: Refugees who have Moreover, measure need tobetaken toensure the safetyof ------opinion often already hasbecome) an end initself. just one of many advocacy tools, butbecomes (and inmy doing?” In this way it seems that issuing press releases is not municate and why do they communicate betterthanweare when it comes to communication. Why do they dare to com deal withthese issues, butiswipedawaybyUNHCRand ICRC these issues. MSF ismost of the time the first ontheto field section oppositions make itimpossibletoworkcorrectly on the message. As Alex Parisel noted, “MSF isslowand inter- idly, evenwhen thiswouldbeat the expense of the quality of important isthe argument thatMSF should react more rap - meeting itbecame clearthatmaybe [whatwas]even more want ourteams tospeakfrom their hearts.” But,during the As Luc Nicolas (MSF-Belgium) statedduring the meeting: “we seem to know one: the uncontrollable use of press releases. sage, MSF-Belgium and to a lesser extent MSF-France only several channels and tools to communicate its advocacy mes ferent approaches of the sections. Where MSF-Holland uses 11. Whatdid become clear, however, wasonce againthe dif- Extract: areas, which form adirect threat totheir lives. repatriation of refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina tounsafe The Croatian and Bosnian authorities should stopthe forced in need of such protection and assistance. provide protection and assistance to the civilian population unrestricted accesstoallhumanitarian organizations to The Bosnian-Serb authorities should grant immediate and brought tojustice. breaches of international humanitarian law should be All perpetrators of gross human rights violations and grave released. be closedimmediately and itspopulation unconditionally Possible detention campsfor the civilian population should revealed. Luka area should beinvestigated and their whereabouts The fate of the 2,000-3,000missing men from the Banja tional human rights and humanitarian law. Yugoslavia inaccordance with the principles of interna- respected byallparties tothe conflict inthe former The rights of the civilian minority population should be are brought toahalt. humanitarian law against the civilian minority population rights violations and grave breaches of international The authorities incharge should ensure thatgross human ment, 17November 1995(inEnglish). gaard, MSF Holland Humanitarian Affairs Depart- Activities onthe Former Yugoslavia,’ Theo Wijn- ‘Memo of Concern Regarding Recent Advocacy - - - 143 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

12. Apart from the fact that the more you issue press releases 16. On 9 November, I received a letter meant to precede the the less impact your messages will have, past and present agreed press release. I never received a copy of the draft press (see the Vojnic crisis) experiences have shown that most of release. In sum, the letter would make a fool of MSF as an the press releases issued by the Belgian Bosnia Desk are badly organization: a part from the badly written letter, both with if at all researched. Call it a difference of culture, the fact respect to its structure as to its grammar, the letter contained remains that this approach does not positively add to the unbalanced, emotional statements and reference to a “forced professionalism of MSF in general, and its advocacy approach repatriation procedure” which is “against all principles ruling in particular. refugee movements and against the principles of the [non- existent!] Washington Convention.” When I tried to convince 13. The (what I call) unprofessional and even dangerous atti- Luc Nicolas over the phone that without considerable correc- tude of MSF-Belgium was illustrated by the fact that MSF- tions this letter could not be sent to Dr. Lang in this form, Belgium indicated that the ‘sensitive’ report on ethnic MSF Holland was accused of always delaying the whole pro- cleansing in Banja Luka should be issued to the press, regard- cess. Moreover, I would be responsible if people would be less of its content and of the present fragile security situation killed before MSF could warn the world. in Banja Luka. Dominique Boutriau (Bosnia Desk MSF Belgium), “We too sometimes have teams that object to pub- 17. The letter in its initial form was very likely to damage the lication, but in the end nothing ever happened [regarding lobby relationship between MSF and the Croatian authorities their security]...”. Even when we stressed the danger of going concerning the Kupljensko refugee camp. This relationship public with the report, MSF-Belgium did not seem convinced was established by Curtis Doebbler from 10-18 September, of our arguments. The report does not contain (new) informa- who as a consultant for MSF-Holland, visited the Kupljensko tion that has not gone public via the media. Cases similar to camp and the responsible authorities in Zagreb and in Vojnic. those in the report have already frequently appeared in the Since the beginning of October an Information Officer (James media. Moreover, at this time a power struggle is taking place Derieg) follows up Curtis’ activities. At the time the letter was between military and civilian authorities as a result of mili- drafted, James was a week on holiday and Michiel was still in tary coming from the front and the continuing presence of the Netherlands. paramilitary forces. The civilian authorities do not seem to be able to protect staff members of international agencies as is 18. After a long telephone discussion, the letter eventually illustrated by the hijacking of cars and physical attacks was delayed until next morning (10 November) 09:00. Before against expats. These circumstances, together with the wish that time, the MSF-Holland PR department and the HAD of both the team and the Bosnia Desk of MSF-Holland to con- would respectively produce an alternative press statement tinue the operations in Banja Luka, clearly advocate against and a letter. The letter was written after consulting James for going public with the report. better information and an assessment of the impact of the letter. 14. I want to express my gravest concern about this attitude of the Bosnia Desk of MSF-Belgium. At this point I have very 19. The result of the letter and the press release were minor strong personal objections against providing them with a and the emergency seemed to have mainly played a role of copy of the report; I do not want that people get killed over importance in the head offices ... Although the letter was a report that is released without thinking, as the Belgium given to Dr. Lang in person, the press release only appeared Desk has shown in the past. Even when it is the desks who are in one local newspaper and only Het Parool called for infor- finally responsible I feel morally responsible that the safety mation, but apparently decided not to print it. No positive of the team is not endangered by this report. change of the situation in the camp was reported. […]

The ‘Vojnic crisis’ 15. During the Desk meeting Olivier Antonin (Project Coordinator in Vojnic) called to MSF-Belgium and reported It was a 3-mile part of the road. There was no water. three incidents concerning the Kupljensko camp which There was no space to build latrines, to put their shel- required an urgent response: the apparent forced repatriation ters. In winter, the situation was quite desperate. Generally in of 32 male refugees, military reinforcements, and a refugee Chechnya or in Bosnia, it was completely different from Africa. who was shot by the security police. Immediately all sections Because of the climate, people were sheltered in buildings or agreed upon issuing a press release on the incidents. When I temporary structures. But here, it was like if you had a piece of stressed the importance of finding out more facts before Congo transported to the middle of Europe. They had makeshift issuing the press release, I was accused by MSF-Belgium of shelters with pieces of plastic that they found on the ground. taking a bureaucratic approach. Eventually all sections agreed In November, it is minus 12. They actually could not survive in that MSF Belgium would prepare a press release and a letter this kind of makeshift shelter because they would freeze to to inform Dr. Lang, the Special Advisor on Humanitarian death. Nobody could move out of the camp and it was very Affairs to President Tudjman of Croatia. At that time, he was difficult to get into. There would be daily battles about getting in charge of the Kupljensko refugee camp. The letter and in firewood, food, blankets. It was a headache to get from the press release would be sent to the other sections for authorities the permission to have people get out of the camp comments. and refer them to the hospital. Every day you wouldn’t know if 144 you will be able to reach the clinic, if you would be able to refer msf.org/en/rwandan-refugee-camps-in-zaire-and-tanzania/ Tanzania 1994-1995” byLaurence Binet, MSF International. http://speakingout. 10. SeeMSF Speaking Out CaseStudies, “ Rwandan Refugee Campsin Zaïre and Goma even thoughitleadstoastrugglehaveaccess.’ Comingfrom ‘forced repatriationiswrong.Fullstop.We needtodenounceit Therefore we denounce…’ The Belgian side was more [like], people stating theydon’t want to gobackVelika Kladusa. based onareallygoodresearchwithsurvey, interviewof anything wewouldbeabletoproveit,thatcouldsay.‘itis was veryhigh.MSFHollandwantedtomake surethatifwesaid Croatian armydecidedtoclosethecampfor aweekorso.This do that. Because the price the people would pay could be the we wantedtomake prettysurethatitwasreallynecessaryto a pressreleasewiththemessageof youraccessbeingdenied, into the camps. It was a daily reality. So if it was about to make to thecamp,beablegetlife-savingitemslike firewood The dailytensionfor mewasveryhard,tomaintainthisaccess would leadtoadenialof access. that everything you say you weigh the possibility that this submitted toharassment,violence. Thatcreatedan atmosphere to Velika Kladusawheretheywerenotverywelcome, being And, thentheystartedtoputpeopleinbusesdrivethemback the patients, ifyouwillbeabletogetthewaterincamp. to speakoutinthepress. which was tryingtoassistthepopulations, continued forced population displacements continued and MSF, agreement tookeffectinBosnia-Herzegovina. However, In themeantime, on10October, ageneral ceasefire bit tooslow, tootacticalanapproachtodealwiththisreality. a massiveanalysisandhundredpagereport,Ifound itwasa bit moreinvestigation, but to have athreemonth research with first orlet’s doahundredpagereportfirst.’ Iwoulddoalittle mobile teams are criss-crossing the territorybetweenTesanj, The townof Zenica iscompletelyoverwhelmed and MSF’s four shock, and wounded. are inapitifulcondition, exhausted byforced marches, in authorities ‘escortedthese refugees backtothe border.’ They front lines since lastFriday, ending upinZenica. The Serbian Sanski Most, Bosanski Nova and BanjaLuka) havecrossed the Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, originally from Prijedor, Thousands of refugees (Bosnian Muslims living inthe Serbian Croatia, August 1995-July1996,Interviewed in2015, 10 , Iwasalreadypartof thisMSFdebate, ‘let’s denounce (in French). Anymore,’ ‘Luc Nicolas (MSF): The Refugees Cannot Take Michiel Hofman, MSF Holland Coordinator in Le Peuple (Belgium),12October1995 (in English). of anoffensive.” […] and are sent todig trenches and serveasshields inthe event men between12and 45are arrested justbefore the front line over again – according to the initial statements, most of the believed tobeheld atthe front line. “It’s the same scene all to some statements, 160outof atotalof 800men are make it.And men were carried off atvarious places.” According cally, becausethey did not know ifthey wouldbeableto trip was extremely arduous, both physically and psychologi- just arrived, havebeentravelling for more than15days. The our contact explains, “Many of these people, who haveonly One canimagine the distress of these displacedpersons, as means thatthey intend tocontinue regardless.” humanitarian aid supplies –mattresses, blankets …this lightly. Butitseems thatthey are stopping allthe bulkier Here, the authorities claim that they are going to tread about to break out, so the soldiers didn’t want to overreact. military trucks arrivedand peoplebegantopanic. Ariot was there atnight hasprevented aninitial forced evacuation. The regions where they no longer want togo… Keeping ateam people are being sent back, byforce and against their will,to staying there sothatitcanspeakoutaboutthe fact that organising humanitarian aid onthe ground. The teamisalso there for 48hours and isproviding basic medical care and site. We haveamobile teaminDonjiValkuf, which hasbeen structure hasbeendestroyed. “Ourteams are sleeping on who havebarely arrivedbacktoareas where allbasic infra- trying toprevent Bosnian soldiers from sending the refugees with the ICRC and the UNHCR.” MSF’s members are thus near Bosanski Petrovac. We are working to stop that, along as quickly aspossibleinthe newly-conquered territories, that the Bosnian authorities want toresettle peoplebyforce region are relatively full,butothers may befound. It appears gees havegathered. “The collectivecentres inthe Zenica Travnik, and Zenica tosupplythe 16centres where the refu- when they will allneed heat and clothing,” she added. the refugees’ lack of hygiene and the approaching winter, to Ms. Wallemacq. “ForMSF, the main problems right now are tres and anundetermined number along the roads, according private houses, butsome 50,000remain inthe reception cen- Approximately 70% of these refugees have found shelter in spokesperson Françoise Wallemacq. bouring communes now stands at285,000,noted MSF August and havetaken refuge inBanjaLuka and neigh - forces’ offensives inwesternand northwestern Bosnia since number of Serbs who have fled the Croatian and Bosnian Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR). The total Bosnia) in the last10days, citing figures from the United gees havearrivedinthe region of BanjaLuka (northern announced onThursday thatmore than120,000Serbian refu- The humanitarian group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) 19 October1995(inFrench). in 10days,’ Agence France Presse, BanjaLuka, ‘More than120,000Refugees ArriveinBanjaLuka 145 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Corinne Adam, ICRC spokesperson in Banja Luka, said there is -Will humanitarian issues be solved by the peace plan? a “humanitarian emergency” in the region. The ICRC has -Civilians have no voice in the discussions. delivered more than 1,300 tonnes of aid to Banja Luka, pri- -Land partition is being based on ethnic cleansing. marily food and hygiene supplies, as well as blankets, since -The status of Gorazde. mid-September. “Our greatest need now is for stoves, blan- -Will the access corridor be opened? kets, mattresses, and shoes,” the ICRC spokesperson noted. -What will be decided at the negotiation table? -Fate of the missing persons from Srebrenica/Zepa? -Why and how did the intl. community allow Srebrenica/Zepa to fall? -Deplorable conditions in Banja Luka (overcrowded, unsani- On 26 October, MSF held a press conference to discuss tary, winter coming). the humanitarian issues in the former Yugoslavia: the -Unwanted refugees (Krajina, Vojnic). precarious situation facing the displaced populations, Refugees being used as human shields (Doboj, Brcko). given the approaching winter, and the forced displace- Bosnian refugees arriving in Maglaj/Travnik (Health & condi- ments they face under the territorial exchanges associated tions of deportation). with the peace negotiations. 4) What we do NOT want: -Repeating what others have already said. (i.e. UNHCR, ICRC) -Using inaccurate facts/figures/statistics. -Asking for things that are already being done. Message from MSF Belgium Programme Manager -Repeating what’s already in the press. Dominique Boutriau to MSF Programme Managers -Chasing journalists just to appear in the press. Pierre Salignon and Pierre-Pascal Vandini, 10 -Getting involved in speculation. October 1995 (in French). -Getting entangled in the politics of the peace plan. 5) What we DO want: Extract: -Protection and medical care for the people of Bosnia. - Concerning communications: Following our communication -Establishment of MSF as a credible source and an effective director’s (Gerda) visit to the field we propose to hold a organization. three-way press conference on the humanitarian issues in the -A field-based message former Yugoslavia on the eve of the peace plan and as winter 6) What is the message? arrives. You will probably receive the proposal from our com- -What does MSF have to say that is different? munications department today. -From what we’ve been able to distil, the strongest message - Concerning communications in the former Yugoslavia via relates to Srebrenica & Gorazde: We were in Srebrenica when local media: After discussions with the team in the field, it it fell; we’ve been in Gorazde since the beginning. An inquiry seems that it would also be a good idea to carry out some has to be held into the fall of Srebrenica and the fate of the communications using the local media. Initially, the thought missing persons. Everything possible has to be done to ensure is to present certain messages concerning our activities via that Gorazde does not suffer a similar fate. MSF continues to independent Serbian journalists; the type of message should stand in solidarity with population in danger. link our activities both in Gorazde and in the RS (Republika Srpska). THE GOAL: Facilitate our activities in RS/Gorazde by Do people feel this message could be a strong basis for improving our brand image a bit. Obviously ++++ risk of communicating? manipulation by local politics, etc, which is why we are thinking of talking with independent journalists first. Your opinion? ‘Comments on the Press Release from the Press Conference on the Former Yugoslavia,’ Message from MSF France Deputy Programme Manager Pierre ‘MSF on Bosnia,’ MSF International Internal Salignon to MSF Belgium and MSF Holland Pro- Update, 12 October 1995, 15:30 (in English). gramme Managers, October 1995 (in French).

There is a will to communicate as an international Extract: organization. OK on the decision to update the humanitarian issues in the 1) Many people feel strongly about communicating, others former Yugoslavia when the ceasefire takes effect. Several want to ensure that we have a clear, strong message if we situations need to be watched carefully, however, to put speak out. everything in historical perspective because you can’t com- 2) If there is a clear message, we then need to decide the best pare what is not comparable. way to communicate: press conference, statement, editorial letter/article, etc. 1 – The Muslim enclaves 3) Key points: A. Srebrenica and Zepa -MSF has been active and a witness in the former-Yugoslavia Still no news, since they fell last July, about several thousand 146 since 1991. people who were separated from their families or reported the foundation for future conflicts inthe Balkans. basis; sadly, thisisoccurring inthe middle of Europe, laying We are now witnessing Bosnia’s repopulation onanethnic Serb inthatyear–of itsentire non-Serb population. Army cleansed the Krajina region –50%Serband 50%non- However, alsoremember thatstarting in1991,the Yugoslav our eyes. The civilian populations are itsfirstvictims. today for Bosnia’s ethnic division, which isoccurring before accepted the “fait accompli”policy and isthus responsible them ethnically pure, the international community has tion, byforce, of the populatedareas inBosnia soastomake community has remained silent. By accepting the redefini launched bythe Serbsin1991,and thatthe international fered asthe result of afour year-long warof ethnic cleansing, But wemust emphasizethatthe displacedpeoplehavesuf- bling for those who stayedinthe region of bl[BanjaLuka]. As winter approaches, their humanitarian situation istrou- Serbian refugees of Krajina camps … in 1992the Kozarac region. Remember the concentration the final point of the Serbs’ ethnic cleansing policy launched Ethnic cleansing of the non-Serbs. It wasbrutaland marks 2 -BanjaLuka Territories under Bosnian Serbcontrol the Muslim enclave inBihacunder siege from 1993to1995. sans of the dissident leader Abdic who, withthe Serbs, held facing thispopulation, butremember thatthey are the parti- Emphasize the tragic humanitarian and human situation D)Vojnic See MSF Holland C. Sarajevo thousand of whom are reported missing. with the deportation of more than50,000people, several Serbs launched in 1993 in eastern Bosnia and that ended the result of astrategy tocarryoutethnic cleansing thatthe Remember toemphasizethatthe fall of Srebrenica/Zepa is involving the useof force […] decide onanexchange of territoryand population, asolution that the pocket isopened upunlessthe warring parties in Srebrenica and Zepa from happening againand toensure security of the civilian population. To prevent what happened The international community has the duty to guarantee the soon the civilians’ future remains uncertain. in recent weeksthatcorridors tothe enclave willbeopened undertaken among warring parties. Whileithas beenreported the willof the international community and the negotiations three years. 57,000 inhabitants, whose survival depends on Last Muslim enclave in eastern Bosnia besieged for more than B. Gorazde Justice must berendered and the guiltyheld toaccount. silent in the face of such crimes, it has become an accomplice. has the duty toestablishthe truthinthismatter. Byremaining bers of civilians were massacred. The international community enclaves. There are onlystrong presumptions thatlarge num been abletodetermine whatreally happened inthese two missing. No independent international organization hasyet - - are unacceptable. population. The actsof violence committedonthisoccasion ations are resulting inmassive displacements of the Serb by the Croatians and Bosnians during their ‘reconquest’ oper- national tribunal atThe Hague). Today, the actscommitted Serbs (international crime thatledtothe creation of aninter- witnessed the results of the ethnic cleansing pursuedbythe sible. But, we should remember that since 1991, we have acts against civilians committed onallsides are allreprehen- Be careful not tocompare whatisnot comparable, individual Conclusion: arrival, deportation conditions. […] Serb territories, towards Maglaj and Travnik. Health statuson The arrivalof the Bosnian refugees today, driven outof the 3 –Central Bosnia and Croatia during thefall of Srebrenica. and personal responsibility for theatrocities perpetrated Serb leaders RatioMladicandRadovan Karadzic for direct On 16November 1995,thetribunal indictedtheBosnian Vojnic gees and displaced persons, and the forgotten refugees of ants and of the importance of needs here, the lotof the refu- three months later, the situation inGorazde, of itsinhabit- former Yugoslavia: the fall of Srebrenica and itsconsequences Goethals havebeentalking about the following aspects in October 1995.Alex Parisel, Renaud Tockert, and Mario A press conference hasbeenorganised atMSF Belgiumon26 Extract: shields.” [...]The file, based on“witnessed statements from Sarajevo and for “taking hostages and creating human against humanity for their policy of assassinating civilians in accused the twoBosnian Serb leaders of genocide and crimes [International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia] comes inaddition tothe one on25July, when the ICTY bloodiest actions inthe 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 military commander Ratko on Thursday 16November against the Bosnian Serbpolitical The charge of genocide and crimes against humanity, made Extract: October 1995(inFrench and English). Contact n°38(MSF BelgiumInternal Newsletter), November 1995(inFrench). Srebrenica,’ AlainFranco, LeMonde(France), 18 Karadzic and Ratko Mladic with the Genocide in ‘The International Tribunal Charges Radovan 147 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

refugees and survivors of summary executions, confirmed and (IFOR, or Implementation Force), under NATO command and corroborated by other sources,” in particular the Dutch Blue led by a US general, will be deployed in Bosnia-Herzegovina Helmets deployed in Srebrenica, describes three places where to replace the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR). the atrocities took place. IFOR will monitor compliance with the ceasefire and separation of forces. It will be equipped to defend itself vigorously The first was the column of escapees on the road to Tuzla, in all circumstances [...]. IFOR will have complete freedom of which was bombarded by Serbian artillery. “Hundreds of movement throughout the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Muslims were killed, and more wounded. Many lost their minds under the repeated attacks. Witness statements All non-Bosnian forces (Croats and Serbs) will withdraw from describe how dozens of people committed suicide to avoid Bosnia-Herzegovina within 30 days. […] The parties must being captured.” Those who were captured, even the withdraw their forces behind the lines agreed during the wounded, were executed immediately. Hundreds were buried ceasefire. Two kilometre-wide demilitarised zones will be in mass graves, some of them while they were still alive.” [...] established on both sides of the ceasefire line. IFOR will have Mass executions also took place around 14 July in the area complete freedom of movement throughout Bosnia- around Karakaj on the way out of Zvornik. […] Herzegovina. The parties must withdraw their heavy weapons and confine their troops to barracks within four months. All prisoners of war, civilian and military, must be freed immediately. The parties will not import any weapons for 90 days and will not import any heavy weapons (including airplanes and Talks between the Presidents of Serbia (Slobodan Milo- helicopters) for 180 days. In six months, a weapons control sevic), Croatia (Franjo Tudjman) and Bosnia (Alija Izet- mechanism will impose a limit on the number of tanks, begovic), led by the United States, were held in Dayton fighter planes, helicopters, and armoured vehicles for the (Ohio) from 1 to 21 November. ‘New Yugoslavia’ (Serbia and Montenegro), Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The limits imposed will take effect if the The so-called Dayton Accords were signed in Paris on 14 parties do not reach an agreement. December. They called for the creation of a State of Bosnia- Herzegovina, home to the Croatian-Muslim federation (with a corridor linking it to the Gorazde enclave) and Republika Srpska. A peacekeeping force under NATO command, IFOR, would replace UNPROFOR. V28 The Dayton Accords, signed on 14 December, also provided for lifting the economic embargo imposed on Serbia.

Richard Goldstone, prosecutor at the International ‘Main Points and Military Steps,’ Le Monde (France), Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, was concerned 23 November 1995 (in French). that this lifting could threaten the deliverance of criminals to the court. He threatened to resign if a deal was struck Extract: that traded peace for the impunity of the Serbian leaders. Here are the main points of the Bosnian peace agreement MSF France’s Board of Directors had the same fears. It was entered into on Tuesday, 21 November, in Dayton, following suggested that the signature of the peace agreements in three weeks’ of negotiations. It includes a main document, 11 Paris could be used as an opportunity to air the issue in appendices, and 102 maps. The territory of Bosnia will be public. divided between the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (51%) and Republika Srpska (49%), both within the state of In a column published in the French daily Le Monde on 16 Bosnia-Herzegovina, confirmed within its borders and gov- December, MSF’s Legal Advisor Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier erned by a federal constitution. Sarajevo will be the reunified asked that European governments commit to a guarantee capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, unblocking the city and thus that concluding the peace agreements would not take removing all the obstacles. Bosnia’s institutions will include precedence over justice. a central bank, a single currency, a Constitutional Court, and a presidency. The Parliament will have two chambers and elections will be held in 1996. No war criminal will be allowed to hold public office. Displaced persons and refugees will be ‘The Prosecutor at the International Criminal able to return home and move about freely. A corridor will Tribunal in The Hague Threatens to Resign,’ Alain link the Muslim enclave of Gorazde, in eastern Bosnia, to the Franco, Le Monde (France), The Hague, 17 No- rest of the Federation. The Posavina corridor, in the north- vember 1995 (in French). east, which links the territories under Serbian control in eastern and western Bosnia, will be five kilometres wide. The Extract: future status of Brcko, the main city along the corridor, will Mr Goldstone also allowed uncertainty to persist over his be subject to international arbitration. threat to resign in the eventuality, often referred to during the discussions between the warring parties in Dayton, of a 148 Main provisions of the military aspect: A peacekeeping force deal between the United States and Serbian president Yugoslav Federation. Subsequently, thissame contagious logic slogan pinpointed the entire logic of the warwithinthe former was racist. “Serbia iswhere the Serbians are.” Thispolitical the name of defending racial purityand conquering territory, enhancing ourunderstanding. The war, which wasstartedin mitted onthe ground intellectually tolerable butwithout expression ethnic cleansing hasmade the atrocities com a conflict thatisveryclose to home. The invention of the new Dayton marks anew period of significant riskinthe history of The peaceagreement onthe former Yugoslavia signed in worth continuing under these conditions?” tribunal wouldseriously askthemselves the question: isit part of such adeal, Itrulybelieve thatallmembers of the Security Council or the international community were to be been indicted for genocide bythe ICTY, “Ifamember of the Serbian leaders Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, who have Slobodan Milosevic, trading peacefor the impunityof the Yugoslavia butalsofor Rwanda. it, the Tribunal would be disbanded, not only for the former meet withGoldstone todiscusshow toreact. Ifstateswanted would not prevent separate action byMSF. We couldalso seen asdistinct from other organisations, and their activities other groups in this area, Pierre recalled that we are generally response toaremark byOdileonthe projects proposed by just as important as the actions we take in the field. In sented by the signature of the peace agreement in Paris. It is for them. We must not fail tograsp the opportunityrepre - witness, MSF must ask for explanations and keep on asking Bosnia. Butpeacecannot exist unlessjustice isdone. As a Pierre Salignon: Peace guarantees the ethnic division of miss the International Tribunal atthe stroke of apen? happen? Are we going to ask the Security Council not to dis- nals with impunity. Are wegoing to stand back and watch it withdrawn? Daytonindicates thatstatescanbecome crimi- achieved bycreating the International Tribunal should not be chip. Is MSF going torequest thatwhatthe SecurityCouncil lifted the embargo, the criminals are no longer abargaining lifting of the embargo. Now thatthe Daytonagreement has be prosecuted. Deliveryof the criminals waslinked tothe is ariskthatthe criminals inthe former Yugoslavia willnot represent athreat tothe fate of the tribunal, insofar asthere Frédéric Laffont: […]The peaceagreements signed inDayton on the former Yugoslavia. The international tribunal threatened bythe DaytonAccords Extract: Extract: vember 1995(inFrench). Minutes of MSF France’s Board Meeting, 24No- 1995 (inFrench). Advisor of MSF, LeMonde(France), 16December Yugoslavia,’ Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, Legal ‘Let’s Not Sacrificethe Tribunal for the former - led eachof the parties in the conflict to define itselfby refer counterbalance the potential racial drift bypunishing the per across new borders. Aninternational tribunal wassupposedto cleansing inthe region, withseveral million peopledisplaced of “one nation = one state” had led to the first great ethnic 1918, byUS president Woodrow Wilson.At thattime, the policy new application of the doctrine already usedinthe Balkans in the use of force to impose justice. In practice, it enshrines a been signed under their leadership. Butitdoes not lay claim to as protectors of our continent. A peace agreement has finally Europe hasledthe Americans toonce againexercise their role the startof the conflict, the persistent threat atthe heart of European. Butjustice does not stopthe war. Three yearsafter The peacewillperhapsbeAmerican. Justice may stillbe extermination. Then silence. ture of civilians, the massacre of the sick, the selections, and made. Remember Vukovar, Gorazde, and Srebrenica. The cap- in the future, and beabletokeep the promise thathadbeen resources and then withno certainty thatitwouldstillexist tional tribunal was established first without material humanity committedinthe former Yugoslavia. The interna- community promised toimposejustice onthe crimes against the racial policy of negating human beings, the European equal dignity of human beings. Incapable of waging war on tarian relief tomanage awarthatspecifically denies the European framework. Brussels has had to rely on humani - tures. Onlyhumanitarian action hasbeenintegrated withina on opencompetition betweensmall ideas and symbolic ges- Various European governments have, therefore concentrated policy nor acommon defence policy. face uptothe danger becauseithasneither acommon foreign racial doctrine. The European community hasnot beenableto result of adeliberate determination bythe state toimposea ence to its race. The war was not a political accident, but the Serb forces on30August 1995.They were released on12 December1995. 11. Two French pilotswere detained after their aircraft wasdowned byBosnian for the release of the French pilots the peaceagreement, and thatjustice hasnot beentraded international tribunal willnot disappearwith the signature of the European Union need totake astand toensure thatthe American; justice may stillbeEuropean. Governments within our livesand ourhumanity? The peacewillperhaps be beings and European citizens. Who is now setting the price of future? This American peace concerns us as both human be relocated? What role will the war criminals play in the will the two million refugees and people displaced by the war sider themselves ethnically pure? On what basis and where simplest questions: where willpeopleliveifthey do not con- our volunteers havewitnessed, does not answer eventhe for justice to prevail? What is happening on the ground, as to obtainajustpeace. Willthey endanger apeaceagreement finds itselfinthe same dilemma. Stateshave not gone towar Today, the international tribunal for the former Yugoslavia mitted. Ifwarhasaprice, sodo some kinds of peace. peace agreement granted anamnesty for allthe crimes com petrators of the Armenian genocide. Butin1923,the final 11 . - - - 149 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

On 1 December 1995, the Secretary General of the the peace agreement to continue their search for evidence United Nations presented an initial report on the fall of and provide justice for those thousands of people who are Srebrenica, which set out “indisputable evidence” of a missing or killed. MSF urges any individuals or organisations consistent method of summary executions and General holding information on the staff members reported missing to Mladic’s presence at the sites where they took place. provide us with this information. There were 13 local MSF staff in Srebrenica and the hospital had a staff of 128. This report On 21 December, the United Nations Security Council is based on the eyewitness accounts of 37 hospital staff and demanded a more detailed investigation into the atrocities six local MSF staff collected between 27 November and 14 committed by the Serbs in Srebrenica. December 1995. Of the 128 hospital staff, 21 are reported missing; three were killed in the period prior to the fall of Srebrenica. Of the 13 MSF national staff, 1 is reported missing. Furthermore, MSF is still trying to obtain more information on ‘The UN Wants the Truth About Srebrenica,’ Agence the actual situation of 50 other hospital staff members. France Presse, 22 December 1995 (in French).

Extract: The Security Council is demanding an investigation into the In this report on the fall [of Srebrenica] and on the atrocities committed by Bosnian Serbs in the city last July. In members of hospital staff and MSF staff killed or reported addition to immediate access for international investigators missing, we make particular reference to the person responsible to the Muslim enclave in eastern Bosnia, the UN Security for civil protection, who was also part of the MSF team and who Council also demanded, in a resolution adopted on Thursday was to be found several years later, in a mass grave. This particu- evening, that Bosnian Serbs should refrain from any action lar report is central. It is an account that is important to every- intended to destroy, alter, conceal, or damage any items of one, and which goes beyond the act of publishing a report. It evidence in Srebrenica. [...] In a report to the Security is a way of saying, “we were not only witnesses to a massacre, Council, UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali had but also directly involved, because our patients and colleagues indicated that according to the best available estimates, from the hospital were killed and even MSF staff went between 3,500 and 5,500 people were still reported as missing. missing since the fall of Srebrenica. The Security Council noted that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Pierre Salignon, MSF France Deputy Programme Yugoslavia (ICTY) had indicted the Bosnian Serb leaders Manager, in Charge of Programmes in the Former Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic for their direct and indi- Yugoslavia, 1992-1996, Interviewed in 2015 (in French). vidual responsibility for the atrocities committed in July against the Bosnian Muslim population in Srebrenica. The Security Council also took note of the “solid evidence” referred to in Mr Boutros-Ghali’s report, according to which an unknown but significant number of men in the Srebrenica In September 1996, Rony Brauman, former President area were summarily executed by the Bosnian Serb forces and of MSF France, writing in the French daily Libération, paramilitary elements. reviewed the consequences of the humanitarian treatment of the war in Bosnia and asked, “Who will answer for UNPROFOR’s deliberate, planned abandonment of thousands of Bosnians, which disarmed them while promising to protect them?” In February 1996, MSF published a report containing witnesses’ statements on the evacuation of Srebrenica and the fate of members of the local team. A request for information was issued on the fate of the staff reported ‘Deadly Illusions – Bosnia: The War of the Intel- missing. lectuals,’ Rony Brauman, President of MSF France from 1982-1994, Libération (France), 14 Septem- ber 1996 (in French).

‘Srebrenica Hospital Personnel and Local MSF Staff. Extract: Eyewitness Accounts of the Evacuation from According to a November 1995 CSA poll, 68% of French people Srebrenica and the Fate of Missing Colleagues,’ trust humanitarian organisations, ahead of NATO, the European MSF Report, February 1996 (in English). Union, and their own government, to prevent conflicts in Europe. Regardless of what one may think about the manipula- The object of this report is to draw the attention to the fate of tive nature of opinion polls, this result speaks to the political the hospital personnel and the local MSF staff and pay homage confusion and moral deception that the humanitarian treat- to their work during the difficult years of war and suffering in ment of the war in Bosnia represented. It reveals the effective- the enclave. lt is also intended as an appeal to the organisa- ness (which one hopes can be reversed) of the highest 150 tions and institutions trying to implement the civilian side of expression of indifference and renunciation: humanitarian armed BlueHelmets tocarryoutthe “international commu- area transformed into aslaughterhouse. One lesson:sending derous militias did, however, teachSrebrenica that asafe The BlueHelmets inSrebrenica and General Mladic’s mur- imposing shamdemocratic elections. prevent the logic of extremists onallsides, asinMostar, from that would have been too much to ask.Nor, obviously, did it ethnic partition of Bosnia that ultimately prevailed, although this convergence. It [the convergence] did not prevent the French and European positions inthe face of thiswar, affected latter withabase. The hardening, real butquite late, of the provided the former with a framework for analysis and the forces withintellectuals inashared, sustained protest that For the first time, however, the humanitarian sector joined formed into performance aesthetics. deteriorated into activism and humanitarian ethics trans funds streamed inand, seeking ephemeral media glory, action pearance. It wasalsoalucrative market. European Community not onlythe placewhere aconquering fascism made itsreap venality withinthe privatehumanitarian sector. Bosnia was part tothe States’bustling humanitarian activitywasakind of process was not without demagogy and excess. The counter to make their voices heard and emphasizetheir principles. This becoming the handmaidens of this strategy of lies and sought those who couldbesaved, butrecognized thatthey were quish their primary mission of alleviating suffering and saving denounce Europe’s political abdication. They did not relin veyors of biscuitsand blankets, those organizations beganto tarian organizations. As states took up their new role as con many months for astrange shifttooccurwithinthe humani appeared tobe, rather, afirmopposition -which iswhy ittook approval granted to Belgrade’s policy and the Serb militias peace accords. The tourde force at workhere wasthat the Milosevic, the warmonger, into the guardian of the future population of Vukovar, the road wasopened totransform after Belgrade’s troops and Serbian militias massacred the and confined themselves tocharityevents. Justafew months Sarajevo, died thatday, signalled when the statespulledback The dream of apluralistic, multicultural Bosnia, symbolizedby conflict” waspreserved. responsibility and the balance betweenthe “parties tothe attackers and attacked were dismissedasifthey shared equal was simple. Inkeeping withproper humanitarian reasoning, bearded guys posted behind the barricades?” The response vests rot all around the city “because of a couple of hundred these sacksof flourand tins of tuna at huge cost,when har- Oslobodjenje. Whatisthe point, he asked, of transporting Dizdarevic, Editor-in-chief of the independent daily, this feat conveniently obscured the question raised by Zlatko remain unanswered. Butthe chorus of praise thatfollowed lation inthe Bosnian capitaland the Serbblockade wouldnot Sarajevo on28June 1992.Anairbridge wouldsavethe popu- The tone wasset,and with panache, afterMitterrand went to that are quickly buried beneath aflood of soothing images. relieves usof any intentions bysubstituting fleeting emotions cynicism, orthe politics of good intentions, which, infact, ------tect them? “We willnot abandon you,”they said. by UNPROFOR,which disarmed them whilepromising topro- deliberate, planned abandonment of thousands of Bosnians ress, evenifpaltry. Butwho willbecalledtoanswer for the nity for warcriminals isno longer the rule, represents prog- International Tribunal atThe Hague, which means thatimpu- in UNPROFOR’spromises? Yes, the founding of the could haveescapedintime ifthey hadnot placedtheir faith deadly illusion. How many of those who perished inSrebrenica nity’s” solemncharge toensure the safetyof persons isa MSF International -http://speakingout.msf.org/eng/srebrenica MSF Speaking OutCaseStudies “MSF and Srebrenica 1993-2003”byLaurence Binet- 12. Foramore detailed study onMSF Speaking OutaboutSrebrenica, pleaseread a report that explains the events which led to the fall of are the terms usedbythe United Nations Secretary General in the massacre of the thousands of civilians refuged there. These Srebrenica “tragedy” in July1995, itsfall tothe Serbians and powers to curtail the exactions by force, all led to the in Bosnia, butalsothe lackof political willfrom the major bardments against the Serbians, their “appeasing” of Serbians evaluation of Serbian objectives, their refusal of aerial bom in Bosnia-Herzegovina as a“moral cause”, their “erroneous” UN leaders inNew York, their “inability” torecognise the war An “inappropriate” principled position of “impartiality” from responsibilities. conduct inquiriesatnationallevel intotheirown Nations. Itcalledfor thememberStatesinvolved to recognised the“errors of judgment”madeby theUnited the UN’s report onthefall of Srebrenica public. Thereport keeping operations duringtheevents of July1995,made under-Secretary General charged withthe UN’s peace Annan, the new United Nations Secretary General and the rity zoneinex-Yugoslavia.” On15November 1999,Kofi including anevaluation of events intheSrebrenica secu- Nations General Assembly calledfor a“detailedreport On 30November 1998,resolution 53/35 Extract: INQUIRIES INTO THESREBRENICA 1999-2003 PARLIAMENTARY 1999 (inFrench). brenica Massacre,’ LeMonde(France) 17November ‘Kofi Annan’s “Mea Maxima Culpa” for the Sre- TRAGEDY 12 at theUnited - 151 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Srebrenica, where 2,500 bodies were found in a mass grave and Minutes of MSF France’s Board of Directors Meet- where, according to the Red Cross, over 7,000 people are ing, 19 November 1999 (in French). reported missing. The Srebrenica tragedy is horrifying for two reasons, writes Kofi Annan: the scale of the crimes and the fact Extract: that civilians thought they were safe due to the presence of Françoise [Bouchet-] Saulnier relayed a call to the Board from the UN’s Blue Helmets. Too little too late, some will say. the Citizens Group for Bosnia. This group wants to call for the Nonetheless, the joint mea maxima culpa expressed by Mr. creation of a Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (along the Annan is unprecedented in the United Nations’ history: lines of Rwanda’s) to throw light on the management of the “Through our serious errors of judgment and our inability to Srebrenica enclave by politico-governmental bodies. The recognise the scope of the evil confronting us, we failed to do Group is asking for MSF’s support and participation so as to our part to save the people of Srebrenica from the Serbian bolster this call. Françoise Saulnier considers that MSF can campaign of mass murder” wrote the Ghanaian diplomat. become involved as a matter of principle and above all, for the future (and not only to remember what happened). She Drawn up from interviews with international leaders, civil and reminded the Board that MSF had already testified before the military observers, journalists and the UN’s confidential ICC (International Criminal Court) and the Dutch commission. archives, this 150-page report should be presented to the The board members asked questions so as to evaluate and Security Council early in the week. The “failings” committed understand. by the Secretariat, and so by Mr. Annan who was charged with Virginie Raisson: Do you see any reason why we shouldn’t do peace keeping operations at the time, we read, “were rooted this? in our [UN] philosophy of neutrality and nonviolence wholly Françoise [Bouchet-] Saulnier: No, but the main point is that unsuited to the conflict in Bosnia.’’ Mr. Annan specified that this would be a joint undertaking so as to avoid the call this should not let other “more fundamental” errors be over- coming uniquely from people scarred for life by their experi- looked, such as the Security Council’s creation of “security ences over there. zones” without the military means to protect them, and the Christian Losson: Could you specify what this Group aims to international community’s decision to respond to Bosnia- achieve? Françoise Saulnier: First of all it is rejecting the Herzegovina “not by decisive military action,” but by “an policy of ‘fait accompli’ before any effort towards transpar- embargo on arms, with humanitarian aid and the deployment ency has been made. The Rwandan commission did end up of Blue Helmets.” This attitude, he considers, “stripped the concluding that Parliamentary control was needed over mili- Bosnians of their right to legitimate defence.” […] In a tary decisions and I think we can focus on this critical point country where the Serbians had decided to create ethnically for Srebrenica. cleansed zones and the international community did not use Marc Le Pape: But France didn’t have the United Nations com- force to oppose them, “humanitarian action could never have mand, so can the creation of an inquiry commission be been the answer.” Thus, he admits that to end the war in justified? Bosnia, the international community should have lifted the Karim [Laouabdia]: A BBC documentary clearly showed how arms embargo for Muslims and used aerial bombardments Srebrenica fell and pinpointed General Janvier’s responsibili- against the Serbians. […] “We were wrong to declare publicly ties (a Frenchman). What’s the chain of command in this set and often our refusal to bomb the Serbians and accept the up? Françoise Saulnier: We have to bear in mind that a French daily bombing of security zones by the Serbian forces.” As for soldier, even when under UN command, always keeps his the 150 Dutch Blue Helmets, who could not have opposed national reference points. This collusion is reinforced by a – “2,000 Serbians with armoured vehicles,” they should have two-pronged secrecy over defence – one at the French level, reported the atrocities they were witnessing much faster. the other at the UN’s. Philippe Biberson: Holding an inquiry on Srebrenica means bringing to light all the mechanisms that paradoxically claim to protect populations while actually diluting responsibility MSF appeal to establish the french and dispersing power. If we want to support this group, it seems to me primordial to ensure the call is valid, formulating responsibilities in the Srebrenica it properly so it doesn’t get dismissed. events Françoise [Bouchet-] Saulnier: We’re just asking a question... We’re writing a letter, we don’t need to provide proof...that will be Parliament’s job. We just need agreement from 25 or On 19 November 1999, MSF France’s Board of Directors 40 parliamentary figures to get the commission put together, decided to push for a parliamentary inquiry commission and we’ve already got some support... on France’s role during Srebrenica’s fall. Karim [Laouabdia]: It’s legitimate that we ask the question because we were in Srebrenica from start to finish. Bruno Corbé: You could even say that we were fooled by the enclaves set up. We were told, “Go ahead, we’re protecting them” and then they were massacred. Christian Losson: It’s a political gesture in the broad sense of the term, a logical follow up to steps taken for Rwanda, and 152 it’s about demanding explanations. on Srebrenica.on its callfor the creation of aParliamentary InquiryCommission Decision: To engage withthe Group of Citizens for Bosnia in need toreform United Nations peacekeeping operations. its NobelPeace Prizereception speech,emphasisingthe On 10December1999,MSFraised theSrebrenica events in doing it. naturally. Idon’tremembertherebeinglongdiscussionsabout proposed launching an appeal. It happened very quickly and Srebrenica. Therewasawholecontext aroundit.SoFrançoise Srebrenica demonstrate the coherent application of MSF’s The callsfor aninquirycommission onRwanda and today on Extract: by peacekeeping operations. the level of protection actuallyprovided topopulations its members therein. It was part of a drive to evaluate information mission on Rwanda and the hearings of one MSF’s callin1998for thecreation of aparliamentary commission onSrebrenica. This initiative was aligned with concerning thelatter’s callfor aparliamentaryinquiry internal context memototheassociation’s management On 20March 2000,MSF’s legaldirector presented an accountable for the decisions thatthey do ordo not vote for. Member Statesof the SecurityCouncil should beheld publicly must be areform of peacekeeping operations in the UN. the Secretary General overSrebrenica and Rwanda. There in the future, they must go beyond the If UN military operations are to protect civilian populations Extract: Nations Secretary General’s report came out on The mostimportantmomentwaswhentheUnited Fabien Dubuet,MSF France DeputyLegalAdvisor, Context memo,20March 2000(inFrench). and Fabien Dubuet, Legal Advisors for MSF France, the Srebrenica Enclave’s Fall,’ Françoise Saulnier An InquiryCommission onFrance’s RoleDuring December 1999(inEnglish). James Orbinski, MSF International President, 10 ‘MSF Nobel Peace PrizeAcceptance Speech,’ byDr 1995-2005, Interviewed in2015(inFrench). mea culpaexcuses of against humanity. […] French political and militaryfigures for complicity incrimes 2. Presenting the callasasteptowards ajudgment against criminal policies. military forces whose hands and feetare tied inthe face of sons tobelearned soastoavoid the future deployment of the positive points […] the commission must draw out les- Bernard Janvier crusade. Onthe contrary, weshould explain 1. Presenting the callfor aninquiryasanti-military, anti- Two pitfalls toavoid […] dice populations orindependent humanitarian action. […] that confusion between the different players does not preju and responsibilities of each partywouldseemessential so of amilitarypresence in conflicts, aclarification of the roles of humanitarian action […]Giventhe possiblereinforcement militaro-humanitarianism and/or a new wave of manipulation In summary, thismovement couldbeconsidered asareturn of the organisation asamiraclesolutionfor the world,afterthe had abandoned thesepeople. Ithinkthatevenifwedidn’t view it absolutelyappallingthattheUN (as a communityof nations,) cold warcontexts […] the Cold War era to crisis management strategies specific to the transition from aconfrontation strategy associated with 2) Anadaptation of the militarytooldesigned torespond to National Institute of War Research (NIOD) […] and the inquiry entrusted by the Dutch government to the Helmets deployed inSrebrenica published inNovember 1999 ii. In the Netherlands, the debriefing report on the Blue the NATO intervention inKosovo […] and the National Assembly defence commission’s report on i. InFrance the report onthe Rwandan information mission b. At national levels Rwandan genocide (tobeissuedinMarch) ii. The OAU [Organisation of African Unity] report onthe fall of Srebrenica […] i. United Nations reports onthe Rwandan genocide and the a. At international levels tarian interventions, which reflect specificpolicy objectives 1) Arelative transparency onmilitaryand militaro-humani- operations): cerning external operations (peacekeeping or imposition with a particular international and national context con- MSF’s callfor aninquiryisimportant becauseof itsinterface protection of thissecurity zone. time, ratified the international community’s lie regarding the of securitythispresence gavetothose living there atthe the fact thatourpresence inthe enclave and the impression after the fall of Srebrenica, some people in MSF denounced our fieldworkand speaking outpublicly. It bears noting that can offer topopulations (ornot), thereby betterpositioning policy onevaluating the levelof protection these operations several concernsregardingresponsibilities, andwefound The fall of Srebrenicahitus extremely hard.Therewere - 153 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

UN abandoned them, it was even worse. We wanted to put the MSF Briefing to the UN Security Council, by Dr spotlight on the chasm between a certain narrative that said James Orbinskly, President of MSF International the UN was going to sort everything out and what actually and Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF Legal Advi- happened. These commissions of inquiry, whether Srebrenica or sor, 12 April 2000 (in English). Rwanda, were our way of saying: “You didn’t deliver on your promises. Extract: The Security Council made clear that adequate security would Dr. Marc Gastellu-Etchegorry, MSF France Deputy require 34,000 troops to effectively deter attacks on the safe Director of Operations, 1992-1997, Interviewed in 2015 areas. Instead, the Security Council authorized only a light (in French) option of 7,600 troops for Bosnia. In the end, the fall of Srebrenica and the massacres of civilians resulted. […] In the case of Srebrenica, the fate of civilians was effectively sealed with the decision to deploy a light option of some 7,000 France had a special role in the UN machine [with its troops. […] In each of these cases, the hazard lies at the permanent seat on the Security Council], but the coun- decision-making level where states can act at the same time try’s role in creating the security zone and the promise of protec- on behalf of their own national interests and in the name of tion that had been given was even bigger. France constantly the international community interests without any possi- raised these issues at the Security Council. General Morillon was bility of clarifying or distinguishing the two. The lesson on the ground; UNPROFOR was commanded by a French general learned shows that the right solution was available in a and the DPKO by another. So we were aware that France had timely manner within the UN structure. The question remains special responsibilities. And, at that time, there was extensive about the ability of the Security Council to commit to results re-organisation of the military in Europe, within NATO, and a and not simply to good intentions. shift towards external peacekeeping operations. So the context and the way things were going made us think that this was something that needed to be done.

Fabien Dubuet, MSF France Deputy Legal Advisor, During a press conference on 13 July 2000 and in an 1995-2005, Interviewed in 2015 (in French). opinion piece by its president in French daily newspaper Le Monde, MSF France launched a public appeal calling for the setting up of a French parliamentary inquiry into the events in Srebrenica. In addition to the appeal, a kit We had had experience with France’s parliamentary distributed to the press included extracts from the UN inquiry into Rwanda. So we had some confidence in our report, the logbook of the MSF team present in Srebrenica ability to participate in this kind of process, to contribute to it during the events, witness statements taken from survi- and challenge it. Well, the word confidence might be putting it vors in Tuzla, and MSF’s call for reform of peacekeeping bit strongly! But we didn’t feel it was insurmountable. We’d operations made during the December 1999 Nobel Peace already had experience with it, so it wasn’t totally weird and it Prize ceremony. wasn’t outside our comfort zone.

Dr. Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France President, 2000-2007, Interviewed in 2015 (in French). ‘Call for a Commission of Inquiry on Srebrenica!’ Jean-Hervé Bradol, President of MSF France, Le Monde (France), 13 July 2000 (in French) / ‘Mé- decins sans Frontières Calls for the Creation of a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into France’s On 12 April 2000 MSF testified at the Security Council for Responsibility in the Fall of Srebrenica,’ Press the first report on the protection of populations in con- release issued by MSF France, 13 July 2000 (in flict situations by the UN Secretary-General. Drawing on, French). among others, the example of the events in Srebrenica, the organisation challenged the UN’s decision-making Extract: processes, which had led to the abandoning of Srebrenica Five years on, the Srebrenica massacre remains a dark moment and other places and leaving people without protection. in European history. Today, MSF is requesting the establishment of a parliamentary investigation to shed light on France’s role in this tragedy. On 11 July 1995, Srebrenica fell to the Bosnian Serb forces. The Dutch UN contingent stationed in the area failed to defend the population gathered together in the so-called ‘safe area.’ The fall of Srebrenica resulted in the deportation of 40,000 people and the killing of some 7,000 others. 154 iniquitous policies. not deceptively deployed withtheir hands tied inthe face of lessons from the past so that in the future, the military are the workof thisparliamentary inquirywillenable ustolearn of the systems thatpurporttoprotect victims. We hope that greater transparency isrequired regarding the effectiveness peacekeeping operations, inwhich France playsakey role, paralysis overSrebrenica. Giventhe visibleintensification of been carried outfor Rwanda and Kosovo, there hasbeen parliamentary oversight of militaryoperations hasalready Institute for War Documentation (NIOD). InFrance, although government has ordered an investigation by the National Srebrenica waspublished inNovember 1999and the Dutch debriefing report onthe UNpeacekeepers deployed in national inquiryinto the events. Inthe Netherlands, the itly request thateachmember stateinvolved, conduct a clusions of the UNreport onthe Srebrenica massacre explic- requests for air strikes from the Dutch contingent. The con sibility for the paralysis of the UNand NATO inresponse to of inquirytoestablishFrance’s political and militaryrespon- we are calling for the creation of aparliamentary commission France playedamajor decision-making role. Forthisreason, never beenseensince. Incommand of UNPROFORatthe time, the patients, were alsomade toget off the busand have At leastthree Bosnian nurses from MSF, who were escorting buses and killedbySerbian forces. the Bosnian Serbs‘under Dutchescort,’ then forced off the under MSF’s care were atfirst‘evacuated’ from the enclave by UNPROFOR battalion. Several dozen wounded and sick people destinations. They alsowitnessed the inertia of the Dutch the women, and asgroups inconvoysdeparted tounknown the sick and the wounded, asthe men were separated from watch asthe population wasseparated into groups, including However, the MSF teamcouldonlystand bypowerlessand maintain the illusion of international protection inthe area. continuous presence of MSF among these peoplehelped from the threat posed by the Bosnian Serbian forces. The the population remained inthe enclave rather thanfleeing not beabandoned. This‘guarantee’ wasamong the reasons peacekeepers. The population hadbeenassured thatitwould besieged population, officially under the protection of the UN organisation provided medical and logistical supporttothe 1993, at the same time as General Morillon. For two years, the Médecins Sans Frontières entered the Srebrenica enclave in sion, butthe likelihood of success “iszero,” acknowledged Assembly to create aparliamentary investigation commis - humanitarian organisation isasking the French National leaders of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) onThursday. The 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: 15 July2000(inFrench). Inquiry into Srebrenica,’ Agence France Presse, ‘MSF Condemns the Blocking inFrance of Any - sised Jean-Hervé Bradol. their hands tied inthe face of iniquitouspolicies,” empha- in the future, the militaryare not deceptively deployed with investigation willhelp uslearnlessons from the pastsothat ters,” she explained. “We hope thatthe parliamentary liament hasthe abilitytoconduct aninquiryinto these mat- strikes are kept inthe national archives. InFrance, onlypar- its member states. Any traces of telegrams orrequests for air doesn’t keep archives onanything thatcouldbedamaging to France,” bemoans Françoise Saulnier. “The United Nations Nations haspublished areport. Yet nothing hasbeendone in “An investigation isunderway inthe Netherlands. The United What arguments were putforward?” asksDrBradol. commented. […]“Who toldJanvier not togivethe order? responsibilities has never been completely examined,” he of the situation isknown, butthe series of abdications of Srebrenica, declared a‘safearea’ by the UN.[…] “The gravity MSF’s approach. At the time, the organisation had ateam in asking for accountability,” he explained as justification for President Chirac,” emphasisedJean-Hervé Bradol. “We are 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. she “The MPswecontacted toldus itwasavery sensitive matter,” Bradol. “There’s a lot of political resistance,” she explained. press conference with the President of MSF, Dr Jean-Hervé Françoise Saulnier, Head of MSF’s LegalDepartment, ata MSF’s leaders criticise it for being written interms thatare Kofi Annan’s report left many questions unanswered, and protecting civilians in conflict situations.” army did not “assess the efficiency of their actions interms of lamenting the fact that after this drama the state and the and loss,” said Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, a lawyer at MSF, tims of Srebrenica havebeenoverlooked infavour of profit said MSF. “We are appalledbythe levitywithwhich the vic- international community inJuly1995are brought tolight, resignations, and decisions thatledtopassivity from the keeping operations, itisimperative thatthe dysfunctions, and with France intending toplayaleading role inpeace- protect civilian populations, aswas the caseinSrebrenica,” situations inwhich nation statesand the UNare claiming to report into thistragedy. With“an increase inthe number of 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: Le Monde(France), 13July2000(inFrench). brenica Seems Possible, According toMrQuilès,’ ‘A Parliamentary Inquiryinto the Events atSre- - 155 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

too “diplomatic.” Incidentally, the UN Secretary General had to us, since this issue of ‘humanitarian safe areas’ had already invited the nation states themselves to work on bringing come up in Rwanda with Kibeho. these dysfunctions to light. In 1995, the UN force in Bosnia (UNPROFOR) was commanded by a Frenchman, General Dr Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France President, Bernard Janvier, which is the reason why France has since 2000-2007, Interviewed in 2015 (in French). been the target of “rumours” imputing it for the refusal to deploy NATO air power against Serbian forces to halt their offensive in Srebrenica. Albeit rejected at state level, these insinuations have never been the subject of systematic public The call for the creation of a parliamentary commission denial. of inquiry is not a political or militant act. It’s a decision that is solely and intimately linked to our reflections on our The idea of a parliamentary investigation similar to that held operational responsibility. It is directly related to what MSF by the French National Assembly into France’s 1994 role in experienced as a humanitarian actor in ex-Yugoslavia. I believe Rwanda has never found favour, despite the efforts in recent that we are accountable, as a humanitarian organisation, to years of various organisations. “The message we’re hearing understand how our own responsibility is interconnected with from members of parliament we contacted is that this is a the responsibilities of the other actors involved in the situation. delicate matter,” said Françoise Boucher-Saulnier on The purpose is not to condemn, but rather to understand how Thursday. In November 1999, after publication of Kofi Annan’s humanitarian and military responsibilities became intertwined, report, Pierre Brana, socialist Member of Parliament and leading to this massacre, and also based on what rationales and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National failings. In what ways did the UN military system for protecting Assembly, tried to mobilise parliament. He drew up a motion safe areas succeed and in what ways did it fail? What should for a resolution requesting the establishment of a commis- we have understood about the international military system sion of inquiry and tried to have it endorsed by the socialist and what should we or could we have done differently in terms group in the Assembly. It was blocked at this stage by of our own operations and communications? socialist members. 1993-94 marks the beginning of the so-called international Paul Quilès, Chairman of the Assembly’s Defence Committee, military-humanitarian operations and of UN mandates to and previous Chair the Inquiry Commission on Rwanda, is protect civilian populations. And for 10 years now, regarding now saying, however, that when parliament resumes he is Srebrenica, we still don’t know what actually happened along “ready to discuss” the possibility of organising a similar the different international chains of command: UN, NATO, investigation on Srebrenica. “But on condition that we make France, Netherlands, contact groups, etc. It was not until 2002, no mistake about what we are looking for,” he said. He after nearly 10 years of efforts, that we were able to obtain an reproaches MSF for expressing certain accusatory prejudices, inquiry into the system. During all of that time, it was impos- and takes issue with the tendency to blame France purely for sible to clearly delineate the responsibilities of the UN soldiers, releasing troops for UN peacekeeping operations. Mr Quilès, those of the national contingents, or our own responsibilities who incidentally, chairs a focus group on UN reform, recog- as a humanitarian organisation. nises that a detailed examination of the way in which the international community reacted to the events of Srebrenica We find ourselves in this completely nonsensical political and would indeed be useful: “I’m not against it, but if we do it legal situation that started off with a denial of the number of there will be no preconditions,” he said. deaths, after which everybody provided technical explanations that didn’t hold water, that placed the blame on others and that were contradictory, under the notion that nobody would be capable of lining up all the facts. The UN speaks with the UN, We wanted to understand how, in an area that was the Dutch with the Dutch, the French with the French, the Brits internationally protected, and that France, to a large with the Brits, and it all ends with “7,000 deaths! Are you sure? extent, was involved in protecting, the massacre of the popula- Really? I didn’t know that I was supposed to… Someone used tion, our colleagues, and our patients, was allowed to happen. the wrong form, the fax machine was down, I did everything I There was also a second motive among some at MSF, which I could but the others didn’t…” In short, everyone supports the did not share simply because I wasn’t involved at the time the theory of a major historical misunderstanding, using technical enclave fell. But, people who were involved, such as Pierre, arguments and affirmations of political good faith. But at the Françoise, and others, wanted to make sure the politicians and end of the day, 7,000 people are dead, ‘protected’ by UN forces, members of the military were brought to testify (and this was and nobody knows why it happened! implicit throughout the undertaking), and to admit that a cynical deal had been struck to abandon the enclaves, and that no Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF Legal Advisor, efforts were ever made to rescue the population. And so, if my Interviewed in 2015 (in French). memory serves me, there was a dual agenda: a fairly straightforward agenda demanding accountability because we had lost members of our team, and a second agenda focusing on the abandonment of the population. This political dimension, “they We distanced ourselves from other organisations and indi- 156 abandoned the population to strike a deal,” seemed legitimate viduals using an accusatory angle aimed at finding the democratic oversight. French democracy has never had a tradi challenge thegovernment,rather thanjustasemblanceof wanted areal inquiry, with members of parliament willing to our demandwasaboveall, wayof making itclearthatwe situations, thisdoesnotextend toUNinternational interven French parliament doesoverseetheuseof themilitaryin conflict tion of parliamentary oversight of external operations. While the “Members of Parliament appoint their rapporteurs, not NGOs.” President of the Defence Commission, Paul Quilès, said, both ‘judge and jury’(LeMonde,12and 13November), criticising the appointment of MrLéotard, who they view as […] After Médecins Sans Frontières issued apress release ten members who willrepresent allthe Assembly’s parties. Friendship Group. The various political groups willappoint the Lamy (PS), Vice-President of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Minister of Defence from March 1993toMay 1995,and François parliament and tworapporteurs, François Léotard (UDF), Srebrenica (Bosnia). The Commission includes tenmembers of Commission toinvestigate the events of July1995in decided onWednesday 15November tosetupaFact-Finding The National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee events inSrebrenica. Fact-Finding Commission to investigate the July 1995 Affairs and Defence committee atlastdecidedtosetupa on 15November 2000,theNational Assembly’s Foreign made itsrequestpublicthatsomethinghasbeendone. tary initiativeonSrebrenica.ItisbecauseMSFasked for oneand by members of parliament. And there was certainly no parliamen been areportonKosovo, butwithnoinvestigationwhatsoever Elysée Palace andtheMinistryof Defencetoswallow. Therehad for the5thRepublic, alargemouthfulfor theQuaid’Orsay, the practically zeroinFrance. TheRwandaexercise wasrevolutionary At thetime, parliamentarycontroloverexternal operationswas plined. That’s whywedidn’tpartnerupwiththoseorganisations. culprits, sothatthoseaccountablecouldbepunishedanddisci Extract: Critical supporttotheFrench we hadn’tmanagedtogetonein1998for Rwanda. But I knew we wouldn’t get a Commission of inquiry, because parliamentary fact-finding Fabien Dubuet,MSF France DeputyLegalAdvisor, (in French). Massacres,’ ‘A Fact-Finding Commission on the Srebrenica 1995-2005, Interviewed in2015(inFrench). Le Monde(France), 17November 2000 mission - - - - Fortunately, westucktogether. cunning way to opposeMSF’s ‘political’ and ‘legal’ teams. than due process and the law. It was an obviously populist and as hesaidthataman’s wordandhonourarebetterguarantees international militaryoperations. Healsotriedtodriveusapart way, countrieswould nolongerbewillingtoparticipatein a member of parliament who told me that, if we went on that sionalism thatwereatstake. Irememberthethreatsmadeby own agendas. Itwasourcredibilityandhumanitarianprofes - 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’twant arepeat short, themessagewas:“Francedoesnotneedtofeelshame its findings, whichhadconcludedwithapressconference. In Inquiry CommissiononRwandabutmadenocriticalreviewof In 1998,MSFsucceededinobtainingthesettingupof an not letourselvesbemanipulatedbyFrance’s politicalagendas. line with MSF’s, but it was crucial that we keep our distance and parliamentary oversightof external operationswaspartiallyin Quilès presidedoverathink-tankonUNreform. Hisconcernfor tions. Backthen;Memberof parliamentandformer MinisterPaul in real-time and have a major role in monitoring them. in real-timeandhaveamajorrolemonitoringthem. commission, whichenabledus, MSF, toattendtheproceedings beyond politics. Well, intheend,whatwegotwasafact finding scale massacrerightattheheartof Europe–that wentway the politicsbutthatwewantedanswerstofacts –alarge- pressed for it anyway, to show that we weren’t concerned with governing incoalition.Soitwouldhavebeenpointless. ButI particularly atatimewhentwoopposingpoliticalpartieswere tions thatinvolvedthearmy, thegovernment,andPresident, ment norparliamentreallywantedtochallengeexternal opera Commission neveractuallyhadaccessto.Butneitherthegovern and transmissionof documents–whichthe Fact-Finding members of parliamentcouldhaveorderedthedeclassification and theexecutive. Ifacommissionof inquiryhadbeenchosen, Assembly, it’s aquasi-legalprocessthatconfrontsparliament inquiry andpeopletestifyunderoath.InternaltotheNational Everything happensbehindcloseddoorsduringacommissionof spite of everything,hadbeenaccomplished. I consideredthatthelevelat which weweretointervene, in scope andreducedpowers, Ididn’tconsideritdecisivebecause Inquiry to a fact-finding commission, with its much weaker legal criticised the downgrading of our demand for a Commission of of theRwandaFact-FindingCommission,whilesome people Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982-1994, MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, this kind of inflation to be a useless exercise. In the case Commission of inquiry… fact-finding commission. I find Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF LegalAdvisor, interviewed in 2000and 2015(inFrench). Interviewed in2015(inFrench). - - 157 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

The same day, MSF France publicly called for the President Message from the Deputy Legal Adviser to the of France and the government to facilitate the members President and Communication Department of MSF of parliament’s investigation into the fall of Srebrenica France, December 2000 (in French). by affording them access to documents and interviewing all those involved, in order to shed light on the respon- Extract: sibilities. The organisation also called for the results of MSF and the Commission: the investigation to be published. We have three working meetings next week; media coverage of Srebrenica will begin with the start of the hearings. The major newspapers have all appointed someone to follow the work of the commission. […] ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Calls on the President and the Government to Facilitate Members’ of The challenge for next week is for us to find somewhere to Parliament Investigation into the Fall of Sre- make our voice heard, so that we can 1) immediately and brenica,’ MSF France Press release, 15 November publicly reposition MSF as a keen eye keeping a close watch 2000 (in French). on the work of Parliament and 2) publicly submit precise questions to which we want precise answers and in the light Extract: of which we will assess the work done. The risk of the com- Médecins Sans Frontières welcomes today’s decision by the mission is that the MPs use Srebrenica to promote a certain Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee to set up a parliamen- number of political objectives (however worthy) such as UN tary inquiry commission into the Srebrenica tragedy. The mis- reform or parliamentary oversight of foreign operations and sion has been extended to include ten members of parliament. that they fail to address or only partially answer outstanding MSF has until now contested the decision to entrust to questions about Srebrenica. We will therefore have to orga- François Leotard, former Minister of Defence during the nise the media push: When do we start?, Who will be doing Bosnian emergency, and another member of parliament, the it? And what will we say? drafting of a simple information report. In the light of today’s decision, MSF no longer has issue with the participation of Monitoring of the work of the commission: alongside François Léotard in a fact-finding commission that is now to Françoise, we have two interns at our disposal with back- include ten members of parliament. MSF will, however, remain grounds in political science and law. They already have field vigilant regarding the final choice of these members. The and lobbying experience and we know them personally. […] decision to set up a fact-finding commission rather than a They will be working for us one or two days a week. We will commission of inquiry limits the members of parliament’s ask them: 1) to follow and produce transcripts of the hear- investigative capacities and their investigation is contingent ings, which could be transferred to our website (to be dis- on the goodwill of the executive. This is why MSF is calling on cussed together); 2) to work on technical questions which the president and the government to facilitate as far as pos- could arise during the parliamentary work and to which we sible the commission’s task, by enabling them to: may need to react; 3) to select the MSF documents that could - Access all documents relative to their investigation, be sent to the commission. The idea is that these interns will including those classified as national defence and foreign enable us all to remain calm and focused on the ‘political’ affairs secret information. control of the lobbying and public speaking by MSF, while - Interview all those involved and all relevant witnesses to acquiring solid knowledge of the technical aspects. shed light on France’s political and military responsibilities. - Publish their findings and working documents. MSF hearing: According to our friendly sources, what is important is that our hearing will enable the most active and transparent MPs to oblige the commission to get to the bottom of things or point it in the right direction. In concrete terms, during our The MSF France team, led by the deputy legal director hearing, we must ask the questions we believe the commis- put together a critical review of the fact-finding commission has to answer, and subtly and indirectly mention the sion’s investigations. The aim was to provide members of names of those who could be called before the hearings [...] parliament with relevant information that would allow Position of the UN Secretary General In New York: Catherine them to ask the questions that need to be answered to Harper [MSF liaison with the UN in New York] tried to obtain shed light on the events in Srebrenica. Reports and all a meeting with Kofi [Annan, UN Secretary General]’s office information and elements of analysis were made avail- and with that of Guéhenno [the new Deputy Secretary General able on a dedicated website to help in the formulation in charge of peacekeeping operations]. The idea is to present of the questions whose answers could help to elucidate the basis of our approach and ask the UN SG [Secretary where responsibilities lie. General] to facilitate the work of the French MPs. Polite refusal by Guéhenno and a very diplomatic reply from Kofi’s office: ‘we have nothing more to add to the content of the UN report on Srebrenica; we have no opinion concerning the procedure under way in France; the NGOs are better placed than 158 the UN SG to try to hold the member states accountable.’ government. government. have servednopurposeagain…otherthantocleartheFrench throughout theentirecommissionprocess. Otherwise, itwould to get involved in monitoring the process and mobilising the press was disappointing.Sofor theSrebrenicaCommission,MSFhad we trustedthemandletthingstake theircourseandtheresult being abletochallengeanything.WiththeRwandaCommission, come telltheirstoryfor anhour-and-a-half,withoutanyone Commission frombeingusedasjustaplatform for witnessesto work on.Apublicmirrorwasneededtohelppreventthe deputies veryreceptivetoMSF’s efforts tospurthecommission’s what really happened in Srebrenica. I found the journalists and collective effort togetfromgeneralitiesprecisefacts about cies verywell,butfor aneasternBosnianenclave…it tooka The deputiesknowthelifeof theirregionsandconstituen should answer. series of questionsitfeltessentialthatthecommission commission on Srebrenica began its work; MSF issued a On 14December2000,astheparliamentaryfact-finding clearer picture. promise to protect them. They too were determined to get a reasons for the fall of the enclaves and the failure to keep the horrors and had the same questions and doubts about the been warcorrespondentspostedinBosnia.Theyhadseenthe very quicklyturnintoalong,hazymonologue. questioning someoneaboutgeneralities, andahearingcould next witnesseswouldthenhavetobeasked. Itwasof nouse had said,andfine-tunethecontent of thequestions thatthe said, whether it confirmedor contradictedwhatotherwitnesses From that we could analyse, from week to week, what had been involved. Inaway, MSFwastakingtheminutesfor thesessions. witnesses andtheeffectivenessof thequestionsbydeputies person who appeared, and get an idea of the quality of the could readwhatwassaid,thequestionsandresponsesof each special website we’d created, by the next morning. So everyone entire session inreal time. Everything was put online, on the and mydeputy.We transcribedthedebatesfrom I wenttoallof thesessions, alongwiththetwointerns process. Manyof thosewhocoveredthecommissionhad The journalistsliked MSF, becausetheyunderstoodour Fabien Dubuet,MSF France DeputyLegalAdvisor, Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF LegalAdvisor, 1995-2005, Interviewed in2015(inFrench). Interviewed in2015(inFrench). - tected Srebrenica enclave…? negotiated toprotect orsafelyevacuate residents of the pro - - At each stage and in all scenarios, what guarantees were Group? initiative taken in concert with other members of the Contact exchange for adefinitive halttoairstrikes? Ifso,wasthe United Nations, the release of UNpeacekeeper hostages in - InJune 1995,did France negotiate, aspartof oroutside the (United States, Russia, Great Britainand Germany)? taken inconcert withother members of the Contact Group Serbian offensive against Srebrenica? Ifso, was the initiative mand, todelay orminimiseNATO airstrikes during the - Did France try, aspartof oroutside the UNchainof com- • • • 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 was getting ready toleaveSrebrenica? Ifso,why wasn’tthat - Was France aware of the fact thatthe Bosnian-Serb army tragedy: the political and militarydysfunctions thatledtothis get answers to several important questions, to shed light on ings today, Médecins Sans Frontières hopes thatthe deputies fact-finding commission onSrebrenica begins itsfirst hear- MSF’s localstaffwere alsoexecuted. As the parliamentary were executed by Serbian forces. Twenty-two members of Several dozen of the wounded and sick being treated byMSF 40,000 peopleand the execution of some 7,000others. Serb forces. The fall of Srebrenica ledtothe deportation of On 11July1995,Srebrenica fellinto the hands of Bosnian [...] ‘’We are horrified bythe off-hand way inwhich the vic- airstrikes onBosnian Serbtroops asthey moved onSrebrenica. begin hearings onwhether, ifonlyindirectly, France blocked nization DoctorsWithout Borders, the French Parliament will This week,aftermore thantwoyearsof lobbying bythe orga- Extract: 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 hadbeenlaunched onseveral occasions in1994 them? stood the physical riskthatsuch anaction wouldmean for requested them multiple times, eventhough they under- The battalion of Dutchpeacekeepers inSrebrenica had There were no legalobstaclestousing force? Press release,14December2000(inFrench). Answer Several Important Questions,’ MSF France tary Fact-Finding Commission onSrebrenica to ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Expectsthe Parliamen- 2000 (inEnglish). Simons, ‘France toInvestigate itsSrebrenica Role,’ Marlise The New York Times(USA), 11December 159 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

tims of Srebrenica have been dismissed,’’ said Francoise you say from now on may be used against you.’ And indeed, over Saulnier, Legal Director of the doctors’ organization. ‘’The the course of all the ‘inquiries’ and interviews, the main inter- failure of the peacekeepers has to be properly clarified, and national protagonists justify their position by offering explana- the government and the military must be accountable to our tions and information that will gradually be denied by others democratic institutions.’’ She noted that it had taken years to and sometimes by themselves. So we knew the arguments used get this week started. ‘’We were told all the time that the by the United Nations to defend itself. Then, the United Nations issue was very sensitive,’’ she said. [...] and the French accused the Dutch Blue Helmets, and they in turn defended themselves. So it is our legitimacy in the field that has Doctors Without Borders, which was created by the French but allowed us to continue to ask questions and gain access to this is now an international group, has a special stake in the information. It is because we had a copy of certain UN commu- inquiry. The group went to work in Srebrenica in 1993, soon nications that we have been able to show that such documents after it was declared a United Nations safe area following a existed. When we had a fax that was an ‘incoming’ one it meant visit by another French general, Philippe Morillon, who bowed there was a ‘return’ fax somewhere, and vice versa. This is what to demands from the Muslim inhabitants to save them from allowed us to submit documents and questions to the inquiry besieging Serbian forces. The doctors’ group cared for refu- commission, so that it could ask for certain clearly identified gees and war wounded in Srebrenica for two years. After the documents to be declassified. But, it did not get access to them. fall of the town, the group said, several dozen sick or wounded people under its care were at first evacuated under escort of Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF Legal Advisor, the Dutch peacekeepers, then forced off buses and killed. Interviewed in 2015 (in French). Twenty-two people who worked for the doctors were presum- ably killed. The bodies of only two have been found. The medical group and others supporting the inquiry say they want answers to a number of questions and assertions raised in On 29 March 2001, Christina Schmitz and Daniel O’Brien, newspapers and film documentaries outside France about the two MSF volunteers present in Srebrenica when the meetings that General Janvier held in the late spring and early city fell, testified before the French Parliamentary Fact- summer of 1995 with the Bosnian Serb Commander Gen. Ratko Finding Commission. It was decided that they would focus Mladic, who has been indicted for war crimes, and about sug- on narrating what they saw on the ground, while the gestions that President Jacques Chirac of France ordered analysis would be provided at the upcoming testimony General Janvier to hold off on airstrikes. [...] Members of the of the programme coordinator. medical group insist that they are not on any kind of crusade against the French military or General Janvier. ‘’We need to Furthermore, none of the MPs paid attention to the testi- learn the lessons from this bloody failure so that in future the mony of the two volunteers regarding the presence in the military are not sent out to protect people with their hands enclave, on the day of the NATO air attack, of an advance tied,’’ said Dr. Jean-Herve Bradol, the Director of the group. team of NATO military air controllers. Yet this piece of information contradicted the official justification given by the French authorities for the lack of timely air strikes, according to which, the absence of such a team prevented Throughout the years following the fall of Srebrenica, the continuation of the air strikes. V29 we have asked ourselves constantly why things turned out as they did. There was an enquiry in the Netherlands on the operation of the Dutch battalion in Srebrenica, at which MSF gave evidence. There was also a United Nations investigation. ‘ Testimony of Christina Schmitz and Daniel Journalists from various countries had also published the results O’Brien,’ MSF Volunteers in Srebrenica, Before the of their own investigations. I was also in contact with the French Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission on investigators at the ICTY, since MSF had sent the Tribunal the Events in Srebrenica, 29 March 2001 (in list of the wounded, patients, and staff who had disappeared. English). From time to time they would contact us, to tell us they had identified corpses who matched our wounded or our staff. When Extract: you work diligently over time, you compare pieces of informa- F. Loncle: […] Since you stated several times that the attack tion and find that some elements confirm and some contradict and massacres were foreseeable, why then didn’t MSF evac- each other. Some people among the victims, but also people in uate or attempt to evacuate its Bosnian staff? the United Nations, and others sent us information or docu- C. Schmitz: That is, first and foremost, a question for every- ments because they trusted MSF. That’s how we obtained copies body here today. Were these massacres foreseeable? Did any- of internal United Nations documents. body know about them? Did you know that this was happening? We didn’t know at the time, even though, looking Amongst others, there were messages exchanged between back, it may have seemed foreseeable. As to why we didn’t UNPROFOR command in the former Yugoslavia and the United evacuate our local staff, we wanted to remain with the popu- Nations in New York. Each time, we gained a better understand- lation, despite the events unfolding. Had we evacuated our ing of the context and saw that it’s monotonous but persistent local and international staff prior to or during the fall of the 160 work. Prosecutors often state the well-known warning ‘anything enclave, who would have stayed with the population at that even today, westill don’t know. […] population of Srebrenica: Who wasresponsible? Because ask the same question and it is the same one asked by the this person, it was that country, it was this nationality.” We able and for what. It is not the role of NGOs to say: “It was international community to tell us, who wasactually account- reason weare here today. We wouldlike you totellus, for the we havebeenasking ourselvesand that’sultimately the C. Schmitz:[…]The question youare asking isthe same one nity’ isnot specificenough. tragic case. IfImay, the expression ‘international commu- ties thatyouwishtoevoke, with greater precision, inthis countries, soldiers, civilians, political leaders, responsibili - please go further, regarding the responsibilities, people, more specific, and youhavebeen,toacertain extent, but tional community.” […]Formy part,Iwouldaskyoutobe you initially referred toas“the responsibility of the interna- ings. Your conclusion, however, isatoughindictment of what the issueswehavebeenstruggling withthroughout the hear- during your narrative on this particular point. This is one of ficult toconfirm anything, althoughto youhaveattempted foreseeable vs. unforeseeable nature of the situation. It’s dif- F. Loncle: […]Your responses denote the entire issueof the naïve, butthe locals, they knew. […] happen. Sadly, such wasnot the case. Inhindsight, wewere humanity wasstrong enough tobelieve thatitsimplycouldn’t fears expressed by the local population. I suppose my faith in executed. No, Icouldn’tbelieve itatthe time, despite the who livedtogether, wouldbeseparated from the others and know what’s going on. I couldn’t imagine that these people, know, who are surrounded byUNsoldiers, the world[doesn’t] that when youhavethousands of people, individuals who and, personally, Icouldn’tconceive, and Istillcan’tconceive, times like that,youneed todecide for yourselfwhattothink that. Sospecificconcerns were emerging around us. Butat rated and thatthey were being killed. There isno doubt about spoke withus. People knew thatthe men were being sepa- regarding thismatter becausethe localpopulation and staff D. O’Brien: […]Ibelieve there were certainlyconcerns happened didn’t come until later, verygradually. […] we arrivedinZagreb. The awareness thatsomething bad had breadth of the events occurring, nor were we on 22 Julywhen much engaged. So,Imust saythatwewere 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’tasthough 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 We had a vague notion that the men had been within UNPROFORregarding theairstrikes. General MladicandUNPROFORaswell asdisagreements the existence of anon-intervention agreement between documents onitsSrebrenica sitethatpurportedlyproved On 26April2001,MSFpublishedtwo confidential contradictions intheexisting information. timony raising specific questions andhighlightingthe former Yugoslavia atthe timeof theevents, gave tes- Programme Manager, incharge of programmes inthe On 17May2001,Pierre Salignon, MSFFrance Deputy 7,000 people, mostly men, disappeared. sive deportation of the Muslim population and approximately but itwastoolate. The Bosnian Serbsthen carried outamas - force. Two strikes were launched onthe afternoon of July11, between General Janvier and General Smithonthe useof air avoided.” General Nicolai emphasised the disagreement Serbian offensive inBosnia, this tragedy might have been port hadbeenimplemented quickly, asof the first day of the The twoDutchofficers maintained that“if massive airsup- gating the disappearance of 7,000 people from Srebrenica. French National Assembly’s Fact-Finding Commission investi- in Srebrenica, when they testified last Thursday before the Karremans, Commander of the DutchBlue Helmets deployed Nicolai, the DutchUNPROFORChief inBosnia, and Thom French General Janvier waschallenged byGeneral Cees (UNPROFOR), and Mr. Akashi confirmed the issues on which General Rupert Smith, Commander of the UN forces in Bosnia 1995 report from ameeting betweenGeneral Janvier, British A second confidential document revealed by MSF, a9June express request.” 11 days after ittookplaceand onlyafter“the Secretariat’s did not notify the Secretary-General aboutthismeeting until Srebrenica offensive. The UN fax stated that General Janvier 26 people, were onlyfreed onJune 18,before the July11 they were freeing insmall groups. The lasthostages, atleast 1 June, the Bosnian Serbs had taken 377 UN hostages, whom hostages tothe non-use of airforce against the Serbians.” On Mladic had prepared an agreement that tied the freeing of the Annan. The fax “confirms the information stating that General the Chief of Peacekeeping Operations atthattime, Kofi fidential fax betweenUNSpecial Envoy Yasushi Akashi and 1995. Thismeeting wasthe subjectof aJune 15,1995con- meeting withBosnian SerbGeneral Ratko Mladic onJune 4, office isin Paris, General Janvier’s basedhis report onhisfirst According tothe humanitarian organisation, whose main Extract: Presse, 26April2001(inFrench). Challenging General Janvier,’ Agence France ‘Srebrenica: MSF Publishes Confidential Documents V30 161 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Testimony Presented by [Pierre Salignon] MSF Another question, with Srebrenica having fallen, in military During the French Parliamentary Fact-Finding terms, how was it that, afterwards, “the UN leadership, then Commission Hearings on the Srebrenica Tragedy, in the hands of two French generals, General Janvier in Zagreb 16 May 2001 (in French). and General Gobillard in Sarajevo, did not appear to have a concrete action plan to protect the civilian population?” Extract: Salignon also asked whether “the interest in facilitating the Conclusion: In order to reply to your questions I feel it impor- peace negotiations among Serbians, Muslims, and Croats con- tant to underline my convictions once again on the tragedy tributed to a decision, by the Contact Group, to abandon the of Srebrenica. The fall as well as the massacres of Srebrenica, Srebrenica and Zepa enclaves.” He offered his own answer. were foreseeable. The promise of protection made to the “The facts are there. They show that the disappearance of the inhabitants of Srebrenica was not kept and the lack of polit- two enclaves indeed facilitated the signing of the Dayton ical will to defend them contributed to leading them to the Peace Accords” two months later. […] One may well chal- massacre. They were abandoned. This is why all possible light lenge that answer, along with some of his analyses, his indis- should be shed on French responsibility in this tragedy. criminate accusations of “cynicism” on the part of western governments, or his criticism of “the” policy of France, deliberately overlooking the fact that there were two, radically opposed policies, Mitterrand’s and Chirac’s. The offhand ‘Deputies’ Timid Inquiry into Srebrenica,’ Claire manner with which he referred to the earlier abuses com- Tréan, Le Monde (France), 20 May 2001 (in mitted in the region’s Serbian villages by Srebrenica’s Bosnian French). forces led by Nasser Oric, was also unjustified. But, while many of the points in MSF’s assertions may be questionable, Extract: the organisation at least raises questions, seeks documents, Hasn’t everything already been said in multiple settings, par- and needles the deputies, who are little concerned with accu- ticularly before the French deputies who have been taking racy. Thursday’s hearing was a signal, if it goes no further, the weekly testimony since autumn from witnesses, and political French Parliament’s commission on Srebrenica will have been and military leaders from that period? “No,” says Médecins a waste of time. Sans Frontières, which was behind the creation of this parliamentary fact-finding commission and which strongly emphasised its expectations for the process when Pierre Salignon, MSF France Deputy Programme Manager, in charge of pro- The Le Monde reporter said that my testimony was grammes in the former Yugoslavia in 1995, testified on unbalanced in terms of the Bosnian resistance. I reread Thursday 17 May. He had visited Srebrenica several times it recently and I would not change my point of view. The balance before July 1995 and tried to obtain access to the enclaves of power was not equal. It’s time to stop thinking that resis- from Bosnian Serb authorities in Pale for MSF’s new teams. On tance existed within the enclave. It did not. The Blue Helmets Thursday, he asserted, contrary to most of the individuals arrived, they stabilised a piece of territory, and that’s it. In these who testified previously, that “the killings were foreseeable.” cases, you evacuate, you organise, you don’t stabilise. But at In June, “the volunteers in the field knew that there would be the time, the warring parties were incapable of doing so. It was an attack on the enclave, “which should have been even also a political choice. clearer to western military observers,” he said, referring to the military preparations of the Bosnian Serbs and the threats Pierre Salignon, MSF France Deputy Programme made to him, by their Vice-President, Nicola Koljevic. Manager, in charge of programmes in the former Yugoslavia, 1992-1996, Interviewed in 2015 (in French). However, beyond his testimony, the MSF representative clearly sought to refocus the investigation conducted by the French deputies on the very subject of this proceeding: How could the international community have failed so grievously The most cautious will say that we remained completely in its duty to protect civilians, which it had promised to take impartial. I think that in the context of Bosnia and the on? He also sought to focus attention on several questions enclaves, we took the side of Bosnia’s Muslim populations. We that the deputies have not yet addressed. “I do not have the defended them because the context was not that of a traditional expertise to determine whether it was possible to carry out war. We were in a war of ethnic cleansing. NATO strikes to defend Srebrenica,” he told the deputies, “but what jumps out is that the arguments presented to you to Dr. Renaud Tockert, MSF Belgium Programme Manager justify the lack of strikes contradict the facts. Because in for the former Yugoslavia, 1993 - 1995, interviewed in Bosnia, when they wanted to strike, they did.” He said that 2000 and 2015 (in French). the testimony the mission had gathered to date had not yet vanquished the “rumor” according to which French authorities had promised General Mladic that they would oppose any air intervention in exchange for freeing the Blue Helmets taken hostage in May. “I hope your work will enable you to In late November 2001, before the French Parliamentary 162 determine what actually happened.” Fact-Finding Commission’s report on Srebrenica was Resolutions 819,824,and 836? dance with the promise of protection in Security Council nise the safeevacuation of Srebrenica’s residents, inaccor- settlement of the crisis? 5)Why didn’t these countries orga- abandon the Srebrenica ‘safearea’ tofacilitate the political population? 4) Did France and the Contract Group decide to strikes inJuly1995 todefend Srebrenica and protect its tion of airstrikes? 3)Why didn’t General Janvier authorise air Helmets held hostage in exchange for the permanent cessa outside the auspices of the United Nations, to free the Blue June 1995,did France enter into anunauthorised agreement, Bosnian SerbArmy waspreparing toattackSrebrenica? 2)In killings of itsresidents foreseeable? Did France know that the Sans Frontières’ questions: 1)Was Srebrenica’s fall and the addressing the major ‘gray’ areas of thistragedy. Médecins the parliamentary commission withasetof questions future peacekeeping missions, MSF haslistedand provided In the interest of improving the protection of populations in conduct bythe political and militaryleaders concerned. whose warmethods were clearlyknown toall,constitutes mis and evacuation of Srebrenica’s population to General Mladic, responsibility and indicate clearlywhether leaving the fate avoid the twintraps of technical arguments and general tion, toprotect the population of Srebrenica. The report must UN did not honor itscommitment, made atFrance’s instiga the fact-finding mission must be, aboveall, to explain why the investigations atthe national level.Thus, the main purposeof Consequently, the report asked the Statestoconduct their own remained dilutedwithinthe UN’soverall responsibility. mine the specific responsibilities of the Member States, which tragedy acknowledges thatthe organisation couldnot deter Srebrenica tragedy. The 1999UNinvestigative report onthis tary responsibilities of the main actors involved in the unanswered aftersixyears–regarding the political and mili not acounter-investigation. It notes the main questions -still study and understand the commission’s work.Thisdocument is restating the questions and information thatwillhelp readers Sans Frontières decided toprepare asummary document without prejudging the conclusions of that work,Médecins of the report of the parliamentary fact-finding commission and Srebrenica - Pending questions on the eve of the publication distributed totheBritishandDutchmedia. Rwandan Fact-Finding Commission. This analysis was also in advance, by the commission, as happened during the three-volume documentandaglowing report, drafted to avoid thesituation,inwhichjournalistsreceived a for thecommissiontoperform itswork. Thegoalwas The report alsoincludedthelistof documentscritical questions itbelieved thecommissionshouldaddress. made public, MSFpublishedananalysis presenting the Extract: Briefing Document,November 2001, (in French). the Hearings,’ Médecins Sans Frontières’ France brenica: Arguments, Gaps, and Contradictions in ‘Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission onSre------the passinglanetoovertake them. Butthat’s howcommunica key mediamessagesocloselywhenthereportcameout.We used Srebrenica fact-finding commission didnottryto‘manage’the Obviously noonehadtimetoreadthat3,000-pagereport!The has nothingtobeashamedof intermsof its actions inRwanda.’ journalists simplysummarisedwhathehadtoldthem:‘France the Commission]simplyplacedreportontableand of theRwandanFact-Finding Commission, Paul Quilès[Chairof things goingagain.We recalled thatatthefinalpressconference 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 tion works. We aren’trequiredtobeunprofessional idiots. […].” […].” executed by Serbian forces,” the organisation notes today Serbs and ‘under Dutch escort’ were alsotaken off buses and wounded and ill patients who were ‘evacuated’ by the Bosnian part of the Dutch UNPROFOR battalion. Several dozen of MSF’s unknown destinations, aswelltothe lackof action onthe men and women, and the departure of groups inconvoysto Serbian forces] of the sick and wounded, the separation of an impotent witness to the screening of the population [by the enclave inJuly1995ordisappeared. “The MSF teamwas sive occurred. Twenty-two members of itslocalstaffdied in working in Srebrenica for two years when the Serbian offen- 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: Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF France LegalAdvisor, had a question when the report came out in order to get had aquestionwhenthereportcameoutinordertoget The goalwastomake surethatthejournalistsalready Monde (France), 29November 2001(inFrench). ‘Médecins Sans Frontières Five Key Questions,’ Interviewed in2015(inFrench). in the interest of Le - - 163 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

The French parliament’s investigative report on Srebrenica former UNPROFOR Commander is one of the officers who had was published 29 November 2001. It found that the always been prohibited, by the Ministry of Defence, from responsibility for the tragedy was shared by the entire speaking publicly and whom the deputies were able to ques- international community and specifically criticised the tion only in a closed-door session. The general mounted a Dutch Blue Helmet battalion for failing to put up any vigorous defence against those accusations in the hearing. resistance to the Serbians. It acknowledged General He referred to disagreements both with Yakushi Akashi, the Janvier’s “errors of assessment,” but stated that his UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative, who sup- claims that he entered into an agreement with General ported a minimalist approach to the Blue Helmets’ mission in Mladic were false. Bosnia, and Rupert Smith, the British General who commanded UNPROFOR in Sarajevo. The latter supported Two deputies refused to support the final conclusions, engaging militarily against Serbian forces (he refused to tes- believing that no proof had been provided allowing any tify). General Janvier stated that he received only one request conclusion to be reached. 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 of the UN’s limited mandate to the Blue Helmets and as a ‘Srebrenica Massacres: Deputies Find that France frustrated soldier, who roundly blamed the Dutch battalion in Failed,’ Claire Tréan, Le Monde (France), 29 No- Srebrenica. He ended by asserting, as a heartfelt cry, that if vember 2001 (in French). the French had been in their place, they would have fought “and everything would have been different.” A diplomatic Extract: incident with The Hague placed in perspective. Established through the efforts of MSF, the Parliamentary 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.” ‘Conclusions that Skirt Several Critical Moments,’ They point to “the lack of clear political will in France, the Le Monde (France), 29 November 2001 (in French). United Kingdom, the United States, and the Bosnian authorities in Sarajevo themselves to intervene in Srebrenica.” They Extract: moderate only slightly the criticism often directed at General You must be willing to overlook a lot if you want to subscribe Janvier, then-Commander of UN forces in the former Yugoslavia, to the conclusions that the deputies produced today. We will for having opposed NATO air intervention when there was still spare them any specific reference to the ignorance of the time to act. The report describes him, among others, as “a link facts, which became glaring during the hearings, their in the UN chain.” It challenges the accusation against General absence, or their pathetic efforts in dealing with MSF to Janvier made by journalists and NGOs of having promised determine the questions to ask at the next hearing. Serbian military leader Ratko Mladic to halt air strikes in Bosnia in exchange for freeing the Blue Helmets held hostage. “Most of the commission’s members are convinced that General Janvier did not agree to Mladic’s demands,” the report states. In the following days, MSF France’s officials emphasised The commission unanimously adopted the document. publicly that while the report acknowledges the military However, the members had to work on the conclusions twice. responsibilities, it ignores the political ones and treats Some of the ten deputies challenged the first version of the General Janvier as a scapegoat. They pointed to the lack conclusions, which totaled only one page out of a 1,000-page of specificity in the responses to the five key questions report. The new version did not produce a consensus, either. the organisation raised. V31 Two deputies, François Léotard and René André, expressed their reservations in a letter published in an appendix to the report. They challenged the following statements incrimi- nating France: “France is no less responsible than others for ‘MSF and the Srebrenica Report: Political Respon- the tragic fall of Srebrenica, France lacked all the resources sibilities Overlooked,’ Agence France Presse, 29 necessary to carry out its mission in the field,” etc. They also November 2001 (in French). challenged, as François Léotard writes, “the constant mention in the conclusion of General Janvier’s responsibility, Extract: which fails to convey a much more complex reality.” Green “One piece is very strong – the acknowledgement of the mili- Deputy Marie- Hélène Aubert and Socialist Deputy Pierre tary’s responsibility, in the person of French General Bernard Brana also took a different position from their colleagues on Janvier, Commander of UN Forces in the former Yugoslavia,” rumors of a deal between France and the Serbians to free the Pierre Salignon, MSF Programme Manager, specifically in hostages, stating that suspicions remained […] Bosnia between 1993 and 1995, told AFP. “My impression is that he was assigned the easy role of the scapegoat, who The publication of the transcript of General Janvier’s two hides responsibilities that are much more political in nature.” 164 hearings is the newest piece of information in the report. The […] “The report touches on some responsibilities in France, France hasnothing tobeashamed of interms of itsactions.” on the Rwandan genocide, it won’t be enough to say that joined. “Unlike whathappened withthe fact-finding missions political responsibilities.” Still,the debate hasnow been satisfies her onlypartially, particularly “becauseitoverlooks front lines of the struggletohold such an inquiry. The result Legal Advisor at Médecins Sans Frontières, which was on the seemed like blasphemy then,” says Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, truth. “The questions weasked aboutFrance’s responsibilities rians, nonetheless represents anew phase in the search for results of the investigation by a committee of Dutch histo This report, which follows the UN’s and while awaiting the organisation loststaffmembers inthe offensive. liamentary fact-finding commission into the massacre. The that left7,000peopledead hasadvocatedstrongly for apar- the Muslim enclave of Srebrenica during the Serbian 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 am disappointed 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, but I thinkthatwecango much further. Le Point: The report challenges the “errors of assessment” of Extract: Extract: Bradol, President of MSF. there isadouble standard atworkhere,” saysJean-Hervé populations evacuated afterthe 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: (France), 7December2001 (inFrench). Médecins Sans Frontières’ LegalAdvisor,’ LePoint ‘Three Questions for Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, 2001 (inFrench). Marc Semo, Libération (France), 30November, Political Responsibility.” Soldiers – Scapegoats,’ to Exonerate Yourselves and Avoid Determining ‘“One Might Wonder Whether You Are Using Janvier 2001 (inFrench). Isabelle Lasserre, LeFigaro (France), 30November ‘France Asks Questions About its Role in Srebrenica,’ - 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 Bosnian SerbsandBosnians? the gray areas of theagreements entered intobetween UN and Member States’ practices by failing to examine Was MSFpositioningitselfonlyasaprosecutor of the to play a role in the work of the Members of Parliament? non-elected, non-profit organisation have thelegitimacy satisfied simplythatthemission was created? Does a and how would itoperate? Shouldn’tMSFhave been the organisation insuchaprocess: where would it lead questions arose lateraboutthelegitimacy of involving monitoring theparliamentary fact-finding commission, While noonewithinMSFFrance was formally opposedto resources, orplanes. why theyabandonedthemasidefromincompetence, lackof ‘they could notdo everything.’ But we learned nothing about themselves raisedtherestrictionsontheiroperations, inwhich people were, indeed,abandoned.Thesoldierswhodefended out additionalinformation, inanofficial context, showingthat perspective, theparliamentaryfact-finding commissionbrought operations inadequateorwasthiscalculated?Fromthat why. The question that remains unanswered is this, were their doned Srebrenica,that’s beenestablished–butwedon’tknow Srebrenica’s population.We finallyunderstandhowthey aban- military hasacknowledgedthatitdidnotcometotheaidof people like Léotardcontinuetodenythattherewasadeal.The because despite the incisive questioning during the hearings, that populations were sacrificed. But we are frustrated, too, parliamentary recognitionthatmistakes weremadeand We aresatisfiedbecausetherewasstillakind of official no regretsabout whatwedid.InFrance, Ithinkwe I wasreallyinvolved intheheartof thisworkandIhave Dr Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France President, 2000- 2007, Interviewed in2015(inFrench). 165 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

participated in a movement, a small democratic and institu- to abandon Srebrenica. We can’t entirely eliminate UNPROFOR tional revolution that made it possible for the parliament to in Bosnia from the deals that the Bosnians made among them- assert itself in terms of the oversight of external operations, selves. The Janvier/Milosevic deal intersected the Izetbegovic/ diplomacy, and defense. That’s quite an achievement. Yet, over Mladic and Karadzic/Izetbegovic deals. Izetbegovic abandoned time, it raises a problem for me. Is it an NGO’s role to contribute Srebrenica just as the others did, in the name of a ‘realpolitik’ to that kind of institutional change? We have no democratic that tried to make everything seem religiously homogenised legitimacy; we’re not elected. In a democracy, legitimacy comes because it can never be stressed enough that what was happen- from elections. So there are limits to the role of counter-power ing in eastern Bosnia was a war of religion. If you start to work that an NGO can play. Others say that that’s the natural role of in the gray areas, you can’t stop half way. NGOs. So you can say anything – and the contrary! Dr. Rony Brauman, MSF France President, 1982 - 1994, Fabien Dubuet, MSF France Deputy Legal Advisor, MSF France Foundation Research Director from 1994, 1995-2005, Interviewed in 2015 (in French). interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French).

I was a little uncomfortable because this moved into the Some people said, ‘our role was to be in Srebrenica. But political realm, slightly removed from humanitarian now that we’ve succeeded in creating this fact-finding action. It is hard to assess if the methods states want to use to mission, we can move on. It’s for others to take care of that. end wars, and their need to sometimes rely on secret agree- It’s not MSF’s role.’ There really wasn’t a discussion within MSF ments, are valid. Some of the military aspects were completely at the time, but it bothered me later on. To say, ‘this isn’t our outside our area of expertise. Could the planes [air strikes] have responsibility, we can move on,’ shocked me for two reasons. done it or not? Did they have the right planes and the right From the moment when you ask for something, you’ve got to bombs? We were pushing the boundaries of our knowledge and follow through, otherwise, why ask? The United Nations report our legitimacy. I was a little defensive. There were times when acknowledged the limits of its fact-finding abilities and expressly I thought that Pierre and Françoise were going a bit too far. called on troop-contributing states to carry out their own inves- But, there was that argument about the safe humanitarian tigation in their own country because the United Nations does areas, which they had on their side. It was a solid argument not have that power and does not have access to the countries’ and a real one for the future, because proposals for corridors internal archives. The French investigation was critical because and safe areas kept coming up all the time. the diplomats and the French army played a leading role in the former Yugoslavia. We didn’t call for this investigation for moral Dr Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France President, 2000- or political reasons. We wanted to understand and highlight the 2007, Interviewed in 2015 (in French). strengths and weaknesses of the international response in the face of mass crimes and the protection of populations in danger.

We can’t forget that this was the start of the international I thought there was what I described then, and still interventions intended to restore peace, facilitate humanitarian describe, as a certain relentlessness. There was a level action, and protect populations. The militarisation of humani- of legal sophistication and investigation of France’s role that tarian aid was underway in the name of protecting populations. went too far. We didn’t have to pursue the legal investigation We knew that states have multiple agendas and that the inter- to the very end, but simply speak out as to what we believed national community is only a disparate collection of state inter- we had seen, testifying in the visual sense of the word. This role ests. Yet, we had to try to understand whether the taking of the of mentor and moral conscience is problematic. It’s good that enclave was the result of a military accident or a political agree- we put all our weight behind obtaining an investigation that, ment and, in that case, why the agreement did not include without it, might not have been conducted. Given our involve- guarantees to evacuate and protect the population. It’s normal ment in these events, it makes sense. However, insisting on the to have to negotiate in conflict situations, including in order to ‘right’ questions that should be asked, the way in which certain achieve a peace agreement, but it is important for humanitarian points of the report be highlighted, accusing France or another organisations to know how much emphasis is given to protect- government, to me that seemed to cross the line of legitimacy, ing populations under all of these agendas. I found the answer both as a humanitarian organisation and as an organisation to that question when the UN High Representative in the Former involved in the matter. I remember discussing this with Pierre Yugoslavia acknowledged, before the French Parliament, that and Françoise because they were pushing hard on that. And it’s he had not ordered the air strikes because that would have not as if we are the UN’s inspectors. I think it’s an unhealthy endangered the peace process. position. Overall, our positions vis-à-vis the UN are based on a sort of ideal vision that we have about it, but I don’t share that, Our work on the parliamentary fact-finding commission on personally. That vision leads to critiques that I think are Srebrenica then contributed to MSF’s operational positions in unfounded or, at least, unfair. Last, it involved working in other crises because we continue to face international opera- hidden areas, the shadowy areas of deals among the parties. tions that include mandates to protect populations. These There are hidden areas that aren’t necessarily France’s respon- mandates have changed, as shown in the examples of the 166 sibility; for example, the deal between Izetbegovic and Karadzic Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and Central African paper, An op-edpiecewas alsopublishedintheDutchdailynews - the organisation believed thereport should have answered. seeability of theevents of July1995inSrebrenica, which for theFuture,” thatraised three questionsaboutthefore- issued apress release and adocumenttitled,“Questions eve of theofficial publication of the report, MSF Holland the DutchParliament in1996.OnApril9,2002,on the about topublish,whichwas aninvestigation requested by the DutchInstitutefor War Documentation(NIOD)was prepare adocumentanalysing theSrebrenica report that in March 2002,MSFHollandsetupaworking group to required todo,toolate, inSrebrenica. our interactionswiththeinternationalsystem,aswewere ings. Theymustcontinuetoleadusquestion ourroleand Republic. Theyhavemadeitpossibletoavoidcertainmasskill- and Daniel’s testimonygavemeaningtoallthat. for severalyears. OurpresenceatthehearingsandChristina’s that. We showedthatwecouldalsoworkonanin-depthissue and blurourimage.’ Intheend,Ithoughtitmadesensetodo do,’ oracritiqueof legitimacy, ‘thatcouldendangeroperations challenged. It was a critiqueof methods, ‘that’s notwhatwe atmosphere inwhichthe‘not-100%-medical’approachwas doctors hadadifferentperspective. Thiswasthestartof an ing aboutinternationalhumanitarianlaw. However, some other direction [more political]. I didn’t have any problem talk the needletowardslaw, whilehewantedtomoveit inthe quibbling overwording.HethoughtthatFrançoisewaspointing about it. He learned about it after it was published. He was Françoise aboutaninterviewthatshegave. Hedidn’tknow so on.Intheend,thereweretensionsbetweenJean-Hervéand corridors, ‘what’s thepointof this?’‘Thisisn’tMSF’s role,’ and opposition. Therewerediscussionsand,indeed,groaninginthe But Idon’trememberhavingtofight.Therewasnotastrong As for thedirectorof operations, itwasn’tparticularlyhisthing. event, thepresidentwasfor andtheexecutive directorwasfor. Bosnia hands at MSF who were trying to settle scores?’ In any really intellectually sound? Or was there an element of the old Reaction tothereports onDutch 1995, MSF France Communications Director 2000-2006, Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF France LegalAdvisor, Coordinator inthe former Yugoslavia, May-November tudes, thatatcertainmomentsIdidwonder, ‘isthis We wereallsoinvolvedwithsomewhatvengeful atti- Trouw Stephan Oberreit, MSF Belgium/France General . responsibilities Interviewed in2015(inFrench). Interviewed in2015(inFrench). - hospital staffinSrebrenica. Ofthe 128employees, 22never involved because the organisation worked closely withthe responsibility now needs tobetaken. MSF isinpart,so would like toraise afewimportant questions for which protection. Prior to the publication of the NIOD report, MSF failure of the UNforces inBosnia tomeet their promise of Srebrenica deserve an open and honest explanation of the mately responsible for the massacres, the survivorsof debate are crucial. And, even if the Serbian forces are ulti That iswhy the NIOD report and the subsequent parliamentary decision not tofleewhilethey still could. believing they are safe, abelief thatmay haveinfluenced their and to ensure that civilians are never again lulled into soldiers never face such unfeasibleresponsibilities and failure, lation iseverlefttoface such adestiny, toguarantee thatour of the facts. Thisopenness isrequired toensure thatno popu provides uswiththe responsibility todemand totaldisclosure people. The fact of our presence, bearing witness to events, to act, which resulted in the deaths of many thousands of followed. MSF witnessed the international community’s failure population during the fall of the enclave and the days that time, MSF witnessed the panic and fear of death amongst the organisation withinternational staffinSrebrenica atthat deportations, and the executions. As the onlyinternational aid with national staffinthe enclave atthe time of the fall, the workers, Christine Schmitzand Daniel O’Brien, were present the enclave of Srebrenica. InJuly1995,twointernational staff March 1993,Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) startedworking in of the mass murder! […]‘Why isMSF speaking outnow?’ In tioned, including members of the Bosnian society and survivors tigation. Was everyone who playedarole inthistragedy ques information and if these sources have been used in the inves know ifthe NIOD hashadaccesstoallrelevant sources of ln the interest of the survivors, MSF-Holland wouldlike to survivors cancopewiththe aftermath. about the events preceding the fall of the enclave so thatthe their livesand their country. It isessential togather allinfo survivors of Srebrenica are stillstruggling topiece together various militaryinterventions since Srebrenica. Moreover, the and the international community thathavebeeninvolvedin from Srebrenica wouldhavebeenusefulfor the Netherlands years toproduce thisindependent report. The lessons learned MSF Holland is disheartened that it hastaken more than five the international failure toprevent such horrors. However, sons that can be learned from the Srebrenica massacre and looks forward to an open and honest debate about the les now. MSF Holland applauds the release of the NIOD report and the Netherlands remains asensitive issueand ataboountil and mandate of the UN,butthe specific role and mandate of Srebrenica. The discussions have revolved around the role was carried out;anumber of reports havebeenwrittenabout society. […]The NIOD enquirywasnot the firstenquirythat Open and honest debate needed for survivorsand Dutch Extract: English). MSF Holland, 4April2002(inDutch, in ‘Srebrenica, Questions for the Future,’ Memo - - - - -

167 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

arrived in Tuzla. MSF succeeded in evacuating 13 of its no clear political responsibilities were identified. The story Bosnian colleagues. Meho Bosnjakovic chose to stay with his about General Janvier was not resolved (no proof, but also no family and is one of the many thousands that were murdered. proof against it.) The French commission criticised the attitude of Dutchbat, the Dutch UN battalion in Srebrenica, as The Dutch involvement in the Srebrenica tragedy can be they had not done anything to resist the Serbian attack. Had a divided into four stages: French battalion been in Srebrenica [...] 1. The first stage was the run-up, the decision-making process that led to the dispatch of a battalion of the Air-Mobile Dutch politicians reacted furiously on these statements. This Brigade to the enclave of Srebrenica. is where MSF Holland came in. We sent out a statement to call 2. The second stage was the presence of Dutchbat in for a serious, open, and honest discussion in Holland and Srebrenica from February 1994 to the beginning of July 1995. dismissed the defensive responses on the French report. Next 3. The third stage was the seizure of Srebrenica and the sub- Wednesday, 10 April, the NIOD report will be presented: 3,000 sequent reactions of Dutchbat and the United Nations. pages, + 2,000 pages annexes. MSF Holland has been pre- 4. The final stage was the period after the fall in which the paring itself and see how we could contribute to the debate, mass murders were carried out. more specifically: how we could push for clarity regarding the issue of failed protection in Srebrenica and protection in There is one question that is central to all four stages: Was future international interventions. We have produced a ‘bro- the population offered protection, and if so, how was this chure,’ or report if you want, in which we present some ques- protection realised in practice? […] tions, which we hope the NIOD report will answer and clarify The NIOD report must provide an answer to the following satisfactorily, and which should be leading questions in the questions: political debate that will follow the presentation of the report. Question 1 Was the concept of ‘safe area’ credible and Next Tuesday, we will publish an opinion article in the news- tenable? paper that will underline our concerns that Holland and the Question 2 Could the fall of the enclave have been foreseen? international community in general will only draw a cynical Question 3 Could it have been foreseen that so many people conclusion from Srebrenica: we can’t and don’t want anymore would be killed after the enclave had fallen? responsibility for the protection of civilians in war zones. […] We had a discussion yesterday evening with some journalists, a peace organisation here, and someone from a Research Institute for International Affairs about the NIOD report and ‘Srebrenica,’ Email from MSF Holland Press Officer strategies to try and get a sensible discussion ongoing in to MSF Communication Departments, 5 April 2002 Holland, and we will engage in interviews and public debates. (in English, edited).

Please find attached a report that we produced. You can use it for web/or other purposes. As you may recall in 1996, the ‘The Lessons of Srebrenica: Take Protection of Dutch government assigned the Dutch Institute for War Local Populations Seriously,’ MSF Holland Press Documentation (NIOD) to do a comprehensive study about the Release, 9 April 2002 (in English). fall of Srebrenica and the Dutch involvement. In fact, the research assignment was rather broad: the decision making Extract: process, the context in Bosnia, the fall of the enclave and the Médecins sans Frontières warns the Netherlands and the killings. The government assigned the [enquiry to] NIOD, after international community against drawing the wrong conclu- several attempts to ‘close’ this black chapter in Dutch history. sions from the failure of Dutchbat in Srebrenica. The fact that The attempts failed, as new facts and information kept pop- a mass murder could be perpetrated on Bosnian males, ping up, which then challenged the previously presented pic- despite the presence of UN troops must lead to a profound ture of the events. There was a great sense of suspicion in the analysis of the mistakes that were made. These mistakes must public in Holland, that the government was covering up all be avoided in future missions. The basic question is how to sorts of details, and that they didn’t face their responsibility. offer real protection to populations threatened with war violence? Médecins sans Frontières is however, afraid that the The NIOD research has proven to be an effective way to avoid Dutch government and the international community may a political confrontation about Srebrenica. Referring repeat- already have drawn a cynical conclusion, namely, that it is edly to the NIOD report blocked debates: we are waiting for the best to remain uninvolved. report [...] As you know, the French parliament has conducted an inquiry in the fall and massacres of Srebrenica last year. MSF Since Srebrenica, they have clearly avoided protecting popu- France had been pushing for this inquiry and has influenced lations threatened with war violence. For example, protection [it] through lobbying and posing specific questions. One of the was explicitly ruled out during the peace mission in Ethiopia/ strong foci of the investigation was the role of General Janvier, Eritrea. The primary focus of attention was the safety of the who had allegedly blocked air strikes. These air strikes might troops. If violence erupted, the Dutch UNMEE [UN Mission in have prevented the fall of the enclave. It was stated that he Ethiopia/Eritrea] troops would be evacuated. The pending did so, in return for a deal with Mladic to release the UN hos- publication of the NIOD investigative report has rekindled 168 tages. The outcome of the French report was disappointing, as the debate on Srebrenica in the Netherlands and on the inter- mistakes that were made. This iscrucial inorder toensure that followed must come tolight. Inevitably, we must recognise the stances of the fall of Srebrenica and the mass murders that obligation toactually protect the people. The truecircum sibility and act. It will then also have to accept the inevitable then the international community willhaveto assume respon degree. Ifweare not to turnourbacksintotalindifference, shield the civilian population from violence to a very limited these areas, asahumanitarian organisation, wecanonly No matter how essential humanitarian aid istosurvivalin took control of the peoplewhen the Bosnian Serbsadvanced. sonnel tended to the wounded and saw the mortal fear that Srebrenica witnessed the tragedy thatunfolded there. Ourper Frontières works in many of these regions. Our team in being deliberately threatened and murdered. Médecins sans they turn to? More and more often civilians in war zones are count onthe UNtroops for protection. Afterall,who elsecan moral responsibility towards the population. The local civilians Netherlands have troops stationed in anarea, they assume a one lessonof Srebrenica isthatwhen the UNand the as violence broke outbetweenthe warring parties. However, agreement wasthatUNMEEwouldleaveimmediately assoon responsibility for the protection of the localpopulation. The whereby itsownsafetycomes first.UNMEE explicitly had no The Netherlands isnow taking partinlow-riskpeacemissions civilians incrisiszones. ment intends torealise the actual protection of threatened ment onhow and under which conditions the Dutch govern- political sensitivity. Thisdebate must leadtoaclearstate- ment to hold an open debate unhampered by personal or this need for clarity. We therefore calluponthe Dutchgovern- have tomake asignificant contribution towards satisfying what actually happened in Srebrenica. The NIOD report will place in the presence of a UN force, so littleis known about shocking thatsevenyearsafterthe mass murders, which took been characterised mainly byshifting the responsibility. It is sible due topolitical sensitivity inthe Netherlands, and has national stage. Uptonow, thisdebate hasbeenscarcely pos- sion since Srebrenica, the UNMEE mission in Ethiopia/Eritrea. Netherlands are clearly reflected inits most important mis- the traumatic experiences. Butthe lessons learned bythe regard to peace missions. This is understandable in view of Netherlands hasadopted ahighly restrained position with threatened by the violence of war? Since Srebrenica, the fall of the enclave regarding the protection of civilians rounding Srebrenica, whatlessons are being learned from the any attention hasbeenpaid tothe cardinal question sur- ably befollowed by atough political fight. However, hardly expectations for the report are extremely high and willprob- on Srebrenica, revelations are coming thick and fast. The Even before the long-awaited publication of the NIOD report erlands), 9April2002(inDutch). Holland ‘Draw the Right Conclusions from Srebrenica,’ MSF Letter totheEditor,Trouw (The Neth- - - - that the right conclusions canbedrawn for the future. through meticulous analysis and anopendebate onthe events leads them tomistakenly decide not tofleeontime. It isonly must acivilian population begivenanillusion of safety, which responsibilities and such tragic failure. Finally, never again troops must ever again be confronted with such impossible people are never againlefttofate insuch away. Moreover, no tection for threatened civilians incrisiszones. and under which circumstances itintends toprovide real pro- this debate ought tobethatthe Netherlands makes clearhow Dutch Government toinstitute anopendebate. The results of of the failure of the Srebrenica mission and wecalluponthe vided. We hope thatthe NIOD report willoffer aclearanalysis failed sotragically and how real protection should bepro- Srebrenica must address the question of why the mission that weshould never againprotect civilians. The lessons of It would betoo cynical if the conclusion from Srebrenica were this reportdidn’thavemuchresonance. get anagreementhere. Emotionswerestillstrong.AndIthink report, tryingtogetitout.Thiswasnoteasy.Itsohard the NIODreport.Icoordinated group working on the MSF As earlyasJuly1995,there wasJacquesdeMilliano [MSF terms of their willingnesstoplaceblameon the Dutchsoldiers. Milliano, Christina,andMSFtosaythatthekingwasnaked. possible. ThatiswhyIthinkitwas courageous from Pronk, De that theDutchbathadfailed. Butin1995and1996itwasnot was empty.Andbythattime, therewasrecognitionof thefact responsibilities withnoconsequences. Itwaslike aballoonthat for being very slow and then it ran to 2002 and they could take of theissue. We put it in the hands of historiansthatareknown ing todowithpolitics. Thischoicewasalreadyade-politisation was appointedbecausetheNIODisabouthistoryandhadnoth- do thesame. Thechoiceof NIOD-thatwaspolitics. TheNIOD something elsewillbemoreimportant.To behonest,weatMSF September 1992–1996,interviewed in2015(inEnglish). Desk, then Director of Operations, Interviewed in2015 then various positions inthe MSF-Holland Bosnia desk Sarajevo, Bosnia, December1991–September1992, Yugoslavia, 1991-1993,then Head of the Emergency a Dutchorganisation,Pax Christithatcameoutbefore We managedtogetsomeinsight,throughareportfrom fluctuated, dependingonthe year andtheirleaders, in What Idorememberisthatin Amsterdam,theDutch commission. Theywillbebusyfor twoyears, andbythen That isapoliticaltrick:ifyoudon’tknow, youinstalla Wouter Kok, MSF Holland Medical Coordinator in Wilna vanAartzen,MSF Holland inthe former (in English). 169 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

Holland General Director], who has always been in favour of Background, Consequences and Analyses of the fall of a Safe speaking out publicly, and then the rest of the desk, whose line Area,’ details the events that led to the mass killings and anal- of thinking was more like: “This is less important to us, it isn’t yses the responsibilities and sources of the tragedy. Written by really our business, let’s stand back, no loud incriminations by the Dutch Institute for War Documentation (NIOD) at the MSF of the Dutch Army”. request of the country’s government, it concludes after five years of research that, “humanitarian considerations and Dr Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France President, political ambitions led the Netherlands to participate in an 2000-2007, Interviewed in 2015 (in French) ill-considered and, in practical terms, unachievable peacekeeping mission. Many who supported this policy bear a heavy responsibility” out of negligence, the report states, referring to Dutch political leaders and the military hierarchy. NIOD also There are historically significant events that only gain points the finger at the media, which it criticises for sug- meaning if we continue to examine them. And Srebrenica gesting that the Dutch soldiers were indifferent to the fate of was like Halabja13 – crucial times in our history. Why didn’t the the Muslim population. It specifically blames the soldiers’ UN parliamentary commission raise the issue of protection with mandate, which contributed to the mission becoming trapped Voorhoeve? MSF could have asked that it be raised. We had in a “quagmire” and indirectly caused the mass killings. The pretty specific information about that issue. It’s most likely due authors conclude that by virtue of their limited number, 200 to our lack of information about the workings of a parliamentary poorly-armed men caught in the crossfire who were required to system. If we want a proper investigation, we need to brief remain impartial and prohibited from responding unless tar- legislators. And then there are always people who say ‘let’s go’ geted directly. Their vision was blurred by the “illusion of the and bring along others. If we ask people who were involved in safe area,” the Dutch soldiers could not maneuver freely. They the events to participate, they generally agree and suggest the reject any accusation of “collaboration” (according to a term right questions to ask. But I myself was never consulted. It may used by a Dutch Blue Helmet) with the Serbian assailants. also be due to the MSF system. In 2002, it was already seven Acknowledging that General Ratko Mladic, military leader of years after the events so we were dealing with other operational the Bosnian Serbs, had decided to take the entire enclave issues. And it’s not really like MSF to go back over events that “given the lack of armed resistance,” offered by the Dutch Blue occurred seven years before. Or maybe we thought that every- Helmets, the writers believe, however, that the Dutch could thing had already been said. not have taken any action to defend Srebrenica because that would have been “contrary to UN instructions.” To counter the Dr Jacques de Milliano, MSF Holland General Director, Serbians, the battalion was counting on air intervention, 1985-1996, interviewed in 2000 and 2015 (in French). which the UNPROFOR leaders had rejected. NIOD rejects the notion that General Bernard Janvier, head of UNPROFOR, had entered into an agreement with General Mladic to refrain from air strikes in exchange for the freeing of Dutch hostages held by the Bosnian Serbs. NIOD finds that General Mladic’s forces On April 10, 2002, the Dutch NIOD report on the fall of bear primary responsibility for the massacre. It notes that it the Srebrenica enclave was published. It found that all did not find information suggesting that Belgrade ordered or the actors in the international community, particularly supported the killings. With regard to the “screening” of the the UN, shared responsibility. While it accused General population in which the Dutch soldiers participated, the NIOD Janvier of not authorising air strikes in time, it rejected describes it as “taken for granted,” even if it constituted par- the notion of a hostage deal with Bosnian-Serb forces. ticipation in “ethnic cleansing,” given the “threat of epidemic On 8 May 2002, a detailed document analysing the NIOD and the Muslims’ own desire to leave as quickly as possible.” In report was distributed within MSF Holland but was not addition, “the battalion commander could not have realised made public. that this would lead to mass killings, even if he was aware that these men’s future was uncertain,” the authors state. The Hague’s lack of political initiative at the time of the mass killing is attributed to poor communication with the Dutch ‘Srebrenica: A Report Diffuses the Responsibility military hierarchy. According to the authors, Dutch headquar- of the Dutch Soldiers,’ Agence France Presse, 10 ters minimised the seriousness of the events so as not to tar- April 2002 (in French). nish the army’s image.

Extract: The report titled, ‘Srebrenica, a Safe Area - Reconstruction, ‘First Reactions Srebrenica Report in Holland,’ Email from MSF Holland Information Officer to 13. From 16-19 March 1988, the regime of Saddam Hussein massacred the MSF Communication Departments, 10 April 2002 population in the Kurdish village of Halabja with chemical weapons. Five thousand people lost their lives. Dr Jacques de Milliano, then General Director of MSF (in English, edited). Holland, and Dr Reginald Moreels, then President of MSF Belgium, immediately went to the site to examine the victims. During a press conference in Teheran on 26 March, they said that according to their clinical examination, the victims were Extract: 170 killed by a “highly toxic, fast-acting chemical gas.” What is remarkable in the summary given today is that the to population? towards future interventions: How canweprovide protection licly, accountability. Anenquiryshould focus onconclusions sible willhavetoaccount for their actions and decisions pub- of such anenquirycanbethat:-itispublic, sothose respon- this, butwemight come tothatconclusion. The importance mentary enquiry. We are not going toactivelyadvocatefor Here in Holland we might be asked whether we want a parlia- mandate waspoor, evenifthe circumstances were complex? could bedone toreally protect the population, evenifthe be learned from Srebrenica. Was everything considered that So again,wewillparticularly tryand find the lessons thatcan the circumstances, asifthe events were unavoidable. tation today evenreinforced thisworry;itfocused somuch on for protection of populations in crises. The line of the presen meaning that we won’t even assume responsibility anymore fear that onlycynical lessons will belearned from Srebrenica, yesterday, inwhich wefocus onthatissueof protection. We reiterate ourposition aspresented inthe opinion letterof respect toprotection of populations infuture crises. We can and veryimportant for MSF, draw clearconclusions with issues and come upwithaclearposition aboutSrebrenica, questions. Next stepisthatthe politicians discussthese see ifitprovides afulland credible analysis toanswer these it isimportant toseewhy itfailed. We willread the report to events inSrebrenica, itisclearthatthe protection failed. Now proper protection of the population? Giventhe verytragic tions, follows the crucial question, what was done to ensure able? And wasthe genocide foreseeable? Afterthese ques mission atallfeasible?Was the fall of the enclave foresee in light of our questions. These questions in short: Was the that weneed some time toreally digest the report and judge As for responses tothe media: We unfortunately must insist room, he found thisanappalling statement. the ex-UN translator, Hassan Nuhanovic stoodupand leftthe this point in the presentation of the women of Srebrenica, a way, accepted that they couldn’t really help the men. At priority tothe evacuation of the women and children and, in poor sanitary conditions. Infact, NIOD says, they have given compound asthere were 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 Serbians –wouldthishaveresulted inadifferent courseof happened ifDutchbathadtaken astronger stand against the suggested, thatthere isaquestion astowhatwould have within their mandate, havefollowed instructions. It isonly judgment aboutDutchbatisquitemild. They haveacted Main conclusions of the report and the Appendix: Extract: English). man, MSF Holland, 8May 2002(inDutch, in and the NIOD ReportonSrebrenica,’ Malou Noze - H ‘MSF Internal Report:Médecins Sans Frontières - - - know whatfollow upitwillget. shared withthe minister. He ispensioned already, soIdo not Knowledge of the massacre he undoubtedly hadwasnot withholding crucial information from the political leadership. - General Couzyisstraightforwardly accusedof deliberately opinion). [wrong] (Iamtalking aboutthe perception here, not my and that“ourboys”were not guilty, they couldn’tdo athing was not defended. But, itisclearthatthiswasaUNdecision, not know why close air support was refused, why the enclave - Janvier still does not want to testify; therefore, we still do the events inSrebrenica. conduct aninvestigation ontheirown responsibility for The organisation calledontheUSandGreat Britainto questions regarding responsibility for themasskillings. ing thatthecommissionhadfailed toanswer thekey The next day, MSFHollandissuedapress release not- commission’s report was publishedonJanuary27,2003. Commission toinvestigate thefall of Srebrenica. The On 5 June 2002, the Dutch Parliament created an Inquiry Dutchbat. murder of Muslim men from Srebrenica took place in front of • The report contests repeated assertions since 1995thatthe Serb army asthe main perpetrator of the mass murder. • The NIOD report points to General Mladic of the Bosnian- for the executions. • It is “unclear” whether Karadzic was involved in the order Belgrade withregard tothe mass murder (p.2,575). between the Bosnian-Serb army and the Milosevic regime in • No evidence was found of “political ormilitarycooperation” exceptionally violent, fuelledbyhatred and revenge. plete surprisetoMladic. The response tothisflight was (p. 3,154). The researchers claim that this came as acom enclave was the unintended trigger for the mass executions • The attemptbythousands of Muslim men toescapethe advance (p.2,573). found no evidence thatthe mass murder wasplanned wellin after the fall of the enclave (i.e. after 11June). The NIOD • The mass murder of 7,500Muslim men wasplanned only stand out(compared toNIOD): public who did what, what went wrong. The two facts that public show of accountability. To express infront of the (Dutch) players in the drama to come forward with sort of were found. The whole enquiry is seen more as atool for all to the fall of the cabinet last year), that little or no new facts duplication of the much more thorough NIOD report (thatled 1. The report was received with a feeling that it is a meager Extract: 28 January 2003(inEnglish). Kok, MSF Holland toMSF Communication Directors, Most Important Conclusions,’ Emailfrom Wouter ‘Introduction bythe Chairman/Summary [of the] - 171 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

2. Internal MSF Holland: We think that the maximum attention states carry out national inquiries, MSF calls on the United for the Srebrenica situation was raised through the NIOD and States and Great Britain, who played a major role in the military the parliamentary enquiry. Neither within the Dutch society, and diplomatic management of the Bosnian conflict, carry out nor within MSF Holland do we have the feeling that much more open, public investigations. MSF states that these inquiries can be achieved. I am afraid the major importance of the must lead to increased protection for civilians. The failure in Srebrenica situation will be looking at the future: we expect it Srebrenica, where the deployment of military forces with a will be used mainly for future reference to get a maximum man- purely humanitarian mandate made them incapable of opposing date for other missions, in which protection of civilians will be criminal policies against civilians, must never be repeated. the cornerstone to judge these mandates. It will, as such, probably have a positive effect on the Dutch contributions toward peace missions. One would hope for less naiveté and more realism, during the design of missions. I realise that it is the Why did NATO planes conduct sorties over the site but not population of Srebrenica that had to pay the price, nobody else. drop bombs? With this question, we reached a new level What’s the attention in France aiming at? We will check what in the decision chain and an epilogue to the history of these sort and if translations are foreseen, and let you know. events. Yasushi Akashi [UN Special Representative for Yugoslavia] had already revealed it: ‘An agreement is worth more than lives.’ And everyone should know this from experience. The most dangerous time in war is when peace is announced. That’s when all the ‘Vital Questions Unanswered by Dutch Inquiry into ‘dirty tricks’ are played. Every actor should know that at the Srebrenica Massacre- Médecins Sans Frontières moment when it enters into a peace process, it must watch for Calls for the United States and Britain to Carry the vulnerable populations, those who are minorities in majority Out Their Own Investigations,’ MSF B/F/H Press areas, and who will be the subject of trade-offs. I strongly believe Release, 29 January 2003 (in English, in French). that if there had been something specific at Dayton about protecting and evacuating the enclaves, this would not have Extract: happened. People who work on these issues professionally have Reacting to the report published by the Dutch Parliamentary enough information today to know what to watch out for, and Commission of Inquiry into the fall of Srebrenica, Médecins distrust, in peacekeeping operations and peace processes. Sans Frontières calls for the remaining, unanswered questions to be taken up in further, with national inquires in Britain and Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, MSF Legal Advisor, the United States. Eight years after the fall of the enclave and Interviewed in 2015 (in French). the massacre of more than 7,000 people, who were supposedly protected by the UN, crucial issues have still not been resolved in inquiries by the UN, France, and now the Netherlands.

MSF, who had a medical team working in the enclave, believes Meanwhile, the Brahimi report, named for its author, that the UN’s failure has not been adequately explained. Most Lakhdar Brahimi, was published in 2000. The report significantly, the reasons, which led General Janvier, UNPROFOR’s highlighted the ways in which the UN peacekeeping Commander, to refuse NATO air strikes, remain obscure. These operations had failed to protect the population. Over strikes were requested by the Dutch UN battalion in July 1995, the following years, the doctrine governing interven- in order to halt the Serbian offensive against the Srebrenica tion by the peacekeeping forces was revised. It now has enclave and to protect the civilian population. The Dutch report a mandate for “protecting civilians from the threat of does clear up some of the ambiguities, which remained after the imminent physical violence.” This mandate goes well French Parliamentary Fact-Finding Commission. Notably, the beyond the authority previously granted to the peace- report reaffirms that all the conditions were met for an air strike keepers. However, its implementation depends on the and concludes that the decision to not use air power is the political will of the UN’s Member States. responsibility of General Janvier. However, the report does not furnish any explanation of what led to the decision. The Dutch parliamentarians restricted themselves to commenting that “uncertainty remains concerning the motivations of General This has led us to an a priori hostility towards this policy, Janvier” and that “his decision was met with incomprehension which involves creating humanitarian areas close to from his team.” MSF also regrets that General Janvier was not conflict areas so that people do not cross borders and conflicts allowed by the French authorities to be interviewed by the do not extend beyond their national framework. The crisis in Dutch parliamentary commission. the former Yugoslavia seemed to us to be the apogee of this strategy of containment, which did not work. Between Kibeho Questions remain about what negotiations could have led to and Srebrenica, the protected areas fell each time and several the decision by the UN to abandon Srebrenica. Was there an thousand people were killed. This further convinced us that agreement on the liberation of UN soldiers held hostage, or was when political or military leaders want to conduct humanitarian it part of a deal in the peace negotiations being conducted by activities outside the traditional system that involves refuge in the Contact Group? In accordance with the UN report on the fall another country, it was difficult to believe that they would keep 172 of Srebrenica, which requested that all concerned member their word. For us, it was a very practical question. Under these speakingout.msf.org/en/violence-against-kosovar-albanians-nato-intervention. NATO’s Intervention 1998-1999,”Laurence Binet, MSF International. http:// 14. SeeMSF Speaking Out CaseStudies, “Violence against Kosovar Albanians, Slobodan Milosevic’s regime Kosovar Albanianscarriedoutby theSerbian forces of campaign of violenceagainstanddeportationof the In 1999,theNATO bombingof Belgrade endedthe shirk theirresponsibilities.’ who thought they were protected being killed and states that tarian area,’ ‘humanitarian corridor’ –it always ends with people MSF’s leaders had an almost automatic reaction, right, ‘humani- strengthened ourmistrustof military-humanitarian operations. area, we’re going there, too?’ In the years that followed, this circumstances, dowesaytopeople, ‘yes, youshouldgotothat and arrested in2001. sometimes for goodreasons, butsometimesfor badreasons. did inthe1990s. However, sincethenwedolessandless, subject. That would involve making concrete proposals, as we from the1990s, butwe’regoing tohavere-engageonthis of civilian protectionmechanisms. That’s thelessonwedrew dence on our part,aswella degree of lucidityonthereality Rwanda andBosnia.There’s stillsuspicionandlackof confi- that we’re still traumatised by our experi it. It’s afight wehavetomake, butIfeelwearen’tready for it, medical organisation, but we have a tendency to underestimate role, which falls clearly within the remit of a humanitarian sions concerning the protection of civilians. This is an important MSF canexercise considerableinfluenceonthepoliticaldeci- areas’ wherevictimscanbemoved. the UN and the Security Council to create areas such as ‘safe it isonlysymbolic. Nowthere is a realreticenceonthepart of any westerncontributiontopeacekeeping operationstoday–or want tosendtheirsoldiersasBlueHelmets. There isnolonger peacekeeping. First, is the fact that western states no longer dies alsohadconsiderableconsequencesfor theUNintermsof part of theUNanditsPeacekeeping Department.Thesetrage- factored intocertaindiscussions, decisions, andthinkingonthe much greater impact than anyone let on. It later In termsof protectingcivilianpopulations, thishada Fabien Dubuet,MSF France DeputyLegalAdvisor, 2000-2007, Interviewed in2015(inFrench). 1995-2005, Interviewed in2015(inFrench). Dr Jean-Hervé Bradol, MSF France President, EPILOGUE 14 . He was overthrown in 2000 ences in the 90s in

He diedin2006,before histrialconcluded. Kosovo andCroatia, andgenocideinBosnia-Herzegovina. on charges of war crimes, crimesagainsthumanityin International CriminalTribunal for theFormer Yugoslavia Starting inFebruary 2002,Milosevic appeared before the This wasthe context inwhich the “effort to destroy, inwhole Croatian Bosnians, from large areas of Bosnia-Herzegovina.” of the non-Serbian population, primarily Muslim Bosnians and to “remove, by force and on a permanent basis, the majority and carried out[…]acollectivecriminal enterprise” intended […] he isaccusedof having withothers, “planned, ordered, other charges is quite different. According to the indictment However, indicting Slobodan Milosevic for genocide and 28 lawyers sceptical. Srebrenica tosurvive.” Nonetheless, thisverdict leftsome to make itimpossible for the Bosnian Muslim population in that by“deciding tokillallmen of combatage, they decided civilians, wasconvicted of genocide in August. The court held enclave of Srebrenica inJuly1995and killedmore than7,000 Commander of the Serbian troops who seizedthe Muslim has rejected trials inabsentia. General RadislavKrstic, charged withsuch acrime butare stillatlarge and the ICTY tively, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic, have already been Bosnian Serb political and militaryleaders, including, respec- Systematic crimes. It isnot easytoprove thatspecificintent. clear intent toeliminate apopulation orapopulation group. murder, forced transfers, rape, and similaractsthatreveal a Rwanda. Under international law, genocide isdefined as definition. One yearlater, asimilarcourtwasestablished for crimes committedinthe former Yugoslavia, hastaken upthis 1993 bythe UNSecurityCouncil tojudge the most serious The ICTY, the firstinternational criminal tribunal created in ethnic, racial orreligious group.” “with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, Nations sought todefine genocide; thatis, acts committed tried at Nuremberg for crimes against humanity, the United recurrence, in1948,three yearsafterthe Nazi leaders were The word inevitably invokes the Holocaust. To prevent a 1995. charge for his role in the war in Bosnia, between 1992 and being held atThe Hague, must now alsoanswer tothismajor (ICT), former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who is International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia crimes against humanity inKosovo and Croatia atthe that istaking shape. Already ontrial for warcrimes and the most serious crime under aninternational justice system Europe’s history, aformer head of statehasbeenaccusedof “Genocide and complicity ingenocide:” for the firsttime in Extract: (in French). Semon, ‘Slobodan Milosevic Charged withGenocide,’ Marc Libération (France), 24November 2001 173 MSF and the war in the former Yugoslavia 1991-2003 MSF Speaking Out Case Studies

or in part, the Muslim Bosnians and Croatian Bosnians” was gator, together with the former chief of the Bosnian Serb Army, carried out and was the basis for the charge of genocide, General Ratko Mladic, of the genocide of Srebrenica in eastern which was not taken up for Croatia or Kosovo. The systematic Bosnia, where nearly 8,000 Muslim men were killed in July nature of the crimes committed by the Serbian forces in 1995, the worst massacre in Europe since the Second World War. Bosnia, specifically in Srebrenica, left no doubt in that regard.

On 31 March 2010, the Serbian Parliament passed a In an appeal verdict on 19 April 2004, the International resolution for a public apology for the massacre of 8,000 Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995. V32 General Radislav Krstic, one of the leading Bosnian Serb perpetrators of the Srebrenica massacres, to 35 years imprisonment for genocide, aiding and abetting genocide, and war crimes. The Tribunal definitively ruled that the ‘Serbian Parliament Apologizes for the Srebrenica Bosnian Serb forces committed genocide in Srebrenica. Massacre,’ Le Monde (France), 31 March 2010 (in French).

Extract: ‘ICT: Srebrenica Massacre was “Genocide,’ Le Monde On Wednesday 31 March, the Serbian Parliament passed a (France), 21 April 2004 (in French). resolution offering a public apology for the massacre of eight thousand Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995. The country Extract: remains profoundly divided concerning this chapter in its his- The appeal chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for tory. The resolution is part of an attempt by Belgrade to move the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) confirmed on Monday 19 April, closer to the European Union and exorcise the demons of the “the Bosnian Serb forces committed genocide against the wars of the 1990s. The text of the resolution, which was Muslims of Srebrenica,” concluding the debate on whether adopted after thirteen hours of televised debate, expresses the events effectively constituted “genocide.” “Elderly, sympathy for the victims and regret for not taking sufficient female, and very young Bosnian Muslims were driven out of action to prevent the massacre, committed by the Bosnian the enclave, and between seven and eight thousand male Serb forces and the Serbian paramilitary militias. It does not Bosnian Muslims were killed in systematic fashion” in July describe the events as ‘genocide.’ “We have passed a civilised 1995, the five judges declare in their summing-up of the measure by politically-responsible people, founded on polit- Krstic case. General Radislav Krstic, Commander of the Drina ical conviction on the war crimes committed in Srebrenica,” Corps, whose soldiers carried out the executions, was initially declared Branko Ruzik, whose socialist party was led by sentenced to 46 years imprisonment. On Monday, his sen- Slobodan Milosevic in the 1990s. tence was commuted to 35 years, as, in the view of the mag- istrates, he was not the direct author of the genocide but merely an accomplice. In their estimation, the moral authority lays elsewhere, with the military chief of the Bosnian Serbs, Ratko Mladic, who has been on the run for the last nine years. On 26 May 2011, Ratko Mladic, Commander of the Bosnian Serb forces was arrested and handed over to international justice.

On 22 July 2008, the Serbian authorities arrested the Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and handed him ‘Serbia Says Jailed Mladic Will Face War Crimes over to international justice. Trial,’ Dan Bilefsky and Doreen Carvajal, The New York Times (USA), 26 May 2011 (in English).

Extract: ‘The Serbian Authorities Put an End to the Long Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb General held respon- Escape of Radovan Karadzic,’ Agence France sible for the massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Presse, 22 July 2008 (in French). Srebrenica in 1995, was arrested on Thursday, signaling Serbia’s intention of finally escaping the isolation it brought Extract: on itself during the Balkan wars, the bloodiest in Europe since Radovan Karadzic, the former political leader of the Bosnian World War II. The capture of the former general removes a Serbs, indicted for war crimes and genocide by the international major obstacle to Serbia’s becoming a member of the European justice authorities, was arrested by Serbian secret services on Union, which had insisted that Mr. Mladic be apprehended and Monday, after a 13-year manhunt. Radovan Karadzic was turned over for trial in an international court before the 174 wanted by the international justice authorities as the insti- country could get on track to join the 27-nation union.