Social Education 70(4), pg 209–214 ©2006 National Council for the Social Studies The Tenth Commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide Samuel Totten In 1991, following the fall of the Serb forces were the ones who, over the rather than peace enforcement, man- Soviet Union and the end of the Cold years, applied ever-increasing pressure date. Dutchbat attempted to stave off War, the former Yugoslavia began to dis- on the Muslims in Srebrenica (and on the Serbs, but to no avail. Once the area integrate. The country degenerated into the Dutch Battalion, commonly referred fell, the Serbs did as they wished to the conflict between the three major groups— to as “Dutchbat,” charged with protect- Muslims of Srebrenica, including expel- Serbs, Muslims, and Croatians—that ing the safe area) by periodically shell- ling the girls and women, and rounding had lived in peace under dictator Josip ing them and preventing humanitarian up the boys and men to execute them. Broz Tito. In 1993, Serb attacks on assistance from entering the enclave.2 Following Serb orders, Dutchbat Bosnian Muslims increased in eastern As the attacks increased in number even expelled 5,000 people from the Bosnia, and the latter fled their homes and ferocity, NATO authorities dis- Dutchbat battalion headquarters in and villages to seek protection in the cussed the possibility of air strikes Potocari, where many Muslims had fled nearby town of Srebrenica (and a 30- against Serb-held areas. However, many seeking protection. Ultimately, between square-mile area surrounding it), which of the European nations that had con- 7,000 to 8,000 Muslim boys and men had been designated a United Nations- tributed troops to the United Nations were forced from Potocari, taken out sponsored “safe area.” The safe area had peacekeeping force (UNPROFOR) into the woods, lined up, and mur- been developed as a result of Security argued against air strikes, asserting dered. In reality, Srebrenica, some have Council Resolution 819 on April 16, that such attacks would endanger their asserted, became a besieged area not a 1993. The wording of the resolution troops—those on the ground as well as safe area. The genocide in Srebrenica read, in part, as follows: those that were being held hostage by was the largest single act of genocide in ... the Government of the Federal the Serbs. As a result, air strikes were Europe in 50 years, or since the Nazi- Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia not carried out. perpetrated Holocaust. and Montenegro) should imme- The continuous Serb attacks culmi- I was invited by the Bosnian foreign diately, in pursuance of its under- nated in the all-out assault and subse- ministry to attend a 10-year commemo- taking in the Convention on the quent takeover of Srebrenica on July 11, ration of the genocide on July 11, 2005. Prevention and Punishment of 1995. The attack was led by Bosnian It was followed by an international con- Genocide of 9 December 1948, Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, ference in Sarajevo, “The International take all measures within its power Serbian general Radislav Kristic, and Scientific Conference on the Genocide to prevent the commission of the others. Dutchbat was out-manned, against the Bosniaks of UN Safe Area crimes of Genocide.1 under-resourced, and on a sorely lim- Srebrenica in July 1995—Lessons for Subsequently, the UN forged an ited Chapter VII mandate. Chapter Future Generations,” on July 12–14 agreement in which the Muslim troops VII means that a peace operation can 2005. in the enclave of Srebrenica would dis- and must use force when it perceives As I embarked on the long journey arm, the Serbs would halt their attacks that its own safety, or the safety of the from my home in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on the enclave, and the UN would over- people it is charged with protecting, is to Sarajevo in Bosnia, I came across see and enforce the cease-fire. in danger; however, Dutchbat’s lim- numerous articles about Srebrenica While both Serbs and Muslims peri- ited Chapter VII mandate constituted in various newspapers, including The odically violated the agreement, the more of a Chapter VI, or peacekeeping, New York Times, the London Financial M AY / J UNE 2 0 0 6 209 Photo: Totten Photo: Samuel Tens of thousands gather in Srebrenica-Potocari, Bosnia, on July 11, 2005, to commemorate the victims of the Serb-orchestrated genocide. Times, and The International Herald Taking a walk into the center of town, remained a shell of its former self. A Tribune. A particularly striking passage I made my way down the street, along beautifully ornate building, its walls in the Financial Times read as follows: what had commonly been referred to as were severely cracked and pocked with Srebrenica remains shattered a “Sniper Alley.” I observed holes in many shell and bullet holes, its windows decade after the killings. Its ethnic walls of businesses and homes where boarded and bricked up, and its col- balance has been altered, appar- they had been sprayed with gunfire and umns collected dust in a heap on the ently irrevocably. Before the hit with shells; the punctures, holes, and ground. A sign on the wall next to its war, the town was home to more gashes ranged from the size of a dime to temporary front door read: than 36,000 people, including a the size of a dinner plate. On the side- On this place Serbian Criminals majority of Bosniaks, as tradition- walks, I periodically came across what in the Night of 25th–26th August, ally Muslim Bosnians are known. are locally known as “Sarajevo Roses,” 1992 Set on Fire National and Today, some 6,000 Serbs com- places where shells had exploded that University’s Library of Bosnia prise the largest element. are now patched up with pink-dyed and Herzegovina. Bosnians complain frequently cement. Over 2 Million Books, Periodicals that the Dayton Accords, signed While most buildings and houses in and Documents Vanished in the to end the Bosnian war just downtown Sarajevo were in use again, Flames months after the killings, froze a good number still stood vacant, win- Do Not Forget the results of ethnic cleansing on dowless, and with gaping holes in roofs Remember and Warn! all sides [thus preventing Bosnian or walls. In some cases, all that was left Inside the gutted library, a tempo- Muslims from returning to their of certain homes were badly damaged rary wood wall encircled the first floor. hometowns].3 frames, or a tangle of twisted metal, and There was a small, but stunning, photog- In Sarajevo, I checked into the Holiday splintered wood resting amongst a pile raphy exhibit on the fate of Srebrenica. Inn, which was constantly bombed dur- of concrete rubble. Among the 30 photographs or so were ing the war and served as a center for the One of Sarajevo’s most cherished shots of young children behind a barbed international press during that period. buildings, the National Library, wire fence; mass graves; family mem- S OCIAL E DUCATION 210 bers sorting through the bones of their loved ones; items found in mass graves (a toothbrush, a cigarette lighter, and an identity card); and a warehouse filled with hundreds of coffins for individual Photo: Totten Photo: Samuel victims of the Srebrenica genocide. On Monday, July 11, at 5:00 a.m., I and about 70 other scholars and guests aboard three large buses rode through the dark, quiet, and all but deserted streets of Sarajevo enroute to Srebrenica, some two and a half hours away. The buses wound up a two-lane road into the mountains surrounding Sarajevo. Lush with bright green foliage and leafy trees, the mountains were dotted with farms, small communities, and rustic homes with high-pitched roofs. Many of the homes had been patched up and were again inhabited, but around them were destroyed homes, wrecked mosques, and other devastated edifices. Midway to Srebrenica, the number of damaged homes and mosques increased notice- ably. Just as in Sarajevo, most walls were pockmarked with bullets holes. There were also many new homes, some stand- ing next to the rubble of former build- ings and homes. On the way to Srebrenica, scholars from Bosnia and from countries such as the United States, Australia, England, Denmark, France, and Germany, dis- cussed the genocide, the failure of the international community to erect truly safe areas during the war, and current life in Bosnia. During the course of the ride, several documentaries on the his- tory and fate of Srebrenica were shown On the 10th anniversary of the genocide, family members dug new graves, such as the on televisions located throughout the one pictured above. The identified remains of a victim killed at Srebrenica in 1995 were bus. One included Serb-produced moved here from a previously hidden, unmarked mass grave. video clips of Ratko Mladic and the Serb forces rounding up the people of under carriages of the buses for bombs, be held. The squad car, its blue, revolv- Srebrenica and taking the men out and opened up the engine compartments ing light illuminated, weaved in and out killing them. A film was also shown and examined them with shining flash- of the traffic ahead of us, often traveling about the trial of General Kristic at the lights, and checked out all of the baggage on the opposite side of the road, where International Criminal Tribunal for the compartments. Fifteen minutes later, the the oncoming traffic had already been Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), at which he buses proceeded up the winding moun- pulled over by other police officers.