Yugoslav Wars: Difference between revisions
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{{Articleissues| citations missing = July 2008| grammar= July 2008| histinfo = July 2008| cleanup = July 2008| expert = Military history/Balkan military history task force}} |
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{{For|the 1912-1913 wars in the Balkans|Balkan Wars}} |
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{{Infobox Military Conflict |
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|conflict=Yugoslav wars |
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|partof= |
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|image=[[Image:Sarajevo Grbavica.JPG|300px]] |
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|caption=Overall view of downtown [[Grbavica (Sarajevo)|Grbavica]], a suburb of [[Sarajevo]]. These ruins of the apartments and houses once occupied by [[Bosnian Serbs]] were the last group to be turned over to the [[Bosniaks]] (or Bosnian Muslims) as required by the [[Dayton Peace Accord]] which produced a cease fire and permanent borders. |
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|date=1991–2001 |
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|place= [[Croatia]], [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], [[Slovenia]], [[Serbia]], [[Montenegro]], [[Republic of Macedonia]] |
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|territory= |
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|result=New countries independent.* |
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<nowiki>*</nowiki><small>(Kosovo independence disputed; See [[2008 Kosovo declaration of independence]])</small> |
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|combatant1={{flag|Croatia}}<br>[[Image:Flag of Herzeg-Bosnia.svg|22px|border]] [[Croatian Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia|CR Herzeg-Bosnia]]<br>{{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina|1992}}<br>[[Image:Flag of Jihad.svg|22px|border]] [[Bosnian mujahideen]]<br>{{flag|Slovenia}}<br>[[NATO]]<br>{{flagicon|Albania}} [[Albanians|Albanian]] factions:<br>- [[Image:Uck kla logo.svg|19px]] [[Kosovo Liberation Army|KLA]] (UÇK)<br>- [[Image:Uck Nla Logo.svg|19px]] [[National Liberation Army (Albanians of Macedonia)|NLA]] (UÇK)<br>- [[Image:Ucpmb logo.jpg|17px]] [[UCPMB|LAPMB]] (UCPMB)<br> |
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|combatant2={{flagicon|Republika Srpska}} [[Republic of Srpska]],<br>{{flag|Serbian Krajina}},<br>{{flag|FR Yugoslavia}},<br>{{flagicon|Serbia|1991}} [[Paramilitary|Paramilitary forces]] from [[Serbia]]<br>[[Image:JNA sign logo.jpg|22px]] [[Yugoslav People's Army|JNA]] <small>([[Serbs|Serb]]-controlled remnant)</small> |
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|commander1={{Flagicon|Croatia}} [[Franjo Tuđman]]<br>[[Image:Flag of Herzeg-Bosnia.svg|22px|border]] [[Mate Boban]]<br>{{Flagicon|Croatia}} [[Janko Bobetko]]<br>{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina|1992}} [[Alija Izetbegović]]<br>{{flagicon|Bosnia and Herzegovina|1992}} [[Sefer Halilović]]<br>{{Flagicon|Slovenia}} [[Milan Kučan]]<br>{{Flagicon|Slovenia}} [[Janez Janša]]<br>{{flagicon|Europe}} [[Javier Solana]]<br>[[Wesley Clark]]<br>{{Flagicon|USA}} [[Bill Clinton]]<br>{{Flagicon|UK}} [[Tony Blair]]<br>{{Flagicon|UK}} Sir [[John Major]]<br>[[Image:Uck kla logo.svg|22px]] [[Hashim Thaci]]<br>[[Image:Uck kla logo.svg|22px]] [[Agim Çeku]]<br> {{flagicon|Russia}} [[Boris Yeltsin]] |
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|commander2={{flagicon|Serbia|1991}}{{flagicon|FR Yugoslavia}} [[Slobodan Milošević]]<br>{{flagicon|Montenegro|1993}}{{flagicon|FR Yugoslavia}} [[Momir Bulatović]]<br>[[Image:JNA sign logo.jpg|22px]] [[Veljko Kadijević]]<br>[[Image:JNA sign logo.jpg|22px]] [[Branko Kostić]]<br>{{flagicon|Republika Srpska}} [[Radovan Karadžić]]<br>{{flagicon|Republika Srpska}} [[Ratko Mladić]]<br>{{flagicon|Serbian Krajina}} [[Milan Martić]]<br>{{flagicon|Serbian Krajina}} [[Milan Babić]]<br>{{flagicon|FR Yugoslavia}} [[Dragoljub Ojdanić]],<br>{{flagicon|FR Yugoslavia}} [[Nebojša Pavković]]<br>{{flagicon|Serbia|1991}} [[Vojislav Šešelj]] |
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|strength1= |
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|strength2= |
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|casualties1= |
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|casualties2= |
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|casualties3=140,000+ dead; thousands missing; over 1,000,000 left homeless |
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|notes= |
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}} |
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{{Campaignbox Yugoslav Wars}} |
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The '''Yugoslav Wars''' were a series of violent conflicts in the territory of the former [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] (SFRY) that took place between 1991 and 2001. For the most part (excepting the 1991 [[Ten-Day War|War in Slovenia]]), the conflict has in common a drive towards the establishment of various "ethnically clean" [[Serbs|Serbian]] areas within SFR Yugoslavia, and their eventual preferred union with [[Serbia]] proper, thus creating an enlarged state populated by a vast majority of ethnic Serbs. The ideal of a "[[Greater Serbia]]" was the perceived goal and primary motivation for many of the Serbian fighters and volunteers that engaged in the conflict, especially for the members of Serbian paramilitary units involved in the fighting. The Croatian and Bosnian sides in particular claimed that the establishment of such a state was the end ambition of the Serbian leadership, and included this claim in their respective wartime propaganda campaigns. |
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The Yugoslav wars comprise of two sets of successive wars affecting all of the six former Yugoslav republics. Alternative terms in use include the "War in the Balkans", or "War in (the former) Yugoslavia", "Wars of Yugoslav Secession", and the "Third Balkan War" (a short-lived term coined by British journalist [[Misha Glenny]], alluding to the [[Balkan Wars]] of 1912–1913). They were characterized by bitter [[ethnic conflict]]s between the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between [[Serbs]] on the one side and [[Croats]], [[Bosnians]] or [[Albanians]] on the other; but also between Bosniaks and Croats in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]] and [[Macedonians (ethnic group)|Macedonians]] and Albanians in the [[Republic of Macedonia]]. The conflict had its roots in various underlying political, economic and cultural problems, as well as long-standing [[ethnic]] and [[religion|religious]] tensions. |
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The civil wars ended with much of the former Yugoslavia reduced to poverty, massive economic disruption and persistent instability across the territories where the worst fighting occurred. The wars were the bloodiest conflicts on European soil since the end of World War II. They were also the first conflicts since World War II to have been formally judged [[genocide|genocidal]] in character and many key individual participants were subsequently charged with [[war crimes]]. The [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]] (ICTY) was established by the [[United Nations]] to prosecute these crimes. |
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The Yugoslav civil wars can be split in three groups of several distinct conflicts: |
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* Wars during the breakup of the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]]: |
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*# [[Ten-Day War|War in Slovenia]] (1991) |
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*# [[Croatian War of Independence]] (1991-1995) |
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*# [[Bosnian War]] (1992-1995) |
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* Wars in [[Albanians|Albanian]]-populated areas: |
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*# [[Kosovo War]] (1996-1999) |
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*# [[Southern Serbia conflict]] (2000-2001) |
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*# [[2001 Macedonian War|Macedonia conflict]] (2001) |
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* NATO campaigns against Serbia: |
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*# [[NATO bombing of Republika Srpska]] (1995-96) |
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*# [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia]] (1999) |
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==Background== |
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Before World War II, major tensions arose from the first, [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|monarchist Yugoslavia]]'s multi-ethnic makeup and relative political and demographic domination of the Serbs. Fundamental to the tensions was the different conceptions of the new state, for the Croats envisaged a federal model where they would enjoy greater autonomy than they had as a separate crown land under [[Austria-Hungary]]. Under Austria-Hungary Croats enjoyed only formal autonomy. For example, they were not allowed to speak in the [[Croatian language]] in [[Sabor]] (the Croatian legislature). The Serbs tended to view the territories as a just reward for their support of the allies in [[World War I]] and the new state as an extension of the Serbian Kingdom. The Serbs sacrificed their own state (which was in that time a little bit larger as today's Serbia, including much of Kosovo and Makedonia, but not Vojvodina, and northern parts of Beograd) in order to realize the ideal of a "South Slav state". Tensions between the two ethnic groups often erupted into open conflict, with the Serb dominated security structure exercising repression during elections<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,719894,00.html Elections], ''[[TIME Magazine]]'', February 23, 1925</ref> and the assassination in federal parliament of Croat political leaders, including [[Stjepan Radić]], who opposed the Serbian monarch's [[absolutism]]. The assassination and human rights abuses were subject of concern for the [[League of Nations]] and precipitated voices of protest from intellectuals including [[Albert Einstein]].<ref>[http://www.croatianhistory.net/etf/einste.html Appeal to the international league of human rights], Albert Einstein/Heinrich Mann</ref> It was in this environment of repression that the radical insurgent group (later fascist dictatorship) ''[[Ustasha]]'' were formed. |
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The country's tensions were exploited by the occupying [[Axis forces]] in [[World War II]], which established a [[puppet-state]] spanning much of present day [[Croatia]] and [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]. The Axis powers installed in charge of this "[[Independent State of Croatia]]" the [[Ustasha]], which having resolved that the Serbian minority were a Trojan horse of Serbian expansionism, pursued a [[genocide|genocidal]] policy against them. One third were to be killed, one third expelled, and one third converted to [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholicism]] and assimilated as Croats. The same policy was applied in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both Croats and Muslims were recruited as soldiers by the ''[[Schutzstaffel|SS]]'' (primarily in the [[13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar (1st Croatian)|13th ''Waffen'' Mountain Division]]). At the same time, former Royalist General [[Milan Nedić]] was installed by the Axis as head of the [[Nedić's Serbia|Serb puppet state]]. Both [[quisling]]s were confronted and eventually defeated by the [[communism|communist]]-led anti-fascist [[Partisans (Yugoslavia)|Partisan]] movement composed of members of all ethnic groups in the area, leading to the formation of the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]]. |
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Despite the federal structure of the new Yugoslavia, there was still the tension between the federalists, primarily Croats and [[Slovenes]] who argued for greater autonomy, and [[unitarists]], primarily Serbs. The to and fro of the struggle would occur in cycles of protests for greater individual and national rights (such as the [[Croatian Spring]]) and subsequent repression. The 1974 constitution was an attempt to short-circuit this pattern by entrenching the federal model and formalizing national rights. |
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== SFR Yugoslav dissolution wars (1991-1995) == |
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[[Image:Ethnic Clensing.JPG|thumb|200px|right|A destroyed Croat home covered with graffiti drawn by Serbs. Acts of ethnic violence occurred between multiple nationalities in Yugoslavia, leaving a legacy of hatred and mistrust.]] |
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[[Image:HVO Army T-55 Glamoc setup.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[T-55]]. Standard tank of the Croatian forces.]] |
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[[Image:Vukovar turm.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The destroyed [[Vukovar]] water tower. One of the symbols of the [[Croatian War of Independence|conflict in Croatia]].]] |
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[[Image:Evstafiev-bosnia-cello.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Vedran Smailović]] playing in the destroyed building of the National Library in Sarajevo, 1992.]] |
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[[Image:800px-Bgd-agresija1.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Building in [[Belgrade]] destroyed during the [[1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|1999 NATO bombing]].]] |
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[[Image:Yugoslaw Army destroyed this Hotel in Kupari, Croatia.JPG|thumb|right|200px|A shelled [[Croatia|Croatian]] hotel resort of the [[Dalmatia|Dalmatian]] coastline in Kupari near [[Dubrovnik]] (1991).]] |
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[[Image:Aviano f-15.jpg|thumb|200px|right|U.S. Air Force [[F-15E Strike Eagle]] takes off from [[Aviano Air Base]], Italy, for an air strike mission in support of [[1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|NATO Operation Allied Force]] on March 28, 1999. Operation Allied Force is the air operation against targets in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.]] |
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[[Image:BosniaPeaceSigning.jpg|thumb|200px|Standing, from left to right: [[Felipe Gonzalez]], [[Bill Clinton]], [[Jacques Chirac]], [[Helmut Kohl]], [[John Major]], [[Viktor Chernomyrdin]]. Seated from left to right: [[Slobodan Milošević]], [[Franjo Tuđman]], [[Alija Izetbegović]] signing the final peace agreement in Paris on December 14, 1995.]] |
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In the years leading up to the Yugoslav wars, relations among the republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had been deteriorating. Slovenia and Croatia desired greater autonomy within a Yugoslav confederation, while Serbia sought to strengthen federal authority. As it became clearer that there was no solution agreeable to all parties, Slovenia and Croatia moved toward secession. By that time there was no effective authority at the federal level. Federal Presidency consisted of the representatives of all 6 republics and 2 provinces and JNA (Yugoslav People's Army). Communist leadership was divided along national lines. The final breakdown occurred at the 14th Congress of the Communist Party when Croat and Slovenian delegates left in protest because the pro-integration majority in the Congress rejected their proposed amendments. |
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The first of these conflicts, known as the [[Ten-Day War]] or "The War" in Slovenia, was initiated by the secession of Slovenia from the federation on 25 June 1991. The federal government ordered the federal [[Yugoslav People's Army]] to secure border crossings in Slovenia. Slovenian police and [[Territorial Defense Forces (Yugoslavia)|Territorial Defense]] blockaded barracks and roads, leading to standoffs and limited skirmishes around the republic. After several dozen deaths, the limited conflict was stopped through negotiation at [[Brijuni|Brioni]] on 9 July 1991, when Slovenia and Croatia agreed to a three-month moratorium on secession. The Federal army completely withdrew from Slovenia by 26 October 1991. |
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The second in this series of conflicts, the [[Croatian War of Independence]], began when [[Serbs of Croatia|Serbs in Croatia]] who were opposed to Croatian independence announced their secession from [[Croatia]]. The move was in part triggered by a provision in the new Croatian Constitution that replaced the explicit reference to Serbs in Croatia as a "constituent nation" with a generic reference to all other nations, and was interpreted by Serbs as being reclassified as a "national minority". This was coupled with a history of distrust between the two ethnic groups dating back to at least both [[Yugoslavia#Yugoslavia during the Second World War|World Wars]] and the [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|inter-war period]]. The federally-controlled [[Yugoslav People's Army]] (JNA) was ideologically unitarist, and predominantly staffed by Serbs in its officer corp, thus it also opposed Croatian independence and sided with the Croatian Serb rebels. Since the [[Yugoslav People's Army|JNA]] had disarmed the Territorial Units of the two northernmost republics, the fledgling [[Croatia]]n state had to form its military from scratch{{Fact|date=February 2007}} and was further hindered by an arms embargo imposed by the U.N. on the whole of Yugoslavia. The Croatian Serb rebels were unaffected by said embargo as they had the support of and access to supplies of the JNA. The border regions faced direct attacks from forces within Serbia and Montenegro, and saw the destruction of [[Vukovar]] and the shelling of [[UNESCO]] [[world heritage site]] [[Dubrovnik]]. Meanwhile, control over central Croatia was seized by Croatian Serb forces in conjunction with the JNA Corpus from Bosnia & Herzegovina, under the leadership of [[Ratko Mladic]]{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. These attacks were marked by the killings of captured soldiers and heavy civilian casualties ([[Vukovar massacre|Ovcara]]; [[Škabrnja massacre|Škabrnja]]), and were the subject of war crimes indictments by the [[ICTY]] for elements of the Serb political & military leadership. In January 1992, the [[Vance peace plan]] proclaimed UN controlled (UNPA) zones for [[Serbs]] in territory claimed by the rebel Serbs as the [[Republic of Serbian Krajina]] and brought an end to major military operations, though sporadic artillery attacks on Croatian cities and occasional intrusions of Croatian forces into UNPA zones continued until 1995. |
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<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:Manjaca camp.gif|thumb|200px|left|Manjača camp in Bosnia controlled by Serbs, holding [[Bosniak]] detainees in 1992.]] --> |
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In 1992, the conflict engulfed [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]]. It was predominantly a territorial conflict between local [[Bosniak]]s (a.k.a. Bosnian Muslims) and [[Croat]]s backed by [[Zagreb]] on one side, and [[Serbs]] backed by the [[Yugoslav People's Army]] and Serbia on the other. The Yugoslav armed forces which had disintegrated into a largely Serb-dominated military force opposed the Bosniak-majority led government's agenda for independence and along with other armed nationalist Serb militant forces, attempted to prevent Bosnian citizens from voting in the 1992 referendum on independence to prevent Bosnia from legally being able to secede.<ref>Mestrovic, Stjepan G. 1996. Genocide After Emotion: The postemotional Balkan War. London and New York: Routledge. Pp. 36</ref> This did not succeed in persuading people not to vote and instead the intimidating atmosphere combined with a Serb boycott of the vote resulted in a resounding 99% vote in support for independence.<ref>Mestrovic, Pp. 36</ref> For a short-lived period, the erstwhile Muslim & Croat allies would turn on each other in a battle for the scraps of territory left, until they reformed their alliance under US tutelage, that was formalised as the [[Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Muslim-Croat federation]]. The Bosnia conflict, typified by the [[siege of Sarajevo]] & [[Srebrenica massacre|Srebrenica]], was by far the bloodiest and most widely covered of the Yugoslav wars. Bosnia's Serb faction led by ultra-nationalist [[Radovan Karadzic]] promised independence for all Serb areas of Bosnia from the majority-Bosniak government of Bosnia. To link the disjointed parts of territories populated by Serbs and areas claimed by Serbs, Karadzic pursued an agenda of systematic ethnic cleansing primarily against Bosniaks through genocide and forced removal of Bosniak populations.<ref>Mestrovic, Stjepan G. 1996. Genocide After Emotion: The postemotional Balkan War. London and New York: Routledge. Pp. 7</ref> The [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) in the [[United States]] reported in April 1995 that 90 percent of all the atrocities in the Yugoslav wars up to that point had been committed by Serb militants.<ref>Mestrovic, Pp. 8</ref> Most of these atrocities occurred in Bosnia. |
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The fighting in Croatia ended sometime in the summer of 1995, after the [[Croatian Army]] launched two rapid military operations, codenamed [[Operation Flash]] and [[Operation Storm]], in which it managed to reclaim all of its territory except the UNPA Sector East bordering [[Serbia]]. Most of the Serbian population in these areas became refugees, and has been the subject of war crimes indictments by the [[ICTY]] for elements of the Croat military leadership. The remaining Sector East came under UN administration ([[UNTAES]]), and was reintegrated to Croatia in 1998. |
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In 1994 the [[United States|U.S.]] brokered peace between [[Croatia]]n forces and the Bosniak [[Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina]]. After the successful [[Operation Flash|Flash]] and [[Operation Storm|Storm]] operations, the Croatian Army and the combined Bosniak & Croat forces of Bosnian & Herzegovina, worked together in an operation codenamed [[Operation Maestral]] to push back Bosnian Serb military gains. Together with [[1995 NATO bombing in Bosnia and Herzegovina|NATO air strikes on the Bosnian Serbs]], the successes on the ground put pressure on the Serbs to come to the negotiating table. Pressure was put on all sides to stick to the cease-fire and [[Peace plans offered before and during the Bosnian War|finally negotiate]] an end to the war in Bosnia. The war ended with the signing of the [[Dayton Agreement]] on the 14 December 1995, with the formation of [[Republika Srpska]] as an entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina being the resolution for Bosnian Serb demands. |
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== Conflicts in Albanian-populated areas (1996-2002) == |
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In [[Kosovo]], [[Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]], and southern [[Central Serbia]], the conflicts were typified by ethnic and political tension between the Serbian and Macedonian governments and [[Albanians|Albanian]] national minorities which sought autonomy, as was the case in the Republic of Macedonia, or independence, as was the case in Kosovo. |
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The [[Kosovo War|conflict in Kosovo]] (1996-1999) became a full-scale war in 1999, while the [[2001 Macedonia conflict|Macedonia conflict]] (2001-2002) and [[Southern Serbia conflict]] (2001) were characterized by armed clashes between state security forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas. |
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The war in Kosovo ended with [[1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|NATO intervention]] against Serbian forces in 1999, with a mainly bombing but partly ground-based campaign under the command of Gen. Wesley Clark. The NATO intervention is often counted as yet another separate war. |
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The military conflicts in southern Serbia and in Republic of Macedonia ended with internationally-overseen peace agreements between the insurgents and the government. Kosovo was placed under the governmental control of the [[United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo]] and the military protection of [[Kosovo Force|KFOR]]. |
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Rioting and [[2004 unrest in Kosovo|unrest in Kosovo]] broke out in 2004, with minor unrest in 2008 upon Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia. |
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:''See also: [[Serbian-Albanian conflict]]'' |
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==War rape== |
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{{main|war rape}} |
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Evidence of the magnitude of rape in [[Bosnia]] prompted the [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]] (ICTY) to deal openly with these abuses.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.nytimes.com/specials/bosnia/context/0628warcrimes-tribunal.html| last = Simons | first = Marlise | title = For first time, Court Defines Rape as War Crime| publisher =The New York Times |date=June 1996}}</ref> Reports of sexual violence during the [[Bosnian War]] (1992-1995) and [[Kosovo War]] (1996-1999) have been described as "especially alarming".<ref>{{cite book |last= de Brouwer |first=Anne-Marie |title= Supranational Criminal Prosecution of Sexual Violence |origyear=2005 |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JhY8ROsA39kC&dq=war+rape+in+ancient+times&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 |publisher=Intersentia |isbn=9050955339 |pages=9 }}</ref> Since the entry of the NATO-led Kosovo Force, rapes of Serbian, Albanian, and Roma women by ethnic Albanians, sometimes by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, have also been documented.<ref>{{cite book |last= de Brouwer |first=Anne-Marie |title= Supranational Criminal Prosecution of Sexual Violence |origyear=2005 |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JhY8ROsA39kC&dq=war+rape+in+ancient+times&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 |publisher=Intersentia |isbn=9050955339 |pages=11 }}</ref> |
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It has been estimated that during the Bosnian War between 20,000 and 50,000 women were raped. The majority of the rape victims were Muslim women raped by Serbian soldiers. Although men also became victim of sexual violence, war rape was disproportionately directed against women who were (gang) raped in the streets, in their homes and/or in front of family members. Sexual violence occurred in a multiple ways, including rape with objects, such as broken glass bottles, guns and truncheons.<ref>{{cite book |last= de Brouwer |first=Anne-Marie |title= Supranational Criminal Prosecution of Sexual Violence |origyear=2005 |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JhY8ROsA39kC&dq=war+rape+in+ancient+times&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 |publisher=Intersentia |isbn=9050955339 |pages=9 }}</ref> War rape occurred as a matter of official orders as part of ethnic cleansing, to displace the targeted ethnic group out of the region.<ref>{{cite book |last= de Brouwer |first=Anne-Marie |title= Supranational Criminal Prosecution of Sexual Violence |origyear=2005 |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JhY8ROsA39kC&dq=war+rape+in+ancient+times&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 |publisher=Intersentia |isbn=9050955339 |pages=10 }}</ref> |
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During the Bosnian War the existence of deliberately created "rape camps" was reported. The reported aim of these camps was to impregnate the Muslim and Croatian women held captive. It has been reported that often women were kept in confinement until the late stage of their pregnancy. This occurred in the context of a patrilineal society, in which children inherit their father's ethnicity, hence the "rape camps" aimed at the birth of a new generation of Serb children. According to the Women's Group Tresnjevka more than 35,000 women and children were held in such Serb-run "rape camps".<ref>{{cite book |last= de Brouwer |first=Anne-Marie |title= Supranational Criminal Prosecution of Sexual Violence |origyear=2005 |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JhY8ROsA39kC&dq=war+rape+in+ancient+times&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 |publisher=Intersentia |isbn=9050955339 |pages=9-10 }}</ref><ref> [http://www.newint.org/issue244/rape.htm new Internationalist] issue 244, June 1993. Rape: Weapon of War by Angela Robson.</ref><ref> [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2001/02/22/bosher256.htm Human Rights News ''Bosnia: Landmark Verdicts for Rape, Torture, and Sexual Enslavement: Criminal Tribunal Convicts Bosnian Serbs for Crimes Against Humanity''] 02/22/01</ref> |
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During the Kosovo War thousands of Kosovo Albanian women and girls became victims of sexual violence. War rape was used as a weapon of war and an instrument of systematic [[ethnic cleansing]]; rape was used to terrorise the civilian population, extort money from families, and force people to flee their homes. According to a 2000 Human Rights Watch report war rape in the Kosovo War can generally be subdivided into three categories: rapes in women's homes, rapes during fighting, and rapes in detention. The majority of the perpetrators were Serbian paramilitaries, but they also included Serbian special police or Yugoslav army soldiers. Most rapes were gang rapes involving at least two perpetrators. Rapes occurred frequently in the presence, and with the acquiescence, of military officers. Soldiers, police, and paramilitaries often raped their victims in the full view of numerous witnesses.<ref>{{cite book |last= de Brouwer |first=Anne-Marie |title= Supranational Criminal Prosecution of Sexual Violence |origyear=2005 |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JhY8ROsA39kC&dq=war+rape+in+ancient+times&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 |publisher=Intersentia |isbn=9050955339 |pages=10 }}</ref> |
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==Conflict and persecution between peoples of the same ethnicity== |
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In Serbia and Serb territories, violent confrontations occurred particularly between nationalist Serbs towards non-nationalist Serbs who had criticized the Serbian government and the Serb political entities in Bosnia and Croatia.<ref>Gagnon, Valère Philip. 2004. ''The Myth of Ethnic War: Serbia and Croatia in the 1990s.'' Cornell University Press. Pp. 5</ref> Serbs who publicly opposed the nationalist political climate during the Yugoslav wars were reported to have been harassed, threatened, or killed.<ref>Gagnon, Pp. 5</ref> |
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==A brief timeline of the Yugoslav Wars== |
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{{main|Timeline of Yugoslavian breakup|Timeline of the Yugoslav wars}} |
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'''1968''' |
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:Students in Kosovo demand greater rights for the Albanian minority during the worldwide May 1968 protests. |
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'''1971''' |
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:Demonstrations in Croatia, known as the [[Croatian spring]], are condemned by the communist government. Many participants were later convicted as [[nationalists]], including [[Stipe Mesić]] and [[Franjo Tuđman]]. Government crisis follows. |
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'''1974''' |
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:A new [[SFRY]] constitution is proclaimed, granting more power to federal units, and more power to autonomous provinces Kosovo and [[Vojvodina]] of Serbia, giving them a vote in all relevant decisions in the federal government. [[Muslims by nationality|Muslims]] were recognized as a constituent nation of Yugoslavia, becoming the primary ethnic group of Bosnia and Herzegovina. |
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'''1980''' |
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:Yugoslav leader [[Josip Broz Tito]] dies. |
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'''1981''' |
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:Economic crisis in Yugoslavia has begun. Albanian nationalist demonstrations in Kosovo, demand federal unit status. |
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'''1986'''-'''1989''' |
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:The controversial Memorandum of [[Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts]] claims [[Serbia]] has a weak position in [[Yugoslavia]]. |
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:[[Slobodan Milošević]] rises to power in Serbia, promising to defend and promote the interests of Serbs across Yugoslavia and challenge politicians who were deemed to be repressing the interests of Serbs. ''[[Antibureaucratic revolution]]'' demonstrations overthrow Communist party leadership and bring pro-Milošević governments to power in Vojvodina, Kosovo and Montenegro. The other republics' leaderships oppose Milošević's coups. |
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'''1990''' |
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:The [[League of Communists of Yugoslavia]] dissolves on republican and ethnic lines at its 14th Congress {{Fact|date=February 2007}}. |
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:The first democratic elections are held in socialist Yugoslavia. Nationalist parties win the majority in almost all republics {{Fact|date=February 2007}}. |
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:Constitutional changes in Serbia revoke some of the powers granted to Kosovo and Vojvodina, effectively giving Serbia 3 out of 8 votes in the federal council. Along with allied Montenegro, this gives extreme power to the Serbian elite. With these votes, Serbian representatives attempt to institute [[martial law]] to stop democratic changes - their attempt fails as Bosnia's representative (an ethnic Serb) votes against in the crucial last vote. |
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:Croatian Serbs start a rebellion against the newly elected Croatian government led by Franjo Tuđman. |
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'''1991''' |
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:Slovenia and Croatia declare independence. [[Ten-Day War|War in Slovenia]] lasts ten days. |
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:The Yugoslav army leaves Slovenia but supports rebel Serb forces in Croatia. The [[Croatian War of Independence]] begins in Croatia. |
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:Cities of [[Vukovar]], [[Dubrovnik]] and [[Osijek]] are devastated by bombardments and shelling. Flood of refugees from the war zones and ethnic cleansing overwhelm Croatia and western Europe. |
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'''1992''' |
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:Vance peace plan signed, creating 4 [[UNPROFOR|UNPA zones]] for Serbs and ending large scale fighting in Croatia. |
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:[[Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]] and [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]] declare independence. [[Bosnian war]] begins. |
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:[[Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]] proclaimed, consisting of [[Serbia]] and [[Montenegro]], the only two remaining republics. |
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:United Nations impose sanctions against FR Yugoslavia and accepts Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia as members. |
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:Approx. 600.000 non-serbian refugees. |
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'''1993''' |
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:Bosniak-Croat conflict in Bosnia begins. |
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:Fighting begins in the [[Bihać]] region between Bosnian Government and Bosniaks loyal to [[Fikret Abdić]]. |
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:F.R. Yugoslavia, due to sanctions and isolation, is hit with, by that time, never seen hyperinflation of 3,6 million percent a year of Yugoslav dinar. This amount of inflation exceeds that experienced in the Great Depression of 1929. |
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:The Stari Most (The Old Bridge) in Mostar, built in 1566, was destroyed by Bosnian Croat forces. It was rebuilt in 2003. |
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'''1994''' |
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:Peace treaty between Bosniaks and Croats arbitrated by the [[United States]]. |
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:F.R. Yugoslavia stabilizes economy structure with Economic Implementation Framework. |
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'''1995''' |
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:[[Srebrenica massacre]] reported, 8,000 Bosniaks killed. |
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:Croatia launches [[Operation Flash]] and [[Operation Storm]], reclaiming all UNPA zones except Eastern Slavonia, and resulting in exodus of 250,000 Serbs from the zones. War in Croatia ends. |
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:[[1995 NATO bombing in Bosnia and Herzegovina|NATO launches a series of air strikes]] on Bosnian Serb artillery and other military targets. |
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:[[Dayton Agreement]] signed in [[Paris]]. War in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends. Aftermath of war is over 100,000 killed and missing and 2,5 million people internally displaced among the former republics. Serb defeat in Croatia and West Bosnia allows Croatian and Bosniak refugees to return to their homes, but many refugees of all nationalities are still displaced today. |
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:After signing the Dayton Agreement, Yugoslavia is granted with looser sanctions, still affecting much of its economy (trade, tourism, industrial production and exports of final products), but allowing for its citizens to exit Yugoslavia, for a limited time. |
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'''1996''' |
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:FR Yugoslavia recognizes Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina. |
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:Following a fraud in local elections, hundreds of thousands of Serbs demonstrate in Belgrade against Milošević regime for three months. |
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'''1998''' |
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:Fighting breaks out between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanians in [[Kosovo]]. |
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:[[UNTAES|Eastern Slavonia]] peacefully reintegrated into Croatia. |
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'''1999''' |
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:NATO starts the military campaign [[1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Operation Allied Force]] in Kosovo. Control of Kosovo is given to the United Nations, but still remains a part of Yugoslavia's federation. |
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:[[Franjo Tuđman]] dies. Shortly after that, his party loses the elections. |
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[[Image:Former Yugoslavia 2008.PNG|300px|thumb|right|Former Yugoslavia in [[2008]].]] |
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'''2000''' |
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:Slobodan Milošević is voted out of office, and [[Vojislav Koštunica]] becomes the new president of Yugoslavia. |
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:With Milošević, a major political threat eliminated, the World had no reason to keep Yugoslavia any more isolated. The political and economic sanctions are suspended in total, and F.R. Yugoslavia has been reinstated in many political and economic organizations as well as candidate for other collaborative efforts like the European union. |
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'''2001''' |
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:Brief [[UCPMB|Conflict in Southern Serbia]] between Albanian militants and Serbian security forces. |
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'''2002''' |
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:Milošević is put on trial in [[ICTY|The Hague]] on charges of war crimes in Kosovo. |
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'''2003''' |
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:FR Yugoslavia becomes the [[State Union of Serbia and Montenegro]]. |
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:[[Alija Izetbegović]] dies. |
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'''2006''' |
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:Death of [[Ibrahim Rugova]] in [[Priština]] [[Kosovo]] [[Republic of Serbia]], [[State Union of Serbia and Montenegro]] |
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:[[Montenegro]] dissolves the union with Serbia becoming an independent [[republic]]. |
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:[[Death of Slobodan Milošević]] in the Hague prison. |
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'''2007''' |
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:The International Court of Justice ([[ICJ]]) finds [[Serbia]] not guilty of committing genocide in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia]], but finds that it failed to prevent the genocide in [[Srebrenica]] and orders it to hand over war criminals who are suspected to hide inside its borders. |
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'''2008''' |
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:[[Kosovo]] declares independence on 17 February 2008. The UN is still divided over the recognition of the state. |
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: [[Radovan Karadžić]] captured in Belgrade, July 21 2008. |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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== External links == |
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*Bora Radović: [http://www.ian.org.yu/tortura/srp/pdf/01.pdf Jugoslovenski ratovi 1991-1999 i neke od njihovih društvenih posledica]. {{sr icon}} |
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*[http://www.historyguy.com/balkan_war_third.htm Information and links on the Third Balkan War (1991-2001)] |
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*Wiebes, Cees. Intelligence and the War in Bosnia 1992-1995, Publisher: Lit Verlag, 2003 |
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*http://srebrenica.brightside.nl/srebrenica/ |
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*Dr. R. Craig Nation. [http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/00117.pdf "War in the Balkans 1991-2002."] |
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*[http://www.foia.cia.gov/CPE/ESAU/esau-46.pdf "Yugoslavia: the outworn structure" (CIA) Report from November 1970] |
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*[http://youtube.com/watch?v=WkO7aqbTQuM&mode=related&search=/ Operation Storm] |
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*{{dmoz|Society/History/By_Time_Period/Twentieth_Century/Wars_and_Conflicts/Yugoslav_Wars/|Yugoslav wars}} |
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Strategic Studies Institute, 2002, ISBN 1-58487-134-2 |
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{{Yugoslav wars}} |
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[[Category:Wars involving the Balkans|Yugoslav]] |
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[[Category:Yugoslavia]] |
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[[Category:Conflicts in 1991]] |
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[[Category:Yugoslav wars| ]] |
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[[ca:Guerra dels Balcans]] |
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[[cs:Válka v Jugoslávii]] |
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[[de:Jugoslawienkriege]] |
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[[es:Guerras yugoslavas]] |
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[[fr:Guerres de Yougoslavie]] |
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[[gl:Guerras iugoslavas]] |
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[[ko:유고슬라비아 전쟁]] |
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[[hr:Raspad SFRJ]] |
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[[it:Guerre jugoslave]] |
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[[he:מלחמות יוגוסלביה]] |
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[[lv:Dienvidslāvijas kari]] |
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[[lt:Jugoslavijos karai]] |
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[[hu:Délszláv háború]] |
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[[nl:Oorlogen in Joegoslavië]] |
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[[ja:ユーゴスラビア紛争]] |
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[[no:Jugoslavia-krigene]] |
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[[ru:Распад Югославии]] |
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[[sl:Vojne v bivši Jugoslaviji]] |
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[[sr:Распад СФРЈ]] |
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[[fi:Jugoslavian hajoamissodat]] |
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[[sv:Jugoslaviska krigen]] |
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[[zh:南斯拉夫內戰]] |
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