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Yugoslav Wars: the story on HearLore | HearLore
— Ch. 1 · Origins Of Conflict —
Yugoslav Wars.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
In 1980, Josip Broz Tito died and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia began to fracture. Relations between the six republics deteriorated rapidly after his death. Slovenia, Croatia, and Kosovo desired greater autonomy within the federation. Serbia sought to strengthen federal authority instead. By 1990, there was no effective authority at the federal level. The Federal Presidency consisted of representatives from the six republics, two provinces, and the Yugoslav People's Army. Communist leadership became divided along national lines. Representatives of Vojvodina, Kosovo, and Montenegro were replaced with loyalists of Slobodan Milošević. Serbia secured four out of eight federal presidency votes. This allowed Serbia to heavily influence decision-making at the federal level. All other Yugoslav republics held only one vote each. At the 14th Extraordinary Congress of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia in January 1990, the Serbian-dominated assembly agreed to abolish the single-party system. Slobodan Milošević used his influence to block all proposals from Croatian and Slovene delegates. The Croatian and Slovene delegations walked out. This event symbolized the end of brotherhood and unity. A survey conducted in 1990 showed that ethnic animosity existed on a small scale but had increased significantly compared to results from twenty-five years prior.
Decade Of Warfare
The first conflict began on the 26th of June 1991 when the Yugoslav People's Army initiated action after Slovenia separated from the federation. Fighting lasted ten days before negotiations stopped hostilities. The Federal Army withdrew completely by the 26th of October 1991. In Croatia, fighting escalated into an all-out war during the summer of 1991. Fronts formed around areas controlled by the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina. By mid-July 1991, the JNA moved an estimated 70,000 troops into Croatia. The Battle of Vukovar began in August 1991 with fierce fighting involving around 1,800 Croat fighters. The town was almost completely devastated by land shelling and air bombardment by late October. On the 18th of November 1991, the battle ended after the city ran out of ammunition. The Siege of Dubrovnik started in October with shelling of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. War in Bosnia erupted on the 19th of June 1992 following independence declaration. The Sarajevo siege lasted for years and became the bloodiest part of the conflicts. A NATO-facilitated ceasefire signed on the 15th of October 1998 broke down two months later. The Kosovo War concluded with the Kumanovo Agreement ending hostilities fifteen months after bombing began. Insurgency in Macedonia started at the end of January 2001 and ended with the Ohrid Agreement in August.
Systematic Atrocities
On the 18th of December 1992, the United Nations General Assembly issued resolution 47/121 condemning aggressive acts by Serbian forces to acquire more territories by force. It called such ethnic cleansing a form of genocide. A telegram sent to the White House on the 8th of February 1994 stated that genocide was occurring. Evidence cited constant shelling of Sarajevo and harassment of minority groups. In July 1995, the Srebrenica massacre resulted in the deaths of 8,000 Bosniak men. The International Court of Justice ruled on the 26th of February 2007 that Serbia failed to prevent genocide committed by Serb forces in Srebrenica. Detention camps like Omarska and Trnopolje were designated as integral parts of ethnic cleansing strategies. According to ICTY verdicts, Serb forces from SAO Krajina deported at least 80,000 to 100,000 Croats between 1991 and 1992. The number of Croats in Serb-occupied Republic of Serbian Krajina dropped from 203,656 in 1991 to 4,000 by early 1995. At least 700,000 to 863,000 Albanians were forcibly expelled from Kosovo in 1999. More than 80% of Kosovo's total population was displaced by June 1999. War rape occurred as part of official orders to displace targeted ethnic groups. Over 35,000 women and children were held in Serb-run rape camps according to the Trešnjevka Women's Group. Between 20,000 and 50,000 women were raped during the Bosnian War.
Humanitarian Catastrophe
Estimates place the number of killed in the Yugoslav Wars at 140,000 people. The Humanitarian Law Center estimates that at least 130,000 lost their lives. Civilian death rates ranged between 52% and 56%. Around 70 people died in Slovenia's ten-day conflict. The War in Croatia left an estimated 22,000 dead including 15,000 Croats and 7,000 Serbs. Bosnia suffered the heaviest burden with deaths ranging from 97,207 to 102,622. In Kosovo, 13,535 people were killed including 10,812 Albanians. Sarajevo saw around 14,000 killed during its siege alone. The wars produced about 2.4 million refugees and an additional 2 million internally displaced persons. Up until 2001, there were still 650,000 displaced Bosniaks while 200,000 left permanently. The Kosovo War caused 862,979 Albanian refugees who fled battle fronts. By June 1999, almost 90% of all Albanians were displaced from their homes in Kosovo. After the war ended, over 200,000 Serbs, Romani, and other non-Albanians fled Kosovo. Serbia became host to 700,000 Serb refugees by end of 2000. Official UNHCR data indicated Croatia hosted 287,000 refugees and 344,000 internally displaced in 1993. This represented a ratio of 64.7 refugees per 1,000 inhabitants. Bosnia had a GDP between $8 billion and $9 billion before the war. Government estimated overall war damages at $50 billion to $70 billion. GDP declined 75% after the war. Sixty percent of housing was damaged or destroyed.
International Justice System
The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia established itself as a body of the United Nations located in The Hague, Netherlands. One prominent trial involved ex-Serbian President Slobodan Milošević indicted on 66 counts in 2002. His trial remained incomplete since he died in 2006 before any verdict was reached. The first notable genocide conviction came against Serb General Radislav Krstić sentenced in 2001. Appeals Chamber confirmed this verdict in 2004. Ex-Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadžić was also convicted for genocide. On the 22nd of November 2017, general Ratko Mladić received a life sentence. Other convictions included ultranationalist Vojislav Šešelj and paramilitary leader Milan Lukić. Bosnian Serb politician Momčilo Krajišnik and general Stanislav Galić faced guilty verdicts. Jovica Stanišić and Franko Simatović were convicted by the follow-up mechanism. Several Croats, Bosniaks, and Albanians were also convicted including Jadranko Prlić and Haradin Bala. Croatian Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač were acquitted on appeal in 2012. By 2019, ICTY concluded that Serb officials were found guilty of persecutions, deportation, murder, terror, and genocide in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo.
Postwar Consequences
After fighting ended, millions of weapons remained with civilians who held them in case violence resurfaced. These weapons later appeared on Europe's arms black market. In Serbia, authorities estimated between 250,000 to 900,000 firearms circulating illegally. Public reports contained figures of 750,000 missing guns in Bosnia. A man entered a bus in Banja Luka carrying two bags with 36 hand grenades and three assault rifles in late 2017. He was stopped in Slovenia. Some missing weapons were used in November 2015 Paris attacks killing 130 people. Other arms were assault rifles used in the 2015 Gothenburg pub shooting. Since hostilities began, the Kosovo Liberation Army and Serbian mafia involved themselves in illegal drug trade. Several tons of heroin were confiscated by Interpol during the war. Illegal operations led to bank robberies and extortion across Western Europe. Intensification of heroin consumption expanded open air drug markets particularly in Switzerland. Bosnian criminal gangs continue impacting global trafficking through cocaine trade. In 2006, Central European Free Trade Agreement expanded to include many former Yugoslav republics. CEFTA went into full effect by end of 2007.
The first conflict began on the 26th of June 1991 when the Yugoslav People's Army initiated action after Slovenia separated from the federation. The final insurgency in Macedonia ended with the Ohrid Agreement in August 2001.
Who was responsible for ethnic cleansing during the Yugoslav Wars?
Serb forces committed acts designated as genocide including the Srebrenica massacre which resulted in the deaths of 8,000 Bosniak men in July 1995. The International Court of Justice ruled on the 26th of February 2007 that Serbia failed to prevent genocide committed by Serb forces in Srebrenica.
How many people died in the Yugoslav Wars between 1991 and 2001?
Estimates place the number of killed in the Yugoslav Wars at 140,000 people while the Humanitarian Law Center estimates that at least 130,000 lost their lives. Civilian death rates ranged between 52% and 56% across the conflicts involving Croatia Bosnia and Kosovo.
What happened to weapons after the Yugoslav Wars ended?
After fighting ended millions of weapons remained with civilians who held them in case violence resurfaced and these weapons later appeared on Europe's arms black market. Public reports contained figures of 750,000 missing guns in Bosnia alone.
Where was the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia located?
The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia established itself as a body of the United Nations located in The Hague Netherlands. One prominent trial involved ex-Serbian President Slobodan Milošević indicted on 66 counts in 2002 before he died in 2006.