Bosnia, 12 July 2022 (TDI): 27 years ago, the Srebrenica genocide massacre took place in Bosnia, Srebrenica. Islamic Relief joined Bosnia in remembering the Srebrenica genocide massacre; which happened on 11 July 1995. The Srebrenica massacre is also known as the Bosnia massacre.
The massacre at Srebrenica still stands out as one of the worst genocides in Europe. It happened when the Army of Republika Srpska killed about 8,000 Bosnian Muslims. Ratko Mladic led the Army of Republika (the Bosnia Serb Republic); which received the name of Butcher of Srebrenica. Many people lost their lives, but most were men.
Cause of the Massacre at Srebrenica
The Bosnia Serbs aimed to create a territorially contiguous political state of Republika Srpska. The Bosnia Serbs wanted to ethically cleanse Srebrenica. They saw Srebrenica as an essential link. Following this, in 1992 Serbian military and paramilitary troops started ethically cleansing the land of Bosniaks.
Furthermore, on 16 April 1993, the United Nations Security Council declared Srebrenica a safe area. This, however, did not stop the violence and armed attacks. This led to a massacre starting on 13 July 1995.
The massacre lasted for at least 72 hours and the Serbian army occupied the town and started the mass massacre. The Serbian military also displaced many Bosniaks from their homes and unfortunately used rape as a weapon of war.
The Islamic relief humanitarian assistance post-genocide
The Bosnia massacre left many homes and families devastated. The effects of this massacre at still felt even today. The Islamic Relief was one of Bosnia’s first international aid organizations to react when the war started in 1992.
They offered assistance during and after the war. They provided more than 7,000 tonnes of aid. After the war ended, Islamic relief committed itself to rebuilding life in Bosnia. This includes restoring homes, schools, and medical facilities. The organization also assists families to find sources of income.
Islamic relief also offers support to people who fled their homes and communities. It also runs a project to assist repair and furnishing the homes of affected civilians of the Bosnia massacre. Currently, this project is repairing 42 homes. Most people tried to return to their homes after the war but they only found ruins of their homes. Since the war, Islamic relief has repaired 700 houses in Bosnia.
