Who Was The Butcher Of Bosnia?

 Nadene Goldfoot                                          

Bosnia is in he green area

Who was the Butcher of Bosnia?  The President of Bosnia was interviwed by Fareed Zakaria this morning, and received a surprise answer when asked about the huge attendance at his funeral and why since he was responsible for a genocide.  Evidently the Bosnians saw it differently.                       

Yugoslavia was a federated country in Southeastern Europe that existed for much of the 20th century before dissolving into independent nations in the 1990s.

Thousands of Jews lived in Bosnia, Croatia, and the broader region of Yugoslavia prior to 1995.  Demographics before the 1990s: Before the violent breakup of Yugoslavia, about 2,000 Jews lived in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and approximately 2,000 Jews lived in Croatia (largely concentrated in cities like Zagreb). Across the entire former Yugoslavia, the population was several thousand strong, composed of both Sephardic and Ashkenazi communities that dated back centuries (with Sephardic Jews arriving after the 1492 Spanish Inquisition)

Jewish Solidarity: Rather than being involved in the perpetration, Jewish leaders, Holocaust survivors, and organizations such as the World Jewish Congress have consistently traveled to Srebrenica to stand in solidarity with Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) survivors, condemn the genocide, and promote joint remembrance.

Who Was the Butcher,  Ratko Mladić?

Ratko Mladić was a general who led the Army of Republika Srpska during the 1992–1995 Bosnian War.
He earned the nickname "Butcher of Bosnia" for his role in atrocities, including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre where over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were killed.
A United Nations tribunal convicted him of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in 2017, sentencing him to life in prison.
I have always been under the impression that the UN had no power, no sentencing.  International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY): Established in 1993 to try war crimes from the Balkans conflicts. It officially concluded its work in 2017.
What Happened: Over 8,000 Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) men and teenagers were systematically executed and buried in mass graves after Bosnian Serb forces overran the town of Srebrenica. 
When It Occurred: July 11–16, 1995. 
Where It Took Place: In and around the town of Srebrenica, a designated United Nations "safe area" in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. 
Forcible Transfer: Approximately 25,000 to 30,000 Bosniak women, children, and elderly residents were forcibly expelled and bused out of the enclave.
Perpetrators and Responsibility
Commanders: The massacre was mainly perpetrated by the Bosnian Serb Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) under the command of General Ratko Mladić and political leadership under Radovan Karadžić. 
Judicial Rulings: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) officially classified the events as a genocide. Mladić and Karadžić were both convicted of genocide and war crimes.
Role of the United Nations
Safe Haven Failure: Srebrenica was declared a UN safe area in 1993, but lightly armed Dutch UN peacekeepers (DutchBat) were vastly outnumbered, lacked a mandate to use offensive force, and were forced to surrender after facing threats against Dutch hostages.
Commemoration: In May 2024, the UN General Assembly designated July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica.

Death and Funeral Details

He died at the age of 84 in a UN prison hospital in The Hague, Netherlands.
His funeral took place in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, on September 7, 2026.



Thousands of mourners attended the service at the Church of St. Luke.
He was buried with military honors, drawing international criticism and condemnation from the European Union over his glorification.
                   What the War Was About
Breakup of Yugoslavia: The conflict erupted as the socialist federal republic of Yugoslavia splintered along ethnic and nationalist lines following the death of longtime leader Josip Broz Tito. 
Bosnian Independence: In 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina held a referendum and voted to secede from Yugoslavia, a move heavily supported by its Bosniak (Muslim) and ethnic Croat populations. 
The Creation of a Serb State: Bosnian Serbs—backed by the Serbian government under Slobodan Milošević—opposed independence and wanted to remain part of a Serb-dominated state. They aimed to carve out an ethnically pure territory known as Republika Srpska (and ultimately unite into a "Greater Serbia") by forcefully removing Bosniaks and Croats. 
Key Details of the Conflict
Ethnic Cleansing: Mladić led the Bosnian Serb army in a brutal campaign to systematically drive out or eliminate the non-Serb civilian population. 
Impact of World War II: The region's Jewish population was heavily decimated during the Holocaust by Nazi-aligned regimes like the Ustaše in Croatia and Bosnia. Many survivors returned after 1945, though a large number subsequently emigrated to Israel during waves of post-war Aliyah. 
The 1990s Yugoslav Wars: When Yugoslavia broke apart in 1991–1992, Jewish communities found themselves caught in the middle of the conflict. Organizations like the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) coordinated emergency evacuations, famously airlifting hundreds of Jewish residents out of war-torn Sarajevo to Israel.
Siege of Sarajevo: Mladić's forces trapped the capital city of Sarajevo in a devastating 1,425-day blockade, killing roughly 11,000 to 13,000 civilians through shelling and sniper fire. 
Srebrenica Massacre: In July 1995, forces under Mladić overran the United Nations–declared "safe area" of Srebrenica and executed more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys, marking Europe's worst mass killing since World War II.
Death toll: The wider war resulted in approximately 100,000 deaths and displaced over a million people before ending with the Dayton Accords in late 1995.

 his glorification