Bosnia was mainly dependent upon natural gas for heating buildings before the war.The war negatively impacted the health of civilians. The health system of Bosnia was not in a state to attend to even basic needs.The Bosnian War was a devastating conflict that took place in the ’90s. It was fought between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Serbian Republic of Yugoslavia. This war is often overshadowed by other conflicts that were happening at the same time, such as the Rwandan Genocide and the Yugoslav Wars. However, it’s an essential part of history that should not be forgotten. In this article, we discuss facts about the Bosnian War you may not have learned in history class!Causes Of The Bosnian WarThe Bosnian War began as a result of the breakup of Yugoslavia. The country was made up of six republics; Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Slovenia (Slovenia), Montenegro (Montenegro), and Macedonia (Macedonia).The Yugoslavian economy started declining in the ’80s, which affected the state of affairs in both Bosnia and Herzegovina.By the ’90s, the Bosnian Croats, Bosnian Muslims, and Bosnian Serbs, each wanted to control the political and government field and suitable Herzegovina and Bosnia’s territory for their countries.The European community (succeeded by the European Union) did recognize the independence of Slovenia and Croatia and also invited Herzegovina and Bosnia for the application of recognition.On February 29, 1992, Socialist Bosnia that was occupied by Catholic Croats, Orthodox Serbs, and Bosnian Muslims passed an independence referendum.Bosnian Serbs’ political representatives boycotted the referendum for independence, rejecting the outcome.The country got its independence after a four-year war, that started with Bosnian Serbs attacking Sarajevo, prominently targeting Muslims.The Bosnian Serb army used advanced artillery to fire on Sarajevo and this siege went on for 47 months.Ethnic cleansing was also carried out by using many tactics throughout the countryside.Under ethnic cleansing, the Serbs attacked the Croatian civilians and Bosnian Muslim civilians in regions under their administration.Destruction Caused By The Bosnian WarThe Bosnian War was a devastating conflict that resulted in the death of over 100,000 people and the displacement of over 2 million civilians. The war also caused millions of dollars in damage, destroying many homes, businesses, and landmarks.When the UN failed to protect Srebrenica safe region in 1995, the Bosnian Serb forces carried out the massacre of over 7,000 men from Bosnia. It is now called the Srebrenica massacre.The genocide or ethnic cleansing not only destroyed villages but also forced many people out of Bosnia and taken to detention camps where people were tortured and killed.Around regions like Eastern Bosnian Enclaves and Banja Luka, more than 50% of the population was displaced.During this war, over 250,000 people were killed, with thousands being displaced from their native place.Over 6,500 bodies were buried in the Srebrenica Memorial Cemetry after the bodies were identified from Eastern Bosnia’s mass graves.Although a memorial now, the Srebrenica memorial started as a cemetery opened by Bill Clinton in 2003.Consecutive studies indicated that the death toll was around 100,000.There was a scarcity of not just food but of water, too. As the availability of electricity became intermittent during the war, the water pumping stations using the electrical system were impacted.‘The Whistleblower’ movie portrays the true story in the post-Bosnian War about one of the UN peacekeepers, Kathryn Bolkovac, who exposed the human trafficking scandal.What was the effect of the Bosnian war on the world?The Bosnian War was the most destructive conflict in Europe since World War II. It resulted in more than 100,000 casualties and over two million people being displaced. The total cost of damage is estimated to be around $100 billion. That’s more than the cost of rebuilding Kuwait after the Persian Gulf War.Many cities along with Sarajevo were isolated by force and communication, supply of utility and food became highly limited.The thin resources across the territory caused several malnutrition cases, and many lost their lives because of no supply.The Serb police officer, Goran Jelisic was convicted by the former Yugoslavia’s United Nations and International Criminal Tribunal for many inhumane acts. He systematically murdered Bosnia’s Muslims, stole from prisoners, and hurt women.The International community did not intervene to prevent Bosnia’s ethnic conflict and only acted after the Srebrenica massacre.The Bosnian government could not access the necessary modern weaponry that was maintained by the Croatian army and Serbian army because of the international arms embargo that was enforced during the war.The United Nations Protection Force did send troops occasionally, to protect safe regions and administer humanitarian aid, however, refused to intervene in the war.During the war, the Bosnian Croat soldiers were prisoners of war after they surrendered on the central Bosnian mountain called Vlasic.There is a deep division of ethnic backgrounds even 20 years after the beginning of the war.The war has made co-existence uncomfortable to an extent where they oppose international reintegration efforts.Facts About The Bosnian WarBosnia and Herzegovina was a part of the former country, Yugoslavia. They decided to break away from their controlling force in 1990 after having their first free election since WWII. That’s more than in Hiroshima and Nagasaki combined during World War II.In a 1995 report, the Central Intelligence Agency claimed Bosnian Serb forces caused 90% ethnic cleansing during the war. Bosnian Serb forces used tactics of systematic persecution and siege warfare.In 1995, the United Nations helped both the Bosnian Serb Republic and Croat Bosniak Federation to sign the final peace agreement, called the Dayton Peace Agreement.The Dayton Agreement required the federalized Bosnia and Herzegovina, stating that 49% of the land would constitute the Serb Republic, with 51% being Croat-Bosniak federation.Initially, the conflict was between Bosnia’s Yugoslav army units that changed into the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina army with Croatian forces and Bosniaks grouped in the Croatian Defence Council on the one side and Bosnian Serb Army on the other side.Bosnian government forces and military forces were unprepared and badly equipped for this war.Sarajevo lined more than 11,000 red chairs on Titova street in 2012. These red chairs represented the victims of war.The major conflict throughout the Bosnian War was the division of territory.The Croat population occupying Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted their territory to be named Croatian land.
Bosnia was mainly dependent upon natural gas for heating buildings before the war.
