Divič is a village by the city of

Zvornik Zvornik ( sr-cyrl, Зворник, ) is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located in Republika Srpska, on the left bank of the Drina river. In 2013, it had a population of 58,856 inhabitants. The town of Mali Zvornik ("Little Zvornik") li ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

. It is located on the

Drina River The Drina ( sr-Cyrl, Дрина, ) is a long Balkans river, which forms a large portion of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps whic ...

, by an artificial lake created to form a reservoir for the HPP Zvornik hydro-electric power plant. The Drina River and the lake are a natural and administrative border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia and during the international armed conflict of 1992–95 the village was "ethnically cleansed" of its Bosniak inhabitants by Serb forces.

Demographics

The 1991 census showed Divič had a total population of 1,388. * 1,360 -

Bosniaks The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, ...

* 13 - others * 7 -

Yugoslavs Yugoslavs or Yugoslavians ( Bosnian and Croatian: ''Jugoslaveni'', Serbian and Macedonian ''Jugosloveni''/Југословени; sl, Jugoslovani) is an identity that was originally designed to refer to a united South Slavic people. It has be ...

* 4 -

Croats The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, ...

* 4 -

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their ...

History

In 1910 Divič had 133 houses and 479 inhabitants, all of Islamic religion. The village is strategically located on the Drina River, which marks the line of the border between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia. In 1992, in the early days of the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

, the village was "ethnically cleansed" of all its predominantly Bosniak residents and many were killed. Many of the men who died were killed in incidents in the Dom Kultura prison camp in Čelopek, where appalling atrocities were perpetrated by members of the Yellow Wasps paramilitary group led by the Vučković brothers.
Under the Dayton peace settlement which brought the war to an end, the village became part of the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia & Herzegovina. Bosnian Serbs changed the name of Divič to Sveti Stefan. Survivors began to return to their homes and the village was renamed Divič once again by The Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia & Herzegovina. Today the village has some 350-400 residents.

Sport

Football match in support of refugee return

On 2 June 2009, six members of Bosnia's national soccer team played in a symbolic match organised in Divič between the two clubs Drina 93 and Mladost Divič, with the aim of encouraging refugee return. Thousands of Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) returnees came to watch the match. One of the players, Samir Muratović, was born in the nearby village of Snagovo, where forensic investigators have recovered hundreds of bodies from mass graves since the war ended. Among the visiting stars were striker

Edin Džeko Edin Džeko (; born 17 March 1986) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Inter Milan and captains the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Džeko was named Bosnian Footballer of the Year for three years in a ...

Sejad Salihović Sejad Salihović (; born 8 October 1984) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays for 1899 Hoffenheim II. He spent most of his career playing for 1899 Hoffenheim in the German Bundesliga. He also played for Hertha BSC, Beijing Renhe, St. G ...

Miralem Pjanić Miralem Pjanić (born 2 April 1990) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for UAE Pro League club Sharjah and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. Pjanić started his professional career at Metz being there for one ...

Said Husejinović Said Husejinović (born 13 May 1988) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Bosnian Premier League club Sloboda Tuzla. Club career Werder Bremen On 1 July 2008, it was announced that Werder Bremen and Slob ...

and Elvir Rahimić.
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References

External links

Village details
* Roger Cohen

New York Times, 12 June 1994; accessed 15 January 2011. {{DEFAULTSORT:Divic Zvornik Populated places in Zvornik