The Skelani massacre refers to the
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( bs, Armija Republike Bosne i Hercegovine or ARBiH), often referred to as Bosnian Army, was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was established by the government of ...
(ARBiH) attack on
Skelani
Skelani (Serbian Cyrillic: Скелани) is a village in the municipality of Srebrenica, in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Location
Altitude: 242 m
According to the 1991 census the population of the town was 1123 - 95 ...
, group of villages in region of
Srebrenica
Srebrenica ( sr-cyrl, Сребреница, ) is a town and municipality located in the easternmost part of Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a small mountain town, with its main industry being salt mining and a nearby ...
,
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 H ...
, held by
Army of Republika Srpska
The Army of Republika Srpska ( sr, Војска Републике Српске/Vojska Republike Srpske; ВРС/VRS), commonly referred to in English as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of Republika Srpska (RS), the self-proclaimed Serb ...
(VRS), which happened on 16 January 1993. Between 40-65 Serbs were killed in the attack.
ICTY findings
During
Bosnian War, the
Army of Republika Srpska
The Army of Republika Srpska ( sr, Војска Републике Српске/Vojska Republike Srpske; ВРС/VRS), commonly referred to in English as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of Republika Srpska (RS), the self-proclaimed Serb ...
(VRS) attacked
Bosniak cities and villages in eastern Bosnia, as part of its "six strategic goals" of "eliminating 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 ...
as a border" between
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
and
Bosnian Serbs. Although the Serb forces took control 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") lies ...
,
Bratunac
Bratunac ( sr-cyrl, Братунац) is a town and municipality located in easternmost part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013 census, it has a population of 20,340 inhabitants, while the town of Bratunac has a population of 8,359 inhabitants ...
, and
Vlasenica
Vlasenica ( sr-cyrl, Власеница) is a town and municipality located in Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population 11,467 inhabitants, while the town of Vlasenica has a population of 7,228 inhabi ...
municipalities during the first half of 1992, pockets in the surrounding area remained outside of their reach, with Bosniaks offering resistance. The Serb forces started the
siege of Srebrenica
The siege of Srebrenica ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Opsada Srebrenice, Опсада Сребреницe) was a three-year siege of the town of Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina which lasted from April 1992 to July 1995 during the Bosnian War. In ...
. Between April 1992 and March 1993, the Srebrenica areas were constantly subjected to Serb military assaults, including
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
attacks, sniper fire, as well as occasional bombing from aircraft.
The Bosnian Serb forces controlled the access roads and forbade international
humanitarian aid to reach the Srebrenica enclave, not even allowing food and
medical
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...
relief. As a consequence, there was a constant shortage of food. This starvation peaked in the winter of 1992/93.
In order to overcome this shortage, the Bosniaks occasionally stormed nearby Serb villages in search for food, often risking dying or being wounded from
land mines
A land mine is an explosive device concealed under or on the ground and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it. Such a device is typically detonated automati ...
or Serb fire.
On 16 January 1993 soldiers of the ARBiH, allegedly led by
Naser Orić
Naser Orić (born 3 March 1967) is a former Bosnian military officer who commanded Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) forces in the Srebrenica enclave in eastern Bosnia surrounded by Bosnian Serb forces, during the Bosnian War. ...
, attacked the villages of Skelani.
The Bosniak forces almost reached the border with Serbia, but were stopped a kilometer within Skelani due to an intervention by the
Yugoslav Army
The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska ar ...
and
Territorial Defense units from the
Užice
Užice ( sr-cyr, Ужице, ) is a city and the administrative centre of the Zlatibor District in western Serbia. It is located on the banks of the river Đetinja. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 59,747. The C ...
Corps. The Bosniak forces came so close that some were even machine-gunning Serb civilians fleeing across the border to
Bajina Bašta
Bajina Bašta ( sr-cyr, Бајина Башта, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of western Serbia. The town lies in the valley of the Drina river at the eastern edge of Tara National Park.
The population of the to ...
, Serbia.
Serbian narrative
Dozens of Serbs were killed in the attack. According to Serb sources numbers claimed vary between dozen
to 40,
or 65 killed, around a hundred wounded, while purportedly 30 people were taken prisoners and beaten, and 2 children killed,
allegedly all civilians from Skelani village and its hamlets of Ćosići,
Žabokvica
Žabokvica ( sr, Жабоквица) is a village in the municipality of Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally a ...
,
Toplica i
Kalimanići
Kalimanići is a village in the municipality of Gornji Milanovac, Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossro ...
, wider region of Srebrenica.
Memorial
In the village of Skelani in 2005 the Government of Republika Srpska erected a monument for 305 Serb victims, alleging that they were all civilians who were killed during the war (1992–1995).
The monument claims that 32 children were among killed.
References
Sources
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{{Bosnian War
Massacres in the Bosnian War
Massacres of Serbs
Bosniak war crimes in the Bosnian War
January 1993 events in Europe
January 1993 crimes
1993 in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Mass murder in 1993
Srebrenica
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina