Irfan Ljubijankić (26 November 1952 – 28 May 1995) was a Bosnian facial surgeon, classical music composer, politician and diplomat. He served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

of the

Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Republika Bosna i Hercegovina, Република Босна и Херцеговина) was a state in Southeastern Europe, existing from 1992 to 1995. It is the direct lega ...

from 30 October 1993 until he was killed in action on 28 May 1995 during the Bosnian War.

Biography

Ljubijankić was born to a

Bosnian Muslim 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, cu ...

family in

Bihać Bihać ( cyrl, Бихаћ) is a city and the administrative centre of Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of river Una in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovin ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

, the town in which he lived for most of his life. He graduated from the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-ba ...

School of Medicine A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...

and became a medical doctor specializing in ear, nose and throat treatments. In 1990, as Bosnia was preparing to secede from

, he was elected to the Bosnian parliament and became a leading member of the Bosniak-dominated

Party of Democratic Action The Party of Democratic Action ( bs, Stranka demokratske akcije; abbr. SDA) is a Bosniak nationalist, conservative political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina. History The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) was founded on 26 May 1990 in Sarajevo, ...

. He temporarily left politics in 1992 after the beginning of the Bosnian War, in order to serve as a medical doctor in Bihać. Ljubijankić remained an active medical doctor until October 1993 when he became

. He traveled widely to help gain international support for the country. Shortly before his death, he represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at the 50th anniversary celebration of the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 1 May 1995.

Death

Ljubijankić was killed on 28 May 1995 when his helicopter was shot down by a missile over

Cetingrad Cetingrad is a municipality in Karlovac County, Croatia near Croatia's border with Bosnia. The population of the village itself is 319, while the total municipality population is 2,027 (2011). The municipality is part of Kordun. Cetingrad is under ...

, a Croatian town near the Bosnian border being held by Serb rebels at that time. He was flying from Bihać to

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

on government business. Six other people on the helicopter also died. Ljubijankić was married and had two children. After Ljubijankić's death, singer

Yusuf Islam Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later i ...

, a friend, appeared at a 1997 benefit concert in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see names in other languages'') is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo ...

and recorded a benefit album named after a song written by Ljubijankić, "I Have No Cannons That Roar".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ljubijankic, Irfan 1952 births 1995 deaths Politicians from Bihać Bosniaks of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina diplomats Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Croatia Victims of aircraft shootdowns University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine alumni Bosnia and Herzegovina composers Bosnia and Herzegovina classical musicians Party of Democratic Action politicians Foreign ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century composers