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

(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

* * * {{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