📷 Image Credits: Al Jazeera English
Thousands of people gathered to commemorate the 29th anniversary of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The remains of 14 victims of the massacre were buried just outside Srebrenica, where the United Nations had established an annual day of remembrance two months ago.
Thirteen men and one teenage boy, identified through DNA analysis, were finally given a proper burial on Thursday after almost three decades of waiting. Among those paying their respects was Mirza Basic, a genocide survivor, who laid his 22-year-old brother to rest. Basic expressed deep sorrow at the discovery of his brother’s remains after all these years, reflecting on the war-torn period of 1992 to 1995.
Sharing the news with his father and sister, also survivors of the genocide, was a difficult moment for Basic and his family. Attending the emotional funeral, they paid homage to the victims and reflected on the tragic events that unfolded in Srebrenica.
The 1995 Srebrenica genocide, Europe’s only acknowledged genocide after World War II, saw the brutal killing of at least 8,000 Bosniak men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces. The massacre took place after the forces entered the U.N. safe zone of Srebrenica and separated the men and boys from their families, leading to widespread atrocities.
Reflecting on these events, Basic criticized the ongoing conflicts in the world, particularly the situation in Gaza, drawing parallels to the past atrocities in Srebrenica and Rwanda. He questioned the lack of progress in preventing such atrocities and stressed the importance of learning from history to ensure a more peaceful future.
As the international community commemorates the victims of Srebrenica, there is a call for justice and peace to prevail. The memory of Srebrenica serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of inaction in the face of genocide and the need for global solidarity to prevent such tragedies from repeating.
