Dutchbat

Last updated
Dutchbat
1(NL)VN Infanteriebataljon
Dutchbat.jpg
Active1994–1995
Country Netherlands
RolePeacekeeping
Size~450
Part ofFlag of the United Nations.svg United Nations
ColorsBlue
Engagements Bosnian War
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Lt. Col. Thom Karremans

Dutchbat (short for "Dutch Battalion") was a Dutch battalion under the command of the United Nations in operation UNPROFOR. [1] It was hastily formed out of the emerging 11th Airmobile Brigade between February 1994 and November 1995 to participate in peacekeeping operations. It was tasked to execute United Nations Security Council Resolution 819 in the Bosnian Muslim enclaves and the designated UN "safe havens" of Srebrenica and Žepa during the Bosnian War.

Contents

In July 1995, as the Army of Republika Srpska forces came to take over the enclave, the Dutchbat were vastly outnumbered and were far too lightly equipped to repel the more heavily armed Bosnian Serb troops. It also had its request for air support to which the UNPROFOR denied. Subsequently, the Bosnian Serb forces led Srebrenica's Bosniak male inhabitants into the mountains, where thousands of them were massacred. [2] [3] Despite their efforts to secure peace in the area, the enclave fell into Serb hands. In 2016, several veterans of the battalion, with approval of its commander, sued the Dutch government for "severe negligence and carelessness" regarding the mission. [4]

Operation

Dutchbat was a Dutch army battalion. [5] Its mission consisted of deploying four successive rotations, each of around 450 persons, named Dutchbat I, II, III and IV. The Dutchbat troops were armed with personal weapons, machine guns and two anti-tank RPGs in accordance with the mandate of UNPROFOR. The headquarters were installed in an old battery factory in Potočari, 5 km (3.1 mi) away from Srebrenica. The Dutchbat used 30 observation posts throughout the perimeter of the enclave, [6] mostly consisting of a sandbagged armored car and associated personnel and equipment.

Dutchbat was given the mission to execute United Nations Security Council Resolution 819 in the Bosnian Muslim enclave, which was dubbed a "safe area." The Rules of Engagement stated that the peacekeepers could use force for self-defence only, and intervening in the fighting was forbidden to all NATO and UN troops. To counter this, they relied on air support from NATO. In accordance to the resolution phrase 10, it demanded that all parties ensure the safety of the Protection Force, UN personnel and other international organisations. The main force of the Dutchbat was stationed in the Srebrenica enclave. [5] The Dutchbat's zone fell under siege by the Bosnian Serb forces when NATO air forces began bombing besieged Sarajevo.

Events

Former Dutchbat area in Potocari, pictured in 2008 Srebrenica Dutchbat.JPG
Former Dutchbat area in Potočari, pictured in 2008

Described as "a sleepy cul de sac" [7] because of its geographic location in a valley enclosed by hills and mountains, the Srebrenica enclave was easily blockaded by the Army of Republika Srpska forces, isolating the Dutchbat, causing serious deficiencies in provisions. When the VRS artillery weakened the resistance of the 28th Mountain Infantry Division that was defending the town, Thom Karremans made an urgent request for air support from the UN for two Dutch F-16s to attack the heavy armor of the VRS. The attack never took place. It was allegedly cancelled when Serb forces threatened to execute 50 members of Dutchbat III who had been seized as hostages.

On 8 July, a Dutch YPR-765 armored vehicle took fire from the Serbs and withdrew. A group of Bosniaks demanded that the armored vehicle stay to defend them, and established a makeshift barricade to prevent its retreat. As the armored vehicle continued to withdraw, a Bosniak farmer who was manning the barricade threw a hand grenade onto it and subsequently killed Dutch soldier Raviv van Renssen. [8]

During the third rotation, Dutchbat III, commanded by Lieutenant colonel Thom Karremans, Mladić's soldiers took the town on 11 July 1995, causing the displacement of many of the city's inhabitants. About 15,000 displaced persons undertook the flight towards Tuzla on foot, but the majority looked for protection from the UN blue helmets in Potočari. Mladić met with Karremans and there it was agreed that the enclaves would be handed over to the VRS. Under the pretext of evacuating the Bosniak population to a sheltered city, most of the women and children were transferred by bus to a zone under Bosnian Serb control. The Serbs assured Karremans that the men would be transferred later. But instead, the Serbs proceeded to massacre Srebrenica's male population of approximately 8,373 Bosniaks of different ages. [9]

On 21 July, with the entire zone already under the control of the VRS, the Dutchbat left the enclave. From July until November 1995, Dutchbat IV served and mainly dealt with refugees at Simin Han near Tuzla. On 25 July 1995, the VRS launched Operation Stupčanica 95, aimed at capturing the Bosnian enclave of Žepa. The commander of the peacekeeping unit though, Mykola Verkhohlyad negotiated with general Mladić to secure the evacuation of civilians from Žepa in a UN convoy. Verkhohlyad did not allow them to be taken over by Mladić forces, which helped rescue over 10,000 Bosniak civilians. [10] [11] After the negotiations, the operation started, and resulted 800 refugees and the deaths of 116 in the takeover. [12]

Consequences

Dutchbat III veterans marching in The Hague on Veterans' Day, 2014 Unifill Dutchbat III - Veteranendag 2014.jpg
Dutchbat III veterans marching in The Hague on Veterans' Day, 2014

This incident had great impact on public opinion in the Netherlands. An official seven-year investigation of the incident by the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation resulted in the report Srebrenica: a ‘safe’ area, published April 10, 2002, which resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister Wim Kok six days later. [13] [14] The 3,400-page report criticized the political and military High Commands of the Netherlands as being guilty of criminal negligence, for not preventing the massacre. The conclusions were devastating:

The report has been referred to by international media. [13] [15] [16] The Institute for War and Peace Reporting has labelled the report "controversial". [17] On 4 December 2006, Minister of Defence Henk Kamp gave a remembrance insignia to the soldiers of Dutchbat III, i.e. Draaginsigne DBIII . This award was severely criticized by the public as well as by some survivors and relatives of Srebrenica victims. In June 2007 an association of relatives of the victims of the massacre presented a denunciation in The Hague against the Government of the Netherlands and the UN for its negligence in the massacre.

In October of the same year, twelve former members of Dutchbat III visited the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, paying tribute to the victims. The same group of relatives opposed their act of atonement to open dialogue. According to testimonies of 171 of the members of the battalion, 65% left the Army, 40% of these requested psychological treatment, and 10% show symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (official figure; health professionals treating these people deem the number much higher).[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Srebrenica</span> Town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Srebrenica is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a small mountain town, with its main industry being salt mining and a nearby spa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naser Orić</span> Bosnian military commander

Naser Orić is a former Bosnian 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bosnian War</span> 1992–1995 armed conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Bosnian War was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started on 6 April 1992, following a number of earlier violent incidents. The war ended on 14 December 1995 when the Dayton accords were signed. The main belligerents were the forces of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Herzeg-Bosnia, and the Republika Srpska, the latter two entities being proto-states led and supplied by Croatia and Serbia, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Srebrenica massacre</span> 1995 mass murder by the Bosnian Serb Army

The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, was the July 1995 genocide of more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys in and around the town of Srebrenica, during the Bosnian War. The killings were perpetrated by units of the Bosnian Serb Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) under Ratko Mladić. The Scorpions, a paramilitary unit from Serbia, who had been part of the Serbian Interior Ministry until 1991, participated in the massacre. The massacre is considered the first genocide to have taken place in Europe since World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Protection Force</span> Military unit

The United Nations Protection Force was the first United Nations peacekeeping force in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars. The force was formed in February 1992 and its mandate ended in March 1995, with the peacekeeping mission restructuring into three other forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radislav Krstić</span> Bosnian Serb commander and war criminal

Radislav Krstić is a former Bosnian Serb Deputy Commander and later Chief of Staff of the Drina Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska from October 1994 until 12 July 1995. He was promoted to the rank of major general in June 1995 and assumed command of the Drina Corps on 13 July 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thom Karremans</span>

Thomas Jakob Peter Karremans is the former commander of Dutchbat troops in Srebrenica at the time of the Srebrenica genocide during the Bosnian War. Dutchbat had been assigned to defend the Bosniak enclave made the U.N. "safe area", but it failed to prevent the Serbs from taking the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Žepa</span> Village in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Žepa is a village located in the municipality of Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013 census, it has a population of 133 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Rogatica itself on the banks of short river with a same name, the Žepa river, which flows into the Drina river nearby, in a valley between the mountains Javor and Devetak.

Postcards from the Grave is a book by Emir Suljagić, relating to his experiences in Srebrenica, published on 31 July 2005 by Saqi Books. It was translated into English by Lejla Haverić and includes an afterword by Ed Vulliamy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Srebrenica Genocide Memorial</span> Cemetery for the victims of the 1995 genocide

The Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, officially known as the Srebrenica–Potočari Memorial and Cemetery for the Victims of the 1995 Genocide, is the memorial-cemetery complex in Srebrenica set up to honour the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. The victims—at least 8,372 of them—were mainly male, mostly Muslim Bosniaks and some Catholic Croats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Srebrenica</span> 1992 - 1995 siege during the Bosnian War

The siege of Srebrenica 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. Initially assaulted by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and the Serbian Volunteer Guard (SDG), the town was encircled by the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) in May 1992, starting a brutal siege which was to last for the majority of the Bosnian War. In June 1995, the commander of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) in the enclave, Naser Orić, left Srebrenica and fled to the town of Tuzla. He was subsequently replaced by his deputy, Major Ramiz Bećirović.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">12 April 1993 Srebrenica shelling</span>

On April 12, 1993, the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) launched an artillery attack against the town of Srebrenica. The attack left 56 dead, and 73 seriously wounded. The attack followed the suspension of cease-fire talks, and only hours before NATO would implement a no-fly zone in accordance to an UN resolution. VRS officials had previously told UNHCR representatives that unless the town surrendered within two days, the VRS would shell it.

<i>Report about Case Srebrenica</i> Report denying Srebrenica massacre

Report about Case Srebrenica (the first part) was a controversial official report on the July 1995 Srebrenica massacre in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was prepared by Darko Trifunović and published by the Republika Srpska Government Bureau for Relations with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

Hasan Nuhanović is a Bosnian survivor of the Srebrenica genocide who campaigns "For truth and justice" on behalf of other survivors and relatives of the victims. Hasan, the former U.N. interpreter for Dutch peacekeepers who were stationed in Srebrenica in 1995, at the end of the Bosnian war, has been battling the Dutch state in civil court for nine years. Finally, in July 2011, he won on appeal against the Dutch Government with court stating the Dutchbat are to blame for handing over his family members to forces of Ratko Mladić, who was tried in The Hague. His entire immediate family: mother, father and brother, were murdered by the Bosnian Serb Army and its allies from Serbia proper, when they were handed over to them by Dutch U.N. soldiers after seeking refuge in the UN protection force base at Potočari following the fall of the town of Srebrenica in July 1995. Bosnian investigative journalist Dragan Stanimirović nicknamed him the “Elie Wiesel of Bosnia", in a reference to another activist survivor of genocide. His story, Zbijeg, was published in Bosnian in 2012 and in English as The Last Refuge: A True Story of War, Survival and Life Under Siege in Srebrenica in 2019.

The Kravica attack was an attack on the Bosnian Serb village of Kravica by the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) from the Srebrenica enclave on Orthodox Christmas Day, 7 January 1993. The attack was organized to coincide with the Serbian Orthodox Christmas, leaving the Serbs unprepared for any attack. 43-46 people died in the attack on the Serb side: 30-35 soldiers and 11-13 civilians.

The Kravica massacre was one of the mass executions of Bosniaks by the Army of Republika Srpska during the Srebrenica massacre. It was committed on 14 July, 1995. It is estimated that between 1,000 and 1,500 men were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Bihać (1992–1995)</span> Three-year-long siege of the northwestern Bosnian town of Bihać during the Bosnian War

The siege of Bihać was a three-year-long siege of the northwestern Bosnian town of Bihać by the Army of the Republika Srpska, the Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina and Bosnian Muslim dissenters led by Fikret Abdić during the 1992–95 Bosnian War. The siege lasted for three years, from June 1992 until 4–5 August 1995, when Operation Storm ended it after the Croatian Army (HV) overran the rebel Serbs in Croatia and northwest of the besieged town.

Avdo Palić was a Bosnian military officer during the 1992–1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Palić held the rank of colonel in the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARBiH) and commanded the Bosnian government forces in the enclave of Žepa during the entire 40-month-long siege.

Hatidža Mehmedović was a Bosnian human rights activist, survivor of the Srebrenica massacre, and founder of the Mothers of Srebrenica, an association of women whose relatives were killed in the July 1995 massacre in Srebrenica. Following the massacre of more than 8,000 Muslim Bosniak men and boys, including her husband and two sons, Mehmedović became a vocal advocate for bringing the perpetrators of the Srebrenica massacre to justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Žepa</span> 1992 – 1995 siege during the Bosnian War

The siege of Žepa was a three-year long siege of the small Bosnian town of Žepa which had lasted from the summer of 1992 – July 1995 during the Bosnian War. It was initially besieged by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) until it switched to the VRS. Throughout the siege, Žepa was part of the Srebrenica–Žepa link in eastern Bosnia. From April 1992 – February 1993, the ARBiH and the civilians of Žepa successfully resisted the Bosnian Serb army due to applying to guerrilla warfare.

References

  1. ↑ Baarda, Ted V. (2006). Military Ethics: The Dutch Approach : a Practical Guide. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. p. 312. ISBN   978-90-04-15440-7.
  2. ↑ "The Dutch peacekeepers still haunted by ghosts of Srebrenica". The Independent. 2015-07-09. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
  3. ↑ "Victims of the Srebrenica Massacre". The Polynational War Memorial. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  4. ↑ Dutchbatters klagen de Staat aan om Srebrenica (Dutch)
  5. 1 2 Judgement of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands, 6 September 2013, First Chamber, 12/03324 LZ/TT (official English translation).
  6. ↑ "The Netherlands placed a battalion of the Airborne Brigade at the disposal of UNPROFOR. The main force of this battalion (... Dutchbat) was stationed in the Sebrenica enclave." Judgement of the Supreme Court of the Netherlands. 6 September 2013. First Chamber, 12/03324 LZ/TT (English translation).
  7. ↑ O'Kane, Maggie (2000-10-21). "I wasn't there when they died, says general". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  8. ↑ LeBor, Adam (October 1, 2008). "Complicity with Evil": The United Nations in the Age of Modern Genocide. Yale University Press. p. 97. ISBN   978-0300135145.
  9. ↑ Cleverly, Francesca (2021-06-24). "List of Victims | Remembering Srebrenica" . Retrieved 2021-07-30.
  10. ↑ USCC, Press service (2021-09-06). "Ukrainian intelligence or how the wise is ruling the stars – Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center". uscc.org.ua. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  11. ↑ "Миротворець Микола Верхогляд: "Я сказав Младічу, що політики його здадуть"". Історична правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-01-19.
  12. ↑ Velma Šarić (4 May 2012). "Demographics of Bosnian War Set Out". Institute for War & Peace Reporting. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  13. 1 2 "Dutch cabinet resigns over Srebrenica massacre". The Guardian . 2002-04-17. Archived from the original on 2023-04-24.
  14. ↑ Simons, Marlise (17 April 2002). "Dutch Cabinet Resigns Over Failure to Halt Bosnian Massacre". New York Times. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  15. ↑ Dutch Government Collapses Over Srebrenica
  16. ↑ - Stoltenberg har medansvar for Srebrenica
  17. ↑ Karen Meirik (6 February 2004), Controversial Srebrenica Report Back on Table, Tribunal Update 342, Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.