The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from the breakup of Yugoslavia, which began in mid-1991, into six independent countries matching the six entities known as republics that had previously constituted Yugoslavia: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Macedonia. SFR Yugoslavia's constituent republics declared independence due to unresolved tensions between ethnic minorities in the new countries, which fuelled the wars. While most of the conflicts ended through peace accords that involved full international recognition of new states, they resulted in a massive number of deaths as well as severe economic damage to the region.
Vilina Vlas was a rape camp active during the Bosnian War. It served as one of the main detention facilities where Bosniak civilian prisoners were beaten, tortured and murdered and women were raped by prison guards during the Višegrad massacres in the Bosnian War of the 1990s. It is located about four kilometers north-east of Višegrad, in the village of Višegradska Banja.
Rape during the Bosnian War was a policy of mass systemic violence targeted against women. While men from all ethnic groups committed rape, the vast majority of rapes were perpetrated by Bosnian Serb forces of the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) and Serb paramilitary units, who used rape as an instrument of terror and key tactics as part of their programme of ethnic cleansing. Estimates of the number of women raped during the war range between 10,000 and 50,000. Accurate numbers are difficult to establish and it is believed that the number of unreported cases is much higher than reported ones.
United Nations Security Council resolution 819, adopted unanimously on 16 April 1993, after reaffirming resolutions 713 (1991) and all (1992) subsequent resolutions, the Council expressed concern at the actions of Bosnian Serb paramilitary units in towns and villages in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, including attacks on civilians, the United Nations Protection Force and disruption to humanitarian aid convoys. The resolution marked the UN's first civilian "safe area" being declared; it failed to prevent the Srebrenica massacre.
United Nations Security Council resolution 743, adopted unanimously on 21 February 1992, after reaffirming resolutions 713 (1991), 721 (1991), 724 (1991), 727 (1992) and 740 (1992), and considering that the situation in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia constitutes a threat to international peace and stability, the council established a peacekeeping mission in the country, known as the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), with the aim of reaching a peaceful political settlement in the region.
United Nations Security Council resolution 770, adopted on 13 August 1992, after reaffirming previous resolutions on the topic, including Resolution 743 (1992), Resolution 749 (1992), Resolution 761 (1992) and Resolution 764 (1992), the Council recognised the humanitarian situation in Sarajevo and other areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
United Nations Security Council resolution 771, adopted unanimously on 13 August 1992, after reaffirming resolutions 713 (1991), 721 (1991), 724 (1991), 727 (1992), 740 (1992), 743 (1992), 749 (1992), 752 (1992), 757 (1992), 758 (1992), 760 (1992), 761 (1992), 762 (1992), 764 (1992), 769 (1992) and 770 (1992), the council expressed concern at and condemned widespread violations of international humanitarian law in the territory of the former Yugoslavia and in particular, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
United Nations Security Council resolution 787, adopted on 16 November 1992, after reaffirming Resolution 713 (1991) and all subsequent resolutions on the topic, the council called upon the parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina to consider the draft outline constitution as a basis for negotiating a political settlement of the conflict in the country, and went on to impose further international sanctions on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
United Nations Security Council resolution 820, adopted on 17 April 1993, after reaffirming all previous resolutions on the topic for a lasting peace settlement in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, the council discussed the peace plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina and comprehensive steps to ensure its implementation.
United Nations Security Council resolution 827, adopted unanimously on 25 May 1993, after reaffirming Resolution 713 (1991) and all subsequent resolutions on the topic of the former Yugoslavia, approved report S/25704 of Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, with the Statute of the International Tribunal as an annex, establishing the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
United Nations Security Council resolution 836 was adopted on 4 June 1993. After reaffirming Resolution 713 (1991) and all subsequent resolutions on the situation in the former Yugoslavia, the Council expressed its alarm at the continuing situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and decided to expand the mandate of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) by allowing it to use force to protect the "safe areas".
United Nations Security Council resolution 838, adopted unanimously on 10 June 1993, after reaffirming Resolution 713 (1991) and all subsequent resolutions on the situation in the former Yugoslavia and in particular Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council discussed options for the deployment of international observers on the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure implementation of previous Security Council resolutions.
United Nations Security Council resolution 859, adopted unanimously on 24 August 1993, after recalling all resolutions on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the council noted that, despite all previous security council resolutions since Resolution 713 (1991), the region was still a scene of hostilities and there was little compliance with previous resolutions, particularly by the Bosnian Serb party.
United Nations Security Council resolution 871, adopted unanimously on 4 October 1993, after reaffirming resolutions 713 (1992) and 743 (1992) and subsequent resolutions relating to the situation in the former Yugoslavia and United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR), the Council expressed concern that United Nations peacekeeping plan for Croatia, in particular Resolution 769 (1992), had not been implemented and went on to discuss the peace plan and extend UNPROFOR's mandate until 31 March 1994.
United Nations Security Council resolution 959, adopted unanimously on 19 November 1994, after recalling all resolutions on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina including resolutions Resolution 824 (1993) and Resolution 836 (1993), the Council discussed the efforts of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) to ensure the implementation of security council resolutions in the safe areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
United Nations Security Council resolution 988, adopted on 21 April 1995, after reaffirming all resolutions on the situation in the former Yugoslavia, in particular resolutions 943 (1994) and 970 (1995), the Council noted measures by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to continue the border closure with Bosnia and Herzegovina and therefore extended the partial suspension of sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro for a further 75 days until 5 July 1995.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1004, adopted unanimously on 12 July 1995, after recalling all resolutions on the situation in the former Yugoslavia, the council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, demanded that Bosnian Serb forces withdraw from the safe area of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina and respect the safety of personnel from the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR). The resolution was passed during the Srebrenica massacre.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1019, adopted unanimously on 9 November 1995, after recalling resolutions 1004 (1995) and 1010 (1995) on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 1009 (1995) concerning Croatia, the Council discussed violations of international humanitarian law in the former Yugoslavia.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1034, adopted unanimously on 21 December 1995, after recalling previous resolutions including Resolution 1019 (1995), the Council discussed violations of international humanitarian law in the former Yugoslavia, specifically in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
United Nations Security Council resolution 1491, adopted unanimously on 11 July 2003, after recalling resolutions 1031 (1995), 1088 (1996) and 1423 (2002) on the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, the Council extended the mandate of the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a further period of twelve months.
