Yugoslav wars
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The Yugoslav wars were a series of violent conflicts in the territory of the former Yugoslavia that took place between 1991 and 2001. They comprised two sets of successive wars affecting all of the six former Yugoslav republics. Alternative terms in use include the "War in the Balkans", or "War in (the former) Yugoslavia", "Wars of Yugoslav Secession" or rarely the "Third Balkan War" (a term coined by British journalist Misha Glenny, alluding to the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913).
The wars were characterised by bitter ethnic conflicts between the peoples of the former Yugoslavia. The conflict had various underlying political, cultural and ethnic causes, including a fear of perceived Serb expansionism and dominance.
However, much weight has also been given to long-standing ethnic tensions. In the case of Kosovo, they root back to the perceived loss of ancestral Serbian lands (Kosovo was integral to all historical Serbian kingdoms), while other tensions arose from the legacy of World War II during which Croatian fascists (Ustaše) and Serbian monarchists (Chetniks) fought on opposite sides (though not all Croats or Serbs belonged to either of these two movements), with the Ustaše regime (which controlled present day Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina within the 'Independent State of Croatia') pursuing an officially hostile and violent policy against Serb inhabitants. Meanwhile, a great number of people from all ethnic groups fought with the anti-fascist Partisan movement led by the Croat-Slovene communist who would later become the leader of Yugoslavia - Josip Broz Tito.
The Yugoslav wars ended with much of the former Yugoslavia reduced to poverty, massive economic disruption and persistent instability across the territories where the worst fighting occurred. The wars were the bloodiest conflicts on European soil since the end of World War II, resulting in an estimated 300,000 deaths and with millions more driven from their homes. They were also the first conflicts since World War II to have been formally judged genocidal in character and many key individual participants were subsequently charged with war crimes.
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The Early Conflicts (1991-1995)
The Yugoslav wars were initiated by the secession of the two northernmost regions of the former Yugoslavia - Slovenia and Croatia - for a wide array of grievances including economic and political issues, among others.
The first of these conflicts, known as the Ten-Day War (1991) or the War in Slovenia, was nominally fought to prevent the breakup of Yugoslavia and ended with the withdrawal of the JNA (Yugoslav National Army) in 1991.
The second in this series of conflicts, the War in Croatia (1991-1995) was also nominally fought for the same reasons, but rapidly became overtly nationalist in character, with a clash between the Serbian and Croatian nationalist ideologies personified by President Slobodan Milošević in Serbia and President Franjo Tuđman in Croatia.
In 1992, the conflict engulfed Bosnia (1992-1995) and what was initially seen as a Serb-Croat conflict became complicated by the presence of a large Muslim (Bosniak) population. This caused it to develop into a three-way conflict that was by far the bloodiest and most widely covered of the Yugoslav wars.
The conflict in Croatia did not end until August 1995, when Croatia launched a successful four-day military operation (codenamed Operation Storm) in which it managed to reclaim over 70% of its pre-war territory. Shortly thereafter, Serbian forces (both military and militia) withdrew from or ceased hostilities within the rest of Croatia.
With the war in Croatia drawing to an end, the newly signed agreement of military cooperation between Croatian Army and the Army of BiH (Bosniak), and NATO intervention against Bosnian Serbs following the Srebrenica massacre increased pressure was put on Serbia and Bosnian Serbs to agree to a cease-fire and negotiations to end the war in Bosnia. The war ended with the signing of the Dayton Agreement on December 14th 1995.
Conflicts in the East and South (1996-2001)
In Kosovo, Macedonia, and southern Serbia, the conflicts were typified by ethnic and political tension between Serbian and Macedonian governments and Albanian national minorities which sought autonomy, as was the case in Macedonia, or independence, as was the case in Kosovo.
The conflict in Kosovo (Kosovo War (1996-1999)) became a full-scale war in 1999, while the Conflict in Macedonia (2001) and Conflict in Southern Serbia (2001) were characterised by armed clashes between state security forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas.
The war in Kosovo ended with NATO intervention against Serbian forces, although further widespread unrest in Kosovo broke out in 2004. The NATO intervention is often counted as yet another separate war. The conflicts in southern Serbia and in Republic of Macedonia ended with internationally-overseen peace agreements between the insurgents and the government, but the situation in both regions remains fragile.
A brief timeline of the Yugoslav Wars
May 1980
- Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito dies. Without Tito's strong leadership, Yugoslavia begins its slow collapse.
1988 - 1989
- 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo is celebrated by Serbs around Yugoslavia. The occasion is used to raise nationalist fervor. Ethnic tensions in Kosovo between ethnic Albanians and Serbs begin to rise.
- Slobodan Milosevic instutes changes to the Serbian constitution effectively reversing changes from the 1974 constitution, abolishing the status of autonomous provinces to Vojvodina and Kosovo.
1990
- First democratic elections in 45 years are held in Yugoslavia in an attempt to bring the Yugoslav socialist model into the new, post-Cold War world. Nationalist options win majority in almost all republics.
- In the wake of the election and subsequent revisions to Republic constitutions Serbs in Croatia start a rebellion against the newly elected government, an event frequently referred to as the "Balvan revolution" (tree-log revolution).
May - June 1991
- Rising ethnic violence in Croatia. Slovenia and Croatia declare independence. The ethnic homogeneity of Slovenia allows the country to avoid much fighting. The Yugoslav army leaves Slovenia quickly but supports rebel Serb forces in Croatia. A full scale war follows.
January 1992
- Macedonia declares independence. No wars erupted in this area. Slovenia and Croatia are internationally recognized.
April 1992
- Bosnia declares independence. The diversity in this republic causes an ethnic strain and war ensues.
- Serbia and Montenegro elect Slobodan Milošević as their leader.
- The Siege of Sarajevo begins. The Siege was fought between Bosnian and Serb forces.
March 1993
- Fighting begins between Bosnian Muslims and Croats.
March 1994
- Peace treaty between Bosnian Muslims and Croats is signed. The treaty was arbitrated by the United States.
May 1995
- Croatia launches Operation Flash and in 2 days reclaims Western Slavonia. The operation is seen as a precursor for a larger, more ambitious and more decisive Operation Storm that followed 3 months later.
June 1995
- Srebrenica massacre reported.
August 1995
- Croatia launches Operation Storm and in 4 days reclaims almost 70% of its pre-conflict territory, resulting in approximately 250,000 Serb refugees. The results of the operation puts pressure on the Serbian side, paving the way for cease-fire negotiations.
- Following the latest provocation by Bosnian Serbs, a mortar attack on Sarajevo city market (38 civilians killed, around 100 more injured), NATO launches a series of air strikes on Bosnian Serb artillery and other military targets on August 30th.
November 1995
- Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia sign a cease-fire.
December 1995
- Dayton Agreement signed in Paris ending the war in Bosnia and Croatia.
1996
- FR Yugoslavia recognizes Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina.
March 1998
- Fighting breaks out between Serbs and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Milosevic sends in troops.
March 1999
- NATO starts the military campaign Operation Allied Force in Kosovo.
June 1999
- Control of Kosovo is given to the United Nations, but still remains a part of Serbia.
October 2000
- Slobodan Milošević is deposed, and Kostunica becomes new president of Yugoslavia.
February 2002
- Milošević is put on trial in The Hague on charges of war crimes and genocide.
February 2003
- Yugoslavia becomes the nation of Serbia and Montenegro.
March 2006
- Milošević dies in Hague prison, before being sentenced.
May 21st 2006
- Scheduled date for the referendum on termination of union between Serbia and Montenegro.
External links
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