Blog 04: The Bosnian “Safe Havens": Gorazde

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Blog 4: The Bosnian “Safe Havens": Gorazde

 Another Safe Haven was the town of Gorazde, situated relatively close to Sarajevo. Today Gorazde can be reached via the M19 and M5 and is approximately a 1 hour and 45 minutes drive. After the first fightings, Gorazde was besieged by Bosnian Serbs in April 1992. In April 1993 the town was declared a United Nations safe area to prevent the fall of the town due to the attacks by the Bosnian Serbs under the command of General Mladic.


The Bosnian Serbs heavily attacked the town, which was defendend by the Bosnian Army under command of  Brigadier General Hamid Bahto, between March 30 and April 23, 1994. During the attacks and shellings hundreds of people died. However also the Bosnian troops (MUP) arrested and executed tens of Bosnian Serbs as revenge and more than hundred civilians (including women and childs) were held as human shield to protect strategic points from shelling by the Serbs. Only after NATO air strikes against the Serbs and the push back of the Serbs by the AbiH (Bosnian Army) from the eastern suburbs, the Serbian forces withdraw all their heavy army vehicles and artillery to a distance of 20 km.
However the city was very vulnerable located between the mountains taken by the Serbs. 
In May 1995 the Serbian Serbs again attacked the enclave and took large amounts of UN soldiers as hostage. Also the ethnic cleansing brigade of the Belgrade politician and paramilitary leaders Seselj was leading his well-equiped Serbian forces. Many of the British soldiers were taken hostage and also their equipment was taken over by the Bosnian Serbs. During the fall of Srebrenica the Serbs used the British Saxon armored cars in fights during the fall of Srebrenica.


However the British Royal Welch Fuseliers fought directly against the Serbs in Bosnia defended Gorazde and they prevent the fall of Gorazde. However in August 1995 both the Ukraine (after losing most of their weapons and equipment after attacks of the Bosnian defenders of Gorazde) and British UN soldiers (on 28th August) left the enclave. 24 hours later the NATO attacks and bombings starts just after the deadly attack on the Sarajevo market.

Today Gorazde is connected to the Bosnian Federation as result of the Daytona accords.
 

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