Hintergründe des Falls der UN-„Schutzzonen“ Srebrenica und Žepa und des anschließenden Völkermordes
The Background of the Fall of the UN “Safe Areas” Srebrenica and Žepa and the Subsequent Genocide

Summary/Abstract: The focus of this article is on the two eastern Bosnian enclaves, Srebrenica and Žepa, which were declared “safe areas” by the Security Council of the United Nations in 1993. Along with Goražde, they were the only Bosniak enclaves that resisted the Serbian “Blitzkrieg” in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina in the spring of 1992. The Serbian troops under the command of Bosnian-Serb army commander General Ratko Mladić had intended to capture Srebrenica as early as March 1993, but were prevented from doing so by the commander of the UN Protection Force, General Philippe Morillon. The article analyzes the UN Security Council’s actions and the attempts made to implement the concept of UN safe areas. The fateful role of top military and civilian UN representatives in the former Yugoslavia, General Bernard Janvier and Yasushi Akashi, respectively, is also addressed, as well as the roles of NATO and the Serbian government under President Slobodan Milošević.

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