Yugoslavia Cuts Ties with Bosnian Serbs

Strategic Insights -

Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has announced that Belgrade will sever all ties with Bosnia's Serbs, cutting off financial and military support, and sealing the border to exports except for essential goods. This sudden move could be a turning point in the 28-month war between Muslims and Croats, as Bosnian Serbs have heavily relied on Yugoslavia for supplies and funding.

Key Takeaways:

  • Yugoslavia has withdrawn support for Bosnia's Serbs, ending a two-year financial and military aid program that has kept the Bosnian Serb army afloat.
  • The Yugoslav government has sealed the 480-kilometer border to exports, except for food, clothes, and medicine, in an attempt to pressure Bosnian Serb leaders to accept an international peace plan.
  • President Slobodan Milosevic has branded Bosnian Serb leaders "war profiteers" and appealed to Bosnian Serbs to oust their leadership, suggesting he may be seeking to consolidate power over the Bosnian Serb faction.
  • The secession of Slovenia and Macedonia has left only Serbia and Montenegro remaining in Yugoslavia, with Serbia dominating the government and economy.
  • Traditionally reliant on Yugoslavia for supplies, Bosnian Serbs face severe hardships, including rationing, as they prepare for independence from Belgrade.

Statistics:

  • 28 months: length of the ongoing war between Muslims and Croats in Bosnia
  • 70%: current Serb holdings in Bosnia
  • 49%: proposed new Serb holdings in Bosnia under the international peace plan
  • 10%: estimated reduction in Serb holdings under the proposed peace plan
  • 2 years: duration of trade sanctions imposed on Serbia to punish it for its role in the war
  • 480 kilometers: length of the sealed border between Yugoslav-held territory and Bosnian Serb lands
  • 1938: number of Bosnian Serb leaders, including Radovan Karadzic and Momcilo Krajisnik, who were reportedly willing to step down

Sources:

  • "Belgrade Serb-dominated Yugoslavia withdrew support for Bosnia's Serbs yesterday, backing out of a war it has bankrolled for more than two years at the risk of its own economic ruin." (Associated Press and Reuter)
  • "President Milosevic, the region's main power broker, said Bosnian Serbs had jeopardized their people by rejecting an international peace plan." (Associated Press and Reuter)
  • "In the remote northwestern Bosnian enclave of Bihac, rebel Muslim forces surrendered in their hundreds yesterday when forces of the Muslim-led Bosnian government army overran the town of Pecigrad." (Associated Press and Reuter)