17/04/1993 | Voices from the Drina

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It’s not the UN’s resolution adopted in New York that has made the Chetniks stop 200m from our house. Our brave fighters have driven the Chetniks back. Our folks have forced the Chetniks to retreat after inflicting heavy losses on them. That’s why they’ve retreated.

The men who have been leaving Srebrenica on foot to be reunited with their wives and children is a sign that Srebrenica is collapsing. It’s a sign that the world which all this time has been surviving on its own is coming to an end.

The end has seemingly arrived for us. I’m just over 17, sitting in the cellar reading Machiavelli’s “The Prince”. Occasionally I emerge into the corridor to the front door, so I can peer outside.

UNPROFOR can confirm that from noon today the town of Srebrenica has been demilitarised. The team have prepared a final inventory of all the collected weapons and munitions, which will be destroyed by UNPROFOR.

As commanding officer of the Bosnian Army, I urge the Bosniaks of Srebrenica not to hand over serviceable weapons and ammunition to the UN, as part of their so-called “demilitarisation” of the enclave.

We keep repeating “We’re saved! We’re saved!”. I don’t believe my eyes and ears. We are saved.

A minority of the population in Srebrenica consider “demilitarisation” to be a nice word for surrender. The majority believe it means an end to the war. We have no idea what demilitarisation will look like.

A Canadian UN battalion has arrived in Srebrenica. The soldiers all have blue helmets.

People in Srebrenica are beginning to trust in the international community. We’re a bit happier because we think the war is ending, especially now the UNPROFOR battalion is here. People feel a bit safer and are thinking about their lives and freedom again

Our soldiers have been demobilized and demilitarized. They’ve started farming the land. Though we’re not completely at ease, the situation does feel better. People are walking freely in the streets, the school is reopening, and so on.