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Featured Authors

Emir Suljagić

Bratunac is falling. All Bosniak police officers have been ordered to hand over their weapons.

The Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) and Serb Territorial Defence (defence against what?!) are disarming Muslim villagers in Bratunac municipality.

Serb paramilitary forces are pillaging Muslim homes. These men have come from Serbia, they are not from here.

Muslim leaders have fled Bratunac after being threatened by Serb paramilitaries. They’ve effectively surrendered the town to Serb forces.

I’m hiding in the woods with Dad. I can’t reveal my location but we’re near Voljavica village. We’re watching Serb cars patrolling through the town. The cars belong to Vojislav Šešelj’s paramilitary group, the White Eagles and the far-right Serb Radical Party. I’m scared.

The Križevica is a river that runs through Bratunac to join the Drina, which forms the border between Bosnia and Serbia. The corpses of prominent Bosniaks are now washing ashore. We have to get out of here.

We’re in the woods listening to Radio Bosnia-Herzegovina thanks to my neighbour’s car. He drove his Zastava 101 into the woods. This is proof not only of his impressive driving skills but also of the insanity that has affected him along with us all.

We’re still in hiding in the woods above Bratunac. Dad and I are watching villages around Bratunac go up in flames. Thick pillars of light-coloured smoke. We don’t want to believe this is happening. If we believe it’s happening, it means we’ve reached a point of no return.

Just heard the announcement on Radio Bosnia-Herzegovina that the so-called Serb Republic has created its own army, with Ratko Mladić as their commander. As we approach a month of hiding in the woods, Bratunac in flames beneath us, we now know that worse is yet to come.

Dad just woke me up. After a month of hiding in the woods, we’re finally leaving. Don’t know where we’re going but will keep you posted.

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