Atwel James would like to send their respect to the many people whose lives and family were torn apart in the Srebrenica Massacre which was carried out today, 21 years ago. We at Atwel James that everybody has a right to their security, privacy and safety. Something which the 8,000 people who were brutally killed in the massacre did not have. It was the largest mass killing in Europe since WWII and deeply distresses us all. What’s more worrying is that it only took place 21 years ago, in our lifetime. As Atwel James is part of eh housing market we feel like this is something relevant and for us to all take the time out this week and remember those who were not so lucky to be secured with a house. In addition the genocide took place largely over people wanting to forcibly take property and home that people lived in, we believe this is incredibly relevant for us to share. Though it is such a complex situation, we feel like it is a necessity to share our knowledge on the tragedy of what happened.
From 1992 and the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a war torn Balkan area. The collapse of the USSR was key as the nation felt it required a new political entity, which was very nationalist and ethnically divisive. In 1992 the ethnic cleansing campaign began, removing Bosniacs (Bosnian Muslims) from Central Podrinje.
In 1992 Bosnian Serb nationalists – with the logistical, moral and financial support of Serbia and the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) – destroyed 296 predominantly Bosniac villages in the region around Srebrenica, forcibly uprooting some 70,000 Bosniacs from their homes and systematically massacring at least 3,166 Bosniacs (documented deaths) including many women, children and elderly.
By 1993, homes were destroyed. Water was scarce as was electricity. People relied upon cheap generators to supply their electricity. The Serb army had damaged and taken over area linking Srebrenica and Zepa, which meant people could hardly communicate and support one another even though the UN General Morillion of UNPROFOR promised never to abandon the Bosniacs. The UN High Commissioner of Refugees in March and April 1993 evacuated several thousand Bosniacs, even though the Bosnian government felt this itself was ethnic cleansing. Serb authorities on April 13th threatened the area, suggesting if they surrendered and left in two days, they would not forcibly remove them. The Bosniacs refused to be threatened by the bloody words of Serb nationalists.
Home after 1995
Although Srebrenica and surround areas supposed thee be a ‘UN safe area’ as of 1993, the UN failed to protect it by not authorising enough troops, by not demilitarising Serb authorities in the area. The UN is not an army but the UN underestimated the evil it was facing as by 1995 the massacre had taken place and it took the involvement NATO to stop the tragedy. In 1999, the NY Times reported it as a failure of the UN. Atwel James does not just agree with this but we also believe that everyone should be given a home that they can love and call theirs and even though we are far from such catastrophe in our country, we feel as an estate agent to keep us away from such a tragedy occurring again.
Our staff at Atwel James volunteer in raising awareness about the tragedy to ensure people remain conscious of our history and to ensure everyone we work with, from our clients to staff, are all feeling secure, safe and content.
