NEZUK, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Thousands of people began marching on Monday toward Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia to mark the anniversary of the 1995 genocide, the worst massacre in Europe since World War II.
The annual march covers a 100-kilometer (62-mile) route to Srebrenica from the village of Nezuk, where the first survivors arrived.
Bosnian Serb forces captured Srebrenica — a UN protected enclave at the time — on July 11, 1995, and killed 8,000 Muslim men and boys.
The atrocity was deemed genocide by two international courts.
Fatima Ibrahimbegovic Alic told AFP her father, Ramiz, was killed trying to escape.
“I go for him, for all of them, to walk this path where they suffered,” she said.
“We need to keep doing this so we never forget.”
Carrying Bosnian, Palestinian and Turkish flags, the marchers will stop at the sites of dozens of mass graves where the remains of victims were found.
“We are here so that Srebrenica never happens again, anywhere ... that everyone knows” about the crime, said Azra Barakovac, a woman who arrived from Sarajevo to march for the first time.
Marcher Resid Dervisevic is one of the rare massacre survivors. In July 1995, he and his eight male relatives fled Srebrenica, running through the woods. His brother, an uncle and six nephews were killed during the escape.
Returning to the scene “brings back emotions, even in the days before this march,” the 64-year-old said holding back tears.
But it is easier to do it now than in 1995 “under a rain of bullets and shells — hungry, barefoot, without sleep for days,” he added.
“I walked for seven days through the forest. I survived on 250 grams of sugar.
“And when we arrived here, on this territory, people welcomed us by giving us everything they had to eat and drink.”
In late May, the United Nations General Assembly established an annual day of remembrance for the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.
The move drew fierce opposition from the Serbian government and Bosnian Serb leaders, who play down the atrocity and refuse to accept it as a genocide.
“We want to dedicate this march to all the people who did not manage to save themselves and who were killed in the Srebrenica genocide,” Ela Rehic, 14, who joined the march with her mother, said.
“It will certainly be difficult to march for three days, but I want to see and experience a bit of what I learned about their flight from Srebrenica.”
Tofik Sejdic, like Rehic, was born after 1995 and said he felt very emotional.
“It’s important not to forget what happened in those years in our country, especially in Srebrenica.
“For our people, for me, Srebrenica is sacred,” the 24-year-old man said.
In late May, the United Nations General Assembly established an annual day of remembrance for the 1995 Srebrenica genocide.
The move drew fierce opposition from the Serbian government and Bosnian Serb leaders, who play down the atrocity and refuse to call it a genocide.
The marchers will reach the memorial center in Potocari, where nearly 7,000 massacre victims were buried, on Wednesday.
They will attend a ceremony to mark the atrocity’s 29th anniversary the next day.
Bosnia’s war 1992-1995 between its Croats, Muslims and Serbs claimed approximately 100,000 lives.
Nearly three decades since the war ended, the Balkan nation remains deeply divided along ethnic lines.
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Thousands march to mark Srebrenica genocide anniversary
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Thousands march to mark Srebrenica genocide anniversary
- Annual march covers a 100-kilometer (62-mile) route to Srebrenica from the village of Nezuk, where the first survivors arrived
- Bosnian Serb forces captured Srebrenica — a UN protected enclave at the time — on July 11, 1995, and killed 8,000 Muslim men and boys
Army chief says Switzerland can’t defend itself from full-scale attack
ZURICH: Switzerland cannot defend itself against a full-scale attack and must boost military spending given rising risks from Russia, the head of its armed forces said.
The country is prepared for attacks by “non-state actors” on critical infrastructure and for cyberattacks, but its military still faces major equipment gaps, Thomas Suessli told the NZZ newspaper.
“What we cannot do is defend against threats from a distance or even a full-scale attack on our country,” said Suessli, who is stepping down at the end of the year.
“It’s burdensome to know that in a real emergency, only a third of all soldiers would be fully equipped,” he said in an interview published on Saturday.
Switzerland is increasing defense spending, modernizing artillery and ground systems and replacing aging fighter jets with Lockheed Martin F-35As.
But the plan faces cost overruns, while critics question spending on artillery and munitions amid tight federal finances.
Suessli said attitudes toward the military had not shifted despite the war in Ukraine and Russian efforts to destabilize Europe.
He blamed Switzerland’s distance from the conflict, its lack of recent war experience and the false belief that neutrality offered protection.
“But that’s historically inaccurate. There are several neutral countries that were unarmed and were drawn into war. Neutrality only has value if it can be defended with weapons,” he said.
Switzerland has pledged to gradually raise defense spending to about 1 percent of GDP by around 2032, up from roughly 0.7 percent now – far below the 5 percent level agreed by NATO countries.
At that pace, the Swiss military would only be fully ready by around 2050.
“That is too long given the threat,” Suessli said.
The country is prepared for attacks by “non-state actors” on critical infrastructure and for cyberattacks, but its military still faces major equipment gaps, Thomas Suessli told the NZZ newspaper.
“What we cannot do is defend against threats from a distance or even a full-scale attack on our country,” said Suessli, who is stepping down at the end of the year.
“It’s burdensome to know that in a real emergency, only a third of all soldiers would be fully equipped,” he said in an interview published on Saturday.
Switzerland is increasing defense spending, modernizing artillery and ground systems and replacing aging fighter jets with Lockheed Martin F-35As.
But the plan faces cost overruns, while critics question spending on artillery and munitions amid tight federal finances.
Suessli said attitudes toward the military had not shifted despite the war in Ukraine and Russian efforts to destabilize Europe.
He blamed Switzerland’s distance from the conflict, its lack of recent war experience and the false belief that neutrality offered protection.
“But that’s historically inaccurate. There are several neutral countries that were unarmed and were drawn into war. Neutrality only has value if it can be defended with weapons,” he said.
Switzerland has pledged to gradually raise defense spending to about 1 percent of GDP by around 2032, up from roughly 0.7 percent now – far below the 5 percent level agreed by NATO countries.
At that pace, the Swiss military would only be fully ready by around 2050.
“That is too long given the threat,” Suessli said.
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