3.4. July 8th, 1995 | Srebrenica - July 6th-19th, 1995

3.4.

July 8th, 1995

BSA Offensive on the Safe Zone

The Dutch battalion commander → the UNPROFOR Chief of Staff in Sarajevo

The Dutch battalion commander requested close air support in response to an attack on observation post “Foxtrot“, but his request was denied. UNPROFOR officials in Sarajevo and Zagreb also believed the Bosnian Serb Army did not intend to overrun the entire enclave, but only to take control of strategic areas in its southern part.

UN report

Bosnian Serb Army soldiers, upon entering the UN observation post “Foxtrot”, ordered its crew to abandon the post and surrender their arms.

UN report

Bosnian Serb Army took UN observation post “Uniform”.

Report

UNPROFOR Sarajevo → UNPROFOR Zagreb

Observation posts “Foxtrot” and “Uniform“ had fallen, the situation had grown very tense.

Meeting in Geneva

  • UN Secretary-General
  • UN High Commissioner for Refugees
  • Special Representative for the former Yugoslavia
  • The UNPROFOR Commander
  • Special Political Adviser of the UNPROFOR Commander
  • Under-Secretaries-General for Peacekeeping Operations and Political Affairs

At no point during that meeting was there any discussion about the ongoing Bosnian Serb Army attack on Srebrenica nor was any assessment made that they were planning to overrun the enclaves.

The meeting concluded with a sense that if there were no breakthroughs on the peace-making front in the immediate future the UN would have to consider withdrawing from Bosnia.