Serb Republic of Krajina

The Serb Republic of Serb Krajina (term sometimes shortened in Krajina , RSK or Serb Krajina ) or in Republika Srpska Krajina in Latin alphabet, РепубликаСрпскаКрајина or Cyrillic PCK in , was a Serb entity autodéclarée of Croatia at the time of the war of independence of Croatia. It was located around the border Is of Croatia with the Bosnia-Herzégovine.

History

The area under Habsbourgs

In 1630, in order to counter the Othoman invasion , the Habsbourg S creates then a buffer zone throughout the border with the Bosnia under Othoman control and installs colonists of several nationalities in particular Serbes, Croatian and Valaques.

The area extends then from the West of Bosnia until the East of the Banat (currently part of the Voïvodine and West of the Romania). But the area of Knin does not form of it part because attached to the République of Venice.

In 1881, these military Confins of Croatia is reinstated in the Austrian province of Croatia following the abandonment of the expansionist ambitions of the Ottoman Empire and to the occupation of Bosnia-Herzégovine by the Austria-Hungary.

The Serb Republic of Krajina

Rise of Serb nationalism and formation

As of 1988, in Croatian areas known as with Serb majority, demonstrations preaching the Serb Nationalisme appear.

The May 30th 1990, the Croatian freedom fighter Franjo Tuđman gains the first elections multi-party of Croatia and is named president de Croatie. With the Slovenia of Milan Kučan, he proposes to transform the Yugoslavia into a confederation of Sovereign states.

Tuđman amends in December 1990 the Croatian constitution to affirm the Croatian character of the new republic. It results from it that the minorities lost all their statutes (including that of minority constitutive of the republic) by keeping only the Croatian citizenship. That amounted conferring the same weight to the Hungarians (0,5% of the population) that with Serb (12,2% of the population).

July 1st, 1990, embrigadés by the Serb nationalism incarnated by Slobodan Milošević and fearing the creation of a new Croatian State Oustachi, the Serbes separatists unilaterally proclaim the creation of a “Serb National council” with at their head Milan Babić, a dentist of Knin. It is the “Revolution of the logs” (in reference to the barricades set up across the roads).

A referendum, not recognized by Zagreb and organized in August 1990, gives one crushing victory to the separatists (99,2% of yes).

December 21st, 1990, Milan Babić declares the creation of a “Serb Autonomous region of Krajina” with for capital Knin and gathering eleven municipalities (on a total of 102) where the Serb ones were supposed be in a majority (either 7 097 km ², 12,5% of the Croatian territory).

April 1st 1991, the Serb Autonomous region of Krajina makes secession of Croatia and other common Croatian joins it while ceasing paying their taxes.

It is on a maximum of 17 028 km ² (30% of the surface of Croatia) that will extend the RSK between 1991 and 1995. Actually, less than half of the 582 000 Serb of Croatia (274 000 people is 12,2% of the Croatian population) lived the territories gathered in the RSK, other half being disseminated in the principal agglomerations of Croatia. As for the eleven districts of origin, one found there that Serb of Croatia on four (144 000 people).

Confrontations

March 31st, 1991 the first armed brawls burst in the National park of the Lakes Plitvice with their annexation by the Serb Autonomous region of Krajina : two Serb and a Croatian police officer first had died of the war which was going to follow.

May 12th, 1991 an illegal referendum is organized, the Serb ones deciding for a fastening with the République of Serbia if Croatia made secession.

June 25th, 1991, as allows it the Yugoslav constitution, the Croatia declares its independence. 38 communes out of 102 were found very quickly in a state of insurrection. The Yugoslav armed (or JNA) directed by Ratko Mladić, being posted as a defender of the Yugoslav unit and pretexting the defense of Serb and their interests, then starts the hostilities while bombarding and by invading the Croatia as from August 1991 and progresses very quickly in Croatian territory once the frontier city of Vukovar fallen on November 18th (see Bataille of Vukovar).

The Serb Autonomous region of Krajina will extend then its territory to many recoveries until reaching approximately a third of the surface of Croatia. The minorities present in the zones controlled by the Serb ones then are persecuted, intimidated, moved and are victims of exactions (plunderings, assassinations, massacres, etc). The cultural and religious monuments are destroyed to erase any trace of not-Serb presence. On the whole, they are surroundings 10 000 not-Serb of Croatia which will be killed (war and crimes) and 250 000 which will be driven out territory controlled by the RSK, mainly towards Croatia until February 1992 initially by JNA then by the Serbes militiamans of the RSK. In same time, in zones of insurrection, Croats rebel and try to make undergo the same fate with the Serb ones. Approximately 80 000 Serb the RSK between 1991 and 1995 will leave all the same, the majority pushed by the bad general terms of life (insecurity, unemployment, etc).

December 19th, 1991, the “Serb Autonomous region of Krajina” is transformed into “Serb Republic of Krajina”. February 26th, 1992, the Western Slavonia and the Eastern Slavonie, Baranja and Syrmie Western join the RSK.

In January 1992, an agreement is found between Slobodan Milošević and Franjo Tuđman. This agreement envisages the withdrawal of JNA, the return of the displaced persons in their houses and the installation of a force of international interposition under the aegis of the United Nations according to the Plan Vance (of the name of Cyrus Vance). Actually, part of the armament and men of the army of Yugoslavia integrated the army of the RSK and very few refugees returned on their premises.

February 21st, 1992, the Safety advice of the United Nations decides the creation of the Force of protection of the United Nations (FORPRONU, UNPROFOR in English) : 14 000 blue helmets are deployed little by little after six months of open war. In spite of a relative success as for demilitarization partial of the frontline and the Serb and Croatian forces on both sides, the blue helmets fail to implement the withdrawal partial of the Serbes troops of the territories at Croatian majority (“pink Zones”). Among the last Croats remained on the spot, 250 civilians will be killed in spite of the presence of the soldiers of peace.

December 30th, 1992, Croatia operates a recutting of its territory with the creation of two kotars (autonomous regions) for the Serb ones. But this solution is rejected by the RSK which considers the zones conceded too small and the insufficient degree of autonomy.

The Croatian reconquest

In January 1993, a limited military operation (the Operation Maslenica) is led by the Croatian army in the back-country of Zadar in order to give off the Serb vice on the coastal road and to disenclose the Dalmatian coast then separated from the remainder of the country. Indeed, one of the territorial goals of the RSK was to gain an opening on the sea. This objective was never carried out but the terrestrial communications between the South of Dalmatie and the remainder of Croatia were cut.

In September 1993, another operation (the Operation Medak) is led in Dalmatie to the South of Gospić whose Southern suburbs are regularly rammed since Serb positions.

Put besides these two offensives of the Croatian army and in spite of negotiations in dotted lines, the cease-fire is more or less respected.

In close Bosnia-Herzégovine then in war (see War in Bosnia), the repeated intervention of the forces of the RSK against the Bosnian (known as Moslem of Bosnia ) at the side of the Serb forces of Bosnia (JNA and militia armed with the Serb Republic of Bosnia) led the aviation of NATO to bombard in reprisals the air base of the RSK with Udbina in Dalmatie on October 21st 1994. The precariousness generated by this situation on the populations will lead tens of thousands of Serb to leave the RSK to find refuge in Serbia or abroad between 1991 and 1995.

After four years of independence and conflict, the Croatian army launches on May 1st, 1995 the Opération Flash which enables him to take again in 36 hours the control of the Western Slavonie, disenclosing by là-même Is country.

Strong of this success, the Croatian forces launch on August 4th, 1995 a baptized immense operation Opération Storm which aims at taking again the control of the major part of the zones controlled by the Serb ones in Croatia. As of the following day, the stronghold of the separatists, Knin, is taken again and in less than four days, the near total of the territories of the RSK escaping the authority from Zagreb since 1991 is controlled by the Croatian forces.

Although the Croatia, by the way of its president Franjo Tuđman, invited the Serb population not to flee of on their premises and to await the arrival of the Croatian army, the Serb ones preferred to answer the order of evacuation given by the president of the RSK Milan Martić on August 4th, 1995 to the evening. They are then some 90 000 civilians and 30 000 soldiers and Serbes paramilitaries who fled the territories of the RSK to join Serbia (mainly in Voïvodine) or the Serb République in Bosnia-Herzégovine.

Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Syrmie Western

The Eastern Slavonie, Baranja and Syrmie Western is the frontier Croatian area with Serbia (where the town of Vukovar is) and was integrated into the RSK during its existence. This area was not reconquered militarily by Croatia and under Croatian sovereignty only the January 15th 1998 at the end of a negotiated and peaceful rehabilitation is turned over.

A force of interposition, ATNUSO (UNTAES in English), was deployed there of 1996 with 1998 in order to prepare and to accompany the return under Croatian authority as well as the preliminary Serb withdrawal. In 1997, municipal elections were held there and the Croatian refugees could take part in it. Nevertheless, and in spite of the presence of the blue helmets, tens of thousands of Serb preferred to leave this territory for Serbia before its rehabilitation in Croatia. Since 1998, several mass graves of victims of the exactions of the Serb militia were put there at the day, in particular that of Ovcara and Vukovar (where are in particular buried the 260 wounded ones which was in the hospital of the city during its fall on November 18th, 1991).

January 15th, 1998, these last residues of the RSK officially ceased existing while being reinstated in Croatia.

The return of Serb in this area is a prerequisite subjected by Brussels for the integration of Croatia in the European Union. Currently, this condition is not completely met because of the unwillingness of Zagreb and the absence of will of unquestionable Serb to turn over to Croatia and is regularly source of tension between the two parts during the negotiations.

Assessment of the war

The Serbo-croatian war will have made some 15 500 died in the Croatian army and between 2 000 and 2 500 in JNA primarily in 1991 and for a less share in 1995.

The nonSerb civil losses rise with approximately 10 000 died and 250 000 moved between the medium of the year 1991 and at the beginning of 1992. The Serb civil losses rise as for them with a few tens of dead approximately and 150 000 with 200 000 moved in 1995.

This assessment is disputed by commentator which denounce a swelling of the number of loss Croatian by the addition with the number of died of the missings and not identified and by a lack of understanding in the calculation of death found in the common graves. These commentators also insist on the attacks by Croats carrying of the badges Oustachis against the Serbes and JNA and on the existence of prison camp as the Prison camp of Lora to Split where acts of torture and executions were made. According to Eve Crepin, between 1992 and 1997, approximately a thousand of prisoners were imprisoned in Lora and approximately 70 people died in the camp the persons in charge of the camp of Lora were considered and condemned by Croatian justice.

The International penal court for ex-Yugoslavia, in one of its indictments against the Croatian war criminals, draws up a list of the acts of plundering and destruction of the Serb goods carried out by the Croatian forces in this area between on August 4th and on November 15th, 1995 in the municipalities of Benkovac, Donji Lapac, Drnis, Gračac, Knin, Korenica, Obrovac, Šibenik, Sinj and Zadar and counts 12 230 plundered or destroyed dwellings. Moreover the bill of indictment gives by name a report on the murder of 32 people. It is also for the crimes committed under its authority during this operation that the Croatian ex-general Ante Gotovina, person in charge of part of the operation, is marked.

The March 5th 2006, the former president of the RSK Milan Babić, shown war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed suicide in its cell of the international penal court with $the Hague.

At the month of June 2006, 161 people on the whole were put in examination within the framework of the TPIY.

Government in exile

A government in Exil existed during little time after the Tempête operation. It reformed on February 26th, 2005 and has famous the “Serb Republic of Krajina” in “Republic of Serb-Krajina”.

Policy

The policy of the RSK was largely nationalist, round towards the panserbism and preaching a fastening of the Serb Republic of Krajina and Serb République of Bosnia to the Serbia. The Serb ones of Krajina were seen like the heirs to the peasant-soldiers of Habsbourgs and like the defenders of their grounds, their culture, their religion and their combat against the Moslems (although the Croats are Christian).

The RSK was recognized by no state nor International organization except implicit manner by Serbia and Yugoslavians of Greece, Romania and Russia. The RSK was not thus member of any institution or legal organization and was regarded as area belonging to Croatia and entry in insurrection.

February 16th, 1992, Milan Babić was deposited by Belgrade because he was opposed overall to the Vance plan. There remained nevertheless implied in the policy of the RSK. It was replaced on February 26th by Goran Hadžić, considered to be more faithful to Slobodan Milošević.

The RSK then obtained all the components of a état : Flag, Anthem, armorial bearings, Government, Currency, Station and stamp S, etc Cependant the RSK depended completely on Serbia because it was insulated politically, the commercial links with the Croatia and the Bosnia-Herzégovine was stopped, the economy and agriculture was destroyed by the war, unemployment reached record rates and the currency underwent devaluations (a million then a billion). Moreover the government was accused of corruption and the traffics constituted a parallel economy. This pseudo-State was transformed into burden for Serbia what pushed probably Milošević to accelerate the payment of the situation and the return of peace.

The presidents of the Serb Republic of Krajina were:

Milan Babić from December 19th, 1991 to February 16th, 1992
Mile Paspalj from February 16th, 1992 to February 26th, 1992 (president by interim)
Goran Hadžić from February 26th, 1992 to January 25th, 1994
Milan Martić from January 25th, 1994 to August 7th, 1995

The Prime Ministers for the Serb Republic of Krajina were:

Milan Babić from April 30th, 1991 to December 19th, 1991
Dusan Vjestica from December 19th, 1991 to February 26th, 1992
Zdravko Zecević from February 26th, 1992 to April 21st, 1993
Djordje Bjegović from April 21st, 1993 to March 17th, 1994
Borislav Mikelić from March 17th, 1994 to July 27th, 1995
Milan Babić from July 27th, 1995 to August 7th, 1995

Population

In 1991, 52,15% of the population of Croatia declared Serbes, 35,9% Croatian and 11,94% Musulmans (in majority referred today like Bosnian), Juif S, Hungarian, Montenegrin S etc

But these proportions varied considerably because of Guerre in Croatia even but also that in Bosnia-Herzégovine because of mortality, the exoduses, displacements of population in and between the states.

In 1993, the government of the RSK announced a population of: 480000 inhabitants (91% the Serb ones, 7% of Croats and 2% of others). In 1994, he announced the figure of: 430000 inhabitants, the fall of the number being due to not-Serb displacements of populations.

Since the end of the RSK, the structure ethnic of before the war and accentuated by the RSK was completely reversed: the Serb ones account for approximately 20% of the population of the ex-Krajina. In 2001, the Serb ones accounted for 4,5% of the population of Croatia with: 201000 people (against: 582000 people is 12,2% of the population in 1991).

Moreover, the administrative replanning of Croatian territory operated in 1995 joined together certain communes and redécoupé the departments with an aim of gumming the ethnic differences (for example common to Serbe majority were gathered with common to Croatian majority) and of associating territories of the ex-Krajina with Croatian territories.

Finally the great majority of Serb remained in Croatia are it in the campagnes : going down from the peasant-soldiers of the time of the Habsbourgs, they refuse to leave a ground which they regard as theirs. Immediately after the end of the Croatian offensive, only: 4000 Serb returned on their premises. However, since the largest death of Franjo Tuđman in 2000 and democratization of the country, one attends a return of: 10000 with: 20000 Serb per annum in Croatia.

The return of the Croats driven out by the war is more significant since: 100000 of them could turn over in their hearths since the dissolution of the RSK. For this movement of return, it is necessary to add the naturalization of Réfugié S Croatian originating in Bosnia-Herzégovine and remained in Croatia.

Geography

The Serb Republic of Krajina covered whole or part of the natural areas of Knin, Lika, Banovina, the Western Slavonie and the Eastern Slavonia (Vukovar, Syrmie Western and Croatian Baranja).

The area of Knin constitutes the back country of the Dalmatian coast and is made of hills limestones and rocky composing the West of the the dinaric Alps. It is about the area poorest and the least developed Croatia. The area located at the center of Croatia east as for it consisted of more fertile hills in edge of the plain of the Save, the principal river of Croatia. Knin is more the big city with 15 190 inhabitants (for the commune in 2001).

The Eastern Slavonie is made of fertile plains in edge of the Drave in North, the the Danube in the East and Save in the South, in the South of the Plaine of Pannonia. Vukovar, at the edge of the Danube, is more the big city with 30 126 inhabitants (2001).

The way of railroad connecting Zagreb to the Dalmatian coast passes by Knin and crosses the Bosnia-Herzégovine while passing by Bihać. Another railway line, connecting Zagreb to Belgrade and passing by the Eastern Slavonia, skirts Save, the highway Zagreb Slavonski Brod (a port city on Save) and the Northern border with Bosnia-Herzégovine.

See too

Serb Republic of Bosnia
International penal court for ex-Yugoslavia
Agreements of Dayton
Wars of Yugoslavia
History of Yugoslavia
History of Croatia
Republic of Western Bosnia
Republic of Herceg-Bosna

External bonds

Embassy of Croatia in France
International penal court for ex-Yugoslavia
Article published in the " Geographical review of Est" in January 2005
Official site of the ATNUSO
Official site of the FORPRONU

References

Random links: