Kosta NIKOLIĆ

Institut za savremenu istoriju, Beograd

kostasnikolic@yahoo.com

The Hague Tribunal sources on the attack against the JNA in Sarajevo on may 2 and 3, 1992

Abstract: The paper discusses the withdrawal of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the spring of 1992 and the crime committed against its servicemen on May 2 and 3, 1992 in Sarajevo’s city center, especially in Dobrovoljačka Street. The emphasis is placed on the original material that became publicly available after it was included in the files of the International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991. The documents are available at the public court records database of the Hague Tribunal.

Keywords: Yugoslav People’s Army, Sarajevo, Dobrovoljačka Street, paramilitary units, civil war

Summary: The JNA’s position in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2nd Military District) was extremely complex. By the end of the war in Croatia, the crisis spilled over into this republic, dominated by national divisions at every level from early 1992. In such a situation, the 2nd Military District Command was the only federal institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina that sought to honor the positions of all three national communities, but without political guidance from Belgrade, this was virtually impossible at that point in time. The JNA commanding officers tried to follow a neutral line or they promoted more federal positions than most national parties were willing to accept. However, there was a rapid national and professional polarization of army officers as Muslim officers left the JNA and joined Muslim units of the Territorial Defense. As a result, many Serbian officers, especially younger ones, began actively supporting the interests of Serbs in BiH. The JNA’s position became unsustainable after the international declaration of independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina on April 6, 1992. The main problem was the withdrawal of the JNA and seizing control over its armaments. What followed were attacks by Muslim paramilitary units on JNA facilities and personnel, especially on 2-3 May in Sarajevo city center, which is a central theme of this paper. Finally, after a series of intricacies, the JNA withdrew, and Bosnia and Herzegovina descended into full-scale civil war.