Nezuk (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Jul 8 (AP) – Nearly 7,000 individuals embarked on a poignant three-day peace march on Tuesday, journeying through the dense forests of eastern Bosnia to honor the memory of the thousands of victims who perished in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. This atrocity remains Europe's only officially recognized genocide since the end of World War II.
The annual 100-kilometer trek retraces, in reverse, the harrowing path taken by men and boys of the primarily Muslim Bosniak ethnic group. These individuals were tragically massacred while attempting to escape Srebrenica after it fell to Bosnian Serb forces during the final months of the 1992-95 interethnic war.
“I am here today to support my son, Sultan, as he sets off on the march," expressed Amir Kulagic, a survivor of the original route in 1995. He recalled that his “ordeal lasted for seven days and eight nights.” Kulagic conveyed pride in his son and nephew for undertaking the journey, although he lamented his inability to join them due to health challenges.
Among the march participants was Nirha Music, who was born post-war and now resides in the US. Her mother survived the Srebrenica ordeal.
“We are walking to understand what our people endured,” Music stated. “It is not easy; all I can think about is, this is how it was when they were killing us and when they were gathering us together to kill us,” she continued.
The majority of the massacre's victims were pursued, captured, and executed as they desperately fled through the forested terrain. Their remains were hastily buried in makeshift mass graves. Over time, efforts were made to conceal evidence by exhuming and scattering the bodies across various sites.
Each year, on July 11, the anniversary of the massacre's commencement in 1995, newly identified victims are given a proper reburial in the vast and growing memorial cemetery near Srebrenica. To date, over 6,700 victims have been discovered and laid to rest there. On Friday, the remains of seven additional victims, recently identified through DNA testing, will be interred.
The Srebrenica massacre has been legally recognized as genocide by both international and national judicial bodies. Despite overwhelming evidence, leaders from the Serb community in Bosnia and neighboring Serbia persist in either downplaying or outright denying the atrocity. (AP)
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