Bosnia march to commemorate victims of Srebrenica massacre

The annual “Peace March” kicked off from the Bosnian on Thursday with the participation of thousands of people to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the victims of the Srebrenica massacre.

About 3,000 people sympathetic to the victims and survivors of the massacre gathered in the center town of the region.

They set out in the direction of “Srebrenica” (Northeast) on the road which the locals call “the road of death”.

The participants in the march, which is being organized for the 17th time, intend to reach the memorial in the “Potochari” cemetery in northeastern Bosnia on July 10, after crossing a road extending about 100 km.

The participants follow the forest and hills route through which in July 1995 thousands of Bosnians from Srebrenica passed in the opposite direction fleeing from Serb forces.

The head of the organizing committee for the “peace march”, Zelvo Salih Ovic, said that about 3,000 people are participating in this year’s march.

He pointed to the participation of people from other countries as well, especially Turkey.

For his part, Hariz Dutbasic said, “I am participating in the march with a group of 30 people, and I participated in the 2008 march.”

On the other hand, the remains of 19 massacre victims will be buried in a ceremony to be held on July 11.

It is noteworthy that the Serbian forces led by Ratko Mladic entered Srebrenica on July 11, 1995, after it had been declared a safe area by the United Nations.

Within days, the Serbian forces committed a mass massacre that claimed the lives of more than 8,000 Bosnians.

Their ages ranged from 7 to 70 years after the Dutch forces operating there handed over tens of thousands of Bosnians to the Serb forces.