ŠILJEGOVIĆ: REPUBLIKA SRPSKA WORTH EVERY SACRIFICE

ISTOČNO SARAJEVO – The Serbs who were subjected to the harrowing exodus from Sarajevo 30 years ago paid dearly for their freedom, but thanks to their sacrifice and the courage of Serb fighters and the people, Republika Srpska today holds immeasurable value, Boško Šiljegović, a participant in the exodus and then director of Serb Radio Ilidža, told SRNA.

"After the exodus and expulsion of Serbs from Croatia and threats by the Muslim leadership of the so-called Republic of BiH that all Serbs who had carried arms would be held accountable, the exodus of Sarajevo Serbs followed. They paid the highest price for the creation of Republika Srpska," Šiljegović said. After defending their homes through 35 offensives without losing a single square meter of territory, and amid enormous losses among fighters and civilians from Ilijaš to Grbavica, more than 100,000 Serbs left the Sarajevo area, which had also been their major economic, university, cultural and sports center, Šiljegović notes. Šiljegović pointed out that in February and March 1996, the displaced Serbs left behind tens of thousands of houses and apartments, as well as their centuries-old land. "That price is high, but Republika Srpska is priceless, and the Sarajevo Serbs made an immense contribution to its creation. At the time, we managed to rebuild our lives in other parts of Republika Srpska, in Istočno Sarajevo, Bijeljina, Brčko, Doboj and even abroad," Šiljegović emphasized. On this date in 1996, Federation police forces entered Vogošća after the Serb police had withdrawn, making it the first municipality to come under the jurisdiction of the Federation of BiH /FBiH/. The overall operation marking the beginning of the exodus of Sarajevo Serbs was led by then Federation Interior Minister Avdo Hebib. During what was described as a biblical exodus of Sarajevo Serbs, some of the most heartrending scenes were the relocation of the remains of Serb fighters. Proud Serb families chose to exhume their dead and transfer them to Republika Srpska, unwilling to leave the graves of their loved ones to be desecrated by Muslim vandals. According to historical data and official documents, the exodus of Sarajevo Serbs - referred to in the Federation of BiH as a "peaceful reintegration" - began on February 17, 1996, on the Orthodox holiday of All Souls' Day, as the planned relocation of Serbs from these areas was scheduled to be completed by March 19, 1996. Today, only about four percent of Sarajevo’s pre-war Serb population remains in the city.