DODIK: AGGRESSION ON 13 WEST KRAJINA MUNICIPALITIES WAS PLANNED ETHNIC CLEANSING AND ATTEMPT TO ERASE SERB EXISTENCE

BANJA LUKA, OCTOBER 9 /SRNA/ – The President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, stated that in September and October 1995 the Serb people from 13 West Krajina municipalities suffered a tragedy and exodus of biblical proportions, during which 2,214 Serbs were killed and more than 120,000 were forcibly expelled from their centuries-old homes.

“Mothers were left without sons, children without fathers, while entire villages disappeared in flames after their houses had been looted. This was not merely a military operation, but a clear attempt to erase every trace of Serb existence in that area—to obliterate the memory of our people, our faith, and our history. But they did not succeed,” Dodik told SRNA on the occasion of marking 30 years since the aggression of the joint forces of the Croatian Army, HVO, and the so-called BiH Army, supported by NATO operations, against 13 West Krajina municipalities in September and October 1995. He added that, tragically, a similar fate befell the Serbs of Sarajevo during the civil war in BiH—two of the most devastating events in recent Serb history. Dodik said that, although expelled from their homes through a planned and organized ethnic cleansing campaign and scattered across towns in Republika Srpska, Serbia, and around the world, they never forgot who they were, what they were, or where they came from. “Their suffering and their silence are greater than any verdict, for within them lives the truth they will proudly pass on to future generations. That is why today, as we mark 30 years since the aggression on the 13 West Krajina municipalities, we are not speaking only about the past—we are reaffirming our vow to remember, to be worthy of their sacrifice, and to protect Republika Srpska, which they defended with blood and tears. Remembrance of them is not merely a date on the calendar—it is part of our being, our existence, our freedom, and our identity. As long as Republika Srpska exists, the memory of Western Krajina will live—its pain, its pride, and its undying faith in life,” the president emphasized. He noted that the aggression on the West Krajina municipalities of Republika Srpska—Grahovo, Glamoč, Kupres, Šipovo, Srbobran, Jajce, Ripač, Drvar, Petrovac, Ključ, Krupa na Uni, Sanski Most, and Mrkonjić Grad—was carried out with the direct support and logistics of NATO forces and the Croatian Army, as a planned and coordinated action with the goal of eliminating Serbs from the western part of Republika Srpska. “Convoys of refugees, stretching for dozens of kilometers, moved toward Banja Luka and beyond, leaving behind burnt houses, destroyed churches, and desecrated Serb cemeteries. The elderly and sick who could not flee remained to bear witness to the crimes that have still not been brought to justice. Many were killed on the thresholds of their homes, and their bodies were found years later in mass graves. The most horrific example of these crimes took place in Mrkonjić Grad, where, after the return of Serb forces, 181 bodies of Serb prisoners—tortured, abused, and executed—were discovered. This was only one of many proofs of the planned destruction and hatred directed toward the Serb population,” Dodik said. He reminded that the crimes committed against the Serbs of Western Krajina have never been prosecuted—neither in The Hague, nor before courts in the Federation of BiH, nor before the Court of BiH. “Instead of acknowledgment, repentance, or punishment, those so-called judicial institutions remain silent—as they usually do when it comes to crimes against Serbs—while the families of the killed and displaced have been seeking justice for three decades, a justice that has been denied to them. No one has been held accountable for the suffering of our people, which proves that the justice of both international and domestic institutions applies only when Serbs are to be convicted. That is why it is our duty to preserve the truth ourselves and pass it on to new generations. It is the duty of all institutions of Republika Srpska to safeguard the truth about those days and not allow the suffering of the West Krajina Serbs to be forgotten,” Dodik stressed. He emphasized that every life lost in that aggression is woven into the very foundations of Republika Srpska, and that, because of them, the Serb people must remain united and aware that freedom and peace were not given as a gift—they were paid for with the blood of countless Serb victims. “Remembering all our victims is not merely an emotional obligation or duty. It is a vow of Republika Srpska that it will never bow before lies, pressure, sanctions, or injustice. For their sake, and for future generations, we must protect Republika Srpska and defend its institutions,” the President of Srpska Milorad Dodik said. A ceremony will be held in Mrkonjić Grad tomorrow to mark 30 years since the aggression on the 13 West Krajina municipalities and the crimes committed against 2,214 Serb civilians and soldiers by members of the Croatian armed forces and the so-called Army of BiH, for which, despite overwhelming evidence, no one has ever been adequately punished.