- Title: Survivors of Srebrenica genocide mark 25th anniversary
- Date: 8th July 2020
- Summary: CRNI VRH, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (JULY 8, 2020) (REUTERS) MARCHERS CARRYING BANNER READING (Bosnian): "March of Peace 2020, Path of Memory, Nezuk - Potocari" PARTICIPANTS MARCHING AND WEARING MASKS BANNER SNAGOVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (JULY 8, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) SREBRENICA GENOCIDE SURVIVOR, RAMO KADRIC, SAYING: "I feel the same as in 1995, the only difference is now I know that no one will kill me. Now I have something to eat, back then I didn't have anything, I ate snails and nettles." CRNI VRH, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (JULY 8, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MARCH SNAGOVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (JULY 8, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) SREBRENICA GENOCIDE SURVIVOR, RAMO KADRIC, SAYING: "This march is sad for me, it's very unusual without people around." CRNI VRH, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (JULY 8, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MARCH (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) SREBRENICA GENOCIDE SURVIVOR, MUJO VASCINOVIC, SAYING: "In 2005 we organised the first march spontaneously, together with the Swiss and the French (members of peacekeeping force from Swiss and French military). About 300 of us started from here. Years later there were three to five thousand people, sometimes even eight thousand people, but now because of the corona(virus) this march looks like the one in 2005." VARIOUS OF MARCH (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) SURVIVOR OF EXPULSIONS FROM CERSKA ENCLAVE IN 1993, ZULFO AHMETOVIC, SAYING: "In 1993, after the fall of the Cerska enclave, 300 of us tried to escape and come to safe territory. We were on the same path as the people in the Peace March are now walking." VARIOUS DRONE FOOTAGE OF MARCH (MUTE) (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) SURVIVOR OF EXPULSIONS FROM CERSKA ENCLAVE IN 1993, ZULFO AHMETOVIC, SAYING: "After two days and two nights we arrived in safe territory. It was very difficult, only 150 out of 300 of us survived." MARKER SHOWING LOCATION OF MASS GRAVE MARCH PASSING BY GRAVE MARKER MARCHERS PRAYING AT GRAVE AND CONTINUING TO MARCH MARCH PASSING BY, PEOPLE STOPPING TO PRAY (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) SURVIVOR OF EXPULSIONS FROM CERSKA ENCLAVE IN 1993, ZULFO AHMETOVIC, SAYING: "As I walk as a participant in the Peace March, I remember all those moments from March 1993. I remember all the people and soldiers who died on this road and who didn't get to the safe zone." SNAGOVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (JULY 8, 2020) (REUTERS) MARCHERS TAKING A BREAK IN VILLAGE OF SNAGOVO ORGANISERS SETTING OUT CUPS OF COFFEE AND JUICE LETTERING ON T-SHIRT READING (English): "NEVER FORGET SREBRENICA" HAND SETTING CUP OF COFFEE ON TABLE MARCHERS STANDING AND TALKING VARIOUS OF MARCHERS RESTING CRNI VRH, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (JULY 8, 2020) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Bosnian) SURVIVOR OF EXPULSIONS FROM CERSKA ENCLAVE IN 1993, ZULFO AHMETOVIC, SAYING: "In this way (by marching) I want to build a culture of memories and I want to send a message for future generations to not go through what we have gone through." SNAGOVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA (JULY 8, 2020) (REUTERS) (MUTE) VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS OF MARCH PASSING THROUGH SNAGOVO
- Embargoed: 22nd July 2020 14:20
- Keywords: Balkan wars Bosnia Bosniak Muslims Srebrenica genocide Srebrenica massacre anniversary march
- Location: CRNI VRH AND SNAGOVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
- City: CRNI VRH AND SNAGOVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA
- Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001CLY8VNR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Dozens of survivors of the Srebrenica genocide marched through the woods of eastern Bosnia on Wednesday (July 8) along the route they took to escape Bosnian Serb death squads a quarter of a century ago.
Organisers had banned more people from joining due to the coronavirus pandemic, and participants could not start the peace march as usual in the village of Nezuk due to a rising number of infections in the area.
Wearing face masks and waving Bosnian flags, the marchers passed mass graves in which thousands of victims' bodies have been found over the past two decades.
Survivor Ramo Kadric, who was one of 15,000 men and boys trying to flee Bosnian Serb forces, said he remembered having to eat snails and nettles to survive.
He said this year's march felt sad without the usual thousands of people in attendance.
As well as Srebrenica survivors, other victims of the 1992-1995 Bosnian War were in attendance.
Zulfo Ahmetovic said he and several hundred others had taken the same route to safe territory after being expelled from the Cerska enclave in March 1993.
In 1995, Bosnian Serb forces led by General Ratko Mladic attacked the Srebrenica enclave where about 40,000 Bosnian Muslims had found shelter under United Nations protection.
After Srebrenica fell into Serb hands on July 11, 1995, the women and children were separated from the men and bussed to territory controlled by the Bosnian army.
Some 8,000 men and boys were then executed by Bosnian Serb forces, about 6,000 of them as they tried to escape through the woods. They were buried in mass graves.
This year, the commemorations will be marked mainly through exhibitions and conferences, and eight recently identified victims will be buried at a cemetery on July 11, the anniversary day.
(Production: Dado Ruvic, Lewis Macdonald) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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