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Srebrenica (SREH'-breh-neet-sah) (Serbian Cyrillic: Сребреница; IPA: /srɛ.brɛ.ni.ʦa/) is a town and municipality in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Republika Srpska entity. Srebrenica is a small mountain town, its main industry being salt mining and a nearby spa.
Demographics In the 1991 census, the municipality of Srebrenica had 37,213 residents: 27,118 Muslims by nationality (72.9%), 9,381 Serbs (25.2%), 372 Yugoslavs (1%), 40 Croats (0.1%), and 302 others (0.8%). The town of Srebrenica itself had 5,754 residents: 64% Muslims by nationality, 29% Serbs, 5.3% Yugoslavs, 1% others, 0.7% Croats. Economy Before 1992, there was a metal factory in the town, and lead, zinc, and gold mines nearby. The town's name (Srebrenica) means "silver mine". Srebrenica massacre During the War in Bosnia (1992–1995), the town became a Bosniak enclave where militias led by Bosniak commander Naser Oric were based. The town was surrounded by Serb army, and a safe area guarded by a small Dutch army unit was operating under the UN mandate for the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR). In July 1995, the town was captured by the Serb Army who deported the population of over 20,000 people. The Dutch soldiers, also called Dutchbat, failed to do anything to save them. Srebrenica's surroundings became the site of the genocide in Srebrenica, where approximately eight thousand Bosniak men and boys were executed by the Bosnian Serb Army. Yet, there are still some thousands of people missing. July 11, 2005 marked the 10th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre. Many of the military persons responsible have been indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, with some already serving prison terms. Other ranking military parties as well as responsible political figures are still at large. See also | ||||||||
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