The 26th anniversary of the mass emigration of Sarajevo Serbs who came to Bratunac and Podrinje was marked by a memorial service and the laying of flowers at the Memorial in Bratunac. During that period in 1996, according to the Sarajevo Serbs Association, about 10,000 people moved to Bratunac.
After the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, the mass emigration of Sarajevo Serbs from Hadzici, Ilijas, Grbavica, Vogosca began. 26 years later, property and subsistence issues remain unresolved for many.
About 10,000 Sarajevo Serbs moved to Bratunac, many carrying the remains of their loved ones.
“We were told to buy to carry the bones, that there is no place with them,” says Nada Pushara.
Sarajevo media, politicians and analysts have been disputing the fact of persecution and emigration of Serbs for years, emphasizing that they moved away voluntarily and that they could have stayed.
“Well, it’s easiest to explain today, where are those Serbs. There are 15 Serbs in Hadzici, if they were peaceful, where are those Serbs today,” said Vidomir Banduka, of the Sarajevo Serbs Association.
The problems of Serbs in the Federation of BiH today are related to the preservation of their property. Nebojsa Banduka from Hadzici has been fighting for 26 years to prove the ownership of 50 dunums of orchards and 15 dunums of forest.
“The federation disputes that, they want to declare my property a water protection area,” Banduka said.
A memorial service was held in Bratunac for 185 remains transferred from Sarajevo, and last night a program was organized in the House of Culture to mark the mass emigration of the Serbian people from this city.
