In July 1995, Mujo Delic embarked on a journey to safety from Srebrenica alongside his best friend, Juso Cvrk, who tragically did not make it to the free territory. Mujo fulfilled Juso’s last wish by delivering a necklace to his son, and now, he participates in the “March of Peace” with Juso’s son.
“When we escaped, he hugged me and told me he had his son’s gold necklace in his pocket and that I should take it and give it to his son if something happened to him,” Mujo recalls. At that time, both he and Juso were 24 years old.
They began their journey together until they reached an area above Baljkovica, where they – a group of about 50 people from Srebrenica – were met by tanks in ambush. It was there that Juso was killed, and Mujo took the necklace to honor his friend’s wish. He handed the necklace to Juso’s brother, who later gave it to Juso’s son, Damir.
Mujo, with tears in his eyes, describes Juso as a very good friend and a beloved, jovial person in their social circle. He never saw Juso angry or nervous and recalls that Juso never fought with peers, a rarity among children.
Mujo saw Damir after escaping from Srebrenica.
In 2019, he took Damir to the location where his father was killed. This was a difficult decision for Mujo but also a sense of duty that motivated him.
By that year, Damir had already participated in several marches.
“I prepared for days for that. For us survivors, it is hard to start this journey. I thought about it for a long time, afraid of the emotions. Damir asked me to take him to that place before the column started. We went, and searched for the place; I knew exactly where it was, but I had avoided telling him,” Mujo explains, noting that eventually, he had no choice but to show Damir the spot.
Since then, they have walked together in every “March of Peace,” pausing at the site of Juso’s death before continuing on. Survivors find it challenging to embark on this journey. Some decided this year for the first time to set foot on the paths they used to save themselves in July 1995. Mujo encountered a man this year who was making his first “March of Peace.”
“He was walking silently. I noticed something was wrong, and when I approached and asked if he was okay, he said it was his first time. It is hard for us to start because it brings everything back, but once we cross for the first time, no one can stop us – we will walk this path for the rest of our lives. It actually eases the burden for us when we cross it,” Mujo says.
Mujo mentions that he prepares all year for the three-day march and believes everyone should come and see what people went through 29 years ago.
“You can’t really understand it because we can’t describe it in words. Ten to fifteen thousand people set out from Srebrenica. We had no chance to hide from the enemy; they knew our movements at all times. They used all possible weapons against us, and it wasn’t enough – they even used chemical weapons. They set every possible kind of ambush for us,” Mujo recounts, Detektor writes.
Photo: BIRN
E.Dz.
