French general and former commander of the United Nations forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina Philippe Morillon passed away yesterday. The news of his death was shared by Catherine Vautrin, Minister of the Armed Forces of France.
“You are now under the protection of the UN,” these were the words uttered 30 years ago by the then commander of UNPROFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina Philippe Morillon.
At that time, a multitude of desperate women and children forced him to remain in the besieged Srebrenica.
Unwelcome in Potočari
Wanting to personally see the situation on the ground, the commander of the UN Protection Force (UNPROFOR), French general Philippe Morillon, prompted by reports of the critical situation in the overpopulated town, decided to come to Srebrenica on March 11, 1993, after having been to Cerska and Konjević Polje, which were captured by Serbian forces immediately after his departure.
After the meeting with the representatives of the military and civilian authorities, General Morillon wanted to leave Srebrenica, but he was stopped by a crowd, mostly women and children, in front of the post office where the meeting was held.
Just over two years after Morillon’s departure from Srebrenica, an exodus and genocide followed.
Morillon came to Srebrenica 17 years later, in 2010, as a pensioner. At the Potočari Memorial Center, he paid tribute to the victims and told about what happened after his departure. Women from several victims’ associations told him that he was unwelcome in Potočari, reports DW.
