The reintegration of the settlement Grbavica in Sarajevo officially started 26 years ago, on March 19, 1996, when the units of newly formed Canton Sarajevo entered the territory of this settlement.
Grbavica was under the occupation of the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) for four years, and members of the VRS and paramilitary formations committed war crimes against the population of all nationalities in this settlement, especially against Bosniaks who didn’t manage to escape on the “free territory”.
“We mark this day each year, which is both sad and happy. It is like we are celebrating our birthday in a way. Our children know everything about reintegration and we are proud of that fact. It represents a great success,” was stated last year during the ceremony.
A total of 100 members of the Ministry of Interior of CS, namely 67 Bosniaks, 20 Serbs and 13 Croats, entered Grbavica on March 19, 1996. Together with members of the IPTF and the first returnees, they found a really catastrophic condition.
Namely, under the pressure of the SDS and the authorities from Pale, most of Serb population decided to leave their homes on the day of reintegration or in the period after it.
