Sarajevo, 11 July 2001 (RFE/RL) -- Thousands of Bosnian Muslims are expected to return to the eastern town of Srebrenica today to mourn thousands of relatives killed by Serb forces there in 1995. Security will be tight amid concerns Bosnian Serbs may try to disrupt the sixth anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre. In May, Bosnian Serbs attacked Muslims and Western officials during a ceremony to rebuild a mosque in Banja Luka.
Reuters reports U.S. peacekeepers were already out in force yesterday, not far from the memorial site just outside Srebrenica itself. Georges Bordet, regional representative of Bosnia's top peace overseer, said Bosnian Serb officials will be responsible for maintaining security. Earlier this week, the interior minister for Bosnia's Muslim-Croat Federation, Muhamed Besic, said Serb extremists from the Ravna Gora Chetnik Movement were planning to disrupt the ceremony.
Eight thousand Muslim men and boys were reported missing and are presumed to have been killed by Serb forces at Srebrenica.
Reuters reports U.S. peacekeepers were already out in force yesterday, not far from the memorial site just outside Srebrenica itself. Georges Bordet, regional representative of Bosnia's top peace overseer, said Bosnian Serb officials will be responsible for maintaining security. Earlier this week, the interior minister for Bosnia's Muslim-Croat Federation, Muhamed Besic, said Serb extremists from the Ravna Gora Chetnik Movement were planning to disrupt the ceremony.
Eight thousand Muslim men and boys were reported missing and are presumed to have been killed by Serb forces at Srebrenica.