THE DAY AN ENTIRE PEOPLE WERE DRIVEN OUT: 31 years since “Operation Storm,” the largest exodus of Serbs since World War II!

Today marks the 31st anniversary of the beginning of the Croatian military-police operation “Operation Storm,” the attack on the Republic of Serbian Krajina from August 4 to 7, 1995, during which more than 200,000 Serbs were expelled in an act of ethnic cleansing.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, as part of his visit to Republika Srpska (RS), where August 4 is observed as a Day of Mourning, and to places with a Serbian population in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, will attend the anniversary commemoration in Mrkonjić Grad.

On the occasion of the Day of Remembrance for all those who were killed and expelled during the armed action “Operation Storm,” as it is observed in Serbia, a memorial service for the slain Serbs will be held at St. Mark’s Church in Belgrade.

The Hague trial

Three Croatian generals were tried before the Hague Tribunal for crimes committed against civilians during “Operation Storm,” and all were acquitted.

In the first-instance proceedings, Ante Gotovina was sentenced to 24 years in prison and Mladen Markač to 18 years for participating in a joint criminal enterprise aimed at permanently removing Serbs from Croatia, while Ivan Čermak was acquitted.

The Appeals Chamber overturned the first-instance verdict by a majority of three votes to two and issued final acquittals for Gotovina and Markač.

What happened on August 4, 1995

The operation began early in the morning with an attack by the Croatian Army, police, and units of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) on Banija, Kordun, Lika, and northern Dalmatia, deploying 138,500 personnel against the significantly smaller forces defending the area.

The Croatian authorities, led by then-President Franjo Tuđman, declared the end of “Operation Storm” on the evening of August 7, although sporadic clashes continued until August 14.

The International Court of Justice in The Hague also characterized “Operation Storm” as an act of ethnic cleansing in the reasoning of its judgment issued in February 2015.

According to the Serbian Government’s Commissariat for Refugees and Migration, more than 250,000 Serbs were expelled during and after “Operation Storm,” around 1,700 were killed, and more than 700 are still listed as missing.

Killed and missing

The Veritas Documentation and Information Center states that 1,284 people of Serbian nationality were killed, including 1,247 civilians, while 619 are still listed as missing. Three-quarters of those killed were over the age of 60, and 564 of the victims were women, according to Veritas.

Croatian non-governmental organizations and associations estimate that more than 600 civilians were killed during and after “Operation Storm,” more than 22,000 houses were burned down, and around 150,000 Croatian citizens of Serbian nationality left Croatia, with their return being systematically hindered and prevented for years.

Croatia celebrates Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and Croatian Veterans Day on August 5, when its forces entered the nearly deserted town of Knin and raised the Croatian flag over the Knin Fortress.