U.S.Department of State

Bosnia Fact Sheet: Chronology of the Balkan Conflict

Updated and released by the Bureau of Public Affairs, December 6, 1995

• Strains within Yugoslavia's federated system emerged after Tito's death in 1980.Yugoslavia, an ethnically and religiously diverse federation of six republics and two autonomous provinces, operated under a collective government after his death.
• In the spring of 1990, democratic elections following the collapse of the communist system in Eastern Europe brought nationalist and independence-minded governments to power in the western-most republics of Slovenia and Croatia as well as in Serbia.
• In June 1991, Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence. This set off a brief conflict between Slovenes and the Yugoslav Army and a protracted crisis in Croatia between the newly independent government in Croatia and the Serbian minority in Croatia ("Krajina Serbs"), supported by the Yugoslav military. By the end of 1991, the Krajina Serbs had gained control of nearly one-third of the country.
• In September 1991, in order to stem the fighting, the UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo against all of the former Yugoslavia.The Secretary General also launched a mediation effort under former U.S.Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, which led to a cease-fire agreement in Croatia in early 1992 and the deployment of the first UN peacekeepers during the winter of 1992.
• In January 1992, while the mediation efforts were ongoing, the European Community (now the European Union), after considerable internal debate, decided to recognize Croatia and Slovenia's independence. They deferred action on recognizing Bosnia- Herzegovina pending a referendum to determine public support for independence.
• In March 1992, voters in Bosnia overwhelmingly approved independence in a vote boycotted by Bosnian Serbs. Almost immediatey, the Bosnian Serbs, backed by the Serbian-controlled Yugoslav army; began forcible resistance to Bosnia's independence.By the end of spring 1992, Bosnian Serbs, who had significant military superiority, especially in heavy weapons, achieved control over more than 60 percent of Bosnia's territory.
• In April 1992, the EU recognized Bosnia. The United States, which had declined to recognize Croatia and Slovenia earlier, recognized Bosnia and the other two republics at the same time.All three were admitted to the UN in May. In response to continued Serb aggression, the UN Security Council imposed economic sanctions against Serbia at the end of May.
• During the summer of 1992, as the human rights and humanitarian crisis escalated, the Security Council voted to send UN peacekeepers to Bosnia to facilitate delivery of humanitarian relief.To help assure the safety of humanitarian operations, the UN imposed a "no-fly zone" over Bosnia in October 1992.In April 1993, NATO began to enforce the no-fly zone.

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