More than 6,000 join Peace March along Srebrenica genocide escape route
Thousands of people on Wednesday joined the Peace March along the forest trail used by Bosniak civilians fleeing the 1995 Srebrenica genocide trying to reach the northeastern city of Tuzla.
More than 6,000 participants gathered in the town of Nezuk for the annual three-day march, held as part of commemorations marking the 31st anniversary of the genocide in which at least 8,372 Bosniak civilians were killed by Bosnian Serb forces.
The march follows the forest route known locally as the "Death March" of thousands of Bosniaks trying to escape the massacre in July 1995.
Participants will walk 35 kilometers (22 miles) each day before reaching the Potocari Memorial Cemetery on July 10.
Among them are survivors who used the route to escape.
Participants carried the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina, wartime Bosniak flags bearing the golden lily emblem, as well as Turkish and Palestinian flags.
'We managed to survive and preserve our existence'
Ismet Selman, who traveled from the central Bosnian city of Travnik, said everyone should take part in the march at least once.
"I don't know how others feel, but for me, it becomes more difficult every time. Still, I will keep coming as long as I am able. It is our duty to ensure this is never forgotten. We must never forget what happened to us or what could happen again," he told Anadolu.
Selman said he would carry a Palestinian flag during the march as a gesture of solidarity with Palestinians facing what he described as Israel's genocide.
Amra Hashemi, originally from Srebrenica and now living in Austria, joined the march with her husband and daughter.
Having lost many relatives in the genocide, Hashemi said, "I don't think I have fully processed everything I experienced. I believe I will feel its impact more deeply after passing certain parts of the route. I am proud to be here with my daughter."
Her husband, Seyed Hashemi, said he had heard many stories about Srebrenica and hoped the march would help them better understand what people endured 31 years ago.
Mirzet Omerovic, a Srebrenica native now living in Sweden, described the atmosphere as deeply emotional.
"We managed to survive and preserve our existence. I lost many relatives. We must remain united. If we walk this path together and defend Bosnia and Herzegovina together, no one can harm us," he said.
Mirsa Mehinagic, 77, from the Montenegrin city of Bar, is participating for the 20th time.
"This is my duty. We must not forget. Everyone should come here at least once and feel what people went through. When I am on this march, I feel as if someone is chasing me. It feels as though genocide could happen to us all over again," she said.
Children also joined the Peace March, which drew participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Türkiye and many other countries.
10 more victims to be laid to rest
After Bosnian Serb forces, under the command of Ratko Mladic, captured Srebrenica on July 11, 1995, Bosniak civilians who had sought refuge at the UN base staffed by Dutch peacekeepers were later handed over to Serb forces.
A total of 8,372 Bosniak men and boys were transported by buses and trucks to forests, warehouses and factories, where they were brutally killed. Their bodies were later buried in mass graves across the country in an attempt to conceal the crime.
Following the war, victims whose remains were recovered from mass graves and identified have been buried each year on July 11 at the Potocari Memorial Cemetery.
So far, 6,772 victims have been buried at the cemetery, while 250 were laid to rest in local cemeteries at their families' request. The remains of more than 1,000 victims of the genocide have yet to be found.
In a 2007 ruling, the International Court of Justice, based on evidence presented by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), classified the atrocities committed in and around Srebrenica as a genocide.
Ten more identified genocide victims, whose families have approved their burial, will be laid to rest July 10 at the Potocari Memorial Cemetery as part of the annual commemorations.
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