The Migration of Serbs

The refrain which accompanied the influx of refugees from western Slavonia to Banjaluka ( a town in Bosnia) with a resounding blunt echo can be described as treason. Several thousand of cold stricken people on tractor trailers had for days been crossing the bridge over the Sava river near Bosanska Gradiska. They had their first rest in Bosanska Gradiska, and the next stop on their journey of no return was Banjaluka.

Thousands of kerchief covered women, children and men were flooding in the sports hall "Borik" in Banjaluka. Shortly afterwards, they were distributed in various sports centres and schools and only a few were lucky enough to be temporarily accommodated with their relatives, friends or sympathetic strangers. To make matters worse, these people were sent further to the Bosnian towns of Doboj, Prnjavor, Laktasa... To make way for the incoming crowds of the silent and desolate homeless.

According to the data offered by the group of volunteers from the municipal board for accommodating the refugees which have along with the thousands of sympathetic citizens of Banjaluka done a lion's share of the work around the refugees, around five thousand people were taken care of until Wednesday. Around two thousand territorial defence fighters are among them, all of them unarmed. Refugees from Western Slavonia started off for Banjaluka immediately after the horrifying news of the slaughter of innocent Serbs in the vicinity of Podravska Slatina came in. Namely Tanjug, the Yugoslav information service released the news saying that the Western Slavonia Territorial Defence Headquarters have confirmed that in a village of Slatina over 120 people were massacred. The same news was confirmed by the information service of the Banjaluka Corps.

Shortly afterwards, a correction followed. It turns out that such a village does not exist. The information was traced back to a certain Croatian fighter Zeljko Lajn, who admitted that an atrocious massacre took place around Podravska Slatina. He gave the names of seventy fighters from "company A" from the Croatian paramilitary forces who were allegedly responsible for the massacre. The news of abominable cruelty was not confirmed, however, and an unsure denial was offered by the Corps Command. Colonel Milutin Vukelic admitted that the Army does not know "the true extent of these atrocities". This is the reason why the Command of the Banjaluka Corps cannot support the statement of the captured Zeljko Lajn. Colonel Vukelic thinks that the number of over 120 dead is grossly exaggerated and that such an overstated figure is the result of panic the people of Western Slavonia are experiencing at present.

Indeed, there was panic, especially in Zvecevo on December 12 when, according to the statements of certain fighters, they were disarming one another. One territorial defence fighter was allegedly killed in the event since he refused to hand over his gun. It is as yet unknown who was disarming who. It is also rumoured that 23 emptied villages were conquered without a single rifle shot being fired.

The most frequently used word by the refugees and fighters of Western Slavonia is - treason. It was primarily aimed at two culprits - the Army top echelons, which, allegedly betrayed the Serbs from around Daruvar, Podravska Slatina and Slavonska Pozega and the government of the SAO Western Slavonia whose "officials" showed total disregard towards their fighters in the field.

The ordered retreat is the first dubious issue here. It came from an unknown sender and it was sent to an unknown recipient.

The cable does not state clearly whether the retreat referred only to the civilians or to the fighters as well. On the night of December 15 the following politicians appeared before a crowd of around 3000 refugees: Radovan Karadzic, the president of the Serbian Democratic Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nikola Koljevic, member of the republic presidency, and Stanko Cvijan, the minister for Serbs living outside Serbia. The president of SAO Western Slavonia Assembly attempted to speak but the gathered crowd literally prevented him from taking the microphone. Instead of him, an older gentleman took the stand in the "Borik" sports hall and managed to utter through the tears: "Aren't you ashamed Vukelic that we have been in trenches for the past six months while you were just walking around". He was alluding to frequent visits of the SAO Western Slavonia officials to Belgrade and Banjaluka. Slobodan Radosevic, one of the fighters was even more direct: "We wouldn't be here today if the government of Western Slavonia had been with its people".

The government president Ilija Basic did not appear in Borik, although he was rumoured to have been present in Banjaluka at the time. We overheard some fighters saying that "he is sure to get a bullet" since he sent the unprepared and poorly clothed fighters to the front promising the help from the Army, which he has failed to fulfill.

Unlike Banija, which had a training centre, there was no preparation training in Western Slavonia. The Western Slavonia Territorial Defence Headquarters were cut off from the fighters in the field. Apart from this, the unfamiliar arms which they got from the Army served only to confuse the former peasants skilled with tractor and plow and not in manoeuvering tanks. The fact that since August 18 which is here taken to be the day of the uprising until December 10 they were holding the villages around Daruvar, Slatina and Pozega was mostly due to the nature of the terrain which is excellent for defence purposes and rather difficult to conquer. This must have been brought home to Radovan Karadzic who in "Borik" said to the people: "We don't have the right to ask of you to go back to uncertainty, but I am sure that you will return as soon as your territory has been made safe for normal living". However, after the meeting with Cvijan and Koljevic, in front of the refugees, Karadzic suggested that the fighters after a few days rest should return to Western Slavonia, where they would liberate the temporarily lost territories. The unofficial sources say that an agreement has been reached on this with general Uzelac.

The return to Zvecevo will, however, be difficult to arrange. The case of a Croatian fighter called Nenad illustrates this: "This is a big shots game. I do not trust anybody any more. I set off from Daruvar on August 18 and I still haven't got a uniform. That is why I am going to Belgrade to bag the embassies for papers, so I can leave this country for good".

In the report of the closed session of the SAO Western Slavonia government which was held in Banjaluka, it says, however, that "the people and the fighters are united in their desire to go back home to fight for freedom and continue to live on their age-old hearths".

The likely culprits for the migration of Serbs from the North-West part of Western Slavonia the government sees primarily in the Army although it says in one place that "the generous help of the Banjaluka Corps was not adequate", as well as in various "emissaries" and "traitors" policy of the representative of the Serbian Renewal Party which were spreading defeatism and desertion". This report followed the information that, after the arrival of Stanko Cvijan to Banjaluka, Serbia donated a generous amount of 30 million dinars to the refugees from Western Slavonia. Cvijan was very clear on the issue of the refugees:

"I appeal to you to join our ranks and defend Western Slavonia. There is no reason for you not to accept this offer since you have no alternative but to accept it, nor other way but to return", said minister Cvijan, with an explanation: "You are perfectly aware of the fact that the ultimate goal of the ustashi regime is for all the Serbs to cross the Drina river".

Karadzic and Koljevic took the stand after Cvijan and tried to convince the people that in Bosanska krajina there is room for all the refugees and that their plight is only temporary. Karadzic said the following: "Do not let women, children and the elderly leave. They will be provided with warm shelter and the sick will be taken care of. Bosanska krajina and Serbia will do everything within their power to take care of the refugees, but I implore you not to go disorganized to this hard winter".

The Banjaluka refugees were certainly organized. They were sent to Doboj, Ozren...

In Banjaluka around two thousand refugees were left from the last group which brings the total number of refugees in this "great escape" to around 17,000.