28th Division arrival in Tuzla after the breakout from Srebrenica, July 2018

This video shows the arrival in mid-July 1995 of the column of the 28th Division of BH Army troops and civilians from Srebrenica to the Tuzla area, which was under the control of the Sarajevo authorities. It is of interest for at least three reasons. First, the physical appearance of column members is very different from the image of ambulatory shadows popularized by wartime propaganda. Breakout under combat conditions and almost a week-long trek over the mountains with scarce provisions must have been difficult. Nevertheless, the appearance of the arriving men, even after such a difficult ordeal, refutes the notion that over the preceding period the Serb side systematically denied the delivery of food and other necessities to the enclave in order to undermine the physical stamina of the population. Had that been the case, it is unlikely that very many would have survived the arduous breakout, even if there had been no Serb ambushes along the route. Secondly, an arsenal of weaponry is observable in the hands of many of the column members, confirming that the enclave of Srebrenica was not “demilitarized,” as it should have been pursuant to agreements signed in 1993 setting up the UN-protected zone. Finally, beginning at 6:00 minutes a soldier from the column wearing cartridge belts is shown. In his statement, he confirms that there was combat along the way, that his side had human casualties, and names some of the locales where armed clashes between the column and the Army of the Republic of Srpska had taken place.