Some places inspire one to silence. Today we visited the Srebrenica museum and memorial – it is one such place.

Gallery 11/07/95 is a museum and memorial to the 8,373 men and boys who had sought refuge with their families in the UN enclave in Srebrenica. In July 1995 troops from the Army Rebublica Srpska (Sebian Bosnians supported by Serbia) ignored the Dutch UN contingent, separated men and boys from their families, bussed them to various sites in the surrounding forests and executed them.

Modern Europe had thought that genocide was never going to happen again after the Nurenburg Trials. The trials in the Hague showed this to be entirely wishful. It also allowed survivors to ask another pertinent question – why did did the West do nothing forceful to stop Srebrenica, nothing forceful to stop the four year seige of Sarajevo UNTIL two Danish soldiers and two French soldiers were killed?  A massive bombing campaign saw the Serbs sue for peace seven days later. Perhaps four western lives equal 200,000 primarily Muslim Bosnian lives?

’tis a very sombre  and thoughtful group of travellers here tonight….

Despite the horror they are not numbers, they still have names.