While veterans from the region were paying their respects for the victims of the 1993 massacre in the village of Ahmici, Croatian activists were criticising their country’s leadership for not participating in the April 16th commemoration.
war veterans in peacebuilding
War Veterans from the Region at the Commemoration in Ahmići: We Need to Remember All Victims
“We are here to show by our presence that we can and must show compassion and respect not just for victims from our own people, but for others too. To show that there is another way. Then we can set the foundations for peace and coexistence in this region, which is our goal. So that our children never have to go through what we went through,” said Krešimir Ivančić, a veteran of the Croatian Army.
“It is political to remove eternity out of hatred”
To come face to face with yourself, with others, to regain and re-earn the trust of others, to believe that we can and must live together, these are just some of the steps that the veterans undertake when making visits across the region. By no means easy, these steel-shod steps rung out loud and clear, confident and without fear, throughout our time in Niš and Aleksinac
Joint Visit by War Veterans to the City of Niš and Participation at the Commemoration in Aleksinac
Since 2008, the Centre for Nonviolent Action, with offices in Sarajevo and Belgrade, has been organising visits by groups of war veterans from Croatia, Serbia and BiH to sites of atrocities against civilians and soldiers committed in the recent war and to official commemorations honouring victims, organised by local and state authorities and victims associations.
Members of the BiH Presidency Should Visit Sites of Atrocities Together
Mirza Dajić writes in Oslobođenje (6 January 2019) about the need for political officials to jointly visit sites of suffering, following the example of, among others, war veterans from the region who have been visiting sites of atrocities together for 10 years now, under the organisation of CNA.
A story everyone should know
Text by Marko Čolić, HV war veteran from Daruvar, following a joint visit by war veterans to the commemoration in Stupni Do
War Veterans at the Commemoration in Stupni Do: We are building relationships based on trust and solidarity
We, war veterans, who came here to Stupni Do and pay our respects to the victims, we send a message to young people that despite everything that happened, we can live together,” said Mirko Zečević-Tadić, former member of HVO.
Peacebuilding Training for War Veterans: How to Cool Down the “Cold War”
Peacebuilding training for war veterans from BiH, Croatia and Serbia, held at Mount Jahorina from 5 to 8 July 2018. The training brought together 17 war veterans, former members of HVO, the Army of BiH, VRS, HV, VJ, JNA and the National Defence of APZB.
Reconciling Histories!?
Reflections about Conference organised by the Centre for Nonviolent Action (CNA), Sarajevo 15.-17.5.2018.