Srebrenica

Srebrenica, town, eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Srebrenica was included in Serb-held territory (the Republika Srpska, or Bosnian Serb Republic) by the November 1995 partition of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town’s name is derived from the Serbo-Croatian word srebro, meaning “silver.” Rich deposits of silver and lead discovered in the surrounding mountains led to the town’s founding in 1387 as a mining centre. Lead and zinc mining remain important. A health resort with thermal springs is located in nearby Crni Guber.

Srebrenica was a centre of commerce and trade in the 15th century. It was populated by Ragusan merchants and German miners and was the site of a Franciscan monastery when it was seized by the Ottomans in 1440. Srebrenica was converted to Islam in the mid-16th century despite strong local resistance. In the 20th century its population was largely Muslim, with a significant Serbian minority.

During the Bosnian conflict between Bosniaks (formerly designated as Muslims) and Bosnian Serbs in the 1990s, the town was declared a “safe area” for Bosniaks by the United Nations. In July 1995, however, Bosnian Serbs laid siege to the town and systematically massacred at least 7,000 Bosniak men and boys (more than 8,000 according to some estimates). Several Bosnian Serbs were later convicted of war crimes by a UN tribunal at The Hague, Netherlands, for their role in the Srebrenica massacre. A report issued in 2002 criticized both the UN and the Dutch peacekeepers, prompting the resignation of the entire Dutch government. A memorial cemetery to the victims of the massacre was dedicated in 2003. Pop. (2004 est.) 3,300.