The search for the missing persons continues with the support of the EU

Justice for families of the missing contributes to the reconciliation

March 22, 2024

The search for missing persons requires the continuous support and cooperation of all relevant institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina so that the families of persons who went missing during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina can claim their rights and receive the long-awaited justice, enabling the restoration of confidence in the region.

The European Union (EU) provides support in the search for missing persons, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the regional project "EU Support to Confidence Building in the Western Balkans."

One of the activities of this project was a two-day round table held on March 21 and 22 in Mostar on the topic "Searching for the locations of graves and exhumations as evidence" to help further the cooperation and work of relevant authorities and institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina in this area.

Experts from this field exchanged experiences, examples of good practice, and lessons learned from previous searches for missing persons. The discussion reflected on the legal framework, the use of various technical means, such as a probe/georadar, a drone, and search dogs, to locate the missing, and the availability of these means in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On this occasion, Saliha Đuderija, member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Missing Persons (INO) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, pointed out that the search is on for another 7,600 persons who disappeared in the past war, whose families have the right to know what happened to their loved ones.

"Although almost 80 percent of the total number of missing persons during the past war in our country have been found so far, 7,600 missing persons are still being searched for. Their family members continue to live in uncertainty, stopped in time and constantly thinking about what happened to their loved ones, whether they left this world in agony, and where their remains are... They hope that, while they are alive, the remains of their loved ones will be found, and they will be able to have their final abode and final peace..."

Saliha Đuderija, member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Missing Persons (INO) of Bosnia and Herzegovina

As Đuderija further stated, because of these families, continuous support is necessary for the process of searching for missing persons, which is in a very complex phase, as well as work on its improvement, all to fulfil the legal right of families to know what happened to their loved ones.

"At the same time, this issue is of key importance for justice to be served, because only in this way is it possible to reconcile with the past, reestablish trust, and open the door to the future, not only for Bosnia and Herzegovina but also for all countries in the region."

Samira Krehić, Deputy Head of the International Commission on Missing Persons’s (ICMP) Western Balkans Program, reminded that ICMP has been supporting the authorities in BIH in locating and identifying the missing for almost 30 years and that it is necessary to speed up efforts to find all the remaining victims.

“Thousands still remain missing, and all institutions involved in the process must expedite efforts to locate clandestine graves and identify remains of recovered victims. ICMP supports all efforts to ensure the strengthening of human capacities in the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Prosecutor's Offices at all levels to perform their important work in order to secure the rights of the families of the missing who are still waiting to learn the fate of their loved ones".

Samira Krehić, Deputy Head of the International Commission on Missing Persons’s (ICMP) Western Balkans Program

Among the participants were, in addition to investigators and analysts of the Institute for Missing Persons (INO), representatives of the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, investigators of the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as well as the Federal Administration of Civil Protection of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).

The regional project "EU Support to Confidence Building in the Western Balkans" aims to increase accountability for war crimes in the region, including regional judicial cooperation, support for victims, and the promotion of dialogue within societies and between ethnic groups on the crimes committed during the 1990s with a vision of achieving sustainable peace in the Western Balkans. The project is financed by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The content of this text is the sole responsibility of UNDP and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

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