Dutch Prime Minister Urges Forgiveness to Srebrenica Peacekeepers

The Dutch government has officially apologised to soldiers who were sent as UN peacekeepers to defend Srebrenica during the war in Bosnia.

The soldiers, now veterans, were occupied by Bosnian Serb forces, who were more armed and led by General Ratko Mladic, who continued to massacre eight thousand Muslim men and boys in July 1995.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte addressed hundreds of veterans of the Dutchbat III peacekeeping unit on Saturday, at a military base in the central Netherlands, telling them that after nearly 27 years “a few words have yet to be said”.

I apologize today on behalf of the Dutch government to all the women and men of Dutchbat III. For you and people who can't be here today. With the highest possible appreciation and respect for the way Dutch III continued to try to do good even when this was no longer possible”, Rutte said.

The ceremony came after a report was released last year on the experiences of around 850 troops, representing Dutchbat III. The study made recommendations, including for the government to make a cross-check <x0).

The Netherlands has long fought the legacy of the Srebrenica massacre.

Prime Minister Wim Kok resigned in 2002 after a report sharply criticised Dutch authorities for sending soldiers to a dangerous area without the necessary mandate or without weapons needed to protect some 30,000 refugees who had fled to the Dutch base in eastern Bosnia.

In 2019, the Dutch Supreme Court ruled that the Netherlands was partly responsible for the deaths of some 350 Muslim men killed by Bosnian Serb forces during the massacre.

The court ruled that Dutch peacekeepers evacuated the men from their military base near Srebrenica on July 13th 1995, despite knowing they were at serious risk of abusing and killing” by Bosnian Serb forces.

The UN has also been criticised for failing to authorize NATO air attacks to support weak Dutch armed troops in July 1995 after they were attacked.