Thousands Join Peace March to Srebrenica to Memorialize Genocide Victims

(MENAFN) On Tuesday, over 6,000 participants embarked from Nezuk near Sapna on the annual Peace March to Srebrenica, paying tribute to the thousands of Bosniak men and boys killed during the July 11, 1995 genocide.

For the next three days, walkers will cover the 100-kilometer (62-mile) trail toward Potocari, retracing the desperate route Bosniaks took three decades ago in an attempt to reach safe areas in Tuzla or Kladanj. This year, survivors themselves are leading the march.

The marchers are scheduled to reach Potocari on July 10, ahead of a communal funeral service on July 11 at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center. During the ceremony, the remains of seven newly identified victims of the genocide will be interred.

Marking its 21st edition, this year’s Peace March coincides with the 30th anniversary of the genocide that occurred in the UN-designated “safe zone” of Srebrenica.

For many survivors, the march serves both as a way to cope with trauma and as a duty to ensure younger generations hear their stories. Ademir Mesic, taking part for the 14th time, described the experience: “It is different to hear testimonies from survivors while walking the same route they took,” he said. “The message is that it should never happen again.”

Young participants, including 16-year-old Edin Djogaz from Tuzla and 17-year-old Ajna Trapo from Travnik, joined the march to honor the victims and keep the memory of the genocide alive. Trapo reflected, “While walking the path where people were killed, many thoughts cross your mind.”

First-time marcher Hana Malkic, 17, expressed her motivation, stating, “I believe this is the least we can do.”

The Peace March stands as a vital act of remembrance and a protest against denial and revisionism. Held annually in July, it sustains the culture of memory around the genocide. Participants face physically demanding stretches, walking roughly 30 kilometers each day.

During the 1995 genocide, Bosniaks fled in the opposite direction along this path to escape the assault by Bosnian Serb forces on the UN-protected enclave.

On July 11, the remains of seven victims—including two 19-year-old boys—will be laid to rest. These victims were killed by Bosnian Serb forces and their allies and later discovered in mass graves across sites such as Liplje, Baljkovica, Suljici, and Kamenicko Hill. Many remains are incomplete, with some families preparing to bury only a few recovered bones.

To date, 6,765 genocide victims have been buried at the Potocari memorial cemetery, while roughly 250 have been interred in other cemeteries by family request. However, more than 1,000 victims remain missing.

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