On the occasion of the 31st years from the military-police operation Storm, carried out from 4 to 7 August 1995, the Centre for Civic Education (CCE) recalls the suffering of civilians, the mass displacement, and the loss of homes endured by tens of thousands of people, while also emphasizing the enduring obligation to prosecute war crimes and ensure justice for all victims.
Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia and Croatia’s declaration of independence in 1991, the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina was established in parts of Croatian territory inhabited by a significant Serbian population. Operation Storm, launched with the attack on Knin on 4 August 1995, marked the end of that entity, but also the beginning of the mass exodus of the Serbian population from Krajina. During the operation and in its aftermath, numerous crimes were committed against Serbian civilians and their property.
It is estimated that around 200,000 people were displaced, primarily to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and other successor states of the former Yugoslavia. According to the report of the Croatian Helsinki Committee (HHO), at least 22,000 houses were burned, while many others were looted or destroyed. According to the data Documenta – Centre for Dealing with the Past in Zagreb, which published a nominal register of human losses, 1,747 victims of Serbian nationality and 466 victims of Croatian nationality were recorded during Operation Storm and the period that followed. Among the Serbian victims, civilians constituted the majority, while among the Croatian victims, members of the armed forces predominated.
Before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Ante Gotovina, Ivan Čermak and Mladen Markač were indicted for crimes committed during and after Operation Storm. In its 2011 Trial Judgment, the ICTY sentenced Gotovina and Markač to 24 and 18 years of imprisonment, respectively, while Čermak was acquitted. In 2012, the ICTY Appeals Chamber acquitted both Gotovina and Markač. The judgment generated considerable controversy, as the Trial and Appeals Chambers reached diametrically opposed conclusions on key issues based on the same facts and legal framework. Nevertheless, the acquittals did not alter the established facts concerning human suffering, nor did they diminish the need for accountability for crimes committed through judicial institutions. Croatian prosecution authorities have registered 6,390 criminal complaints related to crimes committed during and after Operation Storm, while, according to available data, 2,380 persons have been convicted, although no publicly available information exists regarding their identities or the specific criminal offences for which they were convicted.
August brings two different commemorations and two different perspectives on the same military operation. Croatia marks 5 August as Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and Croatian Defenders’ Day, while Serbia commemorates 4 August as the Day of Remembrance for the Killed and Expelled Serbs. These contrasting perspectives reflect opposing collective memories and political interpretations, while the experiences of victims, the need for reconciliation, and efforts to rebuild trust are often pushed into the background. What remains indisputable are the human losses, destroyed homes, and devastation, making a comprehensive consideration of all facts the only responsible approach to the past.
The issues of missing persons, displaced persons, prosecution of war crimes, reparations, and dignified memorialisation remain unresolved even three decades later. Victims and their families continue to wait for full justice, while the political instrumentalisation of wartime suffering further hampers dealing with the past and reconciliation in the region. Judicial outcomes and differing political interpretations cannot change the fact that serious crimes against civilians were committed during and after the operation, nor can they diminish the suffering of those who lost family members and their homes. Therefore, it is the responsibility of states to ensure truth, justice, and dignified remembrance for all victims, regardless of their nationality.
CCE’s research shows that nearly 70% of adult citizens of Montenegro are familiar with Operation Storm, while significant gaps in knowledge persist among young people. Fewer than half (46.7%) report having learned about Stormduring their schooling, while 44% say they are unfamiliar with the event. These findings confirm the need for the education system to provide young people with knowledge based on verified facts and a critical understanding of the wars of the 1990s, rather than allowing political interpretations and selective narratives to become their primary source of information.
Dignified remembrance of victims requires rejecting the political misuse of their suffering and building a culture of remembrance founded on facts, respect for human rights, and accountability for crimes committed. CCE calls on institutions and political actors across the region to contribute to clarifying the fate of missing persons, prosecuting those responsible, and improving education about the wars of the 1990s, as only confronting the past through truth, justice, and empathy can lay the foundation for lasting reconciliation and trust among societies in the region.
Maja Marinović, Programme Associate