This is what i know about Srebrenica.
The dutch government voted in may 1993 to voluntarily help out the UN in what is formerly known as Yugoslavia. The dutch have a constitution article that states that the dutch should help to maintain international right. It is article 90. The dutch politicians voted in favor and offered the UN to help in Yugoslavia. The UN accepted and the dutch could help out in an area that was declared save by the UN. There would be no fighting, just protection of the Muslims from the Bosnian Serbs fighters under control of General Mladic. The presence of the UN was enough to keep the Serbs back. This was ensured by the UN. UNPROFOR mandate requested that no heavy weaponry was allowed.
The issue was that the inexperienced dutch politicians who where responsible had the idea that it is not wise to send heavy material in order to not provoke attacks. This was indeed totally wrong. The politicians where no army generals with experience, keep this in mind. The dutch where send in with light arms(probably not even touching the UN mandate) and without heavy material because it was assumed that there would be no fighting. Only after the dutch soldiers called dutchbat where stationed in Srebrenica replacing the Canadians, UN resolution 836 was augmented that the blue helmets (dutchbat where also blue helmets) where allowed to use any force necessary to protect but in defense only. This seems pretty clear. However, dutchbat was instructed to not shoot at the Bosnian Serbs by the UN ( i assume by Bernard Janvier).
Dutchbat was send to protect the Muslims and not fight wars with them. It happened that a dutch soldier died because a muslim warrior had thrown a grenade towards dutchbat that cost the life of a dutchbat soldier Raviv van Rensen. This made life not easy for dutchbat, they had to protect people who had no problem killing them it seemed. Still they continued to do so. In retrospect it seems there where more problems between the muslim warriors and dutchbat. All this caused indeed a hostile environment and an anti Muslim warrior attitude for some of the dutchbat soldiers.
It was warned by many foreign agencies that Mladic would attack the Muslims in Srebrenica. However, for some reason unknown this information was not used or believed. The politicians in the Netherlands and the responsible people in the UN where having difficulties with communication of some sort, this is still no excuse because the UN knew about the warnings from these agencies as well. Then on Juli 6 1995 the Bosnian Serbs of course came with tanks and other heavy material . Of course dutchbat was no match with light arms only and light armored vehicles. Dutchbat asked for air support from the UN but this was denied. On July 9 dutchbat created a roadblock and tried to stop the Serbs who of course did not stop. Again air support is denied by the UN. July 10, the UN confirms air support for the next morning around 7:00 am( assume greenwich time). On July 11, 7:00 am nothing happens. Dutchbat again ask the UN for air support. Bernard Janvier has denied air support once again. It is not clear for me if it is always every time Bernard Janvier on the UN side or not. On 11:00 am, The Serbs had taken control of the town. When finally air support is approved, 2 dutch F16 planes attack, guided by FAC (forward air controllers) 1 F16 dropped 2 unguided mk82 bombs. Mladic had taken more or less 50 dutchbat soldiers as hostages and threatend to shoot them if the air attacks do not stop. Thus after communication between the dutch government and the UN the 2 F16 fighter planes stop attacking (Had already stopped more or less because these planes where circling around for a while waiting for instructions, low on fuel it was mentioned). The Muslim women and children where taken away by bus. The Muslim men where shot by the Serbs. The dutch government resigned. And new elections had to take place. Stupid mistakes where made by newly elected politicians not understanding how sensitive the nature was.
The big question is where was the real air support ? Why was dutchbat left alone with the Serbs ?
Why was UN claiming the area was save while the Serbs and the Muslims where still fighting ?
Why was dutchbat according to UPROFOR mandate only allowed to carry light arms and light armoured personnel carriers ?
Why was the information that the Serbs where going to kill the Muslims not taking seriously by the UN and the responsible dutch politicians at the time ?
Why was Bernard Janvier from the UN constantly refusing air strikes on the Serbs when dutchbat requested it?
One version is that Janvier did not want to cause victims under the Muslim citizens (women, children and the elder).
Why is it that only 2 dutch F16 fighters( one of the fighters is a female fighter pilot called Manja BLok) could do an (useless attempted) air strike ?
Why is there an report claims that that Muslims freedom warriors from Mujahedin and hezbollah and hamas where helping the Muslim warriors in Srebrenica ?
Why is it that Mladic made sure that there was a video where he was "partying" with the dutchbat commmander Karremans ?
What is obvious is that the responsible dutch politicians where fools and should not have participated. These kind of operations must be left to army professionals with experience and not to manager politicians who think they can solve it with a small amount of men without proper weaponry.
Could the soldiers have been more heroic and starting a useless fight where not only them but probably Muslim civilians would have died too ? They could have but they did not. It seems the good will of the dutch to help protect the Muslims backfired on them. Now the dutch are blamed for a mess that is only partially the fault of the dutch. But in a different context then many think. But that is my opinion and perhaps my background reading does not reveal everything. I have taken this information from multiple dutch independent critical news sites.
Facebook
Twitter