SUMMARY
In 1991, the Republic of Croatia seceded from Yugoslavia. The move was rejected by the Yugoslavian government as well as the Serbian minority living in Croatia. The tensions escalated rapidly into a full-scale war with thousands being killed. Even though the violence continued for another four years in Croatia, the conflict between the Republic of Croatia and Yugoslavia was not active after 1991 since the Republic ceased to exist as of 1992 when Croatia became an independent state.
IN DEPTH
Background to the conflict
The Republic of Croatia was, after Slovenia, the second to secede from the Yugoslavian state in 1991. Already in the previous decade, a number of factors could be observed which prepared the ground for the dismantling of Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia’s unifying leader, Tito, died in 1980. Around the same time, a period of economic decline began in the region. Growing demands for political independence and nationalistic/ethnic awareness could be noticed in several European countries. As a consequence of the end of the communist rule, free multiparty elections opened up possibilities for nationalistic politicians to compete for power.
In the republic of Croatia, nationalistic tendencies had been growing since the late 1980s. During spring 1990, Franjo Tudjman commenced an aggressive nationalistic campaign to win the first multiparty republican elections. Among other things, he advocated that an independent Greater Croatia should be formed. In May 1990, Franjo Tudjman and HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) won the elections and began moving Croatia in the direction of complete independence.
Contested declaration of independence in 1991
Tudjman’s victory accelerated the dispute with the Yugoslavian government about the constitutional status of the Croatian territory. On 25 June 1991, the Croatian republic declared its independence from Yugoslavia. Neither the Yugoslavian government nor the Serbian minority in Croatia approved of the Croatian secession, wanting to keep the Republic of Croatia within the Yugoslavian borders. Croatian Serbs feared becoming second-class citizens, as they would be given the status minority in the new Croatia. In response to Tudjman’s moves, the Serb minority declared autonomy for the Krajina areas (‘Serbian Republic of Krajina’).
When the armed confrontations in Slovenia began, it became apparent that the JNA (Yugoslavian National Army) served Serbian interests rather than those of the Yugoslavian state. While the JNA was becoming ‘serbinised’ and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic strengthened his influence over the Yugoslavian government, the Croatian National Guard was forming in Croatia. Parallel to this, various independent right-wing Croatian militias were set up in 1991. These irregular forces opposed the Croatian official leadership, and claimed to be able to organise defence for the Croatian people in a more efficient way than the Croatian National Guardsmen did. The biggest militia was HOS (Croatian Defence Forces), the military wing of the extreme nationalist Croatian Rights Party. The Croatian militias were fewer in number than the Croatian National Guardsmen. On the other hand, they had a greater motivation to fight.
Tensions escalates into full-scale war
Tensions between Croatian Serb militias, backed by the JNA, and Croatian police had been prevalent already in August 1990. The conflict escalated drastically after Croatia’s declaration of independence on 25 June 1991. By July, direct fighting between the JNA and the Croatian Serbs on the one side and the Croatian National Guard and the Croatian irregulars on the other, had reached intense levels in different locations in Croatia. By the end of the month, numerous casualties had occurred, with people being killed on a daily basis.
The war in Croatia was fought on at least three different fronts: in Eastern Slavonia, in Krajina and in southern Dalmatia. In October, the coastal town of Dubrovnik was heavily attacked by JNA. The attack on Dubrovnik was the only one where JNA (not Croatian Serbs) clearly took the initiative. Some of the most intense fighting took place in eastern Croatia, with the largest battle in the town of Vukovar on the Serbian border. JNA held Vukovar under siege for more than two months before it fell in November. This was a crucial victory for JNA, both strategically and symbolically. In less than six months of fighting, thousands of people had been killed. Huge numbers of the victims were civilians, killed on basis of their ethnic affiliation.
Termination of conflict due to Croatian independence and change in conflict dynamics
By the end of 1991, JNA and the Croatian Serbs had advanced significantly and controlled around 30% of the Croatian territory. At the same time, the Republic of Croatia was close to achieving its goal: internationally recognised independence. Thus, none of the parties could fully claim victory. However, 1991 was the last year that the conflict was active as the ‘Republic of Croatia’ ceased to exist in 1992. Also the Croatian irregulars stopped acting as a warring party by the end of 1991. Tudjman had then succeeded in incorporating most of the units that had not been defeated at the battlefield into the Croatian National Guard.
Talks on the future of Yugoslavia took place already from the beginning of 1991 between the warring parties, but collapsed by the end of July. Negotiations mediated by the EC started in June, with representatives from all republics and the Yugoslav Federal Collective Presidency participating. The talks, which were chaired by Lord Carrington, continued during the autumn in the EC-sponsored peace conference at the Hague. Thirteen cease-fires were negotiated between the parties through this forum. The negotiations focused on a constitutional solution, on the terms for a UN peacekeeping force and on encouraging the Croatian republic to accept legislation guaranteeing minority rights. In the very last days of December, it appeared highly likely that Franjo Tudjman and Slobodan Milosevic would agree to a comprehensive cease-fire brokered by the UN Special Envoy Cyrus Vance. The cease-fire, which, among other things, provided for a peacekeeping force in Yugoslavia, came into force in early 1992.
The conflict in Croatia continued throughout the next four years, though with somewhat different parties. JNA and the remaining Croatian irregulars left the region to fight in conflicts in Bosnia. However, Croatia as an independent state faced an internal conflict against various Serbian militias.
