Zvornik

Zvornik is a city on the Drina river in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, located southwest of Tuzla and north of Srebrenica. It is administratively part of Republika Srpska. The town Mali Zvornik lies directly across the river in Serbia, and not far north is Loznica.

Demographics

The city's demographic situation has changed drastically in the last 15 years. Up until 1992, the municipality had a clear Bosniak majority and a Serb minority. There were 59.43% Bosniaks, 38.02% Serbs, 1.51% Yugoslavs, 0.15% Croats and 0.89% others.

Related Topics:
Bosniak - Serb - Bosniaks - Serbs - Yugoslavs - Croats

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But, through ethnic cleansing practiced widely in the Bosnian war, Zvornik's Bosniak population were forced to flee by Serbs. In addition, there were numerous instances of mass killings in Zvornik and the surrounding villages. It is known that the suburb of Karakaj was the place of concentration camps where hundreds of Bosniaks were brutally murdered.

Related Topics:
Ethnic cleansing - Concentration camp

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After the war, the town's population consisted of only Serbs with no trace of the long Bosniak tradition, such as mosques. With the help of the international community, there has been an effort to return refugees back to the municipality, but the process has been slow and will take many years to complete.

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