Siege of Smoluća

Siege of Tinja and Smoluća
Part of the Bosnian War
Date June 1992 – 28 August 1992 Location Smoluća Gornja, Smoluća Donja, Tinja Donja, Bosnia and Herzegovina Result VRS forces successfully evacuate civilians from enclave and withdraw
Belligerents
Republika Srpska	Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Commanders and leaders
Ljubiša Savić Branko Pantelić Budimir Gavrić	Enes Katić
Units involved
Army of Republika Srpska Garda Panteri Tobutski sokolovi	Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatian units
Strength
1,200 soldiers	2,500 soldiers
Casualties and losses
60–70 killed 200 wounded	Unknown

The siege of Tinja and Smoluća was a siege conducted by the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, setting up an enclave around Smoluća Gornja and Smoluća Donja in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The civilians were under inhumane conditions: they were left without water and food for two months. ARBiH and Croat forces soldiers blocked Red Cross vehicles from entering the town, which had medical supplies to treat the wounded. People of the town organized defenses and held off the Bosnian paramilitaries until the Garda Panteri arrived, safely evacuating the civilians of the town, and capturing the enclave from ARBiH. The siege ended on 28 August 1992. Serb forces successfully transported all the civilians to the safe location.

Background

Smoluća Gornja and Smoluća Donja are small villages in the Lukavac municipality near Lukavac in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the 1991 census, nearly 2,200 lived there, nearly all being Bosnian Serbs. Tinja Donja is a village of the Srebrenik municipality. According to the 1991 census, nearly 1,600 lived there, and most of them were Bosnian Serbs.

When fighting in the Bosnian War started in April and May 1992, the Territorial Defence Force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina cut off the Bosnian Serb-populated pocket around Smoluća.

Order of battle

Bosnian and Croat units began to expel Serbian civilians from Lukavac and villages near Smoluća mainly Podpeć. Over 3,000 Serbs fled to Tinja and Smoluća. The civilians were encircled by the ARBiH and HVO, a long siege began. Citizens organized defenses and were attack almost everyday from the attacking forces. The ARBiH and Croat units shelled and starved the civilians of the village. On 24 August 1992 Serb general Budimir Gavrić announced that a Relief force would be breaking through the enclave set up by the ARBiH and HVO. An order came from Radovan Karadžić (President of Republika Srpska), to break through the siege and save as many civilians as possible. Serb units began to make their way to the Smoluća With the leading unit being Garda Panteri of the East Bosnian Corp's light motorized Special Brigade commanded by Ljubiša Savić and Branko Pantelić. The other units were pushing into the side of the enclave. Soldiers of the elite unit Garda Panteri went into the village whilst a part of the unit stayed near Smoluća to counter the reinforcements of the ARBiH. Serb forces decided to penetrate the middle of the enemy defenses. On 28 August, the siege was lifted by Serb forces and 7,000 civilians of the village were evacuated.

Aftermath

Lifting of the siege at Smoluća significantly changed the conflict dynamics in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The successful operation by Bosnian Serb forces, including Garda Panteri unit, provided immediate relief to over 3,000 trapped Serb civilians but highlighted the ongoing ethnic tensions. While Serbs in Smoluća celebrated their liberation, the hostility of Bosniak and Croat forces during the siege encouraged resentment among Serbs, leading to a cycle of retaliation. The humanitarian suffering experienced during the siege emphasized the fragility of peace and the complexities of coexistence among different ethnic groups. Ultimately, the siege's lifting marked both immediate relief and a grim foreshadowing of the further violence that would characterize the Bosnian War, leaving lasting tensions in the region.