Genocide.

Because of the detour to Montenegro we missed seeing Srebrenica. Our group made the decision to visit today, despite the 6 hour bus ride there and back. Srebrenica was the site of the 1995 genocide of about 8000 Muslim men ranging in age from 12 to 85.  The site of the graves was depressing, you could just see the tombstones lining the hills, and freshly dug graves, because just two weeks ago they started moving the bodies they had found in a mass grave. Being there was slightly awkward, since it was a national day of remembrance and there were countless widows and young children mourning the loss of their family members.

Then, we walked across the street to the museum, which was a large warehouse that was used as part of the UN base. The sad part of this genocide was that UN forces were watching the whole thing take place, but could not do anything because as part of their rules they cannot do anything unless someone shot at them first.  We all left in silence and reflected on the experience. The one thing that keeps nagging me, is the fact that we have heard about the genocide during World War II, I was a young girl during this genocide, and there are currently genocides occurring in Africa. I wish there was a way to end the hatred among different ethnic groups, so people could live in harmony, but that is just wishful thinking.