| Sovići and Doljani killings | |
|---|---|
  Doljani Doljani (Bosnia and Herzegovina) | |
| Location | Doljani and Sovići,Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Coordinates | 43°41′24″N17°39′36″E / 43.69000°N 17.66000°E /43.69000; 17.66000 |
| Date | 17 April 1993 |
| Target | Bosnian Muslims |
| Deaths | 18[1] |
| Perpetrators | Croatian Defence Council (HVO),Croatian Army (HV) |
On 17 April 1993 and afterwards, theCroatian Defence Forces (HVO) committed war crimes againstBosnian Muslims in the villages ofDoljani andSovići.
According to theICTY, Croat/HVO forces attacked the villages of Doljani and Sovići, about 50 kilometres north ofMostar in the morning on 17 April 1993. The attack was part of a larger Croatian Defence Forces offensive aimed at takingJablanica, the area's main Bosnian Muslim dominated town. The HVO commanders had calculated that they needed two days to take Jablanica. Sovići's geopolitical location was strategically significant for the HVO as it was en route to Jablanica. For the Bosnian Army, it was a gateway to the plateau ofRisovac, which could create conditions for further progression towards the Adriatic coast.[2]
The larger HVO offensive on Jablanica had already started on 15 April 1993. The artillery destroyed the upper part of Sovići. The Bosnian Army fought back, but at about 5 p.m., the Bosnian Army commander in Sovići surrendered, along with approximately 70 to 75 soldiers. At least 400 Bosnian Muslim civilians were detained and the HVO advance towards Jablanica was halted after a cease-fire agreement was negotiated.[2]
Muslim houses in the area were burned, and mosques were systematically destroyed to ensure the Bosnian Muslim population would not return.[2]
Several captured Bosnian Muslims were tortured and killed by theKažnjenička Bojna, a unit known for its cruelty to Bosnian Muslims. It was commanded byMladen Naletilić Tuta. Some prisoners were transported to theHeliodrom concentration camp[2] or other camps such as the one inLjubuški where they were beaten and mistreated.[3][4]
GeneralMilivoj Petković attributed responsibility for Sovići and Doljani toMate Boban.[5]
