Avdo Palić
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| Avdo Palić | |
|---|---|
| 4 April 1958 – 1995 | |
 Avdo Palic in July 1995. |
|
| Place of birth | Krivača, Han Pijesak, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Place of death | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Allegiance | ARBiH |
| Years of service | 1992 – 1995 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 1st Žepa brigade |
| Commands | Commander in Žepa |
| Battles/wars | Bosnian War |
Avdo Palić (April 4, 19581, - 19952) was a Bosnian army colonel who commanded ARBiH forces in the Žepa enclave during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War. He gained notoriety for commanding an ill equipped force which defended the enclave in the face of overwhelming odds. Palic disappeared after going to a meeting with UN and Army of Republika Srpska officers following the fall of the enclave in late July 1995, and has not been seen nor heard from since.
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[edit] Pre War Life
Colonel Avdo Palić was born in the village of Krivača in the municipality of Han Pijesak in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina to Bosniak parents. Prior to the war he served in the Yugoslav National Army as a reserve artillery officer. Palic was a graduate of the Yugoslav military academy. He made his living as an engineer and high school high school teacher in the city of Vlasenica. Avdo Palic was married to Esma Palic and the couple had two daughters. His wife and daughters currently live in Sarajevo.
[edit] War
Palic came to Žepa in early April 1992 to visit his relatives, but stayed behind when he realized that the people needed a leader to help organize them to resist the impending aggression. In 1992 he became the commander of the Žepa T.O. (Territorial Defence) and subsequently the commander of the Bosnian government forces in the area knovn as the 1st Žepa brigade. On June 4, 1992 Palic and his men ambushed a Yugoslav National Army convoy sent from Pale to occupy Žepa. 45 JNA soldiers were killed and another 31 wounded and captured (they were later exchanged for food and fuel). Following the unsuccessful attempt to occupy Žepa the Serbs laid siege for the next three years.
The Žepa enclave was in a remote ara and was compleatly surrounded by the Serbian army which reguraly shelled the enclave indiscriminatly. Žepa was entirely dependent on outside supplies of food and medicine which was supposed to be delivered by the UN peacekeepers, but was consistently obstructed in by the Serbs.
Nevertheless the defenders of Žepa were able to hold out in spite of a severe lack of weapons and ammunition. Nearly all of their weapons were captured from the enemy or were smuggled in on foot or by helicopter from the Bosnian government controlled areas.
On April 17, 1993 the enclave was demiliterized and turned into a safe area with a contingent of UNPROFOR troops from the Ukraine stationed there. Their job was to protect the civilian population and ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian aid. This mission was laid out in UN Resolution 819 and 836 However the situation didn't change and the shelling as well as other offensive actions against Zepa continued.
In early 1995 the Serbs stepped up military operations against the eastern Bosnian enclaves of Srebrenica and Zepa. In March 1995, Radovan Karadžić, President of Republika Srpska in spite of the international community pressure to end the war and the ongoing efforts to negotiate a peace agreement, issued a directive to the VRS concerning the long-term strategy of the VRS forces in the enclave. The directive, known as “Directive 7”, specified that the VRS was to: "Complete the physical separation of Srebrenica from Žepa as soon as possible, preventing even communication between individuals in the two enclaves. By planned and well-thought out combat operations, create an unbearable situation of total insecurity with no hope of further survival or life for the inhabitants of Srebrenica."
Between July 6-11, 1995 the Serbs overran the enclave of Srebrenica and committed the notourious Srebrenica massacre. Following that they turned their sights on Žepa. Knowing that his men were outnumbered, outgunned and low on ammunition, Col. Palić sought to negotiate a withdrawal and spare the 3,000 people in Žepa the fate of the massacre victims in Srebrenica. While he negotiated his men hid in the forests around Zepa and began to make their to areas such as Tuzla, Gorazde and other Bosnian government controlled areas.
By engaging in negotiation he was able to give the people of Zepa time to escape and another massacre was avoided. During his meetings with Serb officers he was supposedly under the protection of the UN. On July 27, 1995 he went to a meeting with senior Serb and UN officials, among who was Ratko Mladic who subsequently admitted that Palic was seized and later said Palic had been killed (only one source reports Mladic saying that Palic had been killed). This is the last time anyone saw him alive. There are reports of Col. Palic being seen in Serb prisons in Banja Luka and Bijeljina, as late as September 1995. However the last time he was confirmed alive was July 27, 1995. It is most likely he was eventually murdered and buried in an unmarked grave.
[edit] Post War Developments
Leading the fight to uncover the truth about the dissaperance of Col. Palić and recover his remains is his wife Esma. She has worked tirelessly to get justice for her husband. Under pressure, the government of Republika Srpska has paid her 65,000 km in compensation and has led unsuccessful searches for his remains, however they have not been very forthcoming.
Amnesty International and other human rights have also made efforts to get justice for Col. Palić. As of June 2006 the mystery remains unsolved.
The Serb government is reluctant to admit to killing Col. Palić since it is against the Geneva Convention to torture and murder POWs. Adimitting responsibility would leave government and military authorities open for charges of murder. For now the case of Avdo Palić is the same as the case of the 17,000 people still missing since the war.
[edit] Notes
Note 1: The list of missing persons from the Bosnian war gives April 4, 1958 as the birthdate for Avdo Palic.
Note 2: Col. Palic has not been confirmed to be dead. However since so much time has passed since he was last seen alive it is reasnoable to infer that he was killed by his captors. His remains have not been found and no admission of guilt has been rendered.
