June 25, 1991 – Slovenia and Croatia declare independence.

The Yugoslav army pulls out of Slovenia, but a bloody war breaks out in Croatia in August, 1991.

The war is between Croatian police forces and the rebelling Serb minority.

When Croatia declares independence, the Serbian army invades to hold key Serbian parts of Croatia

Full scale civil war breaks out in August, 1991 1992 – A ceasefire occurs and UN peacekeepers

move in. January 15, 1992 – Croatia is recognized by the

European community. In the next three years the war would start up

and die down. As well, Croatia would win back all the Serbian taken territory.

By the end of the war 200 000 Serbs would leave Croatia.

http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?q=croatian+War&x=0&y=0&scope=all&tab=all&recipe=all

September, 1991 – Macedonia declares independence. This happens peacefully.

March 5, 1992 – Bosnia Herzegovina declares independence. In Bosnia there are Muslims (Bosniaks), Serbians, and Croats.

After the declaration of independence, Serbia invades to protect Bosnian Serb areas. Croatia invades as well.

Late 1992 – 70% of Bosnia is controlled by Serb forces. The UN extend their mandate into Bosnia to help with humanitarian relief.

1993 – this year was dominated with fighting between Croats and Bosniaks

The following are examples of Croatian massacres of Bosniaks:

Busovača massacre – 43 people Ahmići massacre – 120 people Vitez massacre – 172 peoples

1994 – The war between Croatia and Bosnia ends The Serbs also committed atrocities. Srebrenica massacre – 8000 men were killed As well, NATO opens air strikes against Bosnian Serb targets

The war finally ends with the Dayton Peace agreements being signed November 21, 1995

http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?q=Dayton+Peace+accords&x=0&y=0&scope=all&tab=all&recipe=all

Kosavars are ethnically Albanian The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) is

seeking independence from Serbia. 1998 – there is Western backed ceasefire.

The KLA broke it and this provoked a harsh Serbian counter-attack

The Serbian forces began an ethnic cleansing campaign.

January, 1999 - Racak Massacre – 45 Kosovars were killed; this triggered NATO involvement.

March 18, 1999 – American, British, and Kosovo delegates sign an accord that promises more autonomy for Kosovo, NATO troops entering, but no independence. Serbian delegates do not sign.

March to June 1999 – NATO bombs Serb targets to get Serb troops out of Kosovo.

June 12 – Milosevic accepts NATO terms and begins a withdrawal; KFOR moves in

Atrocities on all sides: International Criminal tribunal exhumed

2788 bodies in Kosovo where 850 civilians are thought to be the victims of war crimes by Serb forces.

KLA – 988 (335 were civilians) people killed and 200 000 Serbs fled Kosovo

NATO acknowledges killing 1500 civilians during the bombing campaign

February 17, 2008 – Kosovo declares independence

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/02/17/kosovo.html