Milica Božović's brother died in the wars of the 90s: "It's hard for me, it couldn't be harder"

Today marks 27 years since the beginning of the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), in which, according to unofficial estimates, around 2.500 civilians and around 1.000 soldiers and police officers were killed in 11 weeks.

The Speaker of the Parliament Andrija Mandić and the Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović and their associates paid tribute to the victims by laying wreaths at the barracks in Danilovgrad and Masline. The memory of those killed in the bombing, but also in the wars of the 90s, was also marked in Nikšić.

Mandić also laid a wreath at the "Vojvoda Marko Miljanov Popović" barracks in the Podgorica settlement of Masline.

At the same places, Minister of Defense Dragan Krapović paid tribute to the victims of the NATO bombing. The Minister was joined by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Montenegro, Brigadier General Miodrag Vuksanović, who laid a wreath.

Nikšić also marked the 27th anniversary of the beginning of the NATO bombing. Nikšić Municipality President Marko Kovačević, along with Vice President Vidak Krtolica and New Serbian Democracy MP Jovan Vučurović, paid tribute to the soldiers and reservists of the former Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) from the Nikšić-Šavnik group who died in the war of the 1990s.

The monument on Šaka Petrović Square in Nikšić was erected by the Association of War Veterans from 1990 to 1999. On the monument, below Njegoš's verses, the names of about 60 members of the Nikšić-Šavnik group are inscribed. Before the officials, flowers were laid by family members, relatives and friends of the victims. Among them was Milica Božović, the sister of the fallen soldier.

"Twin, Milan Kontić. It's hard for me, it couldn't be harder. And I feel sorry for all these young guys, what they went for and who sent them," said Božović.

The organizer of the anniversary celebration is the local Association of Veterans of the 1990 Wars of Montenegro. They are demanding answers from all those who make up the government:

"They should tell us whether there are victims of the wars of the 1990s. Was Morinj a temporary collection center or camp, was there a 'Lora' camp and a shameful plaque in Morinj illegally erected alongside it?" said Blažo Đurković from the Association of Veterans of the 1990-1999 Wars.

The Center for Civic Education (CCE) also expresses its respect for the victims of NATO bombing. They state that no one was held accountable for the civilian casualties, and that only after more than two decades was the status of civilian victims of war recognized to the families of the victims through amendments to the Law on Veterans and Disability Protection. However, neither this nor one-time compensation, although an important step, can compensate for the lack of justice nor the need for the state to develop a consistent policy of remembrance for all victims.