ALIJA IZETBEGOVIĆ PROCLAIMED STATE OF WAR

BIJELJINA, JUNE 19 /SRNA/ – On June 20, 1992, the incomplete BiH Presidency, operating without its Serb members, declared a state of war, announced a general mobilization, and introduced compulsory labor obligations.

The Presidency was headed by SDA leader Alija Izetbegović, who held the position throughout the conflict in BiH.

The Serb members of the pre-war Presidency of BiH, Nikola Koljević and Biljana Plavšić, left the institution at the outset of the conflict after Izetbegović publicly stated that he was prepared to sacrifice peace for a sovereign and independent BiH, which, according to the Serb perspective, effectively amounted to a declaration of war against Serbs and those who favored the preservation of Yugoslavia.

Many Serb military conscripts who found themselves in territories under the control of the then Muslim-majority authorities were reportedly forcibly mobilized or had to risk their lives to avoid draft notices.

Before the breakup of the country, Izetbegović openly called on military conscripts not to respond to summonses from the Yugoslav People's Army /JNA/, which was at the time the only legal and legitimate armed force. At the same time, those who refused mobilization orders issued by the pro-Muslim government in Sarajevo were reportedly arrested or sent to the front lines.