November 18th commemorates the 33rd anniversary of the massacre carried out by Yugoslav forces in the eastern Croatian city of Vukovar.

The brutal battle culminated on November 18, 1991, following a nearly three-month siege that ended with the city’s capture. Vukovar remained under Yugoslav control until January 15, 1998, when it was returned to Croatia. In August 1991, the Yugoslav Army intervened to support the nationalist Serbs uprising in the region, intensifying a conflict that had begun earlier that year.

While the exact number of Croatian soldiers and civilians killed remains unclear, as well as the casualties on the Yugoslav side, the Franciscans of Vukovar honored the victims by inscribing the names of 2,717 local residents on memorial plaques in the courtyard of St. Philip and James Church.

During a trial in The Hague, it was revealed that 22,165 people, mostly of Croatian descent, were forcibly expelled from the city. Around 7,000 people were sent to camps, and over 380 people are still listed as missing.

In 1999, the Croatian Parliament designated November 18 as the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Vukovar, to honor those who participated in the defense of the town.

/a.p./