Operation Storm - Background

Background

The 1990 revolt of the Croatian Serbs was centered on the predominantly Serb-populated Krajina region and in predominantly Serbian towns (like Borovo) in eastern Croatia.

The Serbs declared their independence from Croatia by proclaiming a Republic of Serbian Krajina, which remained internationally unrecognized, and initiated an armed conflict, supported by the Yugoslav People's Army, against Croatian police and civilians. A campaign of ethnic cleansing was then started by rebel Serb forces against Croatian civilians in the areas under their control and most non-Serbs were expelled by early 1993. As of November 1993, less than 400 ethnic Croats still resided in UNPA Sector South, and between 1,500 and 2,000 remained in UNPA Sector North.

In January 1992, a ceasefire agreement was signed by Presidents Franjo Tuđman of Croatia and Slobodan Milošević of Serbia to suspend fighting between the two sides. During the next three years, the conflict was mostly on hold: the Serbian side aimed at consolidating their territorial gains through Krajina, while the Croatian side aimed at returning those areas back to its jurisdiction. Croatian military operations, like Operation Medak Pocket and Operation Flash, started reducing the area of Krajina by returning small territories to Croatian control, while Serbs responded by shelling nearby Croatian towns of which the most internationally notable was the Zagreb rocket attack during May, 1995.

The HV (Hrvatska vojska) played a more active role in western Bosnia, acting in concert with the Bosnian Croat HVO to combat Bosnian Serb forces. This had several advantages for the Croatians: it helped to prop up the Bosnian Croat state, it gave Croatian army commanders valuable combat experience and it put the Croatians in a good strategic position to threaten the Croatian Serbs' supply lines in Bosnia.