Of 30,000 missing during the aggression against BiH, bones of 23,000 have been found

A successful combination of civil society engagement, institutional development and scientific innovation has enabled the location and identification of more than 70 percent of the missing persons from the armed conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said today the Director of ICMP, Kathryne Bomberger, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

- Nearly 23,000 of the estimated 30,000 persons missing as a result of the war in BiH have been found and identified - she added, noting that no country in the world has resolved such a large number of cases.

Director Bomberger spoke at the presentation of the report „BiH, persons missing as a result of armed conflicts during the 1990s: A review of the situation“, which was presented in Sarajevo on Thursday.

This extensive report for the first time brings together all available information on missing persons, now compiled into one detailed, systematic written whole. The report provides documented information on the search for the missing throughout BiH.

- BiH must remain committed to finding the remaining approximately 8,000 persons missing as a result of armed conflicts, ensuring that BiH institutions, including the Institute for Missing Persons of BiH and the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, continue to be strong and engaged.

Bomberger added that BiH must fully implement the Law on Missing Persons, which includes the Central Records of Missing Persons (CEN) and the Fund for Support to Families of the Missing. 

The Director of ICMP also announced a series of meetings to be organized in February and March next year in Sarajevo, Tuzla, Banja Luka, Mostar and Brčko, which will bring together representatives of families of missing persons, government institutions, the academic community, journalists and other decision-makers to consider the next steps in the search for the missing in BiH.

- The report removes ambiguities and presents the facts in an accessible manner, providing clear recommendations on what needs to be done. We believe it will serve as an invaluable platform for important strategic discussions on the issue of missing persons in BiH - said Bomberger.

Today's presentation was also attended by the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to BiH, Edward Ferguson, the Ambassador of Switzerland to BiH, Heinrich Maurer, the Chief Prosecutor of BiH, Goran Salihović, and the President of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Missing Persons of BiH, Amor Mašović, as well as representatives of associations of families of missing persons.