During the ongoing Bosnian civil war of 1994, 16 British peacekeepers opened fire on a group of elderly women; at least 10 were reported deceased. Representative Dante Girolimon of the United Kingdom shared with the International Press Delegation what led to the mistake, they said, “The United Kingdom, under bad intel, made a poorly calculated ill informed decision to prematurely pull a position militarily during the retreat.” Representative Girolimon maintains that the incident resulted from a miscategorization by British troops who believed the elderly women to be Bosnian Serb militants attacking them to capitalize on their retreat.

When asked for further explanation on consequences for British forces on the ground in Bosnia, Representative Girolimon said, “The British people are sorrowful and the government and crown are deeply remorseful. While we are maintaining a military presence, we have shaken up the chain of command for our land forces in Bosnia.” To pay their respects to the deceased, the British people have chosen to take a step back, allowing Bosnian officials and fellow member states to dictate the level of involvement the United Kingdom has in ongoing decisions. Representative Girolimon said, “We are just taking a position of tremendous humility, having real dialogue with the Bosnian government to see what they’re comfortable with. The ten men who fired shots, every single one of them, will be brought to justice.” 

This tragedy provides an opportunity for reflection amongst all Member States to ensure military personnel are properly trained in identifying civilians and other militants.