The apologies of Prime Minister Mark Rutte and the open acknowledgment of the suffering suffered by Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren are the beginning of the restoration of the relationship of Dutchbat veterans with society and politics. “It is not over now, but the confidence and appreciation that we are looking for has started,” said Olaf Nijeboer, chairman of the Dutchbat III Association on Saturday in Schaarsbergen.
On Saturday, more than three hundred veterans gathered with their loved ones at the Oranjekazerne barracks in the Veluwe for a day of recovery and appreciation for their efforts in the Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica in 1995. The security there turned into a tragedy when heavily armed Bosnian Serbs over 8,000 men and boys killed. The Dutch could not do anything, Rutte acknowledged on Saturday, but they received a mountain of criticism. “After 27 years, the relationship with the government as client and the Ministry of Defense as employer is still difficult. That must be restored,” says Nijeboer.
Think it over
The reactions to Rutte’s apology were mixed on Saturday. “I have to think about it again,” said Ron Warris, who was sent to Srebrenica in 1995 as a 21-year-old soldier. “It was time to make an apology, but it has yet to sink in. It does affect me but I don’t know if it is enough. What happened there has been a turning point in my life.”
Professional soldiers Mark Verhoeven and Hans Berkers thought the open expression of regret was special, they say. “It was a special moment.” What they find especially important is that it has been recognized that the aftercare for deployed soldiers should have been much better and that this has improved drastically after Srebrenica. “In that regard, it was also a learning moment for Defense.”
“Hopefully this meeting will help veterans and their home front. There is finally openness. Now our people can feel trusted, protected, supported and recognised,” hopes association chairman Nijeboer.