kosovo

1992-1999

21 Reviewed

For much of the 20th century, the Balkan region of Europe was made up of a single communist country called Yugoslavia. Ethnic, religious and political differences between the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Oriental Rite and Muslim populations living there for centuries have, however, created a climate of mistrust that has created instability.

When the authoritarian regime of the country began to crumble, the various ethnic and religious factions resorted to violence. In the early 1990s, the various regions tried to separate and form their own country, according to the ethnic and religious divisions that existed there. There have been many cases of "ethnic cleansing" where people from villages or entire areas populated by minorities have been persecuted, hunted or massacred by armed factions.

The international community responded to the situation as the whole world witnessed the violence that swept through the region. The first direct intervention by United Nations and NATO forces in the former Yugoslavia occurred in 1991-1992 when some Canadian Armed Forces officers participated in the European Community Monitoring Mission.

At least 21 Amerindians, Canadians and Americans alike, served in peacekeeping forces during this conflict.