60,000 Croatians Remember Vukovar Victims With Procession

More than 50,000 people, including freed General Mladen Markac, President Ivo Josipovic and Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, were in the eastern Croatian city of Vukovar on Sunday to remember the victims of the fall of the city 21 years ago.

Approximately 2,000 people defended the city for 87 days against approximately 36,000 Yugoslav Army Troops. The city suffered heavy damage during the siege and was eventually overrun in November 1991. It is estimated that 2,000 defenders of Vukovar and civilians were killed, 800 went missing and 22,000 civilians were forced into exile.

A procession from the town hospital to the memorial cemetery was held on Sunday morning in remembrance of the victims.

“We are here together again to remember the suffering of Vukovar and to remember innocent victims as well as to promise to our children that this will never happen again,” said President Ivo Josipovic.

Prime Minister Milanovic told reporters that he had mixed feelings of sorrow, pride and also anger.