The attacks that began in 1992 plunged Bosnia and Herzegovina into one of the darkest wars of modern Europe. Under siege, Sarajevo endured sniper fire, shelling, hunger, and the constant threat of death. Even as the Presidency building was shelled, Alija refused to leave the city; his decision became a symbol of non-surrender.
The United Nations arms embargo left Bosnia defenseless against heavy weaponry. Alija raised his voice internationally to demand the lifting of the embargo. His words—“We want neither your soldiers nor your tears; only allow us to defend ourselves”—captured the injustice of the situation.
Declared a “safe area” by the United Nations in 1993, Srebrenica was left unprotected. In July 1995, Serbian forces entered the enclave in full view of the world. Within days, more than eight thousand Bosniak men were systematically murdered. This massacre went down in history as the largest genocide in Europe since the Second World War.
By the autumn of 1995, Bosnia was exhausted and devastated. With much of the population displaced and cities in ruins, the Dayton negotiations offered a flawed but singular option to end the war. Alija articulated this painful reality with the words:
"It is not a just peace, but it is more just than a continuation of war. In the situation as it is, and in the world as it is, a better peace could not have been achieved. This is not a perfect peace, but it is a peace that stops the war.”