Yugoslav Wars

The Yugoslav Wars is a term for a series of conflicts that took place in the Balkans as a result of the breakup of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. The start date is generally accepted to be the 31st of March 1991, when the Republic of Croatia formally declared independence from Yugoslavia when fighting began, though it was not the first to secede (that being Slovenia). The wars resulted in massive destruction across the region, especially Bosnia, with much blame pointed towards NATO air strikes. The refugee crisis displaced an estimated 800,000-1.5 million refugees from the region, with much of it flowing towards the European Union. The conflict was resolved at the Minsk Peace Conference when an end to the fighting was negotiated, though Gorbachev's negotiations were internationally seen as lackluster and many issues behind the fighting in the first place remain unresolved.