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| WITNESS TO WAR CRIMES |
Colonel Doyle briefing Peace Envoy Lord Carrington, Ambassador Jose Cutileiro (centre), the Western European Union President and ECMM colleague Victor Ferreira on the tarmac at Sarajevo Airport in February 1992.
President, Izetbegovic, he was held by Bosnian Serbs as collateral, and at one stage the Colonel in command lost control and pulled a pistol, pointing it at Doyle. “I actually thought they would kill me that day and I was terrified to be perfectly honest. It’s the only time during my career when I thought I was going to die. One of the most important things to me for anyone reading this book, and that’s why I state it so clearly at the start, is that they know that I have not dramatised any element of the book to any extent, or judge any of those included. I was obsessed during the writing of it to remain impartial and honest.”
He says that the importance of honesty was something that he reiterated himself during his time in Sarajevo to both the local media, who often had political agendas, and the international media, who were primarily well established and seasoned war reporters. “They knew that I was a good source of solid information, but they also knew that I wouldn’t tolerate being misquoted. It was a very dangerous time and, Martin Bell of the BBC, who as I’ve said before remains a friend, said to me one day in Sarajevo; ‘Colm, will you let us know when it’s time to leave?’ I said I would. A few days later, I called Martin and said ‘pack your bags, it’s time to go.’ The very next day their offices were hit by mortar fire from the Bosnian Serb side.”
So, as our interview draws to a close I asked him what his thoughts are now of what happened in Bosnia, and what impact the efforts of the international community had. “I’ve always been impressed with how the international community can mobilise to get involved in solving a conflict. In the case of Bosnia there was considerable effort from the UN, the European Community and the dedicated peace conference under Lord Carrington, but it didn’t work, and the Bosnian conflict had a result rather than a resolution. The reason for that is, no matter how hard we tried, it was impossible to reach a lasting solution with sides that did not want to meaningfully engage with the process. As long as there are distinct Serb, Bosnian-Muslim and Croat divides the problem continues, as it still does in many ways 26 years later. The younger generation are still aligned to these divides and those with the best prospects see the only way to a better future in leaving the country. It’s very sad really, the war may be over, but the pain and resentment remains.”
So does he feel his efforts, and those of other international colleagues, were futile? “Absolutely not. There was a massive effort, but it was not reciprocated by the warring parties. The Bosnian Serbs were obsessed with territorial seizure and control while the Muslim side were fixated on an unlikely scenario of
large scale foreign military intervention. Ceasefires came and went with monotonous regularity, which was a source of huge frustration. But that was all relative. I was an international official, I could leave, those in Sarajevo couldn’t. They were trapped in the most awful circumstances for almost four years, subjected to daily artillery and sniper fire. If there are any heroes in this story it is those people, for their forbearance and courage and they deserved our best efforts to help them where we could. If what I did saved one person’s life, and I believe it did, I would do it all again.”
Witness To War Crimes is available from Irish Academic Press in Ireland (www.iap.ie) and Pen & Sword books in the UK (www.pen-and-sword.co.uk). The best place to obtain a copy is via Amazon or other online retailers.
Colonel (Ret’d) Doyle with Lord Carrington
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