Serb Volunteer Guard
Encyclopedia
The Serb Volunteer Guard (SDG) also known as Arkan's Tigers was a Serbia
n volunteer paramilitary
unit, founded and led by Željko Ražnatović
, that fought in Croatia
(1991–1992); Bosnia and Herzegovina
(1992–1995) and in the Kosovo War
(1998–1999).
football club Ultra
group "Delije Sever". Reportedly at most points the Guard had over 10,000 fighters.
The Guard's headquarters
and training camp was in Erdut
, SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia, a part of the Republic of Serbian Krajina
between 1991 and 1995. The Guard was responsible to the command of the Territorial Defense, a regular military in charge of the rebel
territories of Croatia populated predominantly by Serbs
during the first half of the 1990s.
Arkan's Tigers, a paramilitary force he created, set up their headquarters and training camp in a former military facility in Erdut
. His volunteer army saw action from mid 1991 to late 1995, initially in Vukovar
region of Croatia
. It is reported that his irregular military
unit consisted of up to 10,000 well-trained fighters equipped with modern weapons, including a few tanks and helicopters. His units were supplied and equipped by the reserves of the Serbian police force during the war in Croatia and Bosnia
.
in April 1992, Arkan and his units Bijeljina
moved to attack different territories in these countries. In the Republic of Serb Krajina Arkan's Tigers fought in various locales in SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia. In the Republika Srpska
, Arkan's Tigers, fought in battles in and around Zvornik
and Brčko
where they along with other Serb units overpowered the Bosnian Army.
In autumn 1995 his troops fought in the area of Banja Luka
, Sanski Most
and Prijedor
where they were routed. Arkan personally led most of war actions, and rewarded his most efficient officers and soldiers with ranks, medals and eventually the products of the looting
s.
Serb Volunteer Guard was officially disbanded in April 1996. Besides Arkan, a very notable member was his right hand man, Colonel Nebojša Djordjević Suca, murdered in late 1996, and notorious Milorad Ulemek
, nicknamed "Legija", now serving 40 year sentence for the assassination of Serbia's pro-Western prime minister Zoran Đinđić
Members of the Guard were also ordered by Arkan to join the Yugoslav
army and police forces in the fight against the Albanian rebels
in Kosovo
since the summer of 1998.
A few Chrysi Avyi members participated in the Bosnian War
in the Greek Volunteer Guard
(GVG), which was part of the Drina Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska
. A few GVG volunteers were present in Srebrenica
during the Srebrenica massacre, and they raised a Greek flag
at a ruined church after the fall of the town. Spiros Tzanopoulos, a GVG sergeant who took part in the attack against Srebrenica, said many of the Greek volunteers participated in the war because they were members of Hrisi Avgi. Chrysi Avyi members in the GVG were decorated by Radovan Karadžić
, but — according to former Chrysi Avyi member Charis Kousoumvris — those who were decorated later left the party.
Željko Ražnatović
was indicted in 1997 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
for his commandment of the Guard as the unit was allegedly responsible for numerous crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Convention and violations of the laws or customs of war, including active participation in the ethnic cleansing
in Bijeljina
and Zvornik
in 1992.
The ICTY charged the Serbian Volunteer Guard, under the command or supervision of Zeljko Raznjatovic of:
episode "Homo Homini Lupis" involves a fictional Serbian immigrant, Simon Matic, who kidnaps the wife and two daughters of a man who owes money to a loan shark and rapes the elder daughter. During Matic's interrogation, he claims to have served in the Serbian Army during the Yugoslav wars, but Detective
Goren
notes that Matic has the letters SDG tattooed on his lower back, and suggests that this would indicate that Matic's involvement in the wars was with Serb Volunteer Guard, which Goren deduces would likely mean that Matic is wanted for war crimes in addition to the charges of kidnapping and rape.
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n volunteer paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
unit, founded and led by Željko Ražnatović
Željko Ražnatovic
Željko Ražnatović , widely known as Arkan was a Serbian career criminal and later a paramilitary leader who was notable for organizing and leading a paramilitary force in the Yugoslav Wars...
, that fought in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
(1991–1992); Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
(1992–1995) and in the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
(1998–1999).
History and organisation
The Guard was created on October 11, 1990 by 20 volunteers, members of the Red Star BelgradeRed Star Belgrade
Red Star Belgrade is a football club from Belgrade, Serbia. The club is a part of the Red Star Sports Society.Red Star Belgrade is the most successful Serbian club, with a record of 25 national championships and 23 national cups in both Serbian and ex-Yugoslav competitions...
football club Ultra
Ultras
Ultras are a type of sports fans renowned for their fanatical support and elaborate displays. They are predominantly European followers of football teams...
group "Delije Sever". Reportedly at most points the Guard had over 10,000 fighters.
The Guard's headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
and training camp was in Erdut
Erdut
Erdut is a village and a municipality in eastern Croatia. It is located in the Osijek-Baranja County, eastern Slavonia, 37 km east of Osijek. The elevation of the village of Erdut is 158 m...
, SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia, a part of the Republic of Serbian Krajina
Republic of Serbian Krajina
The Republic of Serbian Krajina was a self-proclaimed Serb entity within Croatia. Established in 1991, it was not recognized internationally. It formally existed from 1991 to 1995, having been initiated a year earlier via smaller separatist regions. The name Krajina means "frontier"...
between 1991 and 1995. The Guard was responsible to the command of the Territorial Defense, a regular military in charge of the rebel
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
territories of Croatia populated predominantly by Serbs
Serbs of Croatia
Višeslav of Serbia, a contemporary of Charlemagne , ruled the Županias of Neretva, Tara, Piva, Lim, his ancestral lands. According to the Royal Frankish Annals , Duke of Pannonia Ljudevit Posavski fled, during the Frankish invasion, from his seat in Sisak to the Serbs in western Bosnia, who...
during the first half of the 1990s.
Arkan's Tigers, a paramilitary force he created, set up their headquarters and training camp in a former military facility in Erdut
Erdut
Erdut is a village and a municipality in eastern Croatia. It is located in the Osijek-Baranja County, eastern Slavonia, 37 km east of Osijek. The elevation of the village of Erdut is 158 m...
. His volunteer army saw action from mid 1991 to late 1995, initially in Vukovar
Vukovar
Vukovar is a city in eastern Croatia, and the biggest river port in Croatia located at the confluence of the Vuka river and the Danube. Vukovar is the center of the Vukovar-Syrmia County...
region of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. It is reported that his irregular military
Irregular military
Irregular military refers to any non-standard military. Being defined by exclusion, there is significant variance in what comes under the term. It can refer to the type of military organization, or to the type of tactics used....
unit consisted of up to 10,000 well-trained fighters equipped with modern weapons, including a few tanks and helicopters. His units were supplied and equipped by the reserves of the Serbian police force during the war in Croatia and Bosnia
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
.
War with Croatia (1991) & Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992)
After war broke out in the former Yugoslav republic of Croatia in the fall of 1991 and in BosniaBosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
in April 1992, Arkan and his units Bijeljina
Bijeljina
Bijeljina is a city and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The city is the second largest in the Republika Srpska entity after Banja Luka and fifth largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is situated on the flat rich plains of Semberija...
moved to attack different territories in these countries. In the Republic of Serb Krajina Arkan's Tigers fought in various locales in SAO Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Syrmia. In the Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, Arkan's Tigers, fought in battles in and around Zvornik
Zvornik
Zvornik is a city on the Drina river in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, located south of the town of Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town Mali Zvornik lies directly across the river in Serbia, and not far north is Loznica.-History:Zvornik is first mentioned in 1410, although it was...
and Brčko
Brcko (city)
Brčko is a city in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, administrative seat of the Brčko District. It lies on the country's border along the Sava river across from Gunja, Croatia...
where they along with other Serb units overpowered the Bosnian Army.
In autumn 1995 his troops fought in the area of Banja Luka
Banja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
, Sanski Most
Sanski Most
Sanski Most is a town and municipality in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the Sana River in Bosanska Krajina, between Prijedor and Ključ. Administratively it is part of the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
and Prijedor
Prijedor
Prijedor is a city and municipality in the north-western part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated in the Bosanska Krajina region....
where they were routed. Arkan personally led most of war actions, and rewarded his most efficient officers and soldiers with ranks, medals and eventually the products of the looting
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
s.
Serb Volunteer Guard was officially disbanded in April 1996. Besides Arkan, a very notable member was his right hand man, Colonel Nebojša Djordjević Suca, murdered in late 1996, and notorious Milorad Ulemek
Milorad Ulemek
Milorad "Legija" Ulemek , also known as Milorad Luković is a former commander of the Serbian secret police special unit, the Red Berets , convicted of the assassinations of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and former Serbian President Ivan Stambolic and organiser of the attempted murder of the...
, nicknamed "Legija", now serving 40 year sentence for the assassination of Serbia's pro-Western prime minister Zoran Đinđić
Members of the Guard were also ordered by Arkan to join the Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
army and police forces in the fight against the Albanian rebels
UCK
UCK may refer to:*Ubuntu Customization Kit, a tool to create a customized Live CD of Ubuntu*Kosovo Liberation Army or Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës...
in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
since the summer of 1998.
A few Chrysi Avyi members participated in the Bosnian War
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
in the Greek Volunteer Guard
Greek Volunteer Guard
The Greek Volunteer Guard was a unit of Greek volunteers that fought in the Bosnian War on the side of Bosnian Serbs...
(GVG), which was part of the Drina Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska
Army of Republika Srpska
The Army of Republika Srpska ; Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian Vojska Republike Srpske ) also referred to as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of today's Republika Srpska which was then the "Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina", a self-proclaimed state within the internationally recognized...
. A few GVG volunteers were present in Srebrenica
Srebrenica
Srebrenica is a town and municipality in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosnian Serb entity of Republika Srpska. Srebrenica is a small mountain town, its main industry being salt mining and a nearby spa. During the Bosnian War, the town was the site of the July 1995 massacre,...
during the Srebrenica massacre, and they raised a Greek flag
Flag of Greece
The flag of Greece , officially recognized by Greece as one of its national symbols, is based on nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white...
at a ruined church after the fall of the town. Spiros Tzanopoulos, a GVG sergeant who took part in the attack against Srebrenica, said many of the Greek volunteers participated in the war because they were members of Hrisi Avgi. Chrysi Avyi members in the GVG were decorated by Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžic
Radovan Karadžić is a former Bosnian Serb politician. He is detained in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen, accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as ordering the Srebrenica massacre.Educated as a...
, but — according to former Chrysi Avyi member Charis Kousoumvris — those who were decorated later left the party.
War crimes charges
Željko Ražnatovic
Željko Ražnatović , widely known as Arkan was a Serbian career criminal and later a paramilitary leader who was notable for organizing and leading a paramilitary force in the Yugoslav Wars...
was indicted in 1997 by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
for his commandment of the Guard as the unit was allegedly responsible for numerous crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Convention and violations of the laws or customs of war, including active participation in the ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic orreligious group from certain geographic areas....
in Bijeljina
Bijeljina massacre
The Bijeljina massacre refers to the killings of Bosniaks by the Serbian paramilitary group Arkan's Tigers during the Bosnian war. A number of Serbs who attempted to stop the massacre were also killed. At least 48 civilians were killed. Local courts have not filed a single war-crimes indictment...
and Zvornik
Zvornik
Zvornik is a city on the Drina river in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, located south of the town of Bijeljina in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town Mali Zvornik lies directly across the river in Serbia, and not far north is Loznica.-History:Zvornik is first mentioned in 1410, although it was...
in 1992.
The ICTY charged the Serbian Volunteer Guard, under the command or supervision of Zeljko Raznjatovic of:
- Forcibly detaining approximately thirty non-Serb men and one woman, without food or water, in an inadequately ventilated boiler room of approximately five square metres in size.
- Transporting twelve non-Serb men from Sanski MostSanski MostSanski Most is a town and municipality in northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the Sana River in Bosanska Krajina, between Prijedor and Ključ. Administratively it is part of the Una-Sana Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
to an isolated location in the village of TrnovaTrnova- Gornja Trnova :total: 420* Serbs - 413 * Croats - 2 * "Yugoslavs" - 2 * others and unknown - 3 - Srednja Trnova :total: 721* Muslims by nationality - 682 * "Yugoslavs" - 24 * Serbs - 12...
, where they shot and killed eleven of the men and critically wounded the twelfth. - The rape of a Muslim woman on a bus outside the Hotel Sanus in Sanski Most.
- Transporting approximately sixty-seven non-Serb men and one woman from Sanski Most, Sehovci, and Pobrijeze to an isolated location in the village of SasinaSasinaSasina is a village on the north coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. It is located in the political district of Gagaifomauga. The population is 550 .The village is part of a conservation area which includes the village of Aopo...
and shooting them, killing sixty-five of the captives and wounding two survivors. - Forcibly detaining approximately thirty-five non-Serb men in an inadequately ventilated boiler room of about five square metres in size, beating them, and depriving them of food and water, resulting in the deaths of two men.
Prominent members
- Borislav PelevićBorislav PelevicBorislav Pelević is a Serbian politician. He had been the president of the nationalist Party of Serbian Unity, before it merged into the Serbian Radical Party in December 2007. His old party had a marginal importance in Serbian politics. Pelević was one of the Arkan's Tigers during the war in...
- Serbian presidential candidate - Milorad UlemekMilorad UlemekMilorad "Legija" Ulemek , also known as Milorad Luković is a former commander of the Serbian secret police special unit, the Red Berets , convicted of the assassinations of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and former Serbian President Ivan Stambolic and organiser of the attempted murder of the...
- JSOJedinica za Specijalne OperacijeSpecial Operations Unit , or the Frenkies , or the Red Berets , was an elite special unit of the Serbian Service of State Security....
commander - Zvezdan JovanovićZvezdan JovanovicZvezdan Jovanović , also known as Zveki and Zmija assassinated former Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić on 12 March 2003....
In popular culture
The plot of the Law & Order: Criminal IntentLaw & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
episode "Homo Homini Lupis" involves a fictional Serbian immigrant, Simon Matic, who kidnaps the wife and two daughters of a man who owes money to a loan shark and rapes the elder daughter. During Matic's interrogation, he claims to have served in the Serbian Army during the Yugoslav wars, but Detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
Goren
Robert Goren
Det. Robert "Bobby" Goren is a fictional character featured in the NBC-USA Network police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order: Criminal Intent, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio....
notes that Matic has the letters SDG tattooed on his lower back, and suggests that this would indicate that Matic's involvement in the wars was with Serb Volunteer Guard, which Goren deduces would likely mean that Matic is wanted for war crimes in addition to the charges of kidnapping and rape.
See also
- Croatian War of IndependenceCroatian War of IndependenceThe Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
- Bosnian WarBosnian WarThe Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
- Kosovo WarKosovo WarThe term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
- Serbian war crimes in the Yugoslav Wars
- Željko RažnatovićŽeljko RažnatovicŽeljko Ražnatović , widely known as Arkan was a Serbian career criminal and later a paramilitary leader who was notable for organizing and leading a paramilitary force in the Yugoslav Wars...
- Serbian paramilitary