With these words Sefko effendi Tinjak started the burial of Sefik Sulejmanovic in the eastern part of Mostar, the city divided by hate; Sefko Sulejmanovic was killed last Monday in the clashes next to Liska park in Mostar. The bloody showdown of Croatian policemen and Bosniak civilians in which one person died and several tens were (more or less) seriously wounded, pushed the situation in Mostar three years to the past: during the day, the border between the Croat and Bosniak parts of the city is crossed only by heavily armed SFOR soldiers, while at night the only "communication" is via firearms.
Observers cannot fail to add adjective "warlike" when describing the atmosphere in the city; it is a true miracle that during the last few days bullets have not been flying above our heads. Three years after the end of fighting in this region, vehicles with Bosnian plates do not cross to the western part of the city; nor is it possible to see Croatian insignia on the vehicles on the left bank of the Neretva river. The border area, only about a hundred yards wide, cannot even be bridged by telephone any more, and the stocks of food and other goods in the east Mostar shops have been dwindling.
The tragic event which took place next to Liska park, in Prince Mihajlo Visnjevic Humski street, in the Croatian "half" of Mostar, and served as an excuse to stop the implementation of the Dayton Agreement in Mostar was openly forged by the Croatian media, especially by the Croatian television (HTV). Safet Orucevic claims that SFOR, IPTF (International Police) and united (Mostar) police had all been informed the day before about the intention of a group of citizens to cross from the east to the west part of the city, with the intention to "learn Fatiha" (religious ceremony in which dead are remembered); from the legal point of view, according to the Mostar annex of the Dayton Agreement about the freedom of movement, such information even wasn't necessary.
After SFOR and IPTF agreed to the proposed religious ceremony, Croatian policemen withdrew from the united police force; several hours before the announced visit of Bosniaks from the eastern part of the city, a welcome committee, made of Croatian policemen in civilian clothing and armed with short and long barrel firearms, iron bars and batons, and equipped with mobile radios, had been formed next to Liska park.
However, the west Mostar authorities concealed the announced event from the participants in the carnival and its public, expecting a clash with "Muslim extremists who are unannounced approaching little children watching the carnival procession".
At the moment when the procession with approximately 2,000 Bosniaks reached Liska park, a Croatian policeman started an argument with the leader of the procession, Safet Orucevic. The procession of Bosniaks stopped for a moment, as had been previously agreed among the participants. International Police members then removed the uniformed Croatian policeman and clearly indicated to the Bosniaks that they were free to continue to the cemetery in Liska park. Stopping just outside the cemetery, the Bosniaks began the religious ceremony; then a large group of policemen from the west part of the city, led by police chief Marko Mak Radic started shooting at the participants in the procession. Immediately after that, Croatian policemen attacked the Bosniaks at the head of the procession with batons and iron bars.
According to the east Mostar police, Sefik Sulejmanovic died on the spot, hit by a bullet. Safet Rados was wounded in his head, Seid Efendi Maksumovic in his belly, while mufti Hadziseid effendi Smajkic was wounded in his leg. Vice-mayor Safet Orucevic, imam Sefko effendi Tinjak and vice-minister for the police of the Hercegovina-Neretva canton Sefkija Dziho were beaten up. The same source claims that the attack "caused panic among the Bosniaks and they started fleeing towards east Mostar; at that time the Croatian police started shooting at them". Emin Pajevic, Suad Kosic, Selim Zlomuzica, Almir Muratbegovic, Ibro Spago, Kemal Denjo, Izmedin Husnic, Omer Maric, Zijo Poskovic, Duram Dujic, Hakija Penava, Mustafa Cevra, Zlatko MIlavic, Muamer Cuic and Alija Golos were wouded in their legs while Dina Zujevic and Omer Cehic had their heads grazed by a bullet.
The news about the tragic incident quickly spread on both sides of the Neretva, naturally in all sorts of versions. The result was the spread of violence on the territory controlled by Bosniak and Croatian authorities; the victims were mostly passengers in cars, most of them Croats. A delegation of Croats from Bosnian Sava river valley was almost lynched in Mostar, because the local extremists tried to brake into the east Mostar police building where the delegation was kept "until the International Police was ready to escort them to the west part of the city". The Bosniak police admits "cases of revanchism (revenge?) whose victims were drivers of vehicles with Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna plates, whose cars were stoned"; supposedly, this couldn't have been prevented, because the police "was concerned for the safety of the drivers and their passengers".
However, no one took care of Marko Boban from Kisaljak and the former Herceg-Bosna Minister for energy Marinko Bosnjak: both of them left the "left bank" territory with bloody heads. Among the Posavina Croats were father Marko Orsolic, president of the cantonal government Neven Dukic, deputy police commander for Orasje Mirko Zivkovic and driver Drago Knezevic, who was hit by a large stone. During that same day a few more Croats were maltreated and robbed; among them were Ivo Bosnjak, Slavko and Jozefina Ristic, Anto Derek, Jozo Kvesic, Bosko Nikolic and Kreso Goluza. All of them had their cars stolen or damaged.
"Ivica Prskalo has lost it," says Safet Orucevic. "In five months, since the beginning of his tenure, he hasn't accomplished anything in the implementation of the Federation. Instead, he was involved in these events. What kind of man is he? We gave him everything he has, and he isn't even capable to find an office for himself because he is afraid of Mijo Brajkovic. Ivica Prskalo wasn't even allowed to appear on the TV while he was condemning Croatian extremists, and he joined the 'elite' these days after he had written three statements in which "Muslim extremists attack Croat children". That is how he won an appearance on the TV; now someone will probably give him an office as well."
According to Islamic religious customs, Sefko Sulejmanovic's funeral passed in peace, although there were expectations that is will be used by extremists to call for revenge. The funeral was only "disturbed" by SFOR helicopters who flew overhead; SFOR troops were on full alert and assumed control of all strategic approaches to the city. On the road from Mostar to Jablanica there were no cars with Croatian and Herceg-Bosna plates, which is another illustration of the serious nature of the Mostar events: Croatian merchants from Kiseljak and Vitez are certainly not responsible for the incident in Liska park, but under bandages look exactly the same as wounded Muslim believers or knifed Croatian policemen.