UN approves resolution to commemorate 1995 Srebrenica massacre annually

UK Minister of State (Minister for Europe) Nusrat Ghani, right, walks with Munira Subasic, president of the association Mother of Srebrenica, centre, next to the momument with the names of Srebrenica genocide victims, at the Memorial Centre in Potocari, Bosnia (Armin Durgut/AP)

The United Nations approved a resolution on Thursday establishing an annual day to commemorate the 1995 genocide of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims by Bosnian Serbs, a move vehemently opposed by Serbs who fear it will brand them all as “genocidal” supporters of the mass killing.

The vote in the 193-member General Assembly was 84-19 with 68 nations abstaining, a reflection of concerns among many countries about the impact of the vote on reconciliation efforts in deeply divided Bosnia.