| Similarly the US remained aloof until 1994, when a | | | | in response to the slaughter of 8,000 Muslim |
| new American administration under President | | | | civilians by Serb forces at Srebrenica. Following |
| Clinton issued an ultimatum through the North | | | | these strikes and successful incursions by Bosnian |
| Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) demanding | | | | Muslims and Croats, the Serbs began to lose |
| the immediate withdrawal of Serb artillery from | | | | ground, eventually been forced to sue for peace. |
| Sarajevo, the Serbs quickly complied and a NATO | | | | On 1 November 1995, all leaders of the warring |
| imposed cease-fire in Sarajevo was declared. The | | | | factions convened in Dayton, Ohio to thrash out a |
| US then began a diplomatic effort to unite Bosnian | | | | settlement. Terms were reached that included the |
| Muslims and Croats, but this new alliance failed to | | | | partition of Bosnia into two parts namely the |
| prevent continued Serb attacks against Muslim | | | | Bosnian-Serb Republic and the Muslim-Croat |
| towns. Bosnian Serb forces also attacked UN | | | | Federation. The agreement also called for |
| peacekeepers, NATO forces retaliated by | | | | democratic elections and stipulated that war |
| launching limited air-strikes against Serb ground | | | | criminals would be handed over to face trial. Over |
| forces. | | | | sixty thousand NATO troops were deployed to |
| The Serbs fought back by capturing hundreds of | | | | preserve the ceasefire. The war had left Bosnia |
| UN personnel and using them as human shields, | | | | devastated, over 200,000 Muslim civilians had |
| chaining them to their installations. On August 30, | | | | being systematically murdered, more than 20,000 |
| 1995, effective military intervention was launched | | | | were missing and feared dead and over two |
| as the US led a massive NATO bombing campaign | | | | million had become refugees. |