Neighbours save Muslims from 'ethnic cleansing': Russians and Americans hope moves towards end of war in Bosnia can be emulated in other other parts of former Yugoslavia

IN AN unprecedented and courageous display of goodwill towards their Muslim neighbours, some 50 Croats in the town of Capljina have blocked an attempt by their soldiers to expel a group of elderly Muslims from the area.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), soldiers from the Croatian Defence Council (HVO) in Herzegovina engaged in the 'ethnic cleansing' of Capljina encountered the unexpected resistance a day after expelling a Muslim family of four and their neighbour from the town.

'This is unprecedented . . . and very encouraging because it's the first time the local population has stood up for the people they have lived with for a long time,' said Kris Janowski, the UNHCR spokesman in Sarajevo. 'We think that should be the norm, not the exception.'

A report produced by UNHCR's Medjugorje office says that on 7 March an unspecified number of HVO soldiers burst into a Muslim house in Capljina, ordered five people into a vehicle at gunpoint and drove them to the frontline at Buna. There they told the Muslims to walk to Blagaj, a village in the besieged enclave of east Mostar, which is controlled by Bosnian government forces (BiH), or be shot dead on the spot. The five are believed to have reached Blagaj safely and to be living in a collective centre there. UNHCR has not yet managed to interview the victims.

At dusk the next day, three HVO soldiers forced their way into several homes and told about 12 elderly Muslims they would be taken to 'Alija's state, where you belong' - a reference to the Bosnian President, Alija Izetbegovic. The victims, confused and frightened by the violence, complied without stopping to collect any possessions. But, in an effort to protect their neighbours, about 40 to 50 civilians, mostly Croats, surrounded the truck and held it until the police arrived and sent everyone home.

A UN protection officer in Medjugorje said the incident showed 'a marked change of attitude' on the part of local people and the authorities who, until now, have done little to stop the expulsions. The report says both civilian and military authorities expressed 'an uncharacteristically high degree of regret', blaming 'uncontrolled HVO soldiers from central Bosnia' for the incident. Such a change of heart may be attributed to the political settlement reached last month by the Bosnian and Croatian governments, which forced a truce between the BiH and HVO and should lead to confederation between Zagreb and Sarajevo.

'It may be a mixture of the improved atmosphere because of the political agreement and simply decent human behaviour towards neighbours,' Mr Janowski said. 'And in the climate of an agreement, it's easier to stand up to thugs.'

However, despite the bravery of local Croats, the two incidents 'have sparked a renewed wave of abject fear' among Muslim residents, UNHCR warns. One resident interviewed for the report told the UN: 'We are once again waiting - sleeping at night expecting a knock at the door.' And the UN questions whether the 'recent change of approach will translate into genuine efforts . . . to protect minority persons in the area'.