Vukovar ultramarathoners arrive in Potocari with messages of peace and remembrance

The participants, who ran from Croatia to Bosnia to honour the victims of the Srebrenica genocide, emphasized that their journey is driven by a deep commitment to preserving memory and supporting survivors.

"There have been many humanitarian races unrelated to this area, but something like this here, running into this space, into this place, Srebrenica, a place of genocide... We do it to send a strong message, a message of peace, a message of remembrance, so that in this week of remembrance, everyone keeps this in mind, in their subconscious, but also every day throughout the year," said runner Miroslav Dudic.

He added that the physical exertion of the run is minor compared to the suffering of the local population. "We are a support to these people here who know best what they suffered and what sacrifice they made. What we endure, this is a lifestyle under the sun and all, it is nothing compared to what these people went through. We are trying in this way to give our all to send out that message."

Project leader Mirsad Softic explained that their initiative carries a message of peace, coexistence, and a shared connection between the wartime tragedies of Vukovar and Srebrenica. He also issued a direct appeal to political leaders.

"We must not forget the martyrs and defenders of the city of Vukovar. We start from the Ovcara plateau, not far from the city of Vukovar, where their city defenders and civilians were taken and brutally killed in the same or a similar way as here," Softic said. "They asked the defenders to leave their weapons, saying they would let them go, but they brutally killed them. Our message to the political corps is to stop with nationalist rhetoric, to discard political narratives that are good only for their own benefit, and to let the people live and enjoy the blessings of beautiful Bosnia. And may this never happen again to anyone, let us forget neither Vukovar nor Srebrenica."