Mennonite
Central
Committee

War-weary Soldiers Embrace Non-Violent Ways to Achieve Lasting Peace

Gladys Terichow
June 21, 2006

Years of war convinced a young soldier in the Balkans that long term peace is best achieved through non-violent means. Now he's helping others understand how fear and hate lead to war.

"I found out after the wars that there is another way to deal with problems in the Balkans," said Adnan Hasanbegović, an ex-combatant working for the Sarajevo-based Center for Non-Violent Action (CNA).

Hasanbegović was 19 years old when he joined the army in 1992. When the war ended in 1995 he started working for peace organizations. Seven years ago he began working for CNA where he identified the opportunity to involve ex-soldiers in educational programs that improve inter-ethnic relationships and promote non-violent ways to deal with conflict.

Developing training curriculum

In partnership with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) the center has developed a training program that creates a trusting atmosphere where people can talk about sensitive issues. MCC staff assisted in developing training curriculum for the center.

"When ex-soldiers talk about peace and non-violence, people listen," said Hasanbegović in a telephone interview. "Our hard experiences with war motivate us to focus on peace. Non-violence is the only way for long term peace."

The Yugoslav wars, a series of violent conflicts in the 1990s, were the bloodiest conflicts on European soil since the end of World War II.

Understanding the issues that created deep ethnic divisions in the Balkans are the basis for reconciliation among the people from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Croatia, said Hasanbegović.

"It is very important for us to understand our history—to understand the fear and hate that goes back many generations. It is important to understand how fear and hate leads to future wars."

Dealing with trauma

An essential aspect of peace building is understanding trauma, specifically the connections between trauma and reconciliation, explained Hasanbegović. "We realized we needed more education to try and understand this," he said.

In Bosnia-Herzegovina, about 50 per cent of men are war veterans, said Hasanbegović, adding other countries report different percentages.

Many war veterans are experiencing post-traumatic stress but the devastating effects of trauma are not easily recognized in societies where such large number of people have been affected, he said.

"In Sarajevo all society was involved in the war," he said. "My wife and I had similar experiences—I was in the front lines and my wife was in the basement during the bombings."

Ex-combatants throughout the region share similar experiences and problems. "People here have a lot in common. About 80 per cent of our lifestyle is the same."

But when group discussions turn to the war—"why was the war, who is guilty, who is responsible" the atmosphere becomes tense. "That is the critical point," he explained.

"The problems are very complex," said Amela Puljek-Shank, who along with her husband, Randy, serves as MCC regional representatives for southeast Europe. "They are dealing with trauma that goes back 600 years. The war is on the surface but there is so much more behind the surface."

The Puljek-Shank’s both have master’s degrees in conflict transformation. They welcomed the invitation from CNA to develop a training curriculum for trauma and reconciliation.

Two training sessions have already taken place to help local trainers. Many are ex-combatants who learn more about trauma and how to incorporate this information into community educational programs on peace and reconciliation.

Restorative justice

An upcoming training session will deal with restorative justice, said Puljek-Shank. "This is very sensitive work," she explained. "If you have lost 11 family members, what kind of justice can heal the pain?"

Restorative justice, she said, requires people to "come to the difficult reality" that each ethnic group must accept responsibility for its part in the war. This is a difficult message for workshop participants to share in their home communities, she added. "This is a brave act," she said. "It often brings stigma to themselves and their families."

Sharing a message of restorative justice, she added, is especially difficult for former soldiers who may be dealing with emotional and physical disabilities because of the war and are having problems finding jobs. "It is even harder for a former soldier to get a job when he says, "we also have committed something wrong here."

Gladys Terichow is a writer for Mennonite Central Committee