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According to
the official results of the 1991 census, the Busovaca district had
18,883 residents:
9,089 Croats
(48,1%)
8,486 Moslems (44,9%)
634 Serbs (3,4%)
674 others (3,4%)
The Serbian aggression on the residents of this district began in
mid-September 1992, during which time the Serbian air force bombarded
the district centre - the town of Busovaca - and either damaged
or destroyed many residential and farm buildings. A large number
of Moslem refugees from the Serb occupied sections of Bosnia-Herzegovina
were accommodated in the district area, which brought about certain
changes in demographic structure. In time, various differences and
individual conflicts between Croats and Moslems escalated, only
to culminate on January 26th 1993, when five Croat villagers were
killed in the B-H Army soldiers' attack on civilian residents of
villages in the southeast of the district and their properties,
while the surviving residents were expelled to the town of Busovaca.
Many Croat owned residential and farm buildings were destroyed.
In 1993, B-H Army soldiers launched several artillery attacks on
Busovaca (the fiercest shelling was on February 9th and December
22nd 1993).
On June 16th
1993, B-H Army soldiers ambushed and killed sixteen Croat civilians
at Busovacke Staje.
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