‘Butcher of Bosnia’ Ratko Mladic dies aged 84 after being convicted of genocide for orchestrating massacre

A RUTHLESS warlord dubbed the “Butcher of Bosnia” has died in prison. Serb commander Ratko Mladic, who died aged 84, had been serving a life sentence for committing a genocide in the 1990s. Serb commander Ratko Mladic passed away at the age of 84 Credit: AP The military general boasted that he was a god and revelled in the slaughter of thousands Credit: AP A family member who spoke on condition of anonymity said Mladic passed away in a prison hospital in The Hague, Netherlands. He suffered from poor health in recent years and had been hospitalised several times. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Mladic had gained notoriety as a “butcher” following his bloodthirsty exploits during the Bosnian war of 1992 to 1995. The Serbian general swept across the country and tried to wipe out all ethnic Bosnians – and form a Serb state in their place. He reportedly commanded his troops to scorch the brains of the Bosnian Muslims and boasted of being a Serbian God. The brutal ethnic conflict killed more than 100,000 people and left over 1 million people without homes. Mladic also built concentration camps for non-Serbs, enemy soldiers and prisoners. His cruelty culminated in 1995 with the massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in the mountain town of Srebrenica. Most read in The Sun Serb commander Ratko Mladic played a critical role in murdering Bosnians Credit: AP Mladic speaking to his troops in 1994 Credit: AP The atrocity was the largest mass killing in Europe since World War Two. In the aftermath, Mladic boasted: “We give this town to the Serb people as a gift” and reportedly handed out sweets to Serbian children in the area. After years on the run the former war chief was eventually arrested in 2011 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2017. At the 2017 trial he shouted: “This is all lies, you are all liars!” More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us on TikTok @TheSun. Comment now