Date: November 20, 1991
Author: Mothers for Peace – Bedem Ljubavi (Croatia)
Addressed to: Cyrus Vance, Special Envoy to the UN Secretary-General
View the Original Letter: krcmar book 2_Part12_Part1.pdf
About This Letter
Written in November 1991, this powerful open letter from Mothers for Peace was addressed to Cyrus Vance, then Special Envoy to the UN Secretary-General, during one of the darkest months of the Croatian War of Independence.
The letter expresses both desperation and moral clarity. It urges Vance — and through him, the international community — to recognize the unfolding genocide in Croatia, especially as the city of Vukovar was being reduced to rubble. The mothers’ voices are direct and unyielding, pleading for action before the destruction spread “from Dubrovnik, across our islands, to Zagreb.”
In one of its most haunting passages, the letter quotes war correspondents who witnessed the Yugoslav Army entering Vukovar singing “liberation songs” whose chilling refrain translated to “There will be meat — we will butcher Croats.”
The appeal closes with a simple, human request:
“We sincerely believe if you can give us ten minutes of your precious time and meet us while you are in Zagreb, you will see that now is the last chance to save innocent lives.”
It is a document of heartbreak and bravery — a mother’s voice cutting through the silence of world diplomacy.
