Ratko Mladić: BBC correspondent on meeting dangerous fanatic early in Bosnian war
Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladić, known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," has died in prison. A BBC correspondent recounts his early meeting with Mladić and the harrowing experiences of ethnic cleansing during the Bosnian war, emphasizing the human cost beyond ethnic labels.
Why it matters
This article highlights the lasting impact of war crimes and ethnic conflict, underscoring the importance of journalistic eyewitness accounts in understanding historical atrocities and the profound human suffering they cause.
Image source, Reuters Published 27 August 2026 Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladić, dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia" for his actions during the Balkan wars of the 1990s, has died in prison.
BBC special correspondent Allan Little was there throughout the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, and met Mladić in the early months of the Bosnian war.
At night, you could watch the fires of ethnic cleansing across the landscape. The flames provided the only light under the night sky and the black valley would glimmer with flecks of orange.
You could watch the men of our village move about silently in the shadows of their homes, each armed with some ancient weapon salvaged from wars long ago and, like the fears and the suspicions and the distrusts, handed down through the generations.
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