A Serb-Moslem cease-fire has brought calm only to the edges of the enclave in Bosnia's remote northwest corner. The battle within -- pitting Bosnian government forces against those of local potentate Fikret Abdic -- has killed and wounded more Moslems in a few months than the 26-month siege by Serb artillery and tanks, UN observers say.
"If we had been more united against our true enemy (the Serbs), we would be closer to a solution here," said Ifeta Ibredidzic, 33, a teacher in Bihac town. "But I don't think Sarajevo is concerned for our welfare. We're just too far away."
The enclave, dubbed "the bone in Greater Serbia's throat" for blocking an otherwise unbroken stretch of Serb-held land across north Bosnia to Croatia, fragmented when Abdic declared "autonomy" last September.
The industrialist's fiefdom, centered in the town of Velika Kladusa in the north of the enclave, is under attack by the government Fifth Corps based in Bihac town in the south.
The Bosnian Serbs' temporary truce with the Moslem-led Bosnian government has taken the heat off Bihac's external front and allowed the Fifth Corps to attack Abdic's renegade Moslems.
The Bosnian leadership regards Abdic as a traitor for signing a separate peace with the Serbs and trading openly with them to supply his domain and enrich himself.
Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic has not visited the Bihac region since before Bosnia's war, largely because Serb forces vow to shoot down any planes coming in.
The lack of influence from Sarajevo has left Bihac to its own devices. In the government's part of the pocket, the atmosphere is one of abandonment.
Horse-drawn wagons clip-clopping along empty, dusty streets have become a common sight in Bihac town -- only the military have fuel for vehicles.
There is no electricity for the 48,000 residents. Nights are silent and pitch black, and a curfew is imposed at 10 P.M.
A Krajina Serb blockade of UN aid convoys into the pocket since mid-May has worsened food shortages, although many people will get by this summer thanks to food grown in backyards.
Abdic's stronghold of Velika Kladusa and its wooded hinterland, by contrast, have not been hurt by war because of the decision to trade with surrounding Serbs to mutual profit.
His Agrokomerc food-processing combine has kept the 50,000 residents of his domain well fed by tilling the land and making deals to run convoys in from Croatia through Serb-held Krajina.
Agrokomerc stores boast everything from local dairy products, honey, pickled paprika and Jaffa cakes to Italian pasta, French canned beef, Croatian marmalade, Belgian cooking oil, Canadian whisky, German detergent and American skin cream.
But Abdic's Garden of Eden faces trouble both from the advancing Fifth Corps and from an apparent Croatian clampdown on convoys since Zagreb agreed peace and a renewed military alliance with Sarajevo in March.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.