The conflict was initially between the Yugoslav Army units in Bosnia which later transformed into the Army of Republika Srpska ( VRS ) on the one side , and the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( ARBiH ) which was largely composed of Bosniaks , and the Croat forces in the Croatian Defence Council ( HVO ) on the other side . Tensions between Croats and Bosniaks increased throughout late 1992 , resulting in the Croat – Bosniak War that escalated in early 1993 . The Bosnian War was characterised by bitter fighting , indiscriminate shelling of cities and towns , ethnic cleansing and systematic mass rape , mainly perpetrated by Serb , and to a lesser extent , Croat and Bosniak forces . Events such as the Siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre later became iconic of the conflict
Srebrenica massacre
Srebrenica massacre
Bosnian War