In August 1995 , following the Srebrenica massacre and the 2nd Markale massacre , NATO launched an intensive bombing campaign which destroyed Bosnian Serb command and control system . This allowed the Croatian and Bosniak forces to overrun many Serb-held areas of the country , producing a roughly 50/50 split of the territory between the two sides . The offensive came to a halt not far from the '' de facto '' Serb capital of Banja Luka . When the Croat and Bosniak forces stopped their advance they had captured the power plants supplying Banja Luka 's electricity and used that control to pressure the Serb leadership into accepting a ceasefire . The parties agreed to meet at Dayton , Ohio to negotiate a peace treaty under the supervision of the United States . Serb and Croat interests were represented by Milošević and Tuđman , respectively . Izetbegović represented the internationally-recognized Bosnian government
Srebrenica massacre
Srebrenica massacre
Alija Izetbegović