The Bukovica massacre was a massacre of Muslims in Bukovica, Pljevlja, in the Axis-occupied Italian governorate of Montenegro. It took place on 4–7 February 1943, during Pavle Đurišić's Chetniks' 1943 cleansing campaign (conducted against the order of supreme Chetnik command). The massacre was aimed at establishing Chetnik control over territories held by the Sandžak Muslim militia. After a short battle with the Muslim militia, Chetniks captured Bukovica and killed over five hundred civilians.
Background
Geography and demography
Bukovica is a rural area of Pljevlja municipality located in northern Montenegro, and is part of the Sandžak region. Prior to the start of World War II, the population of Bukovica was predominantly Muslim, with a substantial Serb population.
Muslim militia in Sandžak
At the end of April 1941 and into the beginning of May, Croatian Ustaše forces captured Sandžak. Political representatives of the Muslim population requested that the territory of Sandžak should be annexed by the Independent State of Croatia. Thus the Sandžak Muslim militia was established in all regions of Sandžak, including Pljevlja. After withdrawal of the Ustaše from Sandžak in September 1941, the region came under control of Italian forces as part of Italian governorate of Montenegro. In April 1942, Italians established a battalion of Muslim militia in Metaljka, near Čajniče, composed of about 500 Muslims from villages near Pljevlja and Čajniče. Soon after, a command post of Muslim militia was established in Bukovica, near Pljevlja. It was commanded by Latif Moćević, the president of Bukovica municipality. From the end of May 1942, his units attacked and killed local Serbs.
In December 1942, around 3,000 Muslims attacked the Serbian village of Buđevo and several surrounding villages near Sjenica, burning down Serb houses and murdering Serb citizens. According to Chetnik sources, Muslims were preparing to expel Serbs who lived on the right bank of Lim, Pljevlja, Čajniče, and Foča.
Order of Draža Mihailović
On 3 January 1943 Draža Mihailović issued an order for the "cleansing of Ustaše-Muslim organizations" from Čajniče region with the explanation that Ustaše and Sandžak Muslim militia forces had continued to attack and kill Serb civilians, rob Serb-populated villages and rape women and girls. Stating that the total number of their armed forces was 2,500, Mihailović issued his order to: Mileševa Corps, commanded by Vojislav Lukačević and Railić Radoman, Drina Corps, commanded by Bajo Nikič Durmitor brigade, commanded by Nikola Bojović
Đurišić's January raids of revenge
On 5 January 1943 Montenegrin Chetniks, commanded by Pavle Đurišić, attacked 33 villages predominantly populated with Muslims in the region of Lower Bihor. They pursued raids of revenge against Sandžak Muslims, many being innocent villagers, with the goal of settling accounts with Muslim militias.
A group commanded by Lukačević began their attack on 5 January 1943. As soon as they attacked, Italian forces tried to intervene. On the same day a unit commanded by Rade Korda burned 15 houses and killed 15 people. The unit commanded by Miraš Savić began to attack on 6 January. On 10 January, Đurišić reported that the Chetniks under his command had burned down 33 Muslim villages, killed 400 Muslim fighters, and had also killed about 1,000 Muslim women and children in the region of Bjelo Polje.
According to some sources, Italians wanted to reward Chetniks because they had agreed to participate in the Case White operation against Communists. This allowed Chetnik attacks on the Muslim population to occur in Sandžak and Montenegro. Chetnik forces began with preparation for this attack on 1 February 1943.
At the end of January 1943, Muslims from Kalinovik in eastern Herzegovina advised Muslims from Bukovica not to allow communists to misuse them against Serbs, like Ustaše had misused them in 1942. This advice was not followed and some Muslims from this region continued to terrorize Serbs from Bukovica and neighboring places.
After a short battle with Muslim militia, Bukovica fell under Chetnik control.