Before DNA testing was available as a means of identifying the skeletal remains of those buried in mass graves, there was only the ‘Book of Belongings’, two photo albums published by the ICRC showing items found with the remains of the dead from the killings at Srebrenica, Europe’s worst massacre since the Second World War. Some families were able to identify missing relatives through the ICRC’s book, but thousands of bodies exhumed from mass graves remained unidentified and thousands more lay buried in mass or individual graves.

The ICRC works closely with relevant authorities and organizations to accelerate the tracing process. It covers transport costs so families of the missing can visit mass graves or exhumations sites.