Ratko Mladić, 'Butcher of Bosnia' convicted of genocide, dies at 84

Ratko Mladić, the Bosnian Serb warlord general who oversaw wartime atrocities as he led forces that carried out the worst massacre in Europe since World War II , has died.

He was 84.

Mladic, known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," passed away at a hospital in The Hague, Netherlands, U.N. court officials said.

He had been in custody since 2011 following years on the run for war crimes committed during the wars in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

In 2017, he was sentenced to life in prison.

EX-PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT DUTERTE TO FACE TRIAL ON CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY CHARGES Mladic was one of the most notorious figures in the conflict that left more than 100,000 people dead and displaced more than a million others.

Under his command, Bosnian Serb troops took control of large swaths of Bosnia and Herzegovina and laid siege to the capital of Sarajevo, as well as other cities.

His forces detained non-Serb civilians and enemy soldiers in concentration camps and systematically slaughtered prisoners .

Despite the charges levied against him, Mladic never showed remorse.

In court, he yelled at the judges when he was sentenced.

"He was murdered there, in those dungeons," said Janko Seslija, a former Bosnian Serb soldier, told The Associated Press.

"I feel sorry for Gen.

Mladic.

He was an honorable man, honorable soldier and commander." A former Communist-era military officer, Mladic sided with the Serbs as Yugoslavia broke apart and disintegrated into war.