1992 – Radovan Karadzic, Bosnian Serb leader, opposes independent Bosnia. Bosnian Serbs declare a republic and lay siege to Sarajevo. Mladic given command of the Bosnian Serb army which overruns 70 per cent of the country.
1993 – Hundreds of civilians killed daily in siege of Sarajevo. War erupts between Muslims and Croats.
1994 – Muslim-Croat war ends. US, British, French, German and Russian “Contact Group” proposes carve-up of Bosnia. Bosnian Serbs reject it and Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic cuts off their aid for blocking a “fair” deal.
1995 – In May, Nato bombs Karadzic bunker after Serbs ignore an ultimatum to stow their heavy weapons. Serbs shell a cafe in the UN safe area of Tuzla, killing 70.
July 11th – Mladic forces overrun “safe area” of Srebrenica (refugees right). In the next seven days, up to 8,000 Muslim men and boys killed in worst atrocity since second World War.
July 24th – UN issues indictments against Karadzic and Mladic for genocide, citing the siege of Sarajevo.
August 5th – Serb shell hits a Sarajevo market, killing 37. Nato aircraft and UN artillery blast Serb targets in response.
November 16th – UN war crimes tribunal again indicts Karadzic and Mladic, this time for genocide at Srebrenica.
November 21st - Deal struck in Dayton, Ohio, gives Serbs half of Bosnia. They must co-operate with the UN war crimes court.
December 5th – Nato allies agree to send in 60,000 stabilisation force peacekeepers .
2001 – Milosevic, ousted in 2000, is handed over to UN tribunal. Chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte starts campaign to demand Mladic and Karadzic be arrested.
2004 – In January Nato and Bosnian Serb police search Pale on a tip that Karadzic needs medical help, but find nothing.
December 16th – Nato says Mladic visited his wartime bunker in summer to celebrate Bosnian Serb army day.
2005 January-May – A dozen Serbian generals, including several of Mladic’s closest aides, surrender to the International Criminal Court (below) in The Hague to stand trial.
December – Fugitive Croat Gen Ante Gotovina is captured, redoubling pressure on Serbia to catch Mladic. The state warns that anyone aiding Mladic or his helpers will be prosecuted.
2006 – Army intelligence issues a report revealing that Mladic had been using Serb army premises until mid-2002.
May – After months of warnings, the European Union suspends talks with Serbia on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, putting EU membership hopes on hold.
July – Belgrade court indicts 10 people for helping Mladic hide from 2002 to January 2006. The investigation shows the former commanding officer stayed mostly in the high-rise New Belgrade area of the capital.
2007 – May-June – Under a new coalition government, the drought of handovers suddenly ends, with the arrest in Bosnia of wanted Mladic aide Zdravko Tolimir. The EU resumes talks but warns Mladic is still wanted.
2008 – Karadzic (pictured) is arrested in Belgrade on July 21st. Police say the bearded, grey and almost unrecognisable man had been living under a false identity, practising alternative medecine.
2010 – Serbian police briefly detain Mladic’s wife on June 10th and charge her with illegal possession of weapons.
June 16th – Mladic’s family launch court proceedings to declare him dead on the grounds that he had been in poor health and they had had no contact with him for more than five years.
October 28th – Serbia offers a €10 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Mladic, up from $1 million.
November 15th – Serbia is still not co-operating fully with the UN war crimes tribunal in the hunt for Mladic, the chief prosecutor says.
2011 – Mladic is arrested on May 26th.