Ratko Mladic, the former military leader of the Bosnian Serb forces, has died while serving a life sentence at the United Nations detention center in The Hague. He was convicted of genocide and war crimes related to the brutal 1992-1995 Bosnian War. Local media reports indicate Mladic’s death followed a series of strokes. His conviction by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) centered on his role in the Srebrenica massacre of over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys. Mladic was also found guilty of crimes against humanity and violating the laws or customs of war. His death closes a chapter on one of the most controversial figures of the Balkan conflicts, though the wounds of the war remain deep. The circumstances surrounding his death are expected to be further investigated.