Jolie on mission against rape in war

Angelina Jolie and British Foreign Secretary William Hague will co-host a high-profile summit focused on ending rape as a weapon of war.

Angelina Jolie (L) and British Foreign Secretary William Hague

Angelina Jolie (L) and British Foreign Secretary William Hague will co-host a summit on rape in war. (AAP)

Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie has arrived in Sarajevo with British Foreign Secretary William Hague to take part in a conference on sexual violence in war.

Dressed in black, the US actress arrived at the Sarajevo airport in pouring rain and headed to a hotel in downtown Sarajevo.

Jolie and Hague are due to co-host a high-profile summit focused on ending rape as a weapon of war, scheduled for June in London and expected to be the largest ever gathering of its kind, according to the British foreign minister.

Friday's conference on preventing such crimes is organised by Bosnia's defence ministry.

Hague was also to meet members of Bosnia's tripartite presidency and visit Srebrenica, where Serb forces massacred some 8000 Muslim men and boys near the end of the country's 1992-1995 war.

Jolie's 2011 directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey, dealt with the issues of war crimes and violence against women during Bosnia's war.

Jolie, whose movie was shot with several actors from the former Yugoslavia, was named an honorary citizen of Sarajevo in 2012.

Bosnia's war between its Croats, Muslims and Serbs claimed some 100,000 lives.

Around 20,000 women were raped during the conflict, according to estimates by local organisations.


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Source: AAP


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