Seven former Bosnian Serb officers have gone on trial at The Hague war crimes tribunal for alleged involvement in the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica.

The trial, the largest yet staged at The Hague, is one of just a handful so far dealing with events at Srebrenica.

The massacre is the only event from the three-year Bosnian war classified as genocide by The Hague tribunal.

At least 8,000 Bosnian Muslims were killed at Srebrenica after a UN safe haven fell to Bosnian Serb forces.

Five of the seven standing trial at The Hague face genocide charges, as well as crimes against humanity.

The prosecution alleges that some of the defendants were involved in the systematic operation to kill thousands of Bosnian Muslims and then conceal them in mass graves.

Correspondents say the case is one of the most important yet brought before the tribunal.

Just six men have so far been convicted over the Srebrenica massacre, and only two of those on genocide charges.

The two men accused of masterminding the massacre, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his military commander Ratko Mladic, remain at large.

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