As Bosnia descended into war, Konjic was not immune to the tension and suspicion among the ethnic groups. On 17 April 1992, Serb representatives from Konjic's Municipal Assembly and Executive Council walked out following the recognition of Bosnia as an independent state. In the meantime, Muslim and Croat officials formed a War Presidency and an interim "Crisis Staff" to deal with the municipality's administration and defence. By mid-April 1992, Bosnian Serb forces had effectively surrounded the town of Konjic and cut it off from both Sarajevo and Mostar. Muslim and Croat forces began to arrive in the city of Konjic from surrounding villages, while Serb inhabitants moved to Serb-controlled villages. Konjic's defence forces—which at the time consisted of the Territorial Defence Force (TO), the local Croatian Army (HVO) and the Ministry of the Interior (MUP)—attempted to negotiate with the principal representative of the Serbian people, the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) but these apparent negotiations failed and a military campaign was launched.