Many of you probably remember seeing this war flash across the news in the early 90’s. For me, I distinctly remember learning about it in Junior high and it has always been something I have been curious about.
For those of you who would enjoy learning about the war, please read on. For those of you who don’t want to learn- here are some kittens riding a roomba:
In 1992, ethnic tensions boiled over and Bosnia was invaded by Serbian Forces. The most common opinion I’ve heard is that when Yugoslavia was falling apart, Serbia was hoping to jump in and make former Yugoslavia a “Greater Serbia”. Other regions weren’t too keen on this.
Mortar holes all over the city are filled with red paint to represent the spilled blood of the Bosnians
Bullet holes and Mortar holes are found in many buildings still.
Serbian forces surrounded the city of Sarajevo in what is known as the “Siege of Sarajevo”. No one was allowed in or out of the city for more than 3.5 years.
Map showing how the city was surrounded by Serbian forces.
Snipers set up in the hills surrounding the city and picked people off periodically.
Jewish cemetary above Sarajevo that became a snipers nest during the war. Several tombstones still show damage from bullets.
Because the city was surrounded, the people of Sarajevo dug an 800m tunnel to get supplies to the city. The tunnel went underneath the airport to outside the city. It was the only way food and supplies could get into the city.
Me inside the tunnel.
Snipers on the hills were waiting for people to exit the tunnel so it was very risky.
Some of the country still has land mines – Organizations are working to clear the land mines and the country should be land mine free within 5 years.
One of the most interesting things we did was visit the bobsled track from the 1984 Winter Olympics which were held in Sarajevo.
The bobsled track was used during the war. It had holes drilled in it for forces to fire their machine guns through.
A total of 101,000 people died during the war and it is still a very tender subject here. President of Serbia, Slobodan Milosevic, was tried at The Hague for war crimes and died of a heart condition in prison in 2006.
Slobodan Milosevic
Of course, the reasons for this war are far more complicated than what I have written in this blog. Every person we meet seems to have a different opinion on the war and I don’t really ask too many people as I’m not keen at opening old wounds.
One of the biggest reasons I wanted to come here was to learn about the war and for me, the knowledge I’ve gained has been worth the trip alone.
Kamikaze Canuck 