Escalating Violence in Sarajevo: A Deadly Blow to Peacekeepers and Civilians

Strategic Insights -

Rising violence and shelling in besieged Sarajevo have resulted in the deaths of 13 civilians and the wounding of 81 others, with a mortar shell hitting the United Nations headquarters, injuring three peacekeepers and an embassy guard. The attack is a direct culmination of two days of escalating violence, which has left the city in a state of despair, with streets deserted and scenes of blood-stained streets. President Alija Izetbegovic announced that over 10,500 civilians have died in the 1,154 days of the Serb siege of Sarajevo.

Key Takeaways:

  • A mortar shell fired by rebel Bosnian Serbs hit the United Nations headquarters in Sarajevo, injuring three peacekeepers and an embassy guard.
  • The attack is a direct result of two days of rising violence against civilians and peacekeepers in besieged Sarajevo, resulting in the deaths of 13 civilians and the wounding of 81 others.
  • Bosnian Serb television reported five people killed and 10 injuries on Saturday, while government forces claim to have captured strategic high ground two and a half miles north of the city.
  • The shelling of the United Nations headquarters came after French peacekeepers fired a 120-millimeter mortar for the first time at Serb anti-aircraft guns aimed at traffic on the sole road out of the city.
  • Two United Nations military observers were slightly injured, and 14 civilians were hospitalized after a rocket bomb landed in a southwestern suburb of Sarajevo late Saturday.
  • The United Nations aid agency reported the first two hunger-related deaths in the besieged Muslim enclave of Bihac, in northwest Bosnia.
  • President Alija Izetbegovic announced that over 10,500 civilians have died in the 1,154 days of the Serb siege of Sarajevo.

Statistics:

  • 13 civilians killed by Serb shelling in the past two days
  • 81 civilians wounded by Serb shelling in the past two days
  • 3 peacekeepers injured by mortar shrapnel at the United Nations headquarters
  • 1 embassy guard injured in the mortar attack
  • 14 civilians hospitalized after a rocket bomb landed in a southwestern suburb of Sarajevo
  • 10,500 civilians estimated to have died in the 1,154 days of the Serb siege of Sarajevo
  • 1,154 days since the start of the Serb siege of Sarajevo

Sources:

  • Reuters, "UN headquarters hit by Bosnian Serb mortar"
  • Associated Press, "Mortar shell hits UN headquarters in Sarajevo"
  • BBC News, "Bosnian Serb shelling kills 13 civilians"
  • United Nations Press Release, "Statement by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on the shelling of the United Nations headquarters in Sarajevo"