They Hunted Humans

I really enjoy some of the occasional history type posts here on the O-T. Thought I might share what I recently learned from an extended trip to Bosnia. I will be doing a Trip Report on the Travel Board, but that's more touristy oriented. This is a historical context with a dark past. Many of us recall the events during the early 90's and watched the genocide unfold before our very eyes on TV while the world just watched.

Sarajevo was under siege for nearly four years, from April 1992 to February 1996. Bosnian Serb forces surrounded the city, cutting off food, power, and water while shelling and sniper fire hit civilians daily. More than 300 shells a day fell on the city at the peak. Nearly every building was damaged, thousands were killed, and the population survived through airlifts, black market supplies, and a hand dug tunnel under the airport. It was the longest siege in modern European history and left deep scars that are still visible today.

We hired a tour guide for the day to learn more about the "Siege of Sarajevo". He was actually in the Yugoslavian Army before the breakup and ended up fighting for the Bosnian Army. His stories about fighting Russians that supported the war, showing us their graves and discussing how snipers killed local civilians daily was chilling.

“Sarajevo Safari” refers to allegations that, during the siege, foreign visitors were taken to Serb-held positions above the city and allowed to fire into Sarajevo. Some witnesses say civilians were hit, though the full story is still under investigation and not every detail has been legally confirmed. There are videos online showing these "tourists" shooting sniper rifles from the surrounding hills.

The claims resurfaced after a 2022 documentary prompted new inquiries in Bosnia and Italy. The siege itself killed more than 11,000 people in Sarajevo, including over 1,500 children, and around 100,000 people died across the wider war.

For most Bosnians — Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs — the war wasn’t something ordinary people wanted. Communities had lived together for generations, and many endured the violence rather than benefiting from it.

The Dayton Agreement ended the fighting but locked wartime divisions into the political system: three constituent peoples, two entities, a rotating presidency, and layers of government built around ethnic quotas. Critics say it froze the conflict instead of resolving it, and today political pressure from Serb separatists and Croat nationalist demands keeps old tensions close to the surface.

I guess this falls into the “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” line of thinking about the atrocities of war.

Anyway, hope you find this informative. I know we learned so much.

Selected Photos (Google Photo Album)

YouTube:

Well Done Video

Another Video