After 22 years, the same sorrow: Tribute paid to victims of the Markale massacre

A commemorative session at the National Theatre in Sarajevo and the laying of candles at the Markale market marked the 22nd anniversary of the suffering of Sarajevo residents during the aggression against BiH, reports BH news agency Patria.

On 5 February 1994, 67 people were killed and 142 were seriously or lightly wounded by shells fired from aggressor positions.

Family members, survivors, and numerous delegations today remembered the terror that Sarajevo endured each of the 1,425 days of the siege, the longest siege in the history of a city.

Never forget and never again, were the words of those present. During the siege, the Markale market was a place where basic necessities were obtained: flour, oil, coffee, cigarettes.

The second Markale massacre occurred on 28 August 1995, killing 37 people and wounding 90.

That tragic day was also remembered by the Mayor of Sarajevo, Ivo Komšić.

- Ten minutes earlier I had passed by the Markale market, heading towards the Presidency building. In those ten minutes, I may have avoided tragedy. No one can console the parents who lost their children here, the people who lost their loved ones - said Komšić, emphasising that it is our duty to mark the Day of Remembrance for the killed citizens of Sarajevo each year with a commemoration and the laying of wreaths.