Dark balloons of the Red Cross reminded of 7,000 missing persons in BiH

As part of the observance of the International Day of the Missing, Red Cross volunteers in Bosnia and Herzegovina distributed thousands of dark balloons with the inscription „Where is he/she?“, reminding of the heavy burden of uncertainty that accompanies the families of missing persons in their everyday lives.

Carrying the balloons, citizens had the opportunity to express solidarity with the families, symbolically taking on part of their burden.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, around 7,000 persons missing as a result of the past war are still being sought.

For more than 20 years, their families have been living in uncertainty, not knowing the fate of their loved ones nor where they are located.

-Today we want to remind the public of their needs, and the authorities of their obligations - said Željko Filipović, head of the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Sarajevo.

Under international and domestic law, families have the right to know what happened to their missing members, and states have an obligation to support them and provide them with answers.

The International Day of the Missing was marked across the country with numerous initiatives by family associations, and the observance in Sarajevo was organized by the ICRC and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).

On this occasion, the ICRC produced an animated film, whose main motif is a dark cloud with the inscription „Where is he/she?“.