Topic > The Siege of Sarajevo: An Unlearned Lesson for Humanity

Elie Wiesel asks whether humanity has learned from its experiences and examines our involvement in catastrophes around the world. He discusses humanity's abject failures and praises its successes. Among these failures, it could include the siege of Sarajevo. That crisis is proof that we have learned nothing from our appalling 20th century experiences. The Siege of Sarajevo was a destructive conflict that took place from the early 1990s until the mid-1990s. The siege was caused by Bosnia-Herzegovina which declared its independence from the former Yugoslav federation. The Serbs living in this distinct area feared the idea of ​​being controlled by the Muslim Slavs who formed the majority of the population, or 44% of the population. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe Serbs soon armed themselves and began to repel the Muslims. Most cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina were demolished, with the exception of Sarajevo. On April 6, 1992, Serbian militants wounded 30 people and killed at least 5 civilians when they opened fire on thousands of peace protesters in Sarajevo. Thus began a siege that has been called "the worst in Europe since the end of the Second World War". Roads in and out of Sarajevo were blocked, the airport was closed, and around 400,000 residents were trapped in the siege. They have been cut off from important supplies, such as food, medicine, water and electricity. The residents were very close to complete starvation and their only chance of survival was the success of the UN airlifts from Sarajevo Airport, which opened at the end of June 1992. In a short period of time, every building was damaged or destroyed, and no civilian would be safe from attack. On June 1, 1993, mortar attacks during a soccer match killed at least 15 people and injured 80 others. Red Cross trucks were allowed to enter Sarajevo, but were attacked and destroyed. On July 12, 1993, 12 people were killed while queuing for water, and the following year, on February 5, 68 were killed and another 200 injured in the Sarajevo market, by mortar attacks. By the end of 1993, Bosnian Serbs ruled 75% of the country, and crimes ranging from execution, torture, rape, and murder were committed at the hands of Serb forces. On May 1, Sarajevo was again shaken by mortars and gunfire. Serbs raided a UN-monitored weapons collection site. This worsened hostilities to such an extent that NATO jets attacked Serbian ammunition depots on May 25 of the same year. The Bosnian government declared the siege of Sarajevo over on February 29, 1996. But there were still scars left on this once-proud city, which was an intellectual center known for its multicultural tolerance. The population rose from 650,000 before the war to 220,000. And now the population is recovering, currently at 555,210. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Customize EssayThe Sarajevo siege crisis is proof that we have learned nothing from our 20th century experiences. There are countries right now trying to declare independence or something that would benefit them, but they can't get it without some sort of conflict or argument. We will never learn from our experiences because, one way or another, we will make mistakes that will affect what surrounds us.