No Food, No Water, No Electricity

Radovan Karadzic and General Ratko Mladic, the two main characters in the self-proclaimed Serbian Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina, announced last week the decision on a unilateral cease of all war operations in the whole of B&H, and then launched fierce artillery and infantry attacks on Sarajevo and other parts of the republic. The results were fierce clashes, further shelling of the entire city, demolition of civilian targets and, of course, new victims.

Most parts of Sarajevo still do not have electricity, potable water is a "fictive concept" for many people, and food is not even mentioned. During this week there wasn't even enough bread because there is not enough yeast at the city's central bakery. The answer to the bakers' request that UNPROFOR help bring yeast from Visoko (30 km from Sarajevo) was negative. That is why, and because of a series of other moves, the citizens of Sarajevo show less and less sympathy for UN representatives.

According to meticulous chroniclers, 150,000 missiles, mortar and gun shells have fallen on Sarajevo, which further means that in average 2,500 shells fell every day, or 4,700 shells per km2. In order to transport these shells to some fifteen artillery positions, it was necessary to engage 250 large trucks, which if lined up, would make up a 10 km long column. These figures were calculated by a group of artillery men from the ex-JNA who preferred to remain anonymous. In their calculations, they did not take into account infantry weapons: rifles, automatic rifles, light anti-tank weapons...

Peculiar traffic signs can be noticed in the streets of Sarajevo (if the term "street" can be applied to amorphous masses of concrete): "Danger - sniper!", "Drive really fast"... Chuck Norris would do O.K. in Sarajevo.

Meanwhile, Sarajevo is already tired of prognoses. Will humanitarian aid ever arrive? Will there be a foreign military intervention? Instead of these very important questions for political and military analysts, most of Sarajevo's citizens are asking themselves will their flour stocks last until tomorrow. Will there be enough parquet and furniture in their demolished apartments to make a fire for cooking meager and tasteless meals in the hallway? Will the next shell miss them? Did they "mop up" every single sniper from their building? Who will be more persistent: the citizens of Sarajevo without food, electricity, water, telephone, medicines, medical material, or the attackers from the neighboring hills?