BOSNIA: SARAJEVO: PEOPLE TAKE SHELTER FROM SNIPER FIRE

Описание: (14 Jun 1995) Natural Sound
Bosnian government troops are poised outside Sarajevo for what's expected to be a major offensive to break the siege of the capital.
On the streets of the city Wednesday, the people of Sarajevo have again been forced to shelter from sniper fire.
And that's only part of the problem for those who live there.
After three years of siege and warfare, they suffer daily from severe shortages of essential supplies.
An ambulance at this intersection is not an uncommon sight.
This man - who suffered serious injuries and whose condition is critical - is whisked away to hospital by French UN peacekeepers.
A sniper protection screen is the city's response to the fact that at least ten people have been killed or injured at this intersection in the past two weeks.
This is Sarajevo- where the residents must run for their lives if they venture out to buy supplies. That is - if there are supplies to be bought.
The sad fact is: food supplies are dangerously low, there's no water, electricity or natural gas. And there's no end in sight.
Sarajevo-the site of the 1984 Winter Olympics- was once a picturesque town.
Under grey and rainy skies, the battle-scarred city now has little to commend it.
Yesterday (Tuesday), a major food convoy was held up some miles from the city - Bosnian Serbs demanding half the cargo.
There is only one route for UNHCR convoys - one that faces countless threats from Serb anti-aircraft guns.
In the midst of the siege, residents are forced to try and grow what essential food crops they can - and to search out clean unpolluted water for drinking, cooking , and cleaning.
Children and adults alike travel day and night with plastic jugs to find water - needed more than ever, now that summer has arrived.
Another essential in short supply is money; while some food is available at the market - scarcely anyone can afford it.
Grainy bread and stew are the staple. Even the smallest portion is treasured.
Still the people of Sarajevo continue to go about their daily lives. Sheltered by armoured personnel carriers, they scurry across streets.
When their homes come under attack, all they can do is try to douse the flames. When their children become victims, mothers become nurses.
Sarajevo's hospitals are full...as are the city's graveyards - yet, somehow, the people of the city carry on, hoping the future will bring peace.

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