In the early 1990s, Sarajevo was under siege by Bosnian Serb forces for nearly four years. Sarajevo didn’t have the power to fight back effectively so thousands of people died. Between March and June of 1993, two years after the siege had begun, the Bosnian Army dug a tunnel by hand, with shovels and picks, due to a lack of more powerful tools and machines. The tunnel extended from Sarajevo to an airport (also in Bosnian territory) to transport the citizens safely out of Sarajevo and also receive supplies into Sarajevo. We visited a section of the tunnel on one of our days there. The ceiling was super low. It is hard to imagine how people walked for such a long time carrying children and supplies through such a tight space! Workers were paid with one pack of cigarettes per day, an item that was great for trading. Over the course of the war, between two and three million trips of Bosnian people passed through the tunnel. The Tunnel of Hope saved many people from being killed by the Serbian forces.
That is amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Mrs. Faris!
I still remember Bosnian war in the early 90s and the genocide in Bosnia around that time. Thank you for sharing about the tunnel. It tells the stories of resilience, sacrifice and hope.
The war and genocide during that time was so terrible. I’m glad it’s over now!