4.29. UNPROFOR (the United Nations Protection Forces) | Mapping a Besieged City
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B/H/S FAMA Collection
1.
PROLOGUE
2.
BACKGROUND
3.
SURVIVAL MAP
4.
MAPPED SITES
4.1.
Airport
4.2.
Brewery
4.3.
Bridges
4.4.
Cemeteries
4.5.
City Bakery
4.6.
City Hall (National Library)
4.7.
Dangerous Zones
4.8.
Elektroprivreda Building
4.9.
Gardens
4.10.
Holiday Inn Hotel
4.11.
Hospitals
4.12.
Markale Market
4.13.
Markets
4.14.
Maternity Hospital
4.15.
National Museum
4.16.
National Theater
4.17.
Olympic Museum
4.18.
Oslobođenje Building
4.19.
Parks
4.20.
Post Office
4.21.
Presidency Building
4.22.
Protection
4.23.
Radio-Television Building
4.24.
Railway Station
4.25.
Snipers
4.26.
Tobacco Factory
4.27.
Transportation
4.28.
Tunnel
4.29.
UNPROFOR (the United Nations Protection Forces)
4.30.
Zetra Olympic Hall
5.
PERCEPTIONS
6.
MACRO STORIES
7.
REFERENCES

The Siege of Sarajevo 1992-96
AHEAD OF FEAR
The Art of Survival #2

☰

4.29.

UNPROFOR (the United Nations Protection Forces)

"The most important form of the protection of citizens was driving the transporters next to them…"

The role of the UNPROFOR was manifold. They served as hostages to the aggressor, they cleared the garbage, they rode in trams as a protection against snipers, they gave out sweets, brought flour, destroyed the surface of Sarajevo streets with their tanks and transporters, they were the only city transportation throughout a long period, they repaired electrical transmission lines, they controlled the airport... The most important form of the protection of citizens was driving the transporters next to them shielding them from the sniper fire while they were crossing the Tito street.

© FAMA Collection Visual Archives, Drago Resner

Sarajevo citizens: In their own words

“Then on the 7th of August, at a meeting with their UNPROFOR representatives, suggested that it would be most helpful, if they were not going to be engaged militarily, for them to engage in solving specific problems that were critical to Sarajevans. These were electricity, water, and later, gas. Because they hadn’t turned off the gas yet.”

- Muhamed Kreševljaković, Mayor of Sarajevo

“But our vehicles or even the UNPROFOR vehicles coming out, performing jobs of removing automobile wrecks, ruins, they raised at least some hope that this wouldn’t last, that it would stop, that the city would return to its normal life, which it didn’t for quite some time.”

- Enes Filipović, Assistant director of the City Waste Disposal Company

“The Koševo Stadium was about 200 meters as the crow flies from enemy lines. They were watching us, and they could have caused unwanted consequences at any moment. But that match was extremely well organized. And I can tell you that a large number of spectators about 25 thousand spectators came to watch the game [FC Sarajevo:UNPROFOR], and they were, how should I put it, surprised that they were able to go to that playing field.”

- Sead Jasenković, Football player

Video Oral History: The Siege of Sarajevo 1992-96  (© FAMA Collection, 1997-99.)

4.28. Tunnel
4.30. Zetra Olympic Hall