During the Bosnian War and the siege of Sarajevo the Bosnian Serb army attacked civilians in the Markale or marketplace located in the centre of Sarajevo. It was the deadliest attack during the siege of Sarajevo.
There were two separate attacks. The first occurred on 5th February 1994 when a mortar shell landed in the centre of a crowded open-air marketplace and killed 68 people and left 144 wounded. It happened on the day that Bosnian Serb, Muslim and Croat politicians were due to meet for peace talks in Sarajevo. Footage soon reached the worlds media. Bosnian Serbs denied all responsibility, claiming the Bosnian government bombed its own people to incite international outrage, sympathy and action. However, in 2003 the ICTY concluded that the massacre was committed by Serb forces.
The second attack occurred 18 months later, on 28th August 1995 hours after the Bosnian Serbs tentatively expressed their agreement for the peace plan presented by Richard Holbrooke. The shelling killed 43 civilians and wounded 75 more. Bosnian Serb forces denied responsibility and again pointed the finger at the Bosnian government for bombing its own people to provoke intervention. This attack was the final catalyst leading to international action; NATO air strikes and the eventual signing of the Dayton Accords.
It has been suggested that the Bosnian Army attacked its own people to provoke intervention from the West. General Michael Rose, the British head of the Sarajevo based UNPROFOR confirmed at the time that he could not be sure who was responsible. Although the UN didn’t publicly accuse the Bosnian government of shelling its own people, UNPROFOR did accuse the government forces of firing to provoke the Serbs. On the other hand, the Bosnian government had their hands tied by the arm embargo and frustrated by Western diplomacy. Such an atmosphere of mistrust was eventually changed by the successful military action by NATO forces to end the siege of Sarajevo and get all sides around the negotiating table.
