The 29th anniversary of the Markale massacre was commemorated in Sarajevo on Wednesday with the laying of flowers and tributes to the 43 victims who lost their lives on this day in 1994. A 120-millimeter mortar shell, fired by the Republika Srpska Army (VRS) from Mount Trebevic, struck the northern entrance of the Markale City Market, also injuring 84 others.

The ceremony saw numerous delegations paying their respects at the Markale memorial site with a minute of silence and prayers.

In a speech, Sarajevo Canton Prime Minister Nihad Uk recalled that the Markale massacre was just one of many brutal attacks on Sarajevo’s citizens during the siege.

“There was no place in the city untouched by sorrow,” Uk said. “They shelled our citizens waiting in line for water and bread, innocent children at play, mourners at funerals, and those simply seeking food in markets. Nothing was sacred to them.”

Uk emphasized that these attacks were part of a calculated campaign of terror aimed at breaking the spirit of Sarajevo's people. The Markale massacre, he noted, marked a turning point, prompting decisive international intervention that eventually led to NATO action and the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement.

However, Uk stressed that these actions were insufficient to compensate for the immense suffering endured by Sarajevo’s citizens during the four-year siege, which claimed more than 12,000 lives, including 1,600 children, and left over 60,000 wounded.

“We will continue to resist those propagating hatred and intolerance,” Uk declared. “Let the memory of the victims of Markale and all other atrocities serve as a permanent reminder of the horrors of war, and of our resilience and courage to fight injustice and build a better future.”

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced Republika Srpska Army officers Stanislav Galic to life imprisonment and Dragomir Milosevic to 29 years in prison for war crimes committed against Sarajevo’s inhabitants, including the two Markale massacres.