New information has surfaced regarding the alleged ‘human safari’ that occurred during the Bosnian War. A witness has come forward with chilling testimony, describing how affluent tourists were allowed to shoot at civilians.
In the Sarajevo Safari documentary, a Slovenian intelligence officer, who was engaged by the US during the war, shared his experience of witnessing the darker aspects of the conflict. He recounted how Serbian snipers took him to their strategic positions around Sarajevo.
From elevated locations like high-rise buildings and nearby hills, Serb militants launched heavy fire on thousands of civilians trapped in the city during its prolonged siege, which lasted four years from 1992 to 1996, resulting in the deaths of at least 13,000 civilians.
The intelligence officer claimed to have encountered ‘tourist shooters,’ a mysterious group rumored to have paid $90,000 each to partake in shooting civilians. He noted these tourists did not appear ‘average’ and possessed ‘remarkable’ hunting skills.
The officer described being taken to another site on the Serbian side of the siege. “That was the first time I witnessed the Sarajevo Safari up close,” he stated.
Backing long-standing allegations of human hunting during the civil war, the anonymous source confirmed: “For certain sums of money, strangers would come in to shoot at the surrounded citizens of Sarajevo.”
During the city’s 1425-day siege, civilians, who also faced bombings, shelling, and water shortages, identified sniper-covered streets and warned each other to avoid them.
Yet, navigating these perilous areas became part of daily life, with residents learning tactics like pausing and changing pace while running to evade sniper fire, according to the intelligence officer.
These accounts capture some of the terror experienced during the siege, but the complete horror of the ‘human safari’ continued to unfold for the source.
He observed a sniper rifle and binoculars set up for the tourists and witnessed a wealthy individual shoot a man dead, describing the atmosphere as filled with excitement at turning Sarajevo into a human firing range.
The situation worsened when one of the hunters targeted a child walking with his mother. The intelligence officer learned that the Serbs charged higher fees for shooting children, a part of their macabre business model.
Despite being offered the chance to take a shot for free, the Slovenian witness declined.
With the city surrounded by snipers and artillery fire, and 70,000 lightly armed Croats and allies unable to break the siege, the conflict only ended with the 1995 Dayton Accords.
After the war, four Serb officials were tried for their roles in crimes against humanity during the conflict, alongside 90 others. They included former President Milošević and commanders Stanislav Galić, Dragomir Milošević, Radovan Karadžić, and Ratko Mladić, all found guilty of war crimes.
As further details of the Sarajevo ‘human safari’ emerge, European prosecutors are investigating potential criminal charges against the tourists involved, with a case underway in Milan to probe these accusations.