On Wednesday 15 December hundreds of activists and civilians joined together in the Bosnian capital to show their solidarity with Syrians in eastern Aleppo.
The rally was led by the Mayor of the city of Sarajevo, Ivo Komsic, who highlighted the suffering, killing and hunger that once existed in Sarajevo.
“More than a thousand children were killed in Sarajevo, we have the right to raise our voices against the killing of civilians,” said Komsic.
The siege of Sarajevo (1992-1996) was known as the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare and shows many similarities with the horrific events occurring in Aleppo. It seems that very few lessons have been learned in 20 years.
The rally forms part of the global #StandWithAleppo campaign, with organizers stressing that it was for everyone, regardless of religious or political beliefs. A variety of strong visual messages were on show, including blood covered dolls and powerful quotes such as “After Auschwitz, the world said: never again!”
On Tuesday, the UN’s human rights office reported that rebel forces in Aleppo were still a threat to the Syrian city as government forces closed in, killing civilians in their homes. Horrific videos continue to emerge across social media and international news websites of the harrowing scenes in rebel-held Aleppo, indicating that the siege is far from over.
After numerous delays, a ceasefire has now been agreed upon to allow civilians to leave the devastation of the city.
Written by George Rogers
