In pictures: the siege of Sarajevo 20th anniversary

Twenty years ago this Friday, April 6, 2012, the West recognised the Yugoslav republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina as independent and Serb gunmen fired on peace demonstrators in Sarajevo, the opening salvo of a siege on the capital that would last for 43 months

A Bosnian woman does her laundry in Dobrinja River in the Sarajevo front-line district of Dobrinja, in this picture taken August 2, 1993 (top), and the same river is seen April 1, 2012. Photo: REUTERS/Laszlo Balogh and Dado Ruvic

A Bosnian teenager carrying containers of water, walks in front of destroyed trams at Skenderija square in the besieged Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, in this picture taken June 22, 1993 (top), and a woman passes through the same square, April 1, 2012. Photo: Reuters/Oleg Popov and Dado Ruvic

A combination photo shows (upper) the wreckage of a tram in a street following shelling in the Skenderija district in Sarajevo March 1992 and (lower) a tram travelling along the same street in the Skenderija district in Sarajevo May 30, 2011. Photo: Reuters

Three boys run behind a Ukrainian United Nations (UN) armoured personnel carrier (APC) as it moves past a burnt-out tram in Skenderia square in this picture taken August 10, 1993, and vehicles, including a tram, stop at a traffic light in the same square, April 1, 2012. Photo: Reuters/Danilo Krstanovic and Dado Ruvic

A man carries a bag of firewood across a destroyed bridge near the burnt library in Sarajevo, in this picture taken January 1, 1994 and a man carries a box over the same bridge, now repaired, April 1, 2012. Photo: Reuters/Peter Andrews and Dado Ruvic

Workers put up Bosnian and U.S. national flags ahead of a visit by U.S. President Bill Clinton in Sarajevo (top), in this picture taken December 21, 1997, and the parliament building and National Museum are seen in Sarajevo April 1, 2012. Photo: Reuters/Danilo Krstanovic and Dado Ruvic

Disused tank standing at crossroad in front of ruined building in Kovacici district in Sarajevo, people walking along same road today. Photo: Reuters

Building burning after being shelled in Pofalici district in Sarajevo and same building pictured today. Photo: REUTERS

via SKY News