Sarajevans Cheer as Bridge Reopens After 2 Years of War

To cheers and applause, 41 civilians crossed the Brotherhood and Unity Bridge linking the Serb- and government-held parts of Sarajevo for the first time in two years of civil war Wednesday.

“If this was the Sarajevo ‘Wall,’ then it is falling apart,” said Borislav Cuh, 68, as he crossed to see his two sons on the government-held side for the first time since shooting began.

Not all the journeys across the bridge spanning the Miljacka River ended pleasantly. An elderly man, Hazan Bejic, returned after 30 minutes, stunned at the news that a sniper killed his son Jan. 11.

People seeking passage on the bridge must apply at least 24 hours in advance, and both sides must approve each name.

In another sign of Sarajevo’s slow return to normal, a link to the outside world was reopened on a limited basis Wednesday. The road goes north through Serbian siege lines to a region controlled by the Muslim-led government and allied Croats.

But Wednesday’s looting of a U.N. relief convoy 50 miles north of the capital put a damper on rejoicing.

Bosnian Serbs stripped a 10-truck U.N. convoy bound for the Muslim enclave of Maglaj of its 94-ton cargo of food and medicine, scattering or stranding its drivers, U.N. officials said. The trucks’ two-way radios were also taken.

In Zagreb, Croatia, U.N. spokesman Peter Kessler called it “the most serious incident since last June, when Bosnian Serbs shelled a convoy for Maglaj.”