A Year for Riots in Belgrade

The extradition of Karadic has brought violence again to Belgrade. Just five months earlier 150,000 people turned out to protest the independence of Kosovo which has until recently belonged to Serbia.

Last night around 15,000 protesters gathered to oppose the extradition of Radovan Karadzic to the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Many of these ultra-nationalist see Karadzic as a national hero.

Talking to a friend of mine who lives near me here in Sarajevo, but is on vacation visiting his family in Belgrade says that these protesters are just a loud minority. I fear however that this minority is growing as it could seem that the world is against the Serbian nation. First with the backing of many western countries for the independence of Kosovo and now the UN is putting another Serb leader on trial. Don't get me wrong, this man needs to face justice... I'm just concerned that all of these events will again destabilize the region

His First Night in Jail

Radovan Karadzic spent his first night in jail after 13 years on the run. Karadzic has been accused of war crimes and of genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The hope (at least my hope) is that this might be a turning point for the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina to put the war behind them and set their eyes on the future. I don't want to be unsympathetic to the victims of the war, and I rejoice along with the world as justice will no doubt be served at the tribunal in The Hague.

For more information and video about Karadzic follow these links: Karadzic's profile Karadzic denies 'war crimes' - 1995

The War is Over, but the Killing Continues

Heaven & Hell
Originally uploaded by jim_in_sarajevo

Two mine clearers were killed Saturday when a landmine left over from Bosnia's 1992-95 war exploded while working at an area near the town of Maglaj.

These deaths come just after another tragedy when two men were killed when they triggered a landmine while chopping wood in a forest in northern Bosnia.

Even 13 years after the war ended, more than 200,000 landmines and other unexploded munitions remain littered across more than 3% of Bosnia's territory.

Approximately 480 people have been killed by mines and more than 1,100 injured in the country since 1996. Experts warn it will take decades for all the landmines to be cleared.

Fortunately most of the mined area's are marked with big skull and cross bones signs as seen in this photo.

Not so Brilliant Light

Light Decay
Originally uploaded by Travis Sharpe

For those who already get our newsletter, sorry for the reproduction.

Often I feel like this light in our building's hallway. It's on a delay switch and it only comes on when a tenant presses the switch. The light barely stays on long enough to navigate a few flights of stairs before it goes off again. Many times it doesn't get changed for weeks after it burns out, and the tenants are forced to navigate the stairs in the dark. This kind of light is far from the kind of light that the tenants need.

In the same way the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina need light in their lives. Unfortunately, many of those called to be light in this country have been feeling burned out; much like this light in our hallway.

Stacy and I have not been able to escape this overwhelming discouragement felt by many of us working in Bosnia. We are in need of renewal, and our hope is that when we return to the states for home-assignment this fall we will experience some renewal. The passage that currently haunts me is from Matthew 5:13, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men". Please remember to pray for us. Thank you.