Irma Hadzimuratovic 30th July 1993

30th July 1993 a little 5 year old girl was in the wrong place at the wrong time

Irma Hadzimuratovic was badly injured when a mortar shell Bosnian Serb troops hit a Sarajevo market place killing 15 people including her mother

Irma Hadzimuratovic became the face of the Bosnian war for a few months after being flown from Sarajevo to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Sadly she died of septicaemia on 1 April 1995

Some say she was just a token to detract from the failures of the UN, but to me she will always be a little broken 5 year old girl who symbolises the horror of war.

Following extract taken from the BBC – August 9th 1993

“She was seriously injured by a Serbian mortar bomb 10 days ago which killed her mother and 14 others in a market square in Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo.

Her trip here was delayed by red tape and she was close to death before the British Government arranged to fly her to the UK.

The RAF flew her out of Sarajevo with her father, Ramis, and three-year old sister.

The Foreign Secretary, Douglas Hurd, said Britain had decided to act because Irma’s condition was deteriorating rapidly.

“She obviously needs treatment that she can’t possibly get in Sarajevo and it’s very urgent and therefore procedures had to be cut through,” Mr Hurd said.

Three children a day are dying violent deaths in the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo.

Dozens are waiting for emergency evacuation for medical treatment.

Mr Hurd said the government realised helping Irma would not reduce the scale of the problem.

“But because you can’t help everybody it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help somebody,” Mr Hurd said.

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