Sarajevo is a beautiful city. A forest of spires and minarets attests to its rich history and diversity; its centuries-old streets bustle with attractive bars and cafes. Yet for most people, Sarajevo means only horror and misery: it was here that many of the worst atrocities in Europe's postwar history occurred.

This week marks twenty years since the Siege of Sarajevo began. For four years, the city was surrounded by Serbian troops - the longest siege in the history of modern warfareAlthough of course the meaning of 'modern' changes as time goes on, 'modern warfare' has mostly been used to describe the types of war developed during and after the WW II. It involves heavy vehicles like tanks and bombers. According to some theorists, modern wars affect civilians more than the wars of the past.. Citizens were deprived of food, water, electricity and medicine. Every day shells rained down in their hundreds, on homes, football pitches and markets. Whole streets became known as 'Sniper Alleys' as passers-by were picked off by gunmen. Over 10,000 were killed, with countless more abused, wounded and forced out of their homes.

The siege was part of a series of conflicts that erupted after the breakup of Yugoslavia, a communist country in Southeast Europe. The region was crowded with many different ethnicities, and several states declared independence. Conflict soon broke out between Christian Serbs and Muslim Bosnians.

Nationalist Serbian leaders like Radovan Karadzic laid claim to large parts of Bosnia. With far superior arms, they waged a war of 'ethnic cleansing' on the Muslims who lived there. For the first time since World War II, concentration campsAlthough the term 'concentration camp' is now mostly associated with the terrors of the Holocaust, it had been used before. In the Boer War of 1899-1902, Britain set up concentration camps for rebellious black Africans, where thousands died. returned to Europe.

Massacres followed in many multi-ethnic towns, and Sarajevo was besieged. In 1994, after much delay, the international community finally intervened; a year later the war was over.

But the memory of the 1990s still haunts inhabitants of Sarajevo, and across Bosnia, the wars have left scars. Residents speak of suspicion between people of different backgrounds, who once lived relatively easily alongside one another.

And there are more concrete issues too: the conflict displaced 2.7 million people, and hundreds of thousands are still without permanent homes. This month, the UN is leading a drive to raise 500 million for Bosnia's 74,000 most vulnerable and needy refugees.

For 15 years Bosnia has struggled to come to terms with the conflicts of the 1990s. Now, some urge the country to examine its troubled history actively and openly. Ringleaders must face justice, they say, collaborators accept responsibility and victims offer forgiveness. Confronting the truth is the first step towards healing the scars.

But in Sarajevo, many would rather try to forget. Memories of the conflict are too raw for forgiveness and reconciliation, they say: that is for future generations. In the meantime, it is best not to speak of the atrocities of the past. The only thing powerful enough to heal these wounds is time.