Michael Giffoni, former Italian ambassador to Sarajevo in 1994, has recounted one of the darkest episodes of the Bosnian war, revealing that rumors circulated about wealthy foreigners allegedly paying to shoot from sniper positions on the hills surrounding the city.
“I have no problem sharing everything I know. It’s a story that truly troubled me at the time,” Giffoni said.
As reported by La Repubblica, Giffoni recalled that upon his arrival in Sarajevo—a city under siege by Serbian snipers—he immediately heard warnings about what Bosniaks called a “Sniper Safari.” According to the reports, affluent adventurers from various countries allegedly positioned themselves on the hills to fire snipers into the besieged city.
“I remember, with some shock, when I arrived in Sarajevo in 1994. They immediately told me: ‘You know, there’s a Safari there.’ Many wealthy people were coming from all over. They paid to be taken to high positions during the conflict, and then everything became clearer,” Giffoni explained.
He added that intelligence about the presence of foreigners among the snipers, including Italians, was collected by Bosnian intelligence and later transmitted to the Italian secret services (SISMI).
“The information regarding Italian snipers was later confirmed to us by Subashi’s chief, Mustafa Hajrulahovi,” Giffoni said.
According to the former ambassador, the information was passed to Rome, which months later reportedly informed that “the tracks had been followed and the matter resolved.” However, no concrete names or evidence were provided. Giffoni emphasized that if verifiable identities had been available, Italian authorities would have initiated criminal proceedings.
“The information was reported to the heads of the Roman secret services. After several months, they informed two officials that the tracks had been investigated, the organizers identified, and the matter resolved. From Italy, the flow of information was stopped, and they ordered that the information be passed back to the Bosniaks,” Giffoni said.
This revelation highlights a little-known and chilling aspect of Sarajevo’s siege, shedding light on the complex and morally troubling circumstances of the war.
