On Sept. 29, the Bosnian parliament rejected a proposal for the partition of Bosnia among its Muslim, Serbian and Croatian factions.
The rejection marked the collapse of efforts by the European Union to reach a negotiated settlement in Bosnia.
Under the proposal, Muslims would have been given about 30 percent of Bosnia. They wanted another 4 percent, including territory occupied by Bosnian Serbs.
On Oct. 20, Serbian shelling of Sarajevo resumed with little prospect the bloodshed would end.
In August, the plight of a 5-year-old girl named Irma came to symbolize the endless suffering and killing in Bosnia. Wounded in a mortar attack, Irma lay in a hospital without electricity or proper equiment for surgery. When heart-breaking pictures of Irma were shown on television, an agreement was reached among the warring parties to allow her and some other critically-wounded children to be air-lifted out of the country.
The U.N. estimated that 2.7 million Bosnians would not be able to survive the winter without outside help.
