Sally Becker

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Sally Becker is an author and former leader of Operation Angel, a British charity ^[1]

 She has spent time volunteering in Bosnia and Kosovo and is credited with saving hundreds of lives.^[2]

[edit] Volunteering in Bosnia

Sally Becker's missions to help the sick and wounded in Bosnia are now famous. Moved by the images of suffering, she set off to the war torn region of Bosnia-Herzagovina determined to try and help. Based on the outskirts of Mostar, a city where Croats and Muslims were fighting for control, Sally began by delivering aid to the west side of the city and soon became a familiar sight as she drove in and out of the city in an old Renault 4. As one of the few foreign aid workers able to travel freely in the area, she was asked by a UN officer to try and gain access to the east side of the city where 50,000 Bosnian Muslims were trapped. With permissiom from the Croatian Ministry of Defence she crossed the front line under fire to evacuate wounded children and their families from the besieged hospital. The mission was successful and she became known as the Angel of Mostar. In December 1993 she led a convoy of 50 vehicles and 200 volunteers from Britain to deliver aid and evacuate the wounded from all sides. In Feb 1994, all aid convoys were grounded due to snow. Sally borrowed a helicopter and flew to Nova Bila in central Bosnia from where she evacuated 55 wounded children and their families.

[edit] Struggles in Kosovo

When the war spread to Kosovo, Sally and her volunteers brought aid to both sides. As the conflict escalated, the aid agencies pulled out and the borders were closed. After delivering aid to the refugees flooding into Northern Albanania, Sally crossed the mountains on foot to bring medical supplies to a hospital in Junik, a town surrounded by Serb forces. Whilst there, she was asked to help some injured children and their families to escape across the mountains but as they reached the border, the group was ambushed by Serb paramilitaries. As they escaped into the forest, Sally remained behind to help a woman and her two children who were caught in the crossfire. They were eventually forced to surrender and were placed under arrest. The following day the woman and two children were released but Sally was sentenced to thirty days in prison.

Azem Vllasi the former President of Kosovo, appealed on Sally's behalf and she was pardoned and released after 15 days. She immediately set about tracing the families who had made it across the border and found them in a refugee camp in Northern Albania. As she set about trying to arrange medical treatment for the children, Sally was shot by masked gunmen. The President of Albania,Rexhep Meidani sent a helicopter to fly her to safety but she refused to abandon the children, remaining in the area until her mission was completed.

Sally continued her work on behalf of victims of war, opening centers for women and children suffering from trauma and in 2006 she brought aid to people trapped on the Israel Lebanon border. In 2009, Sally became a Goodwill Ambassador for "Children of Peace", a multi-faith charity dedicated to building friendship, trust and reconciliation between Israeli and Palestinian children.

[edit] References

^ BBC
^ BBC

[edit] External links

[0] BBC

[1] BBC

[1]

[2]

Persondata
Name	Becker, Sally
Alternative names	Angel of Mostar
Short description	Aid worker
Date of birth	29/03/1962
Place of birth	GB
Date of death
Place of death

Sally Becker

Contents

[edit] Volunteering in Bosnia

[edit] Struggles in Kosovo

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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