« Back to Accord

Regional Peacekeeping Force: General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan

Implementations

Regional Peacekeeping Force – 1997

Peacekeeping troops from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) had been in Tajikistan since 1994 and began working with UNMOT in 1997. Two CIS peacekeepers were killed in 1997.¹

«Report of the Secretary-General on the Situation in Tajikistan,» United Nations (S/1997/686), September 4, 1997.

Regional Peacekeeping Force – 1998

About 12,000 troops from the Commonwealth of Independent States, mostly from Russia, were engaged in peacekeeping operations in Tajikistan in 1998.² Under the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States, an estimated 25,000 Russian troops guarded the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.³

«U.N. observers killed in Tajikistan Japanese, 3 others shot to death in mountainous area,» The Daily Yomiuri, July 23, 1998.
«Bringing Peace to Tajikistan’s Mountain Fiefdoms,» Christian Science Monitor, September 15, 1998.

Regional Peacekeeping Force – 1999

CIS forces in 1999 were made up the 201st Motorized Division from the Russian Federation and a small battalion from Kazakhstan.⁴ Kyrgyzstan withdrew its troops (an estimated 500) in March 1999.⁵ The Security Council reported that the presence of CIS troops greatly enhanced their verification abilities and welcomed the continuous support of the CIS troops.⁶

In April 1999, Russia and Tajikistan tentatively agreed to establish Russian military bases in Tajikistan which would provide permanent headquarters for the 6,000-7,000 troops from the 201st Motorized Rifle Division already deployed in Tajikistan.⁷«Operational Group of Russian Forces in Tajikistan,» accessed August 7, 2012, http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/ogrv-tajikistan.htm…. Hence the Russian peacekeeping forces were made permanent. As such, the presence of regional peacekeepers in Tajikistan concluded in 1999.

«Report of the Secretary-General on the Situation in Tajikistan,» United Nations (S/1999/514), May 6, 1999.
«Kyrgyzstan withdraws peacekeeping troops from Tajikistan,» Agence France Presse, March 14, 1999.
«Security Council welcomes progress toward peace in Tajikistan,» Associated Press, August 19, 1999.