UN Peacekeeping Force: General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Implementations
UN Peacekeeping Force – 1995
On 15 December 1995, UN Security Council authorized the deployment of the NATO-led Implementation Force (IFOR) in Resolution 1031.1 IFOR was deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in December 1995 with a one-year mandate. The resolution authorized a deployment of 60,000 troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement peace.2 Eighteen non-NATO countries, including Russia, former members of the Warsaw Pact, and the Arab League, contributed troops to the IFOR.3 This gave it a mandate not just to maintain peace, but also, where necessary, to enforce it. The main aim of IFOR was to oversee the implementation of the military aspects of the Dayton Accord. Its main task was to guarantee the end of hostilities and separate the fighting forces of the Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Croats, and Bosnian Muslims.4
As mandated in the Dayton Accord, the mandate of the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) was terminated on 20 December 1995, leading to the deployment of IFOR. UN Security Council Resolution 1035 of 21 December 1995 transferred the peacekeeping mandate from the UN to the NATO-led IFOR.
- Report of the Secretary-General Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 1026, U.N. Security Council (S/1995/1031), December 13, 1995.
- SFOR Fact Sheet – SFOR Restructuring, Stabilization Force (SFOR), 2004, accessed April 19, 2011, http://www.nato.int/sfor/factsheet/restruct/t040121a.htm.
- Lawrence Kaplan, NATO Divided, NATO United: The Evolution of an Alliance, (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2004), 121.
- Peace support operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), accessed April 19, 2011, http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_52122.htm.
UN Peacekeeping Force – 1996
Once IFOR was deployed on the ground, it “oversaw the transfer of territory between the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, the demarcation of the inter-entity boundary, and the removal of heavy weapons into approved containment sites. “As the situation on the ground improved, IFOR began providing support to organizations involved in overseeing the implementation of the civilian aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement, including the Office of the High Representative, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the United Nations.”1 Once post-conflict elections were completed in September 1996, IFOR’s goals were realized in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Because the situation was still unstable, NATO agreed to deploy a new Stabilization Force (SFOR) in December 1996. SFOR operated under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, deriving its authority from the UN Security Council Resolution 1088 of 12 December 1996. The main aim of SFOR was to contribute to a safe and secure environment for the post-conflict reconstruction.
UN Peacekeeping Force – 1997
SFOR was a multinational task force engaged in various activities, including providing security and keeping peace, reforming defense establishments, arresting war-crime suspects, and contributing to reconstruction.1 Throughout the year, SFOR was engaged in these various activities. SFOR originally was comprised of 31,000 troops.2
UN Peacekeeping Force – 1998
SFOR was a multinational task force engaged in various activities including providing security and keeping peace, reforming defense establishments, arresting war-crime suspects, and contributing to reconstruction.1 Throughout the year, SFOR was engaged in these various activities.
UN Peacekeeping Force – 1999
SFOR was a multinational task force engaged in various activities including providing security and keeping peace, reforming defense establishments, arresting war-crime suspects, and contributing to reconstruction.1 Throughout the year, SFOR was engaged in these various activities.
UN Peacekeeping Force – 2000
SFOR was a multinational task force engaged in various activities including providing security and keeping peace, reforming defense establishments, arresting war-crime suspects, and contributing to reconstruction.1 Throughout the year, SFOR was engaged in these various activities.
UN Peacekeeping Force – 2001
SFOR was a multinational task force engaged in various activities including providing security and keeping peace, reforming defense establishments, arresting war-crime suspects, mine clearance, and contributing to reconstruction.1 Throughout the year, SFOR was engaged in these various activities. By early 2001, it had been reduced to 19,000 troops.2
UN Peacekeeping Force – 2002
SFOR was a multinational task force engaged in various activities including providing security and keeping peace, reforming defense establishments, arresting war-crime suspects, mine clearance, and contributing to reconstruction.1 Throughout the year, SFOR was engaged in these various activities. In spring of 2002, the decision was made to reduce troops to 12,000 by the end of the year.2
UN Peacekeeping Force – 2003
SFOR was a multinational task force engaged in various activities including providing security and keeping peace, reforming defense establishments, arresting war-crime suspects, mine clearance, and contributing to reconstruction.1 Throughout the year, SFOR was engaged in these various activities.
UN Peacekeeping Force – 2004
SFOR was a multinational task force engaged in various activities including providing security and keeping peace, reforming defense establishments, arresting war-crime suspects, mine clearance, and contributing to reconstruction.1 Throughout the year, SFOR was engaged in these various activities. By 2004, SFOR had 7,000 troops on the ground.2 On 2 December 2004, the European Union (EU) launched the EU-led military operation EUFOR replacing SFOR. The operation was a part of the Common Security and Defence Policy in support of BiH. The operation was recognized as the legal successor of SFOR. EUFOR deployed 7,000 troops with the aim of contributing to a safe and secure environment, reducing conditions that would lead to the resumption of violence, and managing any residual aspects of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in BiH.3“EUFOR Fact Sheet,” EUFOR, accessed April 19, 2011, http://www.euforbih.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15&…
UN Peacekeeping Force – 2005
EUFOR was deployed in BiH. Its mandate was extended by UN Security Council Resolution 1948 (2010) to November 2011. As of mid-2011, about 1,600 EUFOR troops from 21 EU member states and 5 non-EU nations were on the ground.1