United Nations 2

Croatia: background

• 1991-95

• 1991 — independence

• many Serbs lived in Croatia

• Slobodan Milosevic (Serbian president) sent troops

Croatia: EU + UN actions

• supported EU conference about restoring peace in Y

• 1992 — sent personnel to maintain ceasefire

• UNPROFOR (protective force)

  • support humanitarian of other UN agencies (UNHCR)

  • monitor ceasefire + Yugoslav forces withdrawal

  • ensure Croatian government authority restored in “pink zones” (Serb-dominated Croatian areas)

  • UN Protected Areas

  • human rights protection

    demilitarisation — ineffective

Croatia: continuation

• 1993 — ceasefire broken down, Croatia attack Serbs

• 1995 — more attacks

• Croatia regained lost land

Croatia 2: UN actions

• ceasefire restored by EU and UN

• peace deal in US (did not want UN involvement)

Kosovo: background

• 1998-1999

• 1990 — autonomous republic of Y —> want independence

• 1989 — Milosovic strengthens hold on Kosovo

• Kosovo Liberation Force — attacks Serbian targets

• 1998 — Kosovo rebelled

• many Kosovars of Albanian origin' —> triggered when Albanian dominated cillage attacked

• many fled and killed

Kosovo: UN actions

• USA demand withdrawal

  SC unreliable, USSR ally of Serbia

• NATO — main role of defender

  • 1999 — air attacks against Belgrade —> Milosevic gave in

• mass deportations, violence

• UNMIK (mission in Kosovo)

  • power over land, people, government, laws

  • peace building

  • works w EU and OSCE (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe)

Bosnia: background

• 1991-1995

• 1992 — referendum on independence —> attacked by Bosnian-Serb (Y army), Ratko Mladić; end of year — control 70%

• ethnic cleansing: non-serbs to prison camps (murder, torture, rape, castration, mass execution)

• the worst for Bosnian Muslims

Bosnia: UN actions

• 1992 — UNPROFOR

  • protect Sarajevo airport + convoys of food and medicine

  • protect convoys of civilians being transported by International Red Cross across Bosnia

  • assist UNHCR to deliver humanitarian relief

• peacekeepers allowed to shoot past Serbs — not successful → had to plead with Serb forces to let convoys through

• 1992 — no-fly zones (ineffective) by SC

  • NATO — had permission to shoot unauthorised aircraft, but needed UN approval (not give, bc scared to anger Serbs) → peacekeepers + aid attacked

• 1993 — safe areas (bc Muslims flee to Srebrenica x2 population, Serbs attack it)

  • Srebrenica → safe area (small group of peacekeepers)

  • 5 more, + Sarajevo

  • 30,000 peacekeepers needed, 7200 agreed, 5000 provided (member states didn’t want to send more)

  • attacks on Sarajevo continue → horrible conditions (overcrowding, unemployment, crime)

  • less casualties and violence

Bosnia: change of UN tactics

• UN agree to NATO air attacks used against Serbian targets

• 1994 — Serbs threaten safe area —> NATO bombs Serbian airbases and military sites in Bosnia —> 400 UN peacekeepers hostage

  • 1995 — Serbs invade Srebrenica, 30 UN hostage + threats to attack refugees

  • Ratko Mladić allows Serbian-Muslims leave safely: women and children first, 7000 men and boys executed, young women raped — massacre

• NATO attack when Serbs do, without UN approval

• UN remove peacekeepers from surrounding areas

  • Serbs attacked by Croatian

  • Serbs ready to negotiate

• Dayton Peace Accords divide Bosnia into 2 (overseen by, signed in, the USA, no UN)

Balkan: aftermath

• 1993 — International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

• crimes: starvation, rape, torture, ethnic cleansing

• 1996 — first trial; 161 people indicated for war crimes

Somalia: background

• 1991-95

• clans overthrow government —> 1991 civil war —> breakdown of law, order, government

• General Aideed and Ali Mahdi — main walords

• crop failure, famine, crops and kettle trgated, aid workers robbed and terrorised

Somalia: UN actions 1

• 1992 — ceasefire

• 1992 — multinational peacekeeping mission UNOSOM (UN Operation in Somalia); sent 500 UN, little difference; looting + violence continue

• UNITAF (Unified Task Force) — safe conditions for the delivery of aid: 1993 — 25 400 US, 12 900 other members

• FAO, UNICEF, UNHCR, WHO

• International Red Cross

• by May 1933:

  • UNITAF — food and medicine —> famine ending

  • unease btn warlords

  • violence stopped where UN was (40% of S)

  • armed militia members fled —> banditry

  • no government or police force

  • disarming — priority, but too dangerous

Somalia: UN actions 2

• May 1993 — UNOSOM II — encouragement of disarmament and reconciliation

  • enforce UN resos

  • restore peace, law, order

  • help S rebuild their nation

    (second time in internal affair)

  Aideed disarmament = weakening him → attacks UN (24 killed)

• SC (unanimously): all necessary measures can be taken against anyone carrying out, or encouraging, attacks against the UN (US Special Forces involved + reward for Aideed;s capture)

• UN didn’t solve problems (violence and looting), 2.5 mil dollars daily, but no more famine

• 31 Mar 1994 — USA withdrew

• 31 Mar 1995 — UN withdrew (agreed in 1994)

Mozambique: background

• 1990-1994

• 1975 — independent from Portugal

• civil war

• Mozambican Liberation Front VS Mozambique Resistance Group (RENAMO, SA)

• 1992 — both exhausted —> GPA (General Peace Agreement) — ask UN to send in troops

Mozambique: UN actions

• 1992 — ONUMOZ (UN mission for M)

  • ceasefire, demobilisation, withdrawal, transport routes, security for UN and other agencies

  • humanitarian, refugees, resettle communities

  • monitor, organise, advise on elections

• Aldo Ajello (special UN representative) — more authority —> deals quicker with problems (no asking SC) —> more confidence

• UNCIVPOL force — monitored all police activities, worked and supported police

• 1994 — first multi-party elections — Mozambican Liberation Front won

• 1995 — UN withdrew

Mozambique: success

• everyone (both sides) agreed to UN intervention

• major powers + SC supported ONUMOZ

• M ready to work for peace, disarmament, were exhausted + drought

• changes in SA (withdrawal from Namibia)

• saw success in Gulf War 1, didn’t see failure in Somalia and Bosnia

• UN: humanitarian. disarmament, monitor ceasefire, assist elections

Sudan: background

• 2005-2011

• 2005 — Southern Sudan fights for independence

• Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed after civil war

Sudan: UN actions

• UNMIS (mission in Sudan)

• arms embargo on Sudan

Darfur: background

• 2003 — crisis

• drought —> tensions btn Arab nomadic herders and African farming communities —> violence

• Darfur accused Sudan of neglecting conflict

• fights: Darfur rebel groups VS Sudanese government forces + Janjaweed militia

• Government air attack civilians —> Janjaweed (on horses) kill men, rape women

• many killed + many refugees

Darfur: UN actions 1

2005 — African Union (AU) sent mission — AMIS (AU mission in Sudan)

2006 — help negotiate peace agreement

• UN support, fighting forces don’t

  fighting continues, humanitarian crisis worsens

• why SC was not interested?

  • deal btn North and South close — didn’t want to endanger

  • USA and UK fight in Iraq

  • China done deal with Sudanese oil

  • complicated: rebel groups against each other + against government

• 2006 — UN want to extend mission

  • Sudanese wouldn’t allow it

  • UN support AMIS + develop plans for joint UN/AU mission

• 2007 — 19 000 peacekeepers to Darfur

  • allowed to defend themselves + protect civilians

  • monitor events, protect humanitarian, support voluntary disarmament

Darfur: UN actions 2

• 2008 — UNAMID — joint UN/AU mission (partnership) — 18 000 peacekeepers and police to Sudan; slow; humanitarian crisis worsens

• 2009 — 16 370 aid workers from many international organizations

  Sudanese leader — Omar al-Bashir — called by International Criminal Court (ICC) to be arrested —>

• post 2009 — number of workers reduced, because Sudan forced 16 organizations to leave

• UNAMID —> overworked, under-resourced, unable to protect civilians

Sudan: aftermath

• 2011 — South Sudan

• UN mission (not successful):

  • help with nation building

  • develop conditions for long lasting peace

  • military liaison officers (establish law and order, prevent more conflict, improve security)

• still unstable

Darfur: aftermath

• 2011 — peace agreement: Sudanese government and rebel groups (not all) —> Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) — to carry ouy peace agreements

• UNAMID stayed in Sudan

• refugee camps became permanent