Bosnian Serbs Ease Grip on UN Peacekeepers While Tightening Squeeze on Bosnia's North-West

Strategic Insights -

United Nations peacekeepers remain detained by Bosnian Serbs, despite the release of 53 peacekeepers last week. The detentions have severely curtailed delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians throughout Bosnia, leading the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to suspend convoys of goods that transit Serb-held territory. Diplomats are scrambling to find a solution to the paralyzed peace process, with French and British foreign ministers meeting with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic and a senior US diplomat meeting with the Muslim-led Bosnian government.

Key Takeaways:

  • 349 UN peacekeepers, including 55 Canadians, are still being detained by Bosnian Serbs despite the release of 53 peacekeepers last week.
  • The detentions have severely curtailed delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians throughout Bosnia, with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees suspending convoys of goods that transit Serb-held territory.
  • French and British foreign ministers met with Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic to discuss the peace process, while a senior US diplomat met with the Muslim-led Bosnian government.
  • The UN commander in Bosnia- Herzegovina, Lieutenant-General Sir Michael Rose, has advised Canadians to remain calm, stating that the situation will be sorted out in due course.
  • Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic agreed to release the detainees but provided no timetable for freeing the remaining detainees, linking their continued confinement to NATO activities.
  • UN troops in Bihac were facing severe fuel shortages, with some peacekeepers down to half rations due to the suspension of supply convoys.
  • Bosnian Serb forces have taken 30-40% of Bihac, a UN-declared safe area, and are continuing to press on Muslim-led government soldiers in northwestern Bosnian towns.

Statistics:

  • 349 UN peacekeepers are still being detained by Bosnian Serbs, including 55 Canadians.
  • 53 peacekeepers were released last week, but many remain in detention.
  • 25 people, including 20 women and 5 children, were killed in recent shelling in Bihac and Velika Kladusa.
  • Bosnian Serb forces have taken 30-40% of Bihac, a UN-declared safe area.

Sources:

  • Associated Press (October 1994)
  • CP (no date provided)
  • Reuter (no date provided)
  • Bosnia radio (October 1994)
  • United Nations (October 1994)