SUMMARY

The Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia, also known as APWB, Republic of Western Bosnia, Autonomna Pokrajina Zapadna Bosna, APZB, and later the Republic of Western Bosnia, was a break-away region in Bosnia Herzegovina, existing from 1993 to 1995. The province was located in the Bihac region, with its center in the town of Velika Kladuša. Its emergence followed a proposal by the Bosnian government to divide the state into three ethnically based territories. This was opposed by Fikret Abdic, a prominent political figure who was the Bosnian Presidency’s muslim representative during the peace negotiations in Geneva. He was later ejected from the collective presidency after an assembly vote in Velika Kladuša, called by Abdic, proclaimed the autonomy and establishment of the APWB with him as its head. Consequently, they became engaged in a conflict with the Bonsian government. The province’s stated goal was, foremost, autonomy. Some claim APWB was not characterized by clear ethnic or religious unifying factors but rather centered on political goals and championing multiethnicity, while others have referred to the province as a muslim faction. In 1995 the goal of the APWB appeared to turn from autonomy to complete secession, with the adoption of a new name: The Republic of Western Bosnia. The APWB ceased to exist later that year, as Bosnian and Croatian troops defeated Abdic’s forces on the 6-7th of August 1995.

At the time of its declaration, Abdic had already raised a private military force for the APWB. Eventually two whole Bosnian army brigades from the Velika Kladuša area defected to the APWB, as well as large shares of two other brigades. The exact number of fighters that were active in the APWB remains somewhat unclear, with claims of around 5000 to 10 000 fighters in their armed forces, called the National Defense (NO). Throughout its existence, the APWB garnered support from several different actors. The Bosnian army claimed that the province received indirect support from Bosnian Serbs, by the launching parallel attacks against the Bosnian army when Abdic’s forces were trying to advance, as well as equipping them with small arms. An example of more abstract support was the recognition by Republika Srpska, announcing that they recognized the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia as a separate entity, although the state was themselves unrecognized. The Serbian Republic of Krajina also assisted the APWB in several ways, for example by allowing their troops to travel through Serb-held territory in Croatia in preparation of a military attack. They also fought alongside Abdic’s forces.

The Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia has been involved in the intrastate category of UCDP organised violence.