General information
Type of Incompatibility: Territory
Comment on Type of Incompatibility: The incompatibility concerned the constitutional status of the Bosnian-Herzegovinan territory. With the declarations of independence of Slovenia and Croatia, the disintegration of Yugoslavia became difficult to stop. Also the Yugoslav republic of Bosnia started to move towards a complete independence. Initially, Bosnian Croats recognised Bosnian sovereignty. However, it became increasingly clear that the Croats preferred a partition of Bosnia along ethnic lines. The Bosnian Croats formed an autonomous area in western Bosnia (the Croat Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was proclaimed). While the Bosnian government contested the Croatian claim of western Herzegovina, the Bosnian Croats (supported by the Croatian government) tried to consolidate their control over this area. Other more extreme Croat groups opposed the partition of Bosnia, but had the even more far-reaching goal of taking over all Bosnian territory.
Territory: Croat
Date of first stated goal of incompatibility: 1992-05-30
Comment on date of first stated goals of incompatibility: On 3 July, Croats in Bosnia agreed to form their own autonomous community. Independence was declared for the Croatian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mostar was claimed as capital. Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic immediately stated the declaration to be illegal.
Date of first use of armed force: 1993-05-01
Comment on first use of armed force: The Croat irregulars/the HOS joined the HVO in April-May 1993. Before this date, they had not been fighting against the Bosnian government but on the Bosnian side (against Serbs).
There was no exact information on when the first date was that the Croatian irregulars fought against the Bosnian government. When HOS joined the HVO, the armed fight was already ongoing.
Date of first battle related death: 1992-05-29
Comment on first battle related death: On this date, several Croat soldiers were killed in an upsurge of fighting between the Croatian Defence Force/the HVO and Bosnian army troops in the Novi Travnik municipality.
Date of conflict reached 25 battle releated deaths: 1993-05-31
Comment on conflict reached 25 battle releated deaths: The Croat irregulars/the HOS joined the HVO in April-May 1993. Before this date, they had not been fighting against the Bosnian government but on the Bosnian side (against Serbs).
There was no exact information on when 25 casualties, resulting from fighting between Croatian irregulars and the Bosnian government, occurred.
On 30 April, in Vitez and Gornji Vakuf areas in central Bosnia, hundreds of people died in battles between Croat forces and the Bosnian army troops. Several villages were burnt to the ground. This incident occurred at a time when the Croatian irregulars were joining the HVO, however it was unclear whether HOS soldiers participated in the battles or not.
Annual information
This section contains annual information systematically collected by the UCDP.
1992
Primary Parties: Government of Bosnia-Herzegovina - Croatian Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina
Dimension: Internal
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 80 |
| Best | 80 |
| Low | 80 |
Numbers include fatalities for all dyads both active and inactive for this year
1993
Primary Parties: Government of Bosnia-Herzegovina - Croatian irregulars, Croatian Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina
Secondary Warring Parties Side B: Government of Croatia
Dimension: Internationalized intrastate
Comment on Dimension: The conflict was of intrastate character with foreign involvement. It was a disagreement between two sides - one of which was the Bosnian government - based on the territory of the Bosnian state. Thus, the conflict took place between parties who were under the Bosnian sovereignty. Certainly, the Croat forces claimed that they were under the territory and jurisdiction of their self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Bosnia. However, this entity was not recognised as an independent state.
Also the Croatian government was involved in fighting the Bosnian government. The Croatian army was active in Herzegovina.
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 8764 |
| Best | 7949 |
| Low | 7671 |
Numbers include fatalities for all dyads both active and inactive for this year
Peace agreements
Name of peace agreement: The Vance-Owen Plan
Date when warring parties signed the agreement: 1993-05-02
Comment of peace agreement: Full peace agreement
The Vance-Own Plan resulted from negotiations hosted by UN Special Envoy Cyrus Vance and EC representative Lord Owen between the warring parties in Bosnia.
The plan proposed dividing Bosnia into semi-autonomous regions and had backing from the UN. The plan outlined a constitutional framework, proposing a decentralized state of Bosnia and Herzegovina with three constituent peoples and composed of locally governed provinces. The presidency of the central government was to be composed of three elected representatives, one to each of the constituent peoples.
The plan included three separate documents - the Agreement relating to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Agreement for peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Agreement on Interim Arrangements - which further outlined cooperative measures to be taken in the interest of a cessation of hostilities and for humanitarian efforts. Attached Annexes outlined dimensions of these priorities. Annex I included provisions for a ceasefire, including a timeline and provision of a peacekeeping operation, UN Protection Force/European Community Monitoring Mission. Annex II, on restoration of infrastructure, prioritized cooperation for civil infrastructure in Sarajevo and throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, including through the creation of bodies to implement and oversee such efforts. Annex III opened routes for humanitarian access, including through the creation of the Sarajevo "blue route" concept. Annexes four and five provided for a separation of forces and demilitarization of Sarajevo, respectively. Annex six detailed border monitoring principles and annex seven provided for a return of forces to their designated positions. Finally, an attached agreement on interim arrangements provided for an interim presidency, central government, and provincial governments, including designating integration of all signatory parties in government and civil service an designation of seats in executive positions for shared government. Provisions for the protection of human rights and reversal of ethnic cleansing stipulated the creation of a Human Rights Court for Bosnia and Herzegovina to be created, along with other implementing and monitoring bodies.
Signatories: Agreement relating to Bosnia and Herzegovina: Alija Izetbegovic, Radovan Karadzic, Mate Boban; witnessed by C.R. Vance, D. Owen in Geneva, 30 January 1993
Agreement for peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Radovan Karadzic; Mate Boban; witnessed by C.R. Vance, D. Owen in Geneva, 30 January 1993
Agreement on Interim Arrangements: Alija Izetbegovic, Mate Boban; witnessed by C.R. Vance, D. Owen in New York, 25 March 1993
Comment of signatories: Comprehensive peace agreement
Agreement relating to Bosnia and Herzegovina signed in Geneva, 30 January 1993
Agreement for peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina signed in Geneva, 30 January 1993
Agreement on Interim Arrangements signed in New York, 25 March 1993
Third parties: UN, EU
Comment of third parties role in peace agreement: International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia (ICFY) provided a framework for negotiations for peace. It was led by the UN, represented by former US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, and by the European Community, represented by Lord Owen, the former British Foreign Secretary.
Ended: True
Date agreement ended: 1995-05-06
Comment of Duration: The Vance Owen plan was rejected by the National Assembly of Republika Srpska on 6 May and later rejected by 96% of the voters in a referendum. On 18 June Lord Owen declared the plan as dead.
Full-text peace agreement
Name of peace agreement: Medjugorje Agreement
Date when warring parties signed the agreement: 1993-05-18
Comment of peace agreement: Partial peace agreement
This agreement is primarily an implementation of modalities of the Vance-Own plan and provides for the implementation of earlier agreements.
The agreement provides for a cessation of hostilities to take effect on 19 May, for the withdrawal of forces, and the organization of a joint command to integrate armed forces under the administration of a joint Military Council. Prisoners are to be released.
With regard to the incompatibility, a key component of the agreement was the creation and modalities for implementation of a provisional government. Local administration delegations are specified for Mostar, Travnik, and Zenica, with membership split between population groups. It also creates a "well-balanced central government", that is to be proposed to represent the signatory and other parties.
Other provisions in the agreement establish a temporary commissioner for human rights, a legal public officer, and a coordinating body, to be composed of representatives from both parties.
Signatories: Copy unsigned, parties listed as President Tudjman; Mr Izetbegovic; Mr Boban
Comment of signatories: Dyadic peace agreement signed in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina on 18 May 1993.
Serb parties were not included in the signing of the agreement.
Comment of third parties role in peace agreement: Copy unsigned, listed in attendance at meeting: Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark; Minister of Defence of Spain; Co-Chairmen of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia, and under the aegis of UNPROFOR.
From 1992, the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia, led by the UN and European Community, provided a framework for negotiations for the peace process in the former Yugoslavia. The UNPROFOR, the UN Protection Force, was formed in February 1992. The peacekeeping operation was to ensure conditions for peace talks and secure demilitarized areas.
Full-text peace agreement
1994
Primary Parties: Government of Bosnia-Herzegovina - Croatian irregulars, Croatian Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina
Dimension: Internal
Comment on Dimension: The conflict was of an intrastate character. It was a disagreement between two sides - one of which was the Bosnian government - based on the territory of the Bosnian state. Thus, the conflict took place between parties who were under the Bosnian sovereignty. Certainly, the Croat forces claimed that they were under the territory and jurisdiction of their self-proclaimed Croatian Republic of Bosnia. However, this entity was not recognised as an independent state.
The Croatian government no longer fought against the Bosnian government.
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 685 |
| Best | 678 |
| Low | 567 |
Numbers include fatalities for all dyads both active and inactive for this year
Peace agreements
Name of peace agreement: The Washington Agreement
Date when warring parties signed the agreement: 1994-03-01
Comment of peace agreement: Partial peace agreement
The belligerents in the Bosnia and Herzegovina – Croatian conflict signed the peace agreement in Washington on 1 March 1994, creating a framework agreement for a solution to the territorial conflict, creating a federation of Bosniaks and Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina and a preliminary confederation between the Federation and Croatia.
The agreement contains an arrangement of disengagement for the transitional period, specifying that the armed forces of the disputing parties are to disengage to a safe distance from each other. All foreign armed forces are to leave the territory immediately. It is further agreed that after the transitional period the entities will form a unified military command for the national defense of the Federation.
The key issue of the agreement, which regulated the incompatibility, was the creation of a Federation, comprised of both Bosniak and Croat dominated territorial entities. The arrangements reached created a Federation in which Bosniaks and Croats shared power equally through a rotating presidency based on ethnicity, an equal representation of the two ethnic groups in the assembly and an equal proportion of judges in the judicial branches. Further, the agreement stipulated a division of the Federation into cantons that would have far-reaching self-governing powers in sectors such as policing, culture, education and taxation. These cantons were based on a system of ethnic dominance, creating Bosnian and Croat cantons throughout the territory. The central government would have exclusive responsibility for foreign affairs, national defense, economic policy and other issues not delegated to the cantonal governments. The emerging federal institutions were to operate parallel during the interim period.
The agreement also provided for a full repatriation of all refugees and internally displaced persons. Furthermore, a preliminary agreement was made between President Izetbegovic and President Tudjman, providing for the creation of an eventual loose confederation between the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. The peace agreement was further specified and implementation initiated in May. On 11 May, the Vienna Agreement divided the Federation into eight cantons and determined the composition of the interim federation government. On 31 May, the assembly of the Bosnian Federation elected an interim president (Kresimir Zubak, Croat) and a vice-president (Ejup Ganic, Bosniak). A joint government of (the old) Bosnia and Herzegovina and the (new) Federation was appointed in late June. The federal elections were scheduled after six months. On 4 May 1995, the inaugural session of the Federations Constituent Assembly took place. On 10 November 1995, comprehensive peace negotiations concerning several of the Yugoslav conflicts took place in Dayton, USA. Tudjman and Izetbegovic then signed an accord reinforcing the 1994 federation agreement. The new agreement included a provision for the unification of the divided city of Mostar as the federal capital.
Signatories: Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic, Bosnian Croat representative Kresimir Zubak, Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic
Comment of signatories: Comprehensive peace agreement
The warring parties agreed on the Federation agreement on 1 March. On 18 March, at a White House ceremony, they signed a Constitution for the Federation.
Third parties: Charles Redman (US Special Envoy) and Peter Galbraith (US Ambassador to Croatia)
Comment of third parties role in peace agreement: For four days at the end of February at the State Department in Washington, USA, Ambassadors Redman and Galbraith conducted proximity talks between the warring parties. These negotiations led to the Washington peace agreement.
Full-text peace agreement
Name of peace agreement: Declaration Concerning the Constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Date when warring parties signed the agreement: 1994-03-18
Comment of peace agreement: Partial Peace Agreement
This declaration endorses the proposed Constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Constitution sets out to establish a Federation ensuring national equality, democratic relations, and standards of human rights and freedoms. It delegates division of power between Bosniacs and Croats and makes provisions for future negotiations with Serbs. The declaration includes agreements about structure, composition, and modalities for the establishment of the constitution, governance structures, and the transitional government.
Regarding the incompatibility, the declaration sets out to pursue common commitments between the Bosniac and Croat delegations. A Federation is formed and territory demarcated, a capital city designated, and power-sharing decisions are made.
Regarding the establishment of the Federation, the Constitution stipulates provisions for demarcation including through the Annex on Criteria for the Definition of the Territory of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, cultural and human rights, and appointment of Ombudsmen. Responsibilities are delegated to local governance systems through the creation and division of power among Cantons and municipalities. Power sharing is further specified through the division of the Federation government among legislative, executive, and judicial branches, each of which is given specific structure and responsibilities, and specifications for balance among ethnic representation and balance among other parties. Under the Judiciary are created a Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, and Human Rights Court. Transitional arrangements specify a timeline and process for transfer of power and electoral processes to realize the power structures outlined in the Constitution. Attached annexes include human rights instruments, special cases for Cantons, and territorial demarcation.
Signatories: To the Declaration Concerning the constitution of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina:
Alija Izetbegovic; Haris Silajdzic; Franjo Tudjman; Kresimir Zubak
To the Annex - Human Rights Instruments to be Incorporated into the Federation Constitution: Kresimir Zubak; Haris Silajdzic
To the Criteria for the Definition of the Territory of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Kresimir Zubak; Haris Silajzdic
Comment of signatories: Dyadic peace agreement signed in Vienna, Austria on 18 March 1994.
Serb parties were not included in the signing of the agreement.
Full-text peace agreement
1995
Primary Parties: -
Dimension: Internal
| Estimated Fatalities | |
|---|---|
| High | 0 |
| Best | 0 |
| Low | 0 |
Numbers include fatalities for all dyads both active and inactive for this year
Conflict Archive
This section contains annual information no longer systematically collected by the UCDP.
1992 Conflict Archive
Terminated: NO
1993 Conflict Archive
Comment on Activity: Apart from the battle-related fights, a great number of civilians were killed on basis of their ethnic affiliation.
Negotiations: YES
Comment on Negotiation: From January onwards, the Vance-Owen peace plan was discussed among the warring parties. In early May, a summit meeting was held in Athens where the Bosnian, the Croatian (and the Serbian) presidents as well as the Bosnian Croat leader confirmed their positions on the Vance-Owen peace plan. Extensive talks continued in the Geneva forum, with the presidents stating several reservations. In the end of August, they accepted new Owen-Stoltenberg peace proposals as a basis for further negotiations. The peace plan divided Bosnia-Herzegovina into a confederation of three ethnically based states under a central government with powers limited to foreign policy and foreign trade. The plan also included placing Sarajevo under UN administration for a period of two years.
Third party involvement: YES
Third party involvement names: The UN, Lord Owen (representative of the EU presidency), Cyrus Vance (UN representative), Thorvald Stoltenberg (UN representative), Foreign Ministers of Britain, US, Russia, France and Spain, Greece, Serbia, Yasushi Akashi (UNs Secretary General Special Representative for the former Yugoslavia), Switzerland, Denmark.
Comment on Third Party Involvement: On 2 January, Vance and Owen, representing the UN and the EU, facilitated the first meeting between Bosnias warring Moslems, Croats and Serbs after nine months of fighting. Switzerland provided good office and the meeting was held in Geneva. The mediators aim was to negotiate both a ceasefire and new political structures for Bosnia. Thus, Vance and Owen produced the Vance-Owen peace plan, which aimed at creating ten largely autonomous provinces. The talks were suspended after two days as the Serb leader Karadzic and the Bosnian government had refused the new peace plan. After a meeting with the French Foreign Minister Ronald Dumas, the presidents of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and the rump-Yugoslav republic agreed to declare Sarajevo an open city and to pull back all forces at least 30 kilometers. The talks facilitated by Vance and Owen resumed on 10 January; on 11 January, Serbias president Milosevic also arrived in Geneva to talk part in the negotiations. Despite Owen made clear that the parties were to face action by the United Nations if they rejected the peace plan, the parties came up with further conditions concerning the proposals. One day later, the UN facilitated a verbal agreement between Croation and Moslem forces in the Bosnian town of Gornji Vakuf to stop fighting. This was followed on 27 January by an agreement between Bosnias Moslem president Itzetbegovich and Bosnian Croat leader Mate Boban in Geneva to end fighting in central Bosnia. To gain US and Security Council support for the peace plan and to exert more pressure on the warring parties to negotiate more seriously, talks were moved from Geneva to New York in early February. The mediators, however, could not facilitate an agreement upon a map, the key component of the envisioned peace plan. On 25 March, Bosnian president Alija Itzetbegovich at a meeting with all three parties to the peace talks announced to sign key documents in a peace documents.
UN forces were able to secure a ceasefire on 21 April after renewed fighting in Bosnia between Croats and Moslems, where up to 200 people had been killed within five days. This was followed four days later by a statement signed by Itzetbegovich and Boban to end all fighting in central Bosnia.
On 1 May, Thorvald Stoltenberg (former Norwegian Foreign Minister) replaced Vance as UN representative and Co-chairman of International Conference for Former Yugoslavia/the Geneva forum. At the same meeting in early May, Bosnian Serb leader Karadzic signed the UN peace plan as the last of the three parties to the conflict. This round of peace talks, besides the three parties to the conflict, also grouped the presidents of the neighbouring countries Montenegro, Serbia and Croatia. Mediator Lord Owen was optimistic and saw the peace plan on track after Moslem and Croat forces had signed a ceasefire and discussions on the demilitarisation of Sarajevo had begun. The same month, the UNSC established the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia). Later in May, several European Foreign Ministers agreed on a joint action programme. In August, Owen-Stoltenberg came with a new peace plan, this time proposing a union of three ethnic republics in Bosnia.
Further ceasefire agreements with the mediation of UN and EC ensued in early June, aiming at ending the fighting in different parts of Bosnia. Switzerland and Denmark provided good office for the talks in June and July. On 3 December, Yasushi Akashi, a former Japanese diplomat, became UNs Secretary General Special Representative for the former Yugoslavia.
Victory: NO
Terminated: NO
1994 Conflict Archive
Comment on Activity: Apart from the battle-related fights, a great number of civilians were killed on basis of their ethnic affiliation.
Negotiations: YES
Comment on Negotiation: On 18-19 January, peace talks between several warring parties in the Bosnian conflicts were held in Geneva. No agreement was reached.
A few weeks later, on 10 February, Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Siljadzic and Croatian Foreign Minister Mate Granic agreed to sponsor a meeting of Bosnian Moslem and Croat military commanders within a week. The aim of the meeting would be to agree a ceasefire between their forces. Granic and Silajdzic also said Bosnian Moslems and Croats would intensify talks on an unconditional exchange of all detainees and return of all refugees to their homes after peace was established "regardless of future political arrangements". On 26 February, US mediated negotiations on the above issues began in Washington. These talks led to a peace agreement.
In summer (after the peace agreement was reached between the warring parties), indirect negotiations including Croatia, Bosnia and the Serb forces started as the Contact Group held separate talks with the parties. Peace negotiations were held in the Geneva forum in early June. In July, the Contact Group set the basis for the talks to be a territorial division of 51% for the Bosnian Federation and 49% for the Bosnian Serbs. Key sensitive areas would be placed under UN and EU administration. On 17 July, Croatian President Tudjman and Bosnian President Izetbegovic accepted the Contact Group peace plan. However, on 3 August, the Bosnian Serb assembly rejected the Contact Group peace plan.
Third party involvement: YES
Third party involvement names: The USA.
The Contact Group (representatives of Britain, France, the US, Russia and Germany)
Comment on Third Party Involvement: The USA was involved in the conflict, strongly backing a plan for a confederation of Muslim and Croat regions of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Proximity talks for the warring parties was mediated by US officials in Washington DC. The peace talks lead up to a peace agreement.
On 26 April, a forum called the Contact Group was set up to present a united front to the warring parties in the former Yugoslavia. The Contact Group led peace talks in the Geneva forum throughout the summer (after the peace agreement had been reached between the warring parties).
Victory: NO
Terminated: YES
Type of termination: Peace Agreement
Date of termination: 1994-04-01
Comment on Termination: In March, a peace agreement was signed between the Bosnian government, the Croatian government and the Bosnian Croat representative.
Comment on Termination Date: On 1 March, a framework agreement for a new Bosnian Federation was reached between the parties. The agreement came after four days of US mediated proximity talks in Washington DC.
Note: The UCDP Conflict Termination Dataset codes the framework agreement from 01 March as the end of the conflict. This is based on the UCDP Conflict Termination Dataset definitions which codes the first in a series of agreements.
1995 Conflict Archive
Terminated: NO
