United Nations Safe Areas (UN Safe Areas) were
humanitarian corridors established in 1993 in the territory of
Bosnia and Herzegovina during the
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...
by several resolutions of the
United Nations Security Council.
On 16 April 1993, with the
United Nations Security Council Resolution 819 the
Srebrenica enclave was declared a safe area. On 6 May 1993, the
United Nations Security Council Resolution 824 further extended the status to
Sarajevo,
Žepa,
Goražde
Goražde ( cyrl, Горажде, ) is a city and the administrative center of Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of Drina river. As of 2 ...
,
Tuzla and
Bihać. These cities and territories were placed under the protection of the UN peacekeeping units
UNPROFOR.
The establishment of the UN Safe Areas is considered today to be one of the most controversial decisions of the United Nations. The resolutions were unclear about the procedure by which these safe areas were to be protected in a war zone like Bosnia and Herzegovina. The resolution created a difficult diplomatic situation because the member states that voted in favor of it were, for political reasons, not willing to take the necessary steps to ensure the security of the safe areas.
In 1995 the situation in UN Safe Areas was deteriorating, and it led to a diplomatic crisis which culminated in the
Srebrenica massacre; one of the worst atrocities in Europe since World War II. The Security Council Resolution 819 and
836 had designated
Srebrenica a "safe area" to be protected using "all necessary means, including the use of force". Continued attacks on UN Safe Areas as well as the continued
Siege of Sarajevo also ultimately resulted in NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina named
Operation Deliberate Force.
By the end of the war every one of the Safe Areas had been attacked by the
Army of Republika Srpska, and Srebrenica and Žepa were overrun.
See also
*
Safe Zone (Syria)
*
Demilitarized zone
References
{{reflist
Peacekeeping missions and operations involving the United Nations