United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT) was a

Emomali Rahmonov, and the United Tajik Opposition. After the UN-sponsored armistice ended the war in 1997, the UN expanded the mission's original mandate to monitor the peace and demobilization. The mission was headquartered in Dushanbe
, Tajikistan.

Development of United Nations involvement

Main article:
Tajikistan Civil War

Tajikistan was in a state of political turmoil for months after the

Russian Federation allies along the Tajik-Afghan border. The first peacekeeping forces, the Commonwealth of Independent States Collective Peacekeeping Forces in Tajikistan, were organized in late 1993, with forces contributed by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.[4]

There were a number of regional attempts at peace in 1992 and 1993, none of which were particularly successful. After a direct appeal by

United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali sent missions to the area for fact-finding and observation of the humanitarian situation. Subsequently, Boutros-Ghali authorized a Special Envoy for Tajikistan to seek an immediate ceasefire and negotiations between the two sides and neighboring nations. In September 1994, after talks in Moscow and Tehran, the Tehran Agreement (or the Agreement on a Temporary Ceasefire and the Cessation of Other Hostile Acts on the Tajik-Afghan Border and within the Country for the Duration of the Talks) was signed, with the stipulation that the ceasefire would be enacted as soon as UN peacekeeping observers were deployed. It went into effect 20 October 1994, after the first 15 observers arrived. The United Nations Security Council then began considering deployment of a peacekeeping mission to the area to investigate and report of ceasefire violations. Resolution 968 (1994) of 16 December 1994 formally established the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan.[4]

Initially, UNMOT was planned to exist for only six months when it was established,[5] however it was extended several times to observe the progress of peace. In July 1995, the opposition forces began to return to central Tajikistan from Afghanistan, and fierce clashes erupted thereafter until December 1996, when a general ceasefire was once again in place. In 1997, the secretary-general recommended that UNMOT should be strengthened. UNMOT extended several times until May 2000, constrained by the progress of peace.[4]

Personnel

UNMOT personnel consisted of military observers and both international and local civilian staff, as well as two civilian police officers after July 1998. The military observers came from 15 foreign countries, Austria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ghana, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Nepal, Nigeria, Poland, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Uruguay. Though it began with an initial deployment of only 40 military observers (excluding civilian staff and police), the number was increased to its highest strength of 81 after the armistice, and reached its lowest strength of 17 at the time of UNMOT's withdrawal.[6]

Fatalities

The mission suffered 7 fatalities, 3 military and 4 civilian. The most noted incident was on July 20, 1998, when four UNMOT members, Major Ryszard Szewczyk from

NGO's suspended operations and withdrew personnel from Tajikistan.[7]

References

  1. ^ United Nations Security Council Resolution 968. S/RES/968(1994) 16 December 1994. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  2. ^ United Nations Security Council Verbotim Report 4140. S/PV/4140 page 3. Granovsky Lavrov Russia 12 May 2000. Retrieved 2008-07-15.
  3. ISBN 978-0-19-968604-9
    . Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "UNMOT background". peacekeeping.un.org. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  5. ISBN 978-0-19-968604-9
    . Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  6. ^ "UNMOTF". peacekeeping.un.org. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  7. ^ "The Cold-Blooded Murder of Unarmed Peace-Keepers". UNMOT Newsletter. 22 July 1998. Archived from the original on June 17, 2006. Retrieved June 16, 2006 – via Eurasianet.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_Nations_Mission_of_Observers_in_Tajikistan&oldid=1187292546"