Bosnia and Herzegovina
Between 1992 and 1995, Bosnia and Herzegovina experienced a civil war. Following the secession of hostilities with the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, international actors sought to establish basic control measures for ammunition and weapon stockpiles, focusing on a quantitative inventory of ammunition and weapons, safe storage, and the destruction of unsafe and recovered items.
Efforts to establish a through-life management system for ammunition gained momentum in 2013, following the development of the Ammunition, Weapons, and Explosives (AWE) Master Plan. Since then, the safety and security of stockpiles has been addressed under the Western Balkan Roadmap Initiative, funded by the European Union. In parallel, destruction activities funded through bilateral assistance from the United States continue to take place at the Glamoc range.
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Accidental explosions
Since the Small Arms Survey began collecting data in 1979, two accidental explosions have been reported in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Table 1. Accidental explosions in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1979–2020)
| Year | Location | Owner/manager | Deaths | Injuries |
| 2003 | Rabic | State (military) | 3 | 0 |
| 1999 | Rudo | State (military) | 2 | 0 |
Source: Jovana Carapic and Paul Holtom, Life-Cycle Management of Ammunition (LCMA): Lessons from Bosnia and Herzegovina (Geneva: Small Arms Survey, 2018), https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/resource/practical-guide-life-cycle-management-ammunition; “Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) Database,” Small Arms Survey, updated December 15, 2021, https://smallarmssurvey.org/database/unplanned-explosions-munitions-sites-uems; Email exchange with Anne-Séverine Fabre, Small Arms Survey Data Expert, September 9, 2021.
Cases of diversion
Several cases of diversion have been reported since 2009 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, of which at least two included ammunition.
Table 2. Cases of diversion of arms, ammunition and explosives in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2009
| Year | Location | Description |
| 2021 | Pazaric | The Investigation and Protection Agency, with the support of the Military Police, completed an investigation at the Pazaric Basic Training Center of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, near Sarajevo, where a certain number of weapons had disappeared. |
| 2013 | Kula 2 | A Fagot anti-tank guided missile disappeared from the ASS Kula 2, in Mrkonjic Grad. |
| 2011 | Eleven tonnes of TNT explosives allegedly disappeared from sites guarded by the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. | |
| 2011 | Visoko | At the WSS ‘TBT’ in Visoko, 47 pistols – with an estimated value of BAM 84,60 – were reported missing. Independent observers reported that some breechblocks were also stolen from among the artillery pieces stored at the site. |
| 200 | Busovači | Approximately 8,500 rounds of ammunition and hand grenades disappeared from the ammunition storage area in Busovaci. |
Source: Jovana Carapic and Paul Holtom, Life-Cycle Management of Ammunition (LCMA) (Geneva: Small Arms Survey, 2018); “Minister Podzic: Responsibility for Disappearance of Weapons from Pazaric will be determined,” Sarajevo Times, February 17, 2021, https://sarajevotimes.com/minister-podzic-responsibility-for-disappearance%E2%80%8B-of-weapons-from-pazaric-will-be-determined/.
Disposal
To decrease the above-mentioned risks of accidental explosions and diversion, Bosnia and Herzegovina has continuously disposed of its ammunition since 2006.
Table 3. Disposal of tonnes of ammunition in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2006–20)
| Year | Tonnes of ammunition |
| 2020 | 500 |
| 2019 | 1,650 |
| 2018 | 4,500 |
| 2017 | 1,800 |
| 2016 | 2,600 |
| 2015 | 2,500 |
| 2014 | 1,100 |
| 2013 | 883 |
| 2012 | 856 |
| 2011 | 1,082 |
| 2010 | 1,421 |
| 2009 | 1,037 |
| 2008 | 1,813 |
| 2007 | 2,022 |
| 2006 | 1,856 |
Source: Jovana Carapic and Paul Holtom, Life-Cycle Management of Ammunition (LCMA); “Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) Database,” Small Arms Survey; "Update on the BiH AWE Master Plan," European Union Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2020.
Needs
To further enhance safe and secure ammunition management, the following needs have been identified for Bosnia and Herzegovina:
- Destruction of Luna Rockets;
- Destruction of KUB Missiles;
- Assessment of APRA; and
- Case study on the destruction of Luna Rockets in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Source: Key stakeholder interviews by AMAT during in-country visit (September 2021)
Capacities
Existing capabilities within Bosnia and Herzegovina in the field of ammunition management allow the country to offer assistance to other states, especially in the areas indicated below:
Table 4. Areas in which Bosnia and Herzegovina could offer assistance to other states
| Type of assistance/International Ammunition Technical Guidelines (IATG) Focus | Ammunition storage | Ammunition processing, maintenance and repair | Ammunition accounting | Ammunition demilitarisation and disposal | Security of ammunition stockpiles | Transport of ammunition |
| Through-life management assessments | ||||||
| Research and technological development | ||||||
| Normative development and refinement | ||||||
| Training development and delivery | x | x | x | x | x | |
| Strategic advice | ||||||
| Technical expert services | ||||||
| Material support | ||||||
| Infrastructure upgrades | ||||||
| Knowledge exchange and cooperation | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Community safety and awareness raising |
Source: Key stakeholder interviews by AMAT during in-country visit (September 2021)
