Bosnia and Herzegovina
Between 1992 and 1995, Bosnia and Herzegovina experienced a civil war. Following the secession of hostilities after the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement, efforts were made by international actors to exercise basic control of ammunition and weapon stockpiles, with a focus on a quantitative inventory of ammunition and weapons, safe storage, and destruction of unsafe and recovered items.
Efforts to establish a through-life management system for ammunition increased 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 US continue taking place at the Glamoc range.
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Further information
Accidental explosions
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, Paul Holtom, Life-Cycle Management of Ammunition (LCMA): Lessons from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Small Arms Survey, 2018, Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) | Small Arms Survey; Email exchange with Anne-Séverine Fabre, Small Arms Survey Data Expert, 27.09.2021.
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, has 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 has disappeared. |
| 2013 | Kula 2 | Disappearance of a Fagot anti-tank guided missile from the ASS Kula 2, in Mrkonjic Grad. |
| 2011 | Alleged disappearance of 11 tonnes of TNT explosives from sites guarded by the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. | |
| 2011 | Visoko | 47 pistols go missing at the WSS ‘TBT’ in Visoko, the value of which is estimated at BAM 84,600. Independent observers report that some breechblocks are also stolen from among the artillery pieces stored at the site. |
| 200 | Busovaci | Approximately 8,500 rounds of ammunition and hand grenades disappeared from the ammunition storage area in Busovaci. |
Source: Jovana Carapic, Paul Holtom, Life-Cycle Management of Ammunition (LCMA): Lessons from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Small Arms Survey, 2018, Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) | Small Arms Survey; Sarajevo Times, “Minister Podzic: Responsibility for Disappearance of Weapons from Pazaric will be determined”, 17 February 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 (2006-2020)
| Year | Tonnes of Ammunition |
| 2006 | 1856 |
| 2007 | 2022 |
| 2008 | 1813 |
| 2009 | 1037 |
| 2010 | 1421 |
| 2011 | 1082 |
| 2012 | 856 |
| 2013 | 883 |
| 2014 | 1100 |
| 2015 | 2500 |
| 2016 | 2600 |
| 2017 | 1800 |
| 2018 | 4500 |
| 2019 | 1650 |
| 2020 | 500 |
Source: Jovana Carapic, Paul Holtom, Life-Cycle Management of Ammunition (LCMA): Lessons from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Small Arms Survey, 2018, Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS) | Small Arms Survey; EUFOR. Update on the BiH AWE Master Plan. EUFOR, 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
- Case study on destruction of Luna Rockets in BIH
Source: Key stakeholder interviews by AMAT during in-country visit (September 2021)
Capacities
Potential areas of assistance by Bosnia and Herzegovina to other states
| Type of assistance/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)
