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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)

Published Date: Thursday 30 of June 2022