Agreement between the HVO Santici and representatives of the Muslim people of Ahmici, concluded at the home of Nenad Santic on 22 October 1992

Export agreement:

Country/entity: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Yugoslavia (former)
Region: Europe and Eurasia
Agreement name: Agreement between the HVO Santici and representatives of the Muslim people of Ahmici, concluded at the home of Nenad Santic on 22 October 1992
Date: 22 Oct 1992
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/local conflict
Balkan Conflicts (1991 - 1995) (1998 - 2001)
Former Yugoslavia

The disintegration of former Yugoslavia post cold war saw conflicts which became mediated and produced peace agreements in Slovenia (where the brief independence conflict was mediated by the EC Troika in 1991), Croatia (between Croatian and Serb populations 1991-1995), in Bosnia (between Croatian, Serb and Bosniak populations 1992-1995), in Macedonia (where mediation played a key pre-emptive role in preventing large scale conflict in 2001), in Kosovo (between Kosovar Albanians and Serbian population and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), but also between FRY and NATO, 1998-1999), and a conflict in the Presevo Valley (between Albanians in South Serbia and FRY, 2000-2001). The continued fall-out of the disintegration of former Yugoslavia also saw mediated agreement and ultimate dissolution of the Union between Serbia and Montenegro.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

In 1991, after nationalist parties won the first multi-party elections in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a violent process of disintegration commenced. With its mixed population, Bosnia-Herzegovina became the centre of the following civil war that began in 1992 between the newly formed army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (mostly Muslim Bosniacs), and the parastatal forces of self-declared Bosnian Croat (Herzeg-Bosnia) and Bosnian Serb (Republika Srpska) entities within Bosnia-Herzegovina, supported by Croatia and Serbia, with various, often short-lived, coalitions. The General Framework Agreement (Dayton Peace Agreement), signed in 1995, split the country into two ethno-federal entities, the Bosniak-Croat Federation and the Republika Srpska, and included continued peacekeeping and institutional administration by international actors.

Kosovo

The conflict between Serbs and Kosovar Albanians has a long history and always involved territorial disputes as well as ethno-political, cultural and linguistic factors. The most recent phase of the conflict began in November 1997 when the Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA or UCK) began their campaign for the independence of Kosovo from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY – then Serbia and Montenegro). The subsequent war lasted until the NATO intervention, which undertook bombing campaigns of Belgrade and other places in Serbia during spring 1999. The main agreements solving the conflict were internationally driven and, finally, a UNSC resolution imposed a post-conflict arrangement in the wake of what was essentially a NATO military victory. In February 2008, Kosovo’s parliament declared independence, but independence is still internationally disputed.
Stage: Pre-negotiation/process
Conflict nature: Government/territory
Peace process: Bosnia Local peace processes
Parties: For the HVO [signatures illegible]; For the Muslim People [signatures illegible]
Third parties: -
Description: In this short agreement, the Muslim inhabitants of Ahmici agree to surrender weapons to the HVO-Santici, under the guarantee of safety and that the HVO will form a mixed Muslim-Croat unit. The agreement also provides for the safe return of Muslim and Croatian refugees.

Agreement document: BA_921022_Agreement between the HVO and representatives of the Muslim people of Ahmici.PDF (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Local agreement properties

Process type: Isolated example
Rationale: This agreement was signed in relation to the erection of a road block outside the village of Ahmici, and violence between the HVO Santici and the local Territorial Defence group. There is no evident practice of signing agreements between these groups and villages before this outbreak of violence, and this agreement cannot be linked to any other talks. It appears to be separate from the BRITBAT process between the HVO and the Armed Forces of Vitez in the nearby town of Vitez.
Is there a documented link to a national peace process?: No
Link to national process: articulated rationale: There is no stated link to a national processes, and secondary searches do not result in any sources that suggest a link to the attempted talks at the time in Sarajevo. It appears to be an ad hoc agreement between local defence groups relating to a specific barricade.
Name of Locale: Ahmici
Nature of Locale: Smaller
GPS Lat/Long (DD): 44.145364, 17.841235
Participant type: Local armed group
Local community/civilian group(s)/civil society organisations
Mediator, facilitator or similar: No mention of mediator or similar

Local issues

Ritual/prayer and process (including use of scripture): No specific mention.
Grievance List: No specific mention.
Cattle rustling/banditry: No specific mention.
Social cover: No specific mention.

Agreement between the HVO Santici and representatives of the Muslim people of Ahmici, concluded at the home of Nenad Santic on 22 October 1992

The Muslim inhabitants of Ahmici are required to make a list of their weapons and submit them to the HVO in the interest of preserving the peace in Santici and Ahmici.

To this end, the HVO-Santici shall provide every guarantee to and ensure the safety of the Muslim people in these areas.

The HVO will, in the foreseeable future, establish a mixed unit of Croats and Muslims for the purpose of defending the area from the aggressor (Chetniks).

This mixed unit, that is to say, the Muslims from this unit, will not be used in combat actions against the Muslims or Croats in any area.

On the basis of the above, the return of both Muslim and Croatian refugees to their homes is guaranteed, as is their peaceful coexistence (this guarantee shall be provided by the mixed unit of both parties).

For the HVO [signatures illegible]

For the Muslim People [signatures illegible]