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UNITED NATIONS ADVANCE MISSION IN CAMBODIA UNAMIC (October 1991 - March 1992)

The United Nations Advance Mission in Cambodia (UNAMIC) was established to assist the Cambodian parties to maintain their ceasefire during the period prior to the establishment of the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia(UNTAC), and to initiate mine-awareness training of civilian populations. Later, the mandate was enlarged to include training in mine-clearance and the initiation of a mine-clearance programme. The Mission and its functions were subsumed by UNTAC in March 1992.

Background

The Secretary-General reiterated to the Security Council on 30 September 1991 that the United Nations could help in maintaining the ceasefire by deploying in Cambodia a small advance mission consisting mainly of military liaison officers in order to help the parties to address and resolve any violations or alleged violations of the ceasefire. Such an advance mission could be envisaged as the first stage of the good offices mission foreseen in the draft peace agreements. On that basis, the Secretary-General recommended that the Security Council authorize the United Nations Advance Mission in Cambodia (UNAMIC), to become operational as soon as the Paris Agreements were signed. UNAMIC would be absorbed into UNTAC once UNTAC was established by the Security Council and its budget adopted by the General Assembly.

The Secretary-General recommended that UNAMIC operate under the authority of the Security Council and United Nations command. The mission would be led in the field by a civilian Chief Liaison Officer, who, in addition to duties in relation to UNAMIC, would have responsibility for maintaining contact with SNC on preparations for the deployment of UNTAC and on other matters related to the role of the United Nations. A Senior Military Liaison Officer would report to the Secretary-General through the Chief Liaison Officer. The Secretary-General would, in turn, report regularly to the Security Council on the operations of UNAMIC.

UNAMIC would deploy small teams of military personnel with experience in training civilian populations on how to avoid injury from mines or booby traps. Initially, the teams would give priority to populations living in or close to areas of recent military confrontation. The Secretary-General envisaged the eventual expansion of the programme, in close consultation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to repatriation routes, reception centres and resettlement areas for refugees. These activities would need to be carefully coordinated with the mine-awareness programme begun earlier in 1991 for Cambodian refugees and displaced persons in the camps along the Cambodia-Thailand border.

UNAMIC was estimated to require 8 civilian liaison staff, 50 military liaison officers, 20 other military personnel to form the mine awareness unit, and approximately 75 international and 75 local civilian support staff. In addition, there would be a military communications unit of some 40 persons, provided by Australia as a voluntary contribution. An air unit of four utility helicopters and one fixed-wing aircraft would also be needed.

The Secretary-General also informed the Security Council that, operationally, UNAMIC would be headquartered in Phnom Penh, deploying military liaison units to the general military headquarters of each of the Cambodian parties. In addition, teams would be deployed to two forward positions, Battambang and Siem Reap, which were also to be main bases for the mine-awareness programme. UNAMIC would require an effective and independent round-the-clock communications system, open to the Cambodian parties so as to facilitate communications between them and help resolve problems with the maintenance of the ceasefire. The Secretary-General expected full deployment between mid-November and mid-December 1991.

The Security Council, in its resolution 717 (1991) of 16 October 1991, authorized UNAMIC as recommended by the Secretary-General. UNAMIC became operational on 9 November 1991 when Mr. A.H.S. Ataul Karim (Bangladesh) assumed his functions as Chief Liaison Officer of UNAMIC in Phnom Penh. Brigadier-General Michel Loridon (France), Senior Military Liaison Officer, assumed command of the military elements of UNAMIC on 12 November and, on the same day, an air operations unit contributed by France arrived in Phnom Penh.

On 27 November 1991, the PDK delegation arrived in Phnom Penh. It was forced to flee, however, after demonstrations against the delegation became violent, and its members were attacked. On 3 December, SNC held an emergency meeting in Pataya, Thailand to discuss, among other things, the security measures for SNC members.

Demonstrations against corruption in the Phnom Penh administration, which started around 17 December, also became violent, and the security situation in the city deteriorated during the next few days. Although the SNC meeting scheduled for 21 December did not materialize, Prince Sihanouk chaired a special meeting of the SNC Secretariat to assess the situation. Also discussed was the deployment of UNAMIC liaison teams to the parties' headquarters and the activation of the mixed military working group (MMWG) stipulated in the Paris Agreements. The deployment of the liaison teams was completed on 22 December, and the first meeting of MMWG was held with the participation of all four parties on 28 December. The meeting appealed to the Secretary-General for the early deployment of UNTAC and the appointment of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General.

Expansion of mandate

At the end of December 1991, the Secretary-General reported to the Security Council on the need to expand the mandate of UNAMIC to undertake on an urgent basis a major de-mining effort in Cambodia. This effort should begin even before the establishment of UNTAC to prepare the ground for the safe and orderly repatriation of Cambodian refugees and displaced persons.

The Secretary-General recommended the addition of 1,090 military personnel. Forty of these would be assigned to a planning and liaison unit to liaise with the National Mine Clearance Commission established by SNC, as well as with UNHCR and other international agencies. The unit would gather information on all known mine fields in the country and would develop a training programme for Cambodians in mine-detection and clearance, establish priorities for action and allocate work among different units.

The Secretary-General also recommended the addition of a field engineer battalion of 700 personnel to begin clearing repatriation routes, reception centres and resettlement areas and to carry out emergency repair and rehabilitation work on roads and bridges already cleared. Other requirements included 200 personnel to comprise expert teams to train local military personnel made available by the four Cambodian parties, and 150 logistic support personnel. On 8 January 1992, by its resolution 728 (1992), the Council expanded the mandate of UNAMIC as recommended by the Secretary-General. In this connection, an engineering battalion from Thailand was deployed in the Sisophon/Battambang area on 21-22 February.

Ceasefire violations

Until January 1992, the ceasefire was generally maintained. However, in Kompong Thom, where forces of all four Cambodian parties were present, there were armed clashes in January between forces of SOC and forces of PDK. UNAMIC deployed a military liaison team to the area on 29 January. Although UNAMIC's presence contributed to calming the situation, the atmosphere remained tense.

On 26 February, a United Nations helicopter on a reconnaissance mission in the Kompong Thom area came under fire, and a member of the Australian contingent was wounded. This was the first attack against United Nations peacekeepers in Cambodia. UNAMIC immediately undertook an investigation.

Background

Expansion of mandate

Ceasefire violations

References