United Nations Disengagement Observer Force
UNDOF | |
---|---|
operation area | Golan Heights |
German name | United Nations troop contingent for disengagement |
English name | United Nations Disengagement Observer Force |
Based on UN resolution | 350 (May 31 1974) |
Beginning | May 1974 |
The End | ongoing |
management | Major General Ishwar Hamal ( Nepal ) |
Military out | Austria, Philippines, India, various nations (only in HQ) |
Deaths | 54 (as of December 2019) |
Map overview |
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The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) is a contingent of troops, the result of the Resolution 350 of the Security Council of the United Nations of 31 May 1974 on the Golan Heights was sent. It is one of the longest running United Nations missions. The decision was preceded by an unbundling agreement between Syria and Israel , which was concluded in Geneva on the same day . Syria claims the area and counts it to its Quneitra governorate , whose capital of the same name is located in the area and has been largely destroyed.
Your task is to monitor this agreement in an area of 235 km² that lies between the Israeli occupied Golan Heights and the rest of Syrian territory. The area is inhabited and is monitored by the Syrian police. The largest and most famous city in this area is the ruined Quneitra . The UNDOF headquarters was in Damascus until 1994 , then in Camp Faouar (near Amret al Faouar).
Participating countries
- Fiji since 2013
- Finland 1979-1993
- Netherlands 2 military observers
- India since 2006
- Iran 1975–1979
- Japan 1996-2013
- Canada 1974-2006
- Croatia 2008-2013
- Austria 1974–2013; (see also: UNDOF bequatt )
- Peru 1974-1975
- Philippines since 2009
- Poland 1974-2009
- Slovakia 1998-2008
- Uruguay since 2019
At the end of June 2010, UNDOF had a strength of almost 1,100 people, 1,037 of whom were soldiers. The largest troop contingents at that time came from Austria with 375, from the Philippines with 344, from India with 190 and from Croatia with 95 soldiers.
Force Commander
Commanding officers were:
from ... to | nationality | Rank | Surname |
---|---|---|---|
June 1974 – Dec. 1974 | Peru | BGen | Gonzalo Briceno |
July 16, 1975-21. Apr. 1979 | Austria | MGen (GenMaj) | Hannes Philipp |
Apr 21, 1979-25. Feb 1981 | Austria | BGen (Brig) / Col (Obst d GstD) | Günther Greindl (entrusted on an interim basis until November 30, 1979) |
March 1981-Apr. 1982 | Finland | MGen | Erik Kaira |
Feb. 1982-30. Jun. 1982 | Austria | Col (fruit d GstD) | Walter Schmitt (on an interim basis) |
June 1982 – May. 1985 | Sweden | MGen | Gustav Stahl |
June 1985 – May. 1986 | Finland | MGen | Gustav Hagglund |
July 1986 – Sep. 1988 | Sweden | MGen | Gustav Welin |
3rd Sep 1988-1. Oct 1991 | Austria | MGen (GenMaj) | Adolf Radauer |
Sep 1991-Nov. 1994 | Poland | MGen | Roman Misztal |
Jan. 1995-May. 1997 | Netherlands | MGen | Johannes C. Kosters |
May 1997 – Aug. 1998 | Ireland | MGen | David F. Stapleton |
Oct. 1998 – Jul. 2000 | Canada | MGen | H. Cameron Ross |
Aug. 2000 – Aug. 2003 | Sweden | MGen | Bo Wranker |
Aug. 2003 – Jan. 2004 | Poland | MGen | Franciszek Gągor |
Jan. 2004 – Jan. 2007 | Nepal | LtGen | Bala Nanda Sharma |
Feb. 11, 2007–1. March 2010 | Austria | MGen (GenMaj) | Wolfgang Jilke |
March 2010 – Aug. 2012 | Philippines | MGen | Natalio Cabili Ecarma |
Aug 2012 – January 2015 | India | MGen | Iqbal Singh Singha |
January 2015– February 2016 | Nepal | MGen / LtGen | Purna Chandra Thapa |
February 2016 – September 2017 | India | MGen | Jai Shanker Menon |
October 2017 - April 19, 2019 | Ghana | MGen | Francis Vib-Sanziri (died in action on April 19, 2019) |
May 2019 - July 10, 2020 | Nepal | MGen | Shivaram Kharel (interim) |
since July 10, 2020 | Nepal | MGen | Ishwar Hamal |
- ↑ Colonel of the General Staff Service until Nov. 30, 1979
Effects of the Syrian Civil War
In September 2012, according to press reports from 2018, Austrians of the UNDOF troop knowingly ambushed a Syrian police patrol. According to the press report, nine Syrian police officers were killed. The Austrians had apparently recorded a video that was later leaked to the press. The video shows how the UN soldiers speak to the Syrian police officers beforehand and let them drive on without warning.
Due to the Syrian civil war that had been going on since 2011, the UNDOF units had largely withdrawn to the Israeli line (“Alpha”) in 2016. A return to the buffer zone (up to the "Bravo" line) is sought and supported by Israel (which is neutral in the internal Syrian conflict) and the Syrian government.
In early April 2018, according to Israeli observations, Syrian government troops began moving heavy weapons to the demilitarized zone. Tanks and artillery have therefore been pulled together to attack rebels on the Syrian southern border who are still holding on the Golan and in Darʿā areas.
Since August 2, 2018, soldiers from the UN peacekeeping forces have been deployed in the buffer zone for the first time in four years. Russia has also set up eight observation posts in the region.
Web links
- Official UNDOF website (English, with backgrounds, facts, maps, etc.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Deaths accessed November 18, 2018
- ↑ Fighters from the island paradise are supposed to help Austrians. Die Presse , April 11, 2013, accessed June 7, 2013 .
- ^ Fiji military prepares for Golan Heights mission. FBC, June 7, 2013, accessed June 7, 2013 .
- ^ Austria begins blue helmet withdrawal from the Golan. Deutsche Welle , June 12, 2013, accessed June 15, 2013 .
- ^ UNDOF HQ Military Staff List
- ^ Secretary-General Appoints Major General Purna Chandra Thapa of Nepal to Head United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. In: www.un.org. January 19, 2015, accessed February 17, 2018 .
- ^ Secretary-General Appoints Major General Jai Shanker Menon of India to Head United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. In: www.un.org. February 2, 2016, accessed February 17, 2018 .
- ^ Secretary-General Appoints Francis Vib-Sanziri of Ghana to Head United Nations Disengagement Observer Force. In: www.un.org. October 13, 2017, accessed February 17, 2018 .
- ↑ PRESS STATEMENT ON THE SUDDEN DEMISE OF THE UNDOF HOM / FC MAJOR GENERAL FRANCIS VIB-SANZIRI. In: https://undof.unmissions.org/ . PAO DPKO, April 20, 2019, accessed on May 22, 2019 .
- ↑ UNDOF LEADERSHIP. In: https://undof.unmissions.org/leadership . PAO UNPKO, June 28, 2019, accessed June 28, 2019 .
- ↑ " Waved by instead of warned" Wienerzeitung of April 27, 2018.
- ^ UNDOF (Golan Heights): September 2016 Monthly Forecast: Security Council Report. In: www.securitycouncilreport.org. Retrieved October 21, 2016 .
- ↑ Michael Bachner: "Assad regime places tanks, artillery in buffer zone with Israel" Times of Israel of April 5, 2018.
- ↑ UN peacekeeping forces are patrolling again In: Israelnetz.de , August 3, 2018, accessed on August 6, 2018.