One of many UN’s longest-standing peacekeeping missions – the UN Disengagement Observer Pressure, recognized by its acronym UNDOF – started greater than a half century in the past when the 1973 Center East disaster erupted.
The Settlement on Disengagement between Israeli and Syrian forces was concluded which supplied for an space of separation and for 2 equal zones of restricted forces and armaments on either side of the realm. UNDOF was established to oversee its implementation.
Right here’s what you have to know:
Forging peace to finish a disaster
On the heels of the Israeli-Egyptian conflict in 1973, the state of affairs within the Israel-Syria sector turned more and more unstable in March 1974 as clashes intensified.
UNDOF was established in late Could 1974 and by 3 June, the Secretary-Basic had appointed an interim commander of UNDOF who arrived in Damascus, Syria’s capital, that very day.
The mission operates with the identical mandate immediately.
UNDOF
A peacekeeper greets the scholars of the Faouar College in Syria. (file)
What does UNDOF do?
UNDOF’s mandate stays largely unchanged since 1974:
Sustaining the ceasefire between Israel and SyriaSupervising the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forcesSupervising the areas of separation and limitation, as supplied within the Could 1974 Settlement on Disengagement.
Each six months, the Safety Council opinions and has prolonged the drive’s mandate, which is because of expire on 30 June 2025.
UNDOF has two base camps. Its headquarters at Camp Faouar handles logistics and the drive operates patrols by day and evening, intervening each time any navy personnel enters or attempt to function within the space of separation.
The drive additionally addresses mine and explosive remnant of conflict clearance and has instituted a safety and upkeep programme within the space of separation to establish and mark all minefields.
UNDOF is considered one of three UN peacekeeping missions within the area, charged with monitoring ceasefires and peace agreements. The opposite two are the UN Truce Supervision Group (UNTSO), established in 1948, and the UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has been operational since 1978.
UN Photograph/Yutaka Nagata
Members of the UNDOF Austrian Battalion Ski Patrol on Mount Hermon in 1975. (file)
What’s the realm of separation?
The realm of separation is a demilitarised zone and measures roughly 80 km lengthy, various in width from 10 km within the centre to lower than one km within the excessive south, with hilly terrain dominated within the north by Mount Hermon.
The best completely staffed UN place, it sits at an altitude of two,814 metres, the place it usually snows and peacekeepers conduct patrols due to specialised winter season gear.
The realm is inhabited and has traditionally been policed by the Syrian authorities. No navy forces apart from UNDOF are permitted to function within this space.
There may be additionally an space of limitation on either side, the place limits are positioned on the quantity and sorts of navy forces and gear allowed by the events.
UNDOF screens these restrictions by means of fortnightly inspections of the navy positions of the Israel Protection Forces (IDF) and the Syrian safety forces carried out by the Observer Group Golan, comprised of navy observers from UNTSO.
Try UNDOF’s newest deployment map right here.
UN Photograph/Yutaka Nagata
UNDOF officers patrol the Golan Heights in 1974. (file)
Most important challenges within the present Center East disaster
Over time, UNDOF has recorded ceasefire violations and labored with Israeli and Syrian authorities to resolve them.
As tensions rose final yr throughout the conflict in Gaza, a missile killed 12 individuals within the Golan and up to date heightened tensions within the space of separation emerged with Israel Protection Forces (IDF) transferring into the realm as Syria’s new de facto authorities seized energy in early December.
UNDOF peacekeepers, supported by UNTSO observers, stay at their pre-December 2024 positions and proceed key duties resembling monitoring and patrolling the ceasefire line, in response to UNDOF interim head Main Basic Patrick Gauchat, who briefed the Safety Council in mid-January.
Residents of the Golan have additionally expressed considerations to UNDOF, calling for the IDF to depart their villages amid studies of searches and arrests of their family. The IDF’s presence and roadblocks have additionally severely impacted UNDOF’s operational capability, decreasing its day by day car convoys and compromising its freedom of motion.
UN Photograph/Gernot Maier
An UNDOF statement submit within the Golan Heights, Syria. (file)
Adapting to new realities
Within the face of those present operational challenges, the mission has tailored its strategy.
Proper now, it has elevated weekly patrols from 10 to 40 and addressed such pressing security considerations because the neutralisation of unexploded ordnance in public areas.
In the meantime, efforts are underway to ascertain steady communication channels with the de facto authorities, performing mission chief Mr. Gauchat defined.
However, considerations stay.
“It’s crucial that the UN peacekeepers are allowed to hold out their mandated duties with out obstruction,” Mr. Gauchat advised the 15-member Safety Council on 17 January, urging all events to keep up the ceasefire and respect the phrases of the 1974 settlement. “We depend on the continued assist of Member States to return to full mandate implementation.”
Can UNDOF use drive?
Sure. UNDOF peacekeepers are authorised to make use of drive in self-defence or to defend UN personnel, amenities and gear.
UNDOF operates underneath Chapter VI of the UN Constitution, which emphasises monitoring, statement and facilitating the implementation of peace agreements.
