1. Major armed conflicts

Summary

In 1994, 31 major armed conflicts were waged in 27 locations around the world,
compared with 33 conflicts and 28 conflict locations in 1993 (revised data). As
in 1993, no 'classical' interstate war was waged. However, in 5 of the 31
conflicts recorded for 1994, other states participated in the fighting with
regular forces: Armenia in the conflict in Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh;
Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) in the conflict between Bosnia and
Herzegovina and Bosnian Serbs; Croatia in Bosnia and Herzegovina versus Bosnian
Croats; Russia and Uzbekistan in the conflict in Tajikistan; and a
peacekeeping/peace enforcement force comprising forces from several African
states in Liberia.

The most destructive conflict in terms of the total number of human lives
during the year was the war in Rwanda since it was accompanied by genocidal
massacres by Hutu extremists, targeting other Hutu as well as Tutsi. High death
tolls were also recorded for Algeria, Angola, Turkey, Afghanistan and Yemen.

Two new major armed conflicts were added in 1994: the war in Yemen, which broke
out in May and ended in July; and the conflict between the Myanmar Government
and the Mong Tai Army, over the status of the self-declared Shan State.

In December 1994 armed conflict broke out in Chechnya, between the unilaterally
declared independent Republic of Chechnya and the Russian Government. By the
end of the year, however, the number of deaths had not risen above 1000, the
threshold criterion for it to be registered as a major armed conflict in
1994.

In terms of the regional distribution of conflict locations, Europe again
exhibits an upward trend for the past five years. The most significant trend is
seen in Central and South America, with a decline followed by a stable trend
since 1992.

A peace process has ended a major armed conflict in South Africa, and
cease-fire agreements or other arrangements reduced the fighting in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Azerbaijan, in Bosnia and Herzegovina (the
conflict between the government and Bosnian Croat forces), in the Abkhazia
conflict in Georgia and in Bangladesh. In some situations, the presence of UN
peacekeeping forces contributed to the implementation of a cease-fire and a
reduction in the number of deaths.

Appendix
1A. Major armed conflicts, 1994

MARGARETA SOLLENBERG, RAMSES AMER, CARL JOHAN ÅSBERG, BIRGER HELDT, ANN-SOFI JAKOBSSON, KJELL-ÅKE NORDQUIST, THOMAS OHLSON AND ANNA SCHNELL

Appendix 1A gives data on the major armed conflicts of
1994.