NATO hands over Bosnia peacekeeping mission to European Union control

The SFOR contingent in place in Bosnia since the end of the 1992-95 war has shrunk from 60,000 soldiers to 7,000 — and most of them are staying; They will be called EUFOR now. The EU intends to slim down the force further if all goes well with efforts to bring Bosnia closer to the European mainstream.

Bosnia’s 1992-95 war left 260,000 dead and half the population of four million refugees. It is in two parts now: a Muslim-Croat federation and a Serb Republic. The country remains under international administration, run jointly with multi-ethnic government structures. The hunt for war crimes suspects remains incomplete, and reconstruction is slow, but Sarajevo has earned European community praise. The handover ceremony is taking place at Camp Butmir, on the outskirts of the capital.

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