The Split Agreement authorized Croatian Army intervention in Bosnia, directly enabling operations that ended the siege of Bihać and contributed to the Dayton peace process.
Key Facts
- Date signed
- 22 July 1995
- Signing location
- Split, Croatia
- Parties to agreement
- Croatia, Republic of BiH, Federation of BiH
- Primary military objective
- Relieve the siege of Bihać
- Key operation enabled
- Operation Storm; capture of Knin (RSK capital)
- Strategic outcome
- Shifted military balance; led to Dayton Agreement
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
By mid-1995 the Bosnian War had reached a critical juncture. Bosniak-held Bihać remained under prolonged siege, and Croatia sought a formal framework to deploy its army in Bosnia and Herzegovina to address both Bosnian Serb advances and the threat posed by the Republic of Serbian Krajina along Croatia's own borders.
On 22 July 1995, Croatia, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina signed the Split Agreement in Split, Croatia. The mutual defence pact formally authorized the Croatian Army to intervene militarily in Bosnia and Herzegovina, principally to relieve the siege of Bihać.
The agreement triggered large-scale Croatian Army deployments, enabling Operation Summer '95 and the swift capture of Knin during Operation Storm, collapsing the Republic of Serbian Krajina. Subsequent combined HV, ARBiH, and HVO offensives, alongside NATO air strikes, shifted the Bosnian War's military balance and helped bring all parties to the negotiating table, culminating in the Dayton Agreement.
Political Outcome
Authorized Croatian Army intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina; contributed to collapse of RSK, lifting of Bihać siege, and the path to the Dayton Agreement.
Bosnian Serb and RSK forces held strategic advantage; Bihać under siege
Croatian and Bosniak forces gained military initiative; RSK dissolved; peace talks initiated